BigBug's WunderBlog

Big Bug .. Hope your staying cool .. 105.8 here this afternoon in central Illinois ...

OUCH! Wab, I saw on the weather this
morning that ya'll were really, really,
hot. Triple digit hot.

Hi, Dad.

Kinda warm out there for us, too, but not
as bad as Wab - He's up in Illinois.

I'm managing to get in a couple of posts
but will have to cut my lunch short. We're
not supposed to but if I don't tell, then
who's gonna know. I have too much work piled
up on me.

Hi, Dad.

That storm that moved though last
night was more bark than bite.

It got really windy and I could see
lots of lightning in the clouds but
it moved over fast. The wind died
down before it hit.

I'll have to check the gauge and
see just how much rain we got but
I don't think it was much.

need to get back to work

Hi, Dad.

Gas prices are leaping upwards.

I saw a Kangaroo/BP station this
morning with regular for 3.19.

It was just 3.12 the other day.

3.09 last week.

No more rain since night before
last but it is HOT out there.

I tried to do a little weeding
last night but between the heat
and the mosquitos, I gave up.

I hope the weather lets up some
before I come up next month. AND
I hope gas prices level off.

P.S. I am really enjoying my vent
visors over my door windows. They're
great!

hi, Dad.

Just counting down the hours and minutes
until I can clock out.

I will say it is good to be so busy that the
day seems to go by faster.

I stopped by the grocer on the way home
yesterday. It was 5:30 by the time I
got home. Later, after I'd put everything
up. Figured our cousin was probably on her
way to the dining room, so thought I'd call
around 7:30. I forgot.

Ah, well, I'll try tonight.

I could have sworn I'd seen a hummingbird last
week or the week before, so put up my feeder.
I haven't seen a thing, since. The nectar
levels do go down a bit but I think it's from
evaporation.

I'm beginning to wander if what I saw whiz
past out the corner of my eye was a dragon fly
rather than a hummer.

Hi, Dad.

Sorry for the late check in today.

I didn't wake up this morning until 8:30.
Got my coffee and the paper, then showered,
dressed and got started on the laundry.

It's a good thing I did, so it was all dry
and inside when the rain hit a little while
ago.

It came down hard, too, but there's barely a
third of an inch in the gauge. It looks like
downtown, Mt Pleasant may be getting the
brunt of it. It's pretty much stopped, here,
but is the radar in that area still looks a
bit nasty.

Hubby got home around 12. He'd brought hot dog
fixin's. I had a pimento cheese sandwich for
lunch. We've been watching WWII movies most of
the afternoon, with a few peeks at the Olympic
coverage, in between getting the clothes in and
put away as they dried.

Tomorrow, I'll do a little housecleaning, fix
something for dinner and get ready to head
back to work Monday.

Happy Sunday, Dad.

The rain cooled things off yesterday evening
but it's hot and sticky out there now.

Gus has been going out a little more but he
doesn't stay for long. A little sniffing
around the yard and a short nap in the shade
and he's ready to come back in.

Thunderstorms don't seem to bother him; he'll
snooze straight through some terrible crash
bangs. I guess he's just grateful that he's
inside and out of it. Not like this time last
year.

I suppose you're watching a good bit of the
Olympic coverage.

I don't get to see much of it; it doesn't seem
to interest Hubby much and, when he's home, he
pretty much controls the clicker. His taste
in TV shows isn't the same as mine. Once I get
back to work, I can't watch anything at all,
unless they rerun some stuff during the evening.
I don't have to fight over the clicker then, as
Hubby goes to bed so early!

I heard that Uncle "D" is in the hospital for
gall bladder issues. Aunt "C" is keeping me
filled in. Got an email from her yesterday,
giving me the news and that he was to have had
surgery this morning. They do that laparoscopically
now, so his recovery shouldn't be a problem.

I know they first said they wouldn't do surgery
but I think going ahead was a good idea. Do it
and get it over with and he won't have to worry
about having issues with it in the future.

I don't like heating up the house in the summer
by using the oven too often, esp when the temps
outside are really hot, like today. I try to come
up with meals that don't require a lot of
cooking.

Today I'm fixing Stouffer's 'Grandma's Chicken
Rice Bake", which is isn't too bad. Hubby
hasn't objected to it, which is another plus.
I can throw it in the microwave. Fix a
vegetable (today it's okra), slice some tomatoes,
maybe a cucumber. I've got some canteloupe in
the icebox. I'll be done and the house will be a
bit cooler than if I'd used the oven.

Hi, Dad.

I got a short email from Aunt "C" letting me
know that Uncle "D's" surgery went OK. She
said she gave you a call to let you know.

I've got to look through my cards and see if I
have anything suitable to send him. I'll send
it to the house, since I'm not sure just how
long he'll stay in hospital. If things go
well, he'll probably be home in a couple of days.


