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Taxes! Most years the deadline to have taxes filed is today. I have not even started yet! Most years, I have them done and filed by Feb. 15, at the latest. Talk about procrastination; I’m becoming a Pro-crastinator! It’s on the agenda for tomorrow afternoon; once I’ve delivered your papers to the post office. It’s also possible an extension may be filed! LOL! Speaking of taxing, my mom was recently certified in a canine training course. She is proud of herself and won’t stop talking about it. I am proud of her. It was a lot of material...
This week’s addition to Love my Crazy life is all about bloopers in DIY! DIY is short for Do It Yourself and has become all the rage since HGTV and the DIY channels made it popular. I don’t know about you, but I was a DIYer before it was popular, and I don’t see what all the fuss is about. Anymore DIY is all about home renovations. My entire life, it has been an everyday occurrence. The car needs a tune-up, DIY. Roof leaks, DIY. Sewer backed up, DIY. One of my favorite all-time DIY bloopers was helping Mom plumb her house in Colorado. This...
The planets aligned, and the “powers that be” finally decided to schedule my MRI. They called late Friday afternoon and set me up to go into the tube of horrors at 9 a.m., Monday. I am no stranger to this loud clanking picture-taking tube. I’ve had more than 30 of these scans in my life, most of which were done in my teens. Brain scans take forever. I’m not sure if it’s because mine is hard to find or if it’s just that way it is. I was a real trooper for the first 20 minutes; after that, I wanted to scratch and claw my way out of the blasted...
I’ve been having a rough time with “adulting” the past few days. Maybe it’s the weather that’s got me in a funk, who knows! Robert was home for a bit Saturday and Sunday. He had gone with a friend to Wisconsin to pick up his car, and we happened to “make the cut” for a pit stop on the way back to the base. I miss the kid, and one of these days, I hope he can make a trip home without his tanker crew. Don’t get me wrong, I love those guys too, but I’d like to be able to have some one-on-one with my son from time to time. We’ve been workin...
Now that we have made it past false spring and second winter, many of us are yearning to get out into the garden. Try not to get too overzealous. The experts say we should wait until daytime temperatures are more than 50º to avoid harming our pollinators and wildlife. Our garden “mess” left over from the previous year provides a safe haven for all kinds of pollinators and insects. It also provides a food source for birds that have migrated back for the warmer months. Early spring is the time to take stock of what you have, make a list of what...
We have begun spring yard work at our house on Fourth Street. Ten years ago, it would have been an easy task and finished in a three-day weekend. That is not the case anymore. Honestly, if my husband and son weren’t helping, I would probably work until I dropped dead trying to get it done, but they remind me that “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” The idea is to have a blank slate that we can easily mow and maintain while we are working on the interior of the home. I tend to go into projects, big and small, guns blazing! When I want something, I wan...
Jacob is officially a licensed driver! I dropped him at the courthouse Tuesday morning and had him call me to bring the car down when his number was called. I’m so proud of him but nervous at the same time. Not quite as much as when his older brother got his license, but nervous just the same. I know I’ve said it before, but this “letting go” thing is “for the birds.” Don’t even get me started on the increase in car insurance. I don’t have much to tell you all about this week. We are all healthy. Nothing of note has happened in the last week o...
Even though there is still white stuff in the forecast, spring is on its way! I noticed a tulip pushing through the earth near my foundation and the tiniest buds on my lilac bushes. I enjoy watching nature come back to life. I can’t wait for the morning when I am awakened by a bunch of birds chirping. I’m excited about the warmer weather. I hope with this new vaccine folks are getting we can get back to somewhat of the regularly scheduled programming. My hope is I can get back into the world to report and write. COVID season has been pre...
Royce Gonzales, clerk of the district court, grew up in Nuckolls County and has lived here most of his life. In 2005, Royce married, Nancy Hess. The couple attended Bible college together after they were married. They serve together as youth ministers and are active in their church. They enjoy the outdoors! Often they can be found at the lake enjoying a day of fishing and taking in the outdoors. Royce is the administrator of the district court. His duties include processing civil, criminal and...
Word travels fast in a small community, so it’s likely not news to many of you that my husband and I had COVID. The hubby tested positive on Feb. 2, and me on the 5th. The teenager’s test came back negative. He has been isolated in his room. We all had to wear masks when he was out in the house’s common areas. I think it may have been better had he tested positive because now he will have to quarantine longer, seeing how he has been exposed. My symptoms were what I could only describe as severe hay fever and exhaustion. I’m not running a fever...
Here in south-central Nebraska, we are no strangers to miserably cold winters and dry, cracked skin, but this winter is setting records for just how cold it can get. Right now, it's -23º, give or take, here in Nelson and 23º in Juno, Alaska. I've always said I would never live in Alaska but the last week has me rethinking that decision. The National Weather Service in Hastings has recorded record-breaking temperatures in the last week. On February 15, a new record low of -24º was recorded. Th...
Not a whole lot is happening around here, just the normal. messy house, unruly children, work, bills, laundry...nothing eventful to speak of. I’m still not feeling myself. Waiting on doctors to call back is as eventful as watching the grass grow in the desert. George is under the weather as well. He seems to have caught a cold. I hate when he is sick. He seems to get the worst of the crud around here. It usually starts out with one of the kids catching something, then I catch it because I am taking care of them, then George, then back to me! I...
