I am putting this up early to give you the chance to remember everything you do in a days time. While it seems like not a lot is accomplished, you will be amazed when you write it all down. So tonight let everyone know what you have been up to! A snapshot of your life, so to speak.

-- Melissa (cmnorris@1st.net), November 14, 2001

Answers

I haven't got to post as much as I have been because all I do is answer email and pack boxes. Not that I am complaining. I have 40 items on ebay and am truely amazed. I think I have found a way to earn good extra (if there really is extra money) money.I've done quite well and am very happy. I just wish I could find a system, so I could have more time with you guys!I know it will fall into place!- God Bless

-- Micheale from SE Kansas (mbfrye@totelcsi.net), November 14, 2001.

Well, thus far today I've bought a semi tractor in West Palm Beach, Florida and a seven or eight place car hauler trailer in Dallas, Texas. I made arrangements to have three dump trucks readied to be picked up in Goshen, Indiana. I arranged for a driver and chase vehicle to bring one to me this afternoon then take me and my trailer back to Goshen so I can load another one on that trailer and tow it back with the third. I've called the airlines to arrange a flight from here to Palm Beach, Florida to get a driver down there to get the semi tractor there, drive it to Dallas, pick up the trailer and bring everything back here. I got confirmation on a computer purchase I made yesterday and arranged transfer of funds for that and for the semi tractor and trailer in one trip to the bank. Next I got online to check my email, etc. and here we are. It's not yet 11 AM, but, as I missed breakfast I'm already considering going to a friend's restaurant up the road for their roast beef lunch special. It's new on their menu and I was a guinea pig for it last week and it was delicious. I elected to post my day up to now as I'll not likely be online later since my trip after the other two dump trucks will have me on the road rather late this evening and have an early day tomorrow.

-- Gary in Indiana (gk6854@aol.com), November 14, 2001.

Actually not what I should have done. Gary took th eday off so he could finish installing the heat pump-we won't have the wood stove in for awhile. I fixed breakfast in the electric skillet since the furnace is still where the stove goes, helped feed the 63 baby chicks and two hens, cats and the dog. I went to the chiropractor and the paint store. Spray painted the filing cabinet, worked on Mitch's word too much. Did a load of laundry. Watched the baby chicks spar with each other. Hunted for a book in the boxes in the attic. Found the Christmas videos-in the attic in boxes, did my workout, shot a few hoops. Basically not much of anything useful. When GAry's done, we're going to watch a video and eat ceral for supper. Not at all amazed, However, there's always tomorrow.

-- Cindy (S.E.IN) (atilrthehony@countrylife.net), November 14, 2001.

Well, it's now 4 PM and the only thing that went the way it should have since my last post was lunch (it was delicious!). My driver called me from Goshen to tell me the dump trucks that I had been told had been started up and run on Monday are all dead (batteries). If that wasn't bad enough, since it was 3:30 there he's told "no one is available to help get them started now" as they were all "getting ready to clean up and go home."

Keep in mind this is a municipality and they're on the clock until 4 PM. Another sidelight to this is the garage manager had to have been lying to me about having gotten all of the trucks ready and started up Monday. My driver tells me the same guy admitted to him they'd not been started in quite some time.

Needless to say, my plans for the balance of the day have changed dramatically as I'm now not going to Goshen as all three trucks are now locked in for the day. Additionally, I still feel an obligation to compensate the two people I had over there for their time regardless of the fact I experienced no gain from their efforts. Sadly, this is so typical of dealing with entrenched bureaucrats or a municipality. Here I have both. There is no sense of responsibility for anything, whatsoever. They pretty much just show up and the paychecks keep coming.

In a private business either what was promised would have been done or, at the very least, someone would have done whatever was necessary to get my guys on the road regardless of whether or not someone had to wash his hands and put away his tools on his own time or not. Had the situation been reversed (minus the outright lying, of course), you can bet I'd have put new batteries in myself rather than act so irresponsibly.