I'm glad that his doctor decided to do surgery,
rather than send him home with instructions to
come back if his symptoms persisted. Aunt "C"
said they found a bit of infection while they
were in there.

We're watching Andy Griffith while supper cooks.
This afternoon, they're showing mostly episodes
that feature Otis, the town drunk.

It got really black off to our north again. We
might get some rain out of it; we might not.
It looks like it's going to pass us by, with
most of it down around Edisto below us and the
rest across Mt. Pleasant.

Hi, Dad.

We got a teensy bit of rain last night but it
was just enough to wet the pavements down good;
there wasn't much in the guage.

I see we have our first Cape Verde invest out
there. It's that time of year. Just keep the
fingers and toes crossed that they don't come
anywhere near SC!

Need to check my email to see if Aunt "C" has
sent any further updates since yesterday
afternoon.

I did call our cousin to let her know about
Uncle "D" being in hospital. I promised to
keep her updated.

Hi, Dad.

I didn't get an email from Aunt "C" until
way after lunch.

Poor Uncle "D". More surgery today?
Aunt "C" said his son says he looks much
better this go round than he has since he's
been in hospital. I hope the encore surgery
takes care of things and his recovery will
be without further complications.

I just called and left a message for our cousin.
Again, I got her machine. They keep her
hoppiing over there at Bishop Gadsden. Her
social schedule is full; always something
going on and she's apparently taking it all
in.

Uncle "G" talked to her this morning and was
supposed to call her back this evening to
let her know how things were going.

I might still try calling back after her
dinner hour.

got about 10 minutes to say "Hi" and "bye".

I've a dentist appt this afternoon and I have to leave 30 minutes early. That means I can only have 30minutes for lunch and it took me 10 to get my soup heated in the micro. People in line ahead of me.

Will check in this evening.

Wishing you a very happy and weather safe month!

Hi, Dad,

Just a quick peek today. Am really, really
busy. I think someone, somewhere heard the
rumor that I'm going to be out of the office
to come up to Greenwood and opened the flood
gates. I am swamped.

Hi, Dad.

Been keeping tabs on how Uncle "D" is
doing. I've been calling our cousin
and telling her what I find out.

She said she tried to call "D" (I'm
assuming it his room phone in hospital)
but had problems 'getting out'. I think
she needs to dial 9 for an outside line,
then '1', then the number.

She must have been using her room phone,
not her cell. If she was using her cell,
she wouldn't have to dial an outside line.

I dunno.

Anyway, I'm calling her when I hear something,
just to keep her in the loop.

I think Uncle "G" has been calling her, too.

I see we have Depression # 5 out there. Looks
like it will head south of Cuba and on through
to the GOM (Gulf of Mexico). Something to
watch.

Hi, Dad.

So, we have Ernesto churning around in the
Caribbean. I see another wave coming off
Africa.

The seasonal Cape Verde freight train has
left the station. Oh, joy.

Maybe we'll luck out again this year and
not have anything hit us.

I know Aunt "C" and Uncle "G" were thinking
about driving to O'burg today to visit
Uncle "D". I know they planned to ask the
two of you if you wanted to go with them.

Hope they release him from hospital soon.
I think they've been discussing a nursing
home or rehab facility for a bit, since they
don't want him to go home alone. Or maybe
his son, his daughter in law or his daughter
will stay with him for a few days, while he
recovers from his surgery.

Will try calling our cousin tonight after I
get home. I think I'm just going to tell her
that I'm going to be over on James Island
tomorrow morning and that I want to stop by.
I know her daughter will be coming sometime
Sat morning but we can visit until she gets there.
Then, I can swing by Goodwill and Hyam's
Nursery on Folly Rd. I have been wanting to
go but I usually go when I'd visit our cousin.
since she moved to Bishop Gadsden, I haven't
hit the plant shop or the thrifts over that
way in quite a while.

Hope you two have a good day.

Love and (((HUGS)))

Hi, Dad.

Happy Saturday.

I see we have two things to watch in the tropics.

Ernesto won't be a problem for us. I saw that
wave coming off Africa is now TD 6. The track
for it is a bit north of Ernesto's and it might
be something for us to keep a close eye on.

It's early yet and it'll take a few days for
them to get a good idea of where it will go.

I still don't have all my weathe websites
bookmarked on this laptop. I had them on my
old computer and I have them at work. I need
to find some time at lunch to copy/paste the
links into an email, send them to my home
email and then bookmark them into my laptop.

Most of what I'm missing are my model runs
and I can't seem to get the ones I want to
come up when I ask Uncle Google.

I did reach our cousin last night, right off the
bat, when I called. Which is unusual these days.
She stays so busy at Bishop Gadsden, she's
hardly ever in her room to answer the phone.

Her daughter is coming over this morning but
I'm going to go over between 9:30 and 10:00.
We can visit until she gets there.

