The Gathering Place, A place to blether

Just stopping in to say goodnight to everyone! I am going to bed a wee bit early and going to do some reading on my Voyager book.

BGL- No hurry for the pictures- hope I didn't give you that impression. I know its a busy busy time for everyone. I am just glad to see you no matter where it is.

Hi JP- crank that baby up for me too! LOL have a good weekend keep cool

Moon Child- oh my heavens that is a long time to go without a vehicle. Hope that when they get it fixed it stays fixed.
The bank deal, they shouldn't be able to stop payments like Insurance etc. Hopefully you won't get charged extra.. Oh this world can make ya nuts huh?

Gwenlee & SB you have fun for me at Stone Mtn..green with envy

CR, oh hang in there this has to be tough on you with your SIL keep us posted you and yours will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Well off to bed- everyone have a great weekend and Hello to anyone I might have missed..

Slainte

I'm supposed to paying bills online but just wanted to stop in and make sure everyone is okay.

Rindy...you didn't give that impression (about the pics). I'm just mad at myself that I haven't gotten around to doing it!

CR...so sorry to hear about your SIL. Hope she is soon on the mend.

Gwenlee and SB...sure would be nice to meet up at Stone Mtn. Let's try to set something up when it gets a little closer.

MoonChild....you better rest up before you start working all those hours. The money will come in handy, tho! Bet you're getting excited about your trip.

Hi to everyone else I missed. Hope you all have a good weekend.

BGL

You bet! Hey, I just realized you're in Kentucky - I've been there, to Lexington twice to attend the American Saddlebred Horse Assn. youth convention with my daughter and her barn friends. Unfortunately the convention is held in February so all I've seen of kentucky is grey, cold, and even some snow. I swear I've GOT to get there during some season besides winter!! Those massive tobacco barns and the huge horse farms are beautiful even in the chill of winter, though.

It'll be a long drive for you then to get to Stone Mountain, but at least its a straight shot south: just get on I-75 and head south, and turn left at Spaghetti Junction (I-285)

SB

Yes Rindy, I don't know what this world is coming too. Your not safe either way to carry cash or even use your bank card anymore!! I know since my bank card was swiped I really pay attention now when someone is swiping my card!!! With the insurance thing I won't be charged for it since my insurance company told me to go to the bank and get a letter stating what happened and that it wasn't me fault!! I went in yesterday to the bank so it should be ready for Monday when a manager is on duty. With the car, I only have to do minor things to it once when it's running like a tune up and get new shocks done on the back then it should be ok for quite awhile!!

BGL, I'm not really looking forward to working so many shifts next week but the money will really come in handy for my trip and getting the car fixed!! Planning for the trip is going good. Were just pricing everything out now so we know how much we need when we get down there. Boy I can't wait...it can't come soon enough!!

Hey everyone. I went out of town to see my SIL who is not doing well at all. Her sister flew in from Arkansas to stay with her and look after her business for her, so that is good. My SIL is a pitiful, I tell ya. She looks really bad. Anyway, got home late tonight and should be in bed but wanted to catch up in here.

Moonchild, can you explain to me again what happened to your bank card? It sounds scary! Hope it will all be worked out soon.

JP! Your home? And listening to Highlander radio? Woo hoo! Good for you. I bet you need that. How are things with you and family?

BGL! Kentucky has lots of barns?! I LOVE barns. When I lived in the south I was always photographing them. I did the same in Oregon as well.

SB! Getting ready for your birthday? How are the kids and Reid doing? Have you been working in the studio?

gwenlee, hope your not working too hard!

Hello to everyone else!

Well I haven't posted much lately and I haven't posted here at all. Sometimes between my day job and my volunteer one I could used two or three clones (or clowns, not sure which would work better)!!!

Anyway, I need a place to ramble a little. If any of you remember me talking about my daughter and all we have been through well....there's more. She graduated college in May wearing a full leg brace on here left leg left from her surgery last December. Her leg is not as strong as was hoped for, but that hasn't slowed here down. She has been offered a Special Education Teaching job and she is strongly considering it. The only catch is that we live in Flushing, Michigan and the job is in Bethel Alaska.....3309.9 miles away!!! It is a small Yup'ik Eskimo village surrounded by smaller villages. Though the town only has a couple of roads in it and a few people own cars, there is no road to it. To get anything to town you have to either bring it by ship or fly it in. She would be located on the banks of a large river just 25 miles from the Bering Sea. Bethel is located 400 west of Anchorage. In the area are children who are deaf and some who are in wheelchairs. Can you imagine a wheelchair on the tundra? Some of the disabilities are caused by Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Drinking is a major problem in the area. Mandy having lived her whole life with Cerebral Palsy feels she could be a positive influence in this community.

