Election Day in Alaska

Today is a big day for my family.  My awesome SIL, Michael is running for a second term for Borough Assembly.  Here's one of his ads.  I love that he is so well spoken, but then he wouldn't have been so successful in the radio industry if he wasn't, and certainly wouldn't have his own radio talk shows!  And that lovely voice at the end of the ad?  Yep.  My lovely daughter, Terri, who also has a great radio voice and used to do a lot of ads :)
https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=2257025436426

Hope that link works okay so you can see/listen.  His opponent is  a lawyer that is a serious snark.  He even had a newspaper ad that stated one of the reasons to vote for him is because 'he is NOT Michael Dukes'.  He has taken pot shots at Michael because of his size as well as his adamant support of the 2nd Amendment.  Like either one of those things has anything to do with the local Borough government.  He's a low life scum.  Michael will win by a landslide.  Heh.

At 6:30 AM Alaska time, I sent Michael a text to wish him luck and let me know how many points he wins by.  LOL  He texted me back and said he & his supporters were already on downtown street corners waving signs.  Gonna be along day.....for all of us.  Sure wish I was there to help!  I would keep the donuts and muffins coming and the Lattes and Sludge Cups flowing. 

There is always something exciting going on with my wonderful Alaskan family.  Riley got herself new skates.  Custom ordered.

I am LOVIN the green wheels, but the main 'custom' part is the pink leather.  Pink and black are the team colors.  She saved her tips for EVer so she could order these, bless her heart!  Some of her team mates have this brand and others are drooling :).  Regardless, she got them on Friday and has been counting the minutes until derby practice Tuesday PM so she can seriously get her skate on with these new babies!!  Like her Mama said.....it must be as exciting as waiting to drive ones new car.  Hee hee.

I've had a couple people mention problems with my comments.  I wonder what's up with that?? Let me know if it continues to be an issue {via FB or email.  Time to run errands so I can get home and knit :)

Priorities

I can never seem to get my priorities straight.   Why is it so hard for me to keep up with this whole blogging concept when it really is important to me?  I have a bad memory for details, like dates and timelines of particular events and I've counted on being able to refer to my blog for the bits missing from my wee little brain.  I think about things that I wanna blog about every day, but they don't materialize.  And yes, I make notes and jot things down and they get lost in the shuffle of grocery lists and reminders for other things and eventually just get purged from the clutter.  Then, of course, is the realization that I FaceBook with most of the few readers I have, so what I write is redundant. But I can't refer back to FB now can I?  So I need to do this for ME.  Heh.  There are a lot of things I need to do for me. So, I am just going to go forth with some photos and highlights and see what I can accomplish before my darling spouse demands something.  LOL

First. My adorable eldest grand-daughter and our Roller Derby team, the Midnight Sun Roller Girlz, had their 1st big Scrimmage against an opposing team, The Denali Destroyer Dolls, on Sept 24th.
Prior to the scrimmage, they had a photo shoot at a car dealership that is one of their sponsors.  Believe it or not, this is my little "Muffin Girl", aka Riley who is now know as "Boom-Dot Saint".  Boom for short.

Isn't she something?!?  A local Vintage clothing store let them pick outfits to use and she sure did good!

Here's a good shot of her during the scrimmage, slipping by the blocker (in the white shirt, that should have stopped her. heh)and helping to clear the path for the Jammer of the moment.  The MSRG won the scrimmage by an astronomical score of 149-15!  The team has been working SO hard and OMG, did it ever pay off!!  So proud of all of them!  Best part?  No serious injuries.

Next up is the news that I have rented a booth in a local antique shop, called Betty's Attic.  I have so much Depression Glass and other collectables that I really need to get rid of and what better way?  I rented the booth a week ago or so, but it won't be available until Oct 25, so that gives me lots of time for pricing and gathering my stuff.  I have no place to properly display my treasures and many of them are still packed away in boxes under the house.  I will keep my family treasures and a few other things and sell the rest. I'm starting with a fairly small booth and can always move up if need be.  If it goes well, i will buy more stuff to resell.  If not, no big deal.  This is my soon to be area (not my stuff in it, obviously)

I can paint, put up shelves (which I must do) add tables, etc.  Chuck is in charge of that, of course :)

And speaking of Chuck, he bought a buggy and has been training Dixie to pull it. She's a fast learner and eager to please.  Mission accomplished.

 The one above is them returning from about a 3 hour trip around the back roads yesterday.  She was a very good girl!

This, however, is how my Sweet Susie acted up  the whole time they were gone!  Actually she just paced and whinnied the whole time, only rearing up when they finally got back.  So anxious when her kid is out of her sight!!  And so excited to have her back :).  Dang horses are worse than kids. Well, actually, she acts like a typical mother!  What am I thinking?  LOL


Let's see, what else.  About a month ago I had a perm.  Bound and determined to have curly hair again.  It's been a couple years that I have been doing the straight thing after many years of spiral and piggy-back perms.  It came out good.  My wonderful Hairstylist did a great job. But.....I hated it.  It's just not "me" anymore.  SO.....last week she tried a new straightening process on me!  I had to leave it in for 72 hours.  Could not wash my hair for 3 days, which is bad enough on it's own, but the stuff she used was kinda icky.  My hair felt like it had been over moussed and gelled.  Dry and stiff and icky.  But now that I can wash it, which I did 3 times Friday pm, at the exact moment that the clock struck the 72 hour mark (6:58 PM) it is fairly straight and best of all....silky and shiny again!!  Yay!!  I love my Becky, like Poolie loves her Joannie.  She's a terrific gal and an awesome stylist and colorist.  We have a lot of fun with my hair and I trust her with my beloved locks!