And though I used the excuse that I was going to
be over that way to go to Goodwill and Hyam's
and wanted to stop by to see her, I am going to
go ahead and do it after I leave Bishop Gadsden.

I won't go all the way over to James Island just
to shop but I would do it sometimes after I
visited her at her house on Saturdays. Maybe
once a month or so.

I didn't see an email from Aunt "C", so I
suppose that they did get to O'burg and back yesterday with no problem. Did either of you
go with them? I know you'd really want to see
Uncle "D" but that drive is a bit much. I know
it's frustrating for you that you can't get out
and go, like you'd want to.

Got an email from "L", Aunt "C" and Uncle "G"
daughter. She's been out to Yellowstone,
Jackson, Wyoming and points west. Having a
blast but wanted the latest on Uncle "D" and
how our cousin on James Island were doing.

Better get another cup of coffee and hit a
few blogs, before getting ready to go over to
James Island.

Hi, Dad.

Had a very nice visit with our cousin
yesterday. Her niece came down from
Rock Hill and we all had lunch.

Her daughter didn't get there until after
we'd eaten.

Because I was there longer than expected,
I passed on visiting the Goodwill store
over there but I did stop at Hyam's
Garden Center and found three nice little
air plants.

I got home, sat for a bit, then it was
off to Walmart to get my prescriptions
filled, get fresh birdseed and gas up
the truck.

Gas is going for anything from 3.25 to 3.35
here. It jumped about 10 cents overnight.

The birds are happy. I found that my seed
supply was infested with weevils last weekend,
so had to dump the nasty seed and wash/air
out the can I store it in. It was a good
thing I didn't have much seed left in the
can. That last bag I bought must have had
some eggs or hitchhikers in it. It looked
fine the weekend before.

I'm doing laundry now.

Aunt "C" emailed me to tell me how their
trip down to O'burg went. I was hoping
that they would have had some news as to
when Uncle "D" would be released from the
hospital but it seems like he's still
having some issues.

Got to stop and get that next load of
clothes on the line.

Hi, Dad.

Rained again yesterday. I had to run out
and snatch stuff off the line but most of
it was dry and already inside.

We got about 3/4 of an inch.

Eating lunch. Or trying to. I had fixed
ham, baked potatoes and cabbage yesterday.

When fixing my little lunch plate, I think
I got too much hot sauce on my cabbage.

I did two drops and should have done one.

The name is warning enough: Hell's Kitchen
Hot Sauce. And it is HOT. Good, though.

Gasp, wheeze, OH YUM....

Hi, Dad.

Rained again last night and, I think,
sometime this morning. I don't have
a window, so it's hard to tell unless
I go look out the lobby.

I see Florence has about petered out but
there's always the possibility of her
getting back on her feet again.

There's another wave to watch off Africa.

Things are popping this time of year.

Hi, Dad.

boy, is it wet out there today. Rain, rain, rain.

Got an email from your better half, telling me
that she will have someone get your lunch so that
I'm not locked into getting there by 12:00.
I will stop in O'burg on the way up next week to
see Uncle "D" before coming on to Greenwood.

That means I'll probably get lunch in O'burg and
won't arrive at the house until maybe mid
afternoon. I will be there well before
suppertime. I just can't give you a set time,
since I don't know who all I might see while
visiting Uncle "D". I won't stay too long
with him, as I don't want to tire him out, and
I might spend some time talking with whoever
else is there.

I need to email Aunt "C" and let her know, so
she can tell me where he is next Wed. I'm
assuming he's still in hospital, as I've not
heard any different as of last night.

gotta go. Have an appt this afternoon and am
only allowed 30 minutes for lunch.

Hi, Dad.

Boy, gas prices are skyrocketing.

I'm seeing a jump in almost 25 cents over the past two weeks.

One station on the way in to town this morning has
regular at 3.59!

I filled up at Murphys/Walmart Sat for 3.26.

Hi, Dad.

Emailed Aunt "C" and asked for the latest.

She emailed me back and told me that her
nephew had passed and they'd gone back
to O'burg for the funeral at Willow Swamp.
Afterwards, they went to see Uncle "D"
again.

I'm sure they've told you.

Looks like Uncle "D" will move to Methodist
Oaks. She says he's pitching fits about
the fact that they've told him he'd be
there for 20 days. Says he's not going to
do it but I don't think he's got much say in
the matter. It'll be up to his doctors.

I'll have to get directions from Mapquest.
I know I've been there quite a few times,
while Papa was living there but I've
forgotten the exact way. I see the sign,
"Methodist Oaks" on Hwy 301 when I get off
the interstate comeing up to Greenwood.


Rainy here today. I do hope I can manage to
get up to Greenwood and back next week
without having to drive through a deluge.

