Flagpole

 Just in time for the anniversary of 9-11-2001.

Flagpole went up last weekend and the light went up today.

Porch lights

 These are the porch lights that were on the house when I bought it. I tried to clean this one and gave up on it.

 They both looked like this. As you can see I got quite a bit of the crud off of the other one - just not enough.

 Gone!

Side bar - does anyone know how I should go about cleaning this roof. It's made of those fiberglass-like panels that people used to use in barns around here. I'm afraid to get up there because I think they would break if I put any weight on them.

 I found these at a yard sale back in May. Paid $5 for two of them. Biz took them apart and painted them - they were white and the paint was chipped off in a lot of places.

 Now they look like this.

And this. Big improvement!
I asked MULTIPLE times through the summer for these to be put up. Last weekend he decided to paint them - without me saying a word - and this weekend he put them up! Guess he was just waiting for me to give up on it.

Busy

 I took these pictures yesterday before I went in to work. We are finally getting some rain here - of course right at the time the farmers are needing to get into the fields.

 This is the building I work in.

 I've been pretty busy the past couple of days. Lots of homework with the two classes I'm taking this semester.

Stopped last night and bought this. Think I'll go back and get a bunch more while they're on sale. I like Mums, they're pretty low maintenance and that's definitely what I need.

Background

For those of you who have just started following this little blog - which is pretty much everybody since even though I've had this blog for 2 years, I have just started really getting into it - I thought I'd give you a little background. I am what I call a "displaced" Tennesseean. My father was a contractor so we moved around a lot when I was  a kid but home was always Tennessee. I graduated from high school in IL, went to college for 3 years and then got married and went to work in a factory where I stayed for 13 years until they shut down - the same year I got divorced. My kids were 5 and 7 at the time and I decided to go back to school, which I did - got my Associates and then went to work in the office of another factory.  I was there for another 12 years before they too, shut down and I was once again without a job. I did manage during those 12 years to take some more college classes and  get both of the kids through high school and beyond. My daughter got her Bachelors and my son went to a Tech school then joined the Air Force. They are both doing wonderfully. Raising them has been the most important thing I have ever done in my life. I did  manage to get a job after 9 long months of looking. I am now working in the office of a university here in IL where I can take classes for free! I will soon have my Masters in Computer Science. It's been a long journey and I've changed directions a lot of times - from way back when I studied Medical Technology right out of high school, to Office Systems Technology after I lost my job the first time to Computer Science now. It's been quite a ride but that's life. You just keep going and if you meet a roadblock, you have to change directions.

Chats on the Farmhouse Porch

Questions

1. If you could bring someone to Patrice's porch to join in on our chat, who would you bring?
2. What's your favorite thing to make when fall rolls around? (Can be food, or maybe a craft.)
3. How many times a month do you go to a library or bookstore?
4. What things make blogs the best?
5. If someone would pay for you to take a class (any class- college-private-online-at a craft store-the sky's the limit here, my friends), what class would you take? (BTW- I wish I could go "poof" with my magic wand and make this happen for each of you!)

My answers:

1.  My friend Vickie - Both my sisters are deceased so she's the closest thing I have.

2.  Hands down - sweet potato pie!

3.  I only get to a bookstore a couple of times a year but I do go to the library at least a couple of times a month.

4.  Pictures are great but I really just enjoy reading about other peoples lives - families, friends, hobbies, etc.

5.  I would love to take an advanced photoshop class.