So, in essence I've not only not accomplished anything since lunch, but have actually taken a step or two backwards. Melissa, I can't tell you how excited I am to have chronicled all of this. AAAARGHHH!!! ;o)

-- Gary in Indiana (gk6854@aol.com), November 14, 2001.

It occurs to me I ought make note of something here. While I am "Gary" and am, in fact, "in Indiana" I am not the Gary to whom Cindy in SE Indiana refers. Just thought I should clear that up.

-- Gary in Indiana (gk6854@aol.com), November 14, 2001.

Gary Indiana, Gary Indiana, Gary...oh sorry, got caught up in a little Broadway ditty. I milked two goats, processed the milk, mixed up four meatloaves, went to work, put in 6 hours selling pansies and yard art, talked to a man about renting a store on the town square for a used book store (a pipe-dream), came home to find DH building me a new garden bed, put those meatloaves in the oven, now I'm talking to all my e-friends. Later, I'll milk those two goats again, feed the rest of the stock, finish making supper, clean up and fall into bed....and tomorrow starts the same old thing again.

-- melina b. (goatgalmjb1@hotmail.com), November 14, 2001.

O.K. First thing I did this morning was call the state capital to talk with a lawyer with the Alabama League of Municipalities about a council member here whose activities may be illegal....

Fed and watered 25 chickens, picked up 16 eggs; fed and watered 22 rabbits, let Speed Buggy and then Firecracker exercise in the bunny pen for a little while.

e-mailed my internet spinning buddy in California about what all that had happened to me since yesterday.

Began receiving calls that the Wrangler plant here was going to close.

Went to the weekly newspaper I write for and picked up a press release about VF Jeanswear closing five plants in alabama and bunches more across the nation...but Alabama is hardest hit...

Paid homestead payment at the bank; paid mine and husband's phone bill.

Came home and called the chamber of commerce director about how the closing will effect this county economically. Called a company spokesperson in North Carolina and got all his reasons why the companies are closing....i.e. jobs are going to Mexico and the economy is bad....

wrote that article for the daily I write for and sent it to their computer and then talked by phone with my editor there...

fed and watered chickens again and collected 14 more eggs. checked on bunnies, two needed more water, Elmo and Houdini got to exercise this time.

Gave antibiotic to Angora bunny named Little Blue Eyes.

brought in two loads of clothes off the line (I hung them out this morning) folded and put them up.

Received call back from that lawyer in Montgomery.

fixed big pan of homemade biscuits for supper and now am waiting for husband to get home from his handyman business so I can make gravy and we can eat!

(Yesterday was a little different that today in that I groomed and cut hair on one Angora bunny; worked on my treadle sewing machine all morning; etc.)

-- Suzy in Bama (slgt@yahoo.com), November 14, 2001.

Hello Melissa, Today, I worked on more wiring of my house. I finished the kitchen and install one of the lights in the bathroom. Feed and watered the chickens. Worked on the computer for awhile. Spent the afternoon hunting! What a great life, huh? Sincerely, Ernest

-- http://communities.msn.com/livingoffthelandintheozarks (espresso42@hotmail.com), November 14, 2001.

Well everyone, my day is winding down, but is by no means over yet! Some of you live exciting lives!! Makes me think for a minute or two about getting a job. OK, thought about it and decided "NO Way", I don't have time!!!

Got up at 6am which is one hour earlier than I would like to get up!! Girls are getting ready for school, read to kids, and get 2 younger kids up. They get ready for school, while I bake a batch of sugar cookies for the pre-schoolers and straighten the house.

We go out and feed the horses, chickens, dog and kittens. They get on the bus, I come on the site, read over a few posts quickly, and post a few things myself. Then I ice the cookies, and pack all my pre-school things (worksheets, Thanksgiving decorations, and the cookies). Get a quick shower, set out the trash. Drive to pre- school about 3 miles away in town.