The Atlantic Cape Verde freight train is
having departures from Africa every couple of
days. I'm crossing my fingers that the El
Nino forms, like they're talking about.
That will help inhibit some of the storms
from forming.

Ain't this fun? NO!

Ooh, Pros, what lovely roses!

Hi, Dad.

It's sunny and breezy outside this morning.

I wasn't able to reach our cousin, when I
called last night. I left a brief message
that I'd call back and that Uncle "D" was
tentatively expected to be moved to
Methodist Oaks for continued recuperation,
either yesterday or Monday.

I haven't heard anything further. I'd had
an email Thursday from Aunt "C" .
They'd been back to O'burg on
Wednesday, as I'm sure you probably know
by now. Her nephew had passed and they'd
gone to the funeral, then back to see Uncle
"D" afterwards.

Got laundry to do and some household chores,
errands to run. Need to go back to Walmart
and get some $$$$ on my gift card for gas,
get gas. Something for dinner tomorrow but
I have no idea what to fix yet. I also have
a few things to drop off at Goodwill on the
way to Walmart. I might look around inside
while I'm there. I've nothing in particular
in mind but you never know what they'll have.
Browse through the pants and skirts to see
if there's anything I can use. I do need
some khaki pants or skirts for work. Yeah,
I know I can buy new but I can sometimes find
new or nearly new, on their racks and at a
much reduced price. I have plenty of tops;
I just need some more bottoms to go with
them!

Better get moving. Looking forward to
spending some time with you next week.

Hi, Dad,

Happy Sunday.

I never did get to Walmart yesterday. Right
about the time I was thinking of getting in
the truck to go, I noticed black clouds
looming. Checked the radar and there was a
front coming through.

I didn't want to get down there and get
caught in the rain, so just decided to wait
until today. I'll go later this afternoon.

Got a short email from Aunt "C" this
morning, before she left for church.

Uncle "D" is still in hospital and may
go to Methodist Oaks tomorrow. They're
waiting on his doctor to review xrays
and labs.

Would you like to go over to their house
for lunch or supper while I'm there?
Aunt "C" says they would love to have us,
if you feel up to going. I don't know
what she'd fix but it would be home
cooked; a bit of a change from the cafe
or dining hall.

If not, maybe we can have them over and
have a meal delivered or I can go pick
it up.

Whatever you want to do will be fine.

I looked up driving directions to
Methodist Oaks online. I know Hubby and
I went to see Papa but it's been a while
and I've forgotten the way. I do see a
sign on Hwy 301, as I'm coming in to
O'burg on the way up to see you.

I've got to find a printer that is
compatible with this laptop. That little
Canon printer that we bought together all
those years ago in Sumter still works but
the plug isn't the right kind to plug
into this laptop. I've watched the paper
and I've looked at Walmart but haven't
seen anything I wanted. Most of them
are big, with a big price tag. More than
what I need. In the meantime, if I need
to print something, I just email the link
or copy/paste the info on the page to
myself at work and print it there.

Did you enjoy your company this past week?

I understand that "L's" brother, cousin and
cousin's partner were coming for a few days.

She told me that her brother is having more
heart surgery and he wanted to come see
everyone beforehand. He'll probably not
be up for traveling for a while afterwards,
I'm sure.

Talk to you later!

Hi, Dad.

Knock on wood, I think I may be in good
shape here at work, for taking some time
off this week. There's still tomorrow
for the avalanche to arrive. Can't count
my chickens before they hatch.

Had a bit of a busy day yesterday. I washed
another couple of loads of clothes, did some
dusting and picking up, went to Walmart, put
money on my Walmart gift card to use for gas,
got gas. It was 3.36 with the 3 cents off.

I saw a station on the way to work this morning
that had regular for 3.44.

Need to print out my directions to Methodist
Oaks. I've been too busy this morning to do
it.

Hi, Dad.

Aunt "C" emailed me to say that Uncle "D"
did move over to The Oaks yesterday.

I have my map printed. I don't think I'll
have much trouble finding The Oaks, as it's
called now.

I'll leave here around 8:30 or so in the morning.
I'm a bit leery of getting there too early, as
they may have him involved in doing therapy or
something. Out of his room, anyway.

I'll have to stop at the office to find out
where he is at The Oaks. Aunt "C" didn't
give me a wing or a hall name or a room
number.

If Uncle "D"'s lady friend is there, I will
thank her for all she's done for him, since
he's been in hospital. I know it's been a lot
for her to do and we all appreciate it. Even if
she's not there, I'll tell Uncle "D".

I will get lunch somewhere in O'burg before I
leave town to do the rest of the drive.

I've just browsed over the Wesley Commons
newsletter and menu for this week. The menu
choices look yummy. There's something I like
on each day.

Depending on what time I wind up leaving O'burg,
I may arrive somewhere between 3L00, 3:30 or 4:00.

I WILL be there before supper.