As I was typing this, I was thinking that I wish I could get my s&%t together and chronicle everything via photos (with details) on Flickr.....like our lovely Karyl does.  I SO need to organize what pictures I have and need to be taking lots more!  One of my biggest problems is that I am not working and also that some days I am able to do more than other days, depending on my pain level.  I used to have such 'structured days' and I deffo function better that way.  I just can't seem to get a grip on this new way of life and make the best use of my time and resources.  I hate the intrusion of having to schedule anything, and yet I find I can't accomplish what I want unless I do!  Ah, well.....as one of my former blog buddies used to say (and probably still does!) "It'll all work out in the end. It always does!".  LOL

Time in a Bubble

Well, the time has come for Chuck to either put me in a bubble or lock me in my room.  My COBRA health insurance expired on July 21st and I am not eligible for any other health insurance coverage until April 2012.  8 or 9 months with NO coverage.  Pretty scary.  Especially since the 4 prescriptions that I take tally up to about $900 a month without insurance.  That alone is enough to make me need to double up on 2 or 3 of them!  LOL  God forbid that I have any illness or injury that requires much medical attention.  That's a long time to hold my breath and keep my fingers crossed.

Oh, yeah.....and the new deal about how insurance companies can't deny you because of "pre-existing conditions"?  Well guess what?  They have a way around that.  Surprised?  Not me.  I was denied by several companies because of "height, weight, blood pressure and age".  I know that it's pretty sad that I didn't lose 10 or 20 pounds for each of the 4" in height that I lost because of my back issues and subsequent surgery.  It's also sad that I have had high blood pressure forEVer, but it is perfectly controlled by one itty bitty pill I take every day, and I am certainly not clear on why it's not okay to be my height and weight with controlled blood pressure at age 59....but hey, what do I know?!

One insurance agent told me about something Arkansas has called State Pool Insurance and they will provide medical insurance to anyone that has been denied insurance coverage for any reason.  It's great......but the premiums are out of this world, with astronomical deductibles etc..  So we've decided to wing it and hope for the best!  Then in April I will be eligible for Medicare through my Social Security.....BUT, I won't be able to get any supplemental insurance to go with my Medicare until I'm 65!  What a mess.

This also means that my left hip better hold up better than my right one did, for another year!  I won't even be able to get injections in my left hip to carry me over, cuz I believe they are about $1,000 plus a pop.  Ah, well......hopefully it won't be an issue.  This is something I must maintain positive thoughts on!!

Yesterday was the Golden Days Parade in Fairbanks and my girls, The Midnight Sun Roller Girlz, were in the parade!  They all looked awesome (from the photos I have seen), but my Riley (Boom-Dot Saint) was looking especially SaSSy!  And it was reported that she was SUPER sassy and showing off some trick skating for the crowd.  How I wish I coulda been there!

Golden Days is a really big deal in Fairbanks that entails a week long celebration of the discovery of gold by Felix Pedro in 1902.  Everyone gets involved one way or another and it's great fun for all!  I'm so glad that they had such great weather and a nice sunny beautiful day for the parade this year! :).  I was trying to find a good link to the parade so you could see some of what it's like, but didn't have much luck.  I'll wait and post some pictures that the girlz took, I guess!  They should be good, good stuff!

Roof, PT and DERBY....Oh My!

This AM I still have men banging around on my roof!  All week this has been going on and all week, my poor kitty, Murphy, has been in hiding.  She is terribly unimpressed by the noise.....as am I.  They 'say' they will finish up this AM and I sure hope so.  Murphy & I want our "little piece of quiet" back!

I thought that yesterday was my last day of Physical Therapy, but NOooOoO.......PT Dude says that I am doing so well and so far advanced with my progress, for only being 3 weeks and 5 days post-surgery that he wants to give me some more challenging exercises.  Joy, joy, happy happy. :) So, he'll be back 2 more times next week, after he checks with the good Doctor to report on me and get authorization to 'step it up'.  Actually, it's all good, especially since I'm doing so well because I'm so "young"!  Weeeeeeeeeee.  Gotta love THAT!  {and I DO.  Truly, indeed, I do!}  I ditched my walker at least a week ago and am using my cane.....when I don't walk off and forget it.  Have I already told you this?  Probably.  Sorry :-D.  I no longer have much hip pain at all.  Mostly some discomfort when I over-do it.  My back bothers more than my hip, at this point, but I am hoping that the continued exercises will strengthen my ab and back muscles and help with that.  I'm pretty sure that since I'm 1 year 4 months post spinal surgery, that my back is pretty much as good as it's gonna get.  But I am so thankful to be able to walk again, that I will deal with it!  Trust me!