Right now I'm just a little numb.

gettin-away

Hey gettin-away! That's what this thread is for is to "ramble" away about anything! so welcome to The Gathering Place!

First of all, congrats on your daughter's graduation! I know you are so proud of her already, but this is just one more to add to pride of the father and daughter as well. Wow! Now Mandy has quite an opportunity there, I'd say. But in Alaska?! And she is considering it too? Oh my! She is one brave little lady there to want to take on those harsh conditions! But you know I live by a motto.........."where there is a will there is a way." If she has that in her heart too she will make it work. I am sure as her father you are very worried. I will be praying for you and Mandy and that she will be led to make the right decision. Oh, secondly. Is this the first job opportunity being granted to her or is this THE ONE she is wanting to do the most? That makes a difference too.

Well feel free to "ramble" away, my friend. Keep us posted. How else are you doing?

Hello to everyone else!

Hello everyone! I have gotten my head above water, that is my work load has lightened up a bit. So here I am!

CR - you asked how the family is doing. Interesting that you asked. The wife and younger son were away for the past week. Saturday they got back and it took just about one hour before the big fight began! Honestly, my wife tends to get in the boy's faces about every little thing and saturday we had a big blow out! Thankfully it did serve to clear the air between all four of us and the rest of the weekend went well. (the argument involved our oldest and his plans to visit his girlfriend in New England. It will mean he will miss six days of work: six days of pay he really cannot afford to miss. But he is adament! He is going, money or not!).
Like I said, our level of understanding between us is better now. My wife learned a few things about her children. Good things, too!

YES I'm getting ready for my birthday - we're going out to celebrate tomorrow night, since Chris & Sarah are going to PA for a week or so beginning this Thursday and would miss the 'do' if it was on my actual birthday day. Reid is going to give me a little shopping spree at Hobby Lobby! They've got a lot of Paris and London things right now, cute stuff that will look good in my kitchen or the studio. I'm a sucker for anything that reminds me of those two places.

Studio? What's that??
I am really getting embarrassed about it, there is a painting of the church that I had told someone I'd have finished at Easter - of 2004!! - and the thing is still up against the wall, about two thirds complete. Disciplined, I am not. Distracted, YES! Busy, YES! I've had several paying commissions that simply had to come first. Guess what the last one was??

A logo for a Funeral Home! Man it was hard to be serious with that one - I kept wanting to do wierd things like tombstones and sayings like 'We'll Plant You Deep!"


SB

CR, what happened with my bank card was that I used it somewhere to buy something and the bank called me right away to tell me that my bank card had been swiped and duplicated!!

I was in shock to not only found out that that had happened but also for the fact that the bank called me right away!!! If they wouldn't have called me I wouldn't have noticed at all. I'd have noticed if there was money missing but otherwise no clue!! So as soon as they called me they told me to go into a branch close to me to get a new card. So I did as soon as I got off the phone and got a new card and changed all my pin #'s. What the bank didn't tell me was that there was a hold on my account because of the card being swiped and didn't notice until I got a call from my insurance company saying that the money didn't go through. It wasn't a NSF they told me it looked like there was a hold on my account. So I went back into the bank and got it taken off and got a letter written up explaining that it wasn't my fault that there was a hold on my account so that I could be waived the s/c for my insurance not going through.

I don't know where it happened since the bank can't release that information but think that I have a pretty good idea where it was. I think it happened at a gas station near my house where they have their debt machine underneath the counter. So whenever I go there I only bring cash now!!! I have even tried to lean over to see if I can see where it is but I couldn't. Now I'm very cautious to look where the bebit machines are and watch them swipe my card and get it back before I even start typing in my pin#!!! My cousin has told me of an instance of where someone she knew had her card swiped first in the regular debit machine then they swiped it in a different machine while she was entering in her pin #. It's getting pretty bad that you don't feel safe to use your bank card anymore!!!