Pre-school: There are seven kids I teach each week. We have a lot of fun!! When I arrive I move 12 big boxes of books someone has donated, out of the middle of the floor. Get everything ready for when the kids arrive. Today is our Thanksgiving Day Dinner! The kids play with toys for the 1st 15 minutes while I put books away and watch over them. Then we move to our desks and do school-work (worksheets, ABC's, shapes, counting, all the typical activities!) Then we move back to the library, sing some songs, and read a few stories. They pick out books. Then we move to our big craft table and make a construction paper turkey (lots of glue!!). The kids are all fitted with Indian head-bands, and parade through the Senior Center downstairs. Play in the gymnasium for a while, and go back to community room where parents have set up our feast. Eat a great lunch of turkey, dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, corn, dinner rolls, carrots and celery, cheese, applesauce, fruit punch, and cookies (all in very small kid portions!) Clean up everything, and head home. Wash 2 loads of laundry, hang on line. Sit in chair in yard and read a book. Get mail, read it. Electric bill is lower than normal which is good! Older girls get home, I start cooking supper. Younger 2 arrive home, with a friend also. We eat, do dishes, then leave for the skating rink to drop Lindsey and her friend off, for an honor skating party. I go visit my granmother with the 3 other kids for about 1 1/2 hours. Pick Lindsey up, and head home. I am now helping all the kids with their homework and typing. Pretty mundane life!!! My whole life revolves mostly around kids in one way or another!!! Hopefully I will get to sit and talk to Cale for a while before bed, and then I will read a little, and go to sleep by 11.

-- Melissa (me@home.net), November 14, 2001.

I'll try to keep this relatively short, which looking at the condition of my house, it should be ;)! I got up, readied my kindergartner for school, called my mother at 8:15 to take her shopping to return a couple of things, and to go to Wal-Mart. She wasn't out of bed yet! She rushed around, was ready by 8:45 when my almost-3-year-old and I arrived. Ran our errands, I dropped her off, picked up the kindergartener, (both boys, by the way) went home, had lunch, talked to a friend, cleaned out the living room area, used my new (used) bissell carpet cleaner on it, killed some time chasing the kids outside, taking care of chickens and dog, walking home (after locating the kids visiting with the neighbors). Fixed kitchen-sink scrambled eggs and toast for supper (hubby's working tonight - firefighter), supervised kindergarten homework and showers, getting the kids ready for bed at 8:00 or so. Was hoping to substitute teach tomorrow, but nothing yet. Before bed I will reassemble the living room and clean up the kitchen from supper. Oh, yeah, somewhere in there I washed a couple of loads of clothes, and they will have to be put away. There's ironing too, but that's probably just a pipe dream (ususally is around here!).

-- Christine in OK (cljford@aol.com), November 14, 2001.

Its a bit scary, but I knew who was posting long before the name came up on most of the above posts;m today I spent $16.00 on lumber to come home and make a set of saw horses; another $14.00 on material to redeck my toy trailer for my toy tractor so that I can haul th e gravel to fix my driveway from the back of the place; enjoyed tormenting people with my stumpers, fed a scratch cat twice, fed me three times today, caught two hours of the History channel via Search for..... and found time to read this thing over and over......

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), November 14, 2001.

1. Went to work, stayed a good chunk of the day, then came back home. 2. Went to the farm and concreted in the riser on a culvert I've been working on.

No. 2 was worthwhile and rewarding.

-- charles (clb@dixienet.com), November 14, 2001.

I had a very frustrating day. I'm wired to a heart monitor and the thing keeps bothering me! It gets in my way, the strap cuts into my neck and generally is a pain in the rear! Thank God I can take the #@** thing off tomorrow morning! Other than that, I vacuumed, cleaned the house and went to the hair salon. Got a well needed hair cut!

-- Ardie/WI (ardie54965@hotmail.com), November 14, 2001.