Move back to Nebraska, they said. It will be fun, they said. Just because my birthdate happens to fall in the winter does not mean I happen to enjoy it. I am currently unable to feel my toes after being out moving mountains of this dreaded white fluff! I know, I know, we need the moisture, so we don't blow away or go up in a ball of flames. I get that, but why is it all or nothing with mother nature these days? Yesterday on his way home, my husband got the car stuck just a block from home. Oh,...
Almost every year for the past nine years, George and I have been in Omaha many a new year. Whether it be for the end of the year meetings or our visitations with the boys, we have often found ourselves in Omaha. This year the boys came here, and George had no end of the year meeting to attend, so we stayed home. I hoped this would be the year we would go out for my birthday, January 19, but we decided to go while the getting was good in lieu of recent events and the possibility of another shutdown. We needed a date night. Who knows what’s g...
Well, ya’all, 2021 did not bring with it the magical reset button I’m sure many of us hoped it would. I’ve never really understood the whole “New year, new me” concept. I’ve always found it to be a pain in the tuchus. I have to buy a new calendar and remember to write the correct year on everything. Plus, it marks the beginning of the longest two months of the year. Not to mention the fact that I turn another year older shortly after. The house is quiet. I’m enjoying it! I miss my brats, but as I look around at all they left behind, not a...
Looking back over the last 12 months, it’s hard to believe it has only lasted 365 days. Many changes have taken place in such a short time, not just for us, but for the whole world. It seems like every country in the world had a stake in our presidential election, and many folks are still holding their breath, wondering what is going to happen come January. Many of us were hopeful things would go back to normal in November. Instead, the month brought with it more uncertainty. The “Rona,” as my family likes to call it, has brought with it chall...
This past week has been a bust. Thursday morning, as I climbed from my bed, I immediately fell back onto it. Vertigo is a horrible thing. I thought the sensation would pass, but by afternoon it was evident that it would not. I’ve had this before, but I don’t remember it being so persistent and lasting for so long. Typically the dizziness is a side effect from a sinus infection I ignored for too long and remedied with anti-inflammatories and decongestants. After taking an unexpected seat on the living room floor, attempting to pull the cha...
George started work today! After 12 weeks, it is sure nice to have my house back to myself for even a few hours a day. You won’t hear me complain about missing him anymore because he works just across town—a welcomed change. This morning, I wanted to crawl back in bed and enjoy having it all to myself again. During the three or four years he was on the road, I got used to having it all to myself. For a while, I thought we would have to go to his and her beds. I’ve been told I sleep diagonally and that I hog the covers. The children have all b...
This past weekend was quiet—a big change from the two previous. I miss the commotion. George and Jacob have decided to start renovations in the laundry room, so I won’t miss it for long. The laundry room was once the kitchen, an add-on years after the home was built. I imagine they had a kitchen separate from the home long ago. Honestly, I don’t know; much of this house is a mystery to me. We have large double doors in the bedrooms. When I say large, I mean it; eight-foot-tall and at least four feet wide. I’m not sure if they are origina...
As the Pandemic reaches closer to home, it seems many of us are just over it. We have heard for months now to stay home, social distance, wear a mask - “the new normal.” It’s become a regular thing to show up to the bank looking like a robber. I can hardly recognize anyone these days with their faces covered and bundled up against the cold. I remember early on wearing a mask into the store and being mocked by the cashier. Late last winter-early spring, I stocked the pantry and the medicine cabinet, preparing for the worst. All that got me was a...
For as long as I can remember, Nelson's main streets have been lit up throughout the holiday season with the Christmas tree and candle decorations lining the streets today. I was curious as to how long we had been using them so I called the Nelson city clerk. When I worked in the city office, I remember looking through the catalog and dreaming of purchasing new decorations. So I knew the clerk would be able to lay her hands on the information. In 1988, The City of Nelson purchased 30 Christmas...
I was planning on a small quiet Thanksgiving dinner. Plans have a way of changing. Two days before the turkey went in the oven, Robert called to say he had gotten leave. He asked if a friend could come along, and I said, “The more, the merrier.” So he brought three of his battle buddies home. They had planned to show up on Thanksgiving and leave Friday morning. Like I said earlier, plans change. They arrived Wednesday evening and headed back Sunday morning. I’m glad everyone helped out with the cooking. Mom brought mashed potatoes, yams and stu...
Not a whole lot is happening at the moment for this family. Robert is back in the states now and, hopefully, will be for a while. He called today and asked what was new. I honestly couldn’t think of anything. It seems like life is just on pause for now. The kids are all planning to be home at Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. That means I’ll be cooking an cleaning like a madwoman for the rest of 2020. Maybe that way I can avoid some of the political nonsense going on right now. I am recovering quickly from my surgery and feel so much bet...
The Trucks for Trump and Back the Blue Rally was held in Hastings on Sunday. Jeremy Thiel of Hastings planned the event, along with a few of his friends. A few months ago, Jeremy and his friends saw a need in the community to stand up for what they believe and help the community in whatever way they could. They formed a group called the Nebraska Liberty Coalition. The "NLC" had a few hiccups while putting the rally together. Many people were against having such an event in Hastings, but the...
So these past weeks have not been the greatest, and I’m having trouble making light of it. It all started about two months ago when the dishwasher quit. Since then, it’s just been one thing after another. The oven quit, Jacob was injured in a football game, George’s pick up broke down in nowhere Kansas, and two days later, he lost his job. To top it all off, my body then decided it hated me. I hadn’t been feeling well for quite a while. A couple of weeks ago, I had my first major gallbladder attack. Long story short, I ended up staying the nig...