CR, what happened with my bank card was that I used it somewhere to buy something and the bank called me right away to tell me that my bank card had been swiped and duplicated!!

I was in shock to not only found out that that had happened but also for the fact that the bank called me right away!!! If they wouldn't have called me I wouldn't have noticed at all. I'd have noticed if there was money missing but otherwise no clue!! So as soon as they called me they told me to go into a branch close to me to get a new card. So I did as soon as I got off the phone and got a new card and changed all my pin #'s. What the bank didn't tell me was that there was a hold on my account because of the card being swiped and didn't notice until I got a call from my insurance company saying that the money didn't go through. It wasn't a NSF they told me it looked like there was a hold on my account. So I went back into the bank and got it taken off and got a letter written up explaining that it wasn't my fault that there was a hold on my account so that I could be waived the s/c for my insurance not going through.

I don't know where it happened since the bank can't release that information but think that I have a pretty good idea where it was. I think it happened at a gas station near my house where they have their debt machine underneath the counter. So whenever I go there I only bring cash now!!! I have even tried to lean over to see if I can see where it is but I couldn't. Now I'm very cautious to look where the bebit machines are and watch them swipe my card and get it back before I even start typing in my pin#!!! My cousin has told me of an instance of where someone she knew had her card swiped first in the regular debit machine then they swiped it in a different machine while she was entering in her pin #. It's getting pretty bad that you don't feel safe to use your bank card anymore!!!

Geesh that's horrible. ....ya that's all I can say... wow

Hi everyone- sorry I didn't get a chance to post yesterday.. Just a wee bit busy at the moment.

Dragon Boy how are you???

Moon Child, my Dad had that happen to him it is so scary if you don't watch your account..oh boy it can disapear in a hurry.

CR- hope your SIL does well tomorrow you let us know huh?

Jpm- hang in there!

Well got to go hope you all have a great evening..HELLO to all of you..

Slainte

Hey!
Where did everybody go?
It's been two days since anyone has posted to the Gathering Place.

Thats all right!

Hey it is ever hot here!!!!
Hope it cools off soon.

BTW, did anyone notice the death of the man that was the voice of Tigger?
Also the fellow that did Piglet too, also passed away.
So sad.

TTFN

Hi everyone. I've been working a lot lately and have been getting my old house ready to sell. It is now on the market and I hope and pray it sells fast. I am so tired of double mortgagees. Its vacation time at work and all of us are working extra. Plus we are getting ready for Joint Commision, for those who don't know thats the group that accredits the hospitals. This weekend we plan to go for some fun at Red Top Mountain. Saturday night they are going to have music by the lake, hayrides, and other activities.

Moon Child that is horrible what happened with your card. Clark Howard (a radio financial advice host) spoke about that happenening a couple of weeks ago and suggested using good old fashion cash. I know one time something similar happen to us and the bank called because of the amount of the purchase. Turned out someone else had bank numbers very close to ours.

I hate to hear that the voice of Piglet and Tigger died. I am such a Pooh fan all of my work tops are Pooh and friends.

SB I'm sorry I missed giving you a birthday wish. I hope you had a good day and you have to tell us all about it. You sound like me you have a lot of projects going on and don't have enough time to complete them. I have several cross stitch projects going on a sewing project and a stack of books to read.

Getin-away-that is so neat about your daughters job offer. I lived in Anchorage, Alaska. My brother was born there. It is a beautiful state. My girlfriend went to Bethel in 1980 and stayed for about 3 years. It was a real culture shock for her.
She was shocked at the alcohol and drug use in the area. I have often wanted to go back and I have looked into working as a nurse with the Indian health Service but I couldn't talk my husband into going.

Hi CR I have really missed talking with you about books. I need to slide over to the books forum and see what is going on.

TTFN

Hello everyone!!!

Gwenlee, I have to agree with you about carrying cash!! I'm going to be careful about having cash on me more often now!!

SB, sorry I missed you birthday!!

With me things are going ok. Working like crazy right now!! I'm on a 8 straight grave rotation right now till Tuesday morning!!!

I'm taking the car up to the mechanics tomorrow to get fixed and boy I can't wait!!! So within the next week or so I should have it on the road again!!!

Hope everyone is doing well!!