I'm so anxious to get in my trusty Tahoe and drive......just go somewhere, anywhere.  Being cooped up 24/7 since June 20th is grating on me.  But it IS a bit better now that I am able to do more besides "sit" and "lay down".  I mean, I can do laundry (except for the carrying), I can cook, I can sweep and mop (carefully and not perfectly, but, hey...it's something!).  Best part is, I can take showers by myself now, but I sure do miss having Chuck scrub my feet! {cuz I still can't bend over and he was SO good at it!}

Okay, enough about me....let's move right along to my latest favorite subject, Roller Derby!!!! Yay!!!  Gonna share some great photos of the last couple practices.  I sure wish it was me there shooting the pictures, but alas......I must enjoy the pics taken by others and be thankful that I get to see such great new shots every week!

First up is my sweet Xander!  Yes, folks.  The little man is on skates and determined to be a referee for the Midnight Sun Roller Girlz.  hee hee.  That's Camo Cazi helping him and my Emily (Emma Lee the Strange) in the background.

 He went down....but look at that smile!  How fun!

 This amazing action shot is the girlz practicing jumps over a skate board, in this case.  {They'll jump over anything...or anyBODY, for that matter!} We have my Riley (Boom-Dot Saint) on the left, Chelsee-U-Inhell in the middle and Camo on the right.  I really don't know why Riley looks like she just swallowed a frog.....If I coulda been there, maybe I'd have more insight.  Hmmmm

 This one is of Boom-Dot and Raggedy Andi doing 'Chariot Rides'.  Tough workout for the lead dog!

 And last, but not least is another awesome shot and it's of Camo and Raggedy Andi doing 'Leg Whips'

Aren't these girlz spectacular!!  But wait!  There's more!
Next up is Maggie {Morbid Maggie} getting her 'skate on'!!  Woo Hoo!! 

 And Emily {Emma Lee the Strange} getting HER 'skate on'!  I'm so proud of all my girls.  They are so gonna rock when they get a Junior Team going!!

Well, that's it for today.  I hope ya'll have a great weekend :)

1st Official Post

Well, I've pretty much got the new place set up the way I want it, so I'll go ahead and write an entry!

I'll start by explaining the Title, "Mama Monroe".

As many of you already know, my daughter, Terri and eldest grand-daughter, Riley are both in Roller Derby. To be precise, they belong to Midnight Sun Roller Girlz.  Okay, so I had been hearing about this group and the girls joining for MONTHS and was totally caught up in the excitement expressed by both of them, that just kept growing in leaps and bounds!  I couldn't wait to get up there in April for my visit and see what this Roller Derby thing was all about.

Well, here's a little sample of what I found:

In this 1st shot, they are scrimmaging during practice.  Riley {aka Boom Dot Saint~her Derby name) is to the right and has a yellow star on her helmet.  In this scrimmage she is the Jammer and it's her job to get by the rest of the pack, twice.  Right in the middle, in blue, is Raggedy Andi.  She's watching for Boom Dot to come around so she can grab her hand and "whip" her forward faster, past the other skaters.

 The second one is a shot of one of the most amazing women I have ever had the pleasure to meet and befriend.  It's the great Camo-Cazi!!  Yay!!  Sadly, in this shot, she is being sent to the penalty box....which I'm sure now explains to you the expression on her face.  LOL

This is just a random shot of Boom Dot cruising the track.  She has learned and developed her skills so quickly and we are all so proud of her!  She is totally dedicated and extremely focused and oh, how I love to watch her!!

 And here is Riley.....I mean Boom Dot with Emily (aka Emma Lee The Strange and Maggie (aka Morbid Maggie).  They are all learning and all loving it! 

And here is my Terri aka (Marilyn Makeumoan Roe).  Sadly, she bit the dust and that is Camo coming to her rescue.  She found out later that she blew out her knee and actually had to have surgery on it whilst I was there, so no skating for her for awhile longer!

Okay, so now that you've had a glimpse and I have disclosed everyone's Derby names, I can go one to tell you about the name of my blog :).  I just loved it all so much and all the members of the team are so awesome and it was all just so exciting to witness, even if I couldn't participate.....well, one thing led to another and I was dubbed "Mama Monroe" (since Terri's name is a spoof on Marilyn Monroe and I'm her Mama...get it?? Thought so.  Figured I'd explain anyway.)  AND............the paperwork is in the process for me to become an official team member!  YES!!!!! Since I am unable to actually skate, I will be an NSO (Non-Skating Official) but that's not to say that I might not just get my butt on some skates one day!!  LMAO

So this new blog will have some fresh material involving some of my new interests.  Roller Derby, knitting and a new "lease on life" after finally having surgery that has resulted in me being well on the way to being ever so much more physically mobile than I have been in about 3 years!!  Things are looking up, I'm feeling good and it's all up-hill from here!  Weeeeeeeeeeeeee...............