Welcome To My New Readers

I just returned from a fun trip and noticed that I have several new readers. Welcome to all of you , wherever you may be. I always love to hear your reactions to my blog. Well, the hot news is that the US Congress finally came to an agreement of the US debt. They will raise the ceiling. That still does not tell us how we are going to pay our bills. Time will tell, but who knows if your credit rating will be affected.

I really felt that this was a political issue as well. Both parties were trying to get an upper hand. As a result it became a deadlock instead. We still have tremendous debt. If you and I ran our checkbook the way the goverment has , we would not have a good credit rating.

Fancy Nancy Says: Even the government must learn how to pay their bills before they commit to them.

Changes Can Lead to Opportunities

Last week we had some major schedule changes. As a result it left us free to do a fun 4 day trip to upper New York. This was great since Marty up until now did not have much energy. The trip seemed to do him a lot of good. He was less tired and he enjoyed visiting West Point. We took a tour of the campus , stayed at a nice Hampton Inn and even saw a fun movie en route. He returned and seemed to be regenerated.

I always have enjoyed traveling. Marty was never much of a traveler. Right now, he has more time since he can't play his tennis until the doctor says he is ready. As a result he is more open to short trips. We had a fun night in Newport with my son and his family, and now we enjoyed upper New York.

Sometimes when things cancel , it gives you a new opportunity.

Fancy Nancy Says: Take advantgage with a schedule change. Try to fit it something new!

Two Nice Students Today

I was pleased to work with two very nice students who need help with their resumes. They also need some interview training. Candidates need to learn how to have confidence during an interview. They should find out the mission of the job and then show how they can help with present and future missions.

I always enjoyed taking an interview. I still enjoy doing it. You can learn in advance what the facility is looking for. Then by networking you can explaing how you can help their mission.

Fancy Nancy Says: Learn as much as you can in advance about the company you wnat to work for.

Dinner Guests Never Arrived

Tonight we were supposed to have guests for dinner, but they never arrived. I just heard from them and learned that my friend had to go to the hospital, and the just forgot everything else. I know how they must feel. One time we forgot to go to dinner at a friend's house and when I realized it, I was so embarrased that I sent her flowers. It happens that things do not always work as planned.

I am rewriting my resume after I finish typing this post. When you redo a resume it is important to try to keep the resume to one page. Even though you have done lots of things, when the resume is too long, it loses its impact. I teach resume writing, so I had better listen to my own advice.

Fancy Nancy Says: Write only one page for your resume. Condense it for easier reading.

Hot and Humid in Rhode Island

It has been very hot and humid in Rhode Island . We are lucky to have air -conditioners in several rooms. Tonight we took a ride to Galillee and it is always much cooler there. I even had to wear a jacket. Then just 10 miles away, it was again hot and humid.

We went to the library and got some movies and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon watching them. Libraries are great places. We were lucky that the local library is open on Saturdays.

It is ashamed that many libraries have had to cut back the hours due to the lack of funds.

Fancy Nancy Says: Thank Ben Franklin for developing the library system.

We Did It!

We found Marty two new jobs for his recuperation. Last night we delivered signs at various locations for him to be a dog walker for small dogs. Today we found a nice air-conditioned Chamber of Commerce in Charlestown, where he can come in as often as he wishes.

What a pleasure to deal with both. After a frustrating time with the local hospital and another facility that never replied, I looked in the local paper and found the Chamber need under volunteers. Betty Cotter, the editor told me where to look . She has been most helpful.

So far no dogs have applied, but I am sure when they read our sign they will find a way to reach us. Only dogs 15 pounds can apply. We are selective . It will be fun to see if anyone does call. Time will tell.

Fancy Nancy Says: In today's recessionary economy you have to be an entrepreneur.

Map Shows Visitors From Other Countries

It is always exciting to go onto my blog and see where my readers live. I would love to hear more comments from them. I would answer them if they can tell me how to reply. What do I have to do to connect?

Today I met with my lovely daughter and we always enjoy our lunches on Wednesdays. I am lucky to have her here for the summer and part of the fall. I don't get to see her as much when we are both in Florida. She works and so do I and in Florida we are about 2 or more hours apart. That is why it is a treat with her here in Rhode Island.

Today we went to Borders bookstore to use a gift card since the company is going out of business. If you have any gift cards and the company is not solvent, use your card now. It may not be worth anything in the future.


Fancy Nancy Says: A bird in the hand , is worth two in the bush. If you are owed something get it now, before it is gone. ( That is the problem with the pension funds. The money may be gone before the retirees get their fair share.)

Cleaning Can Give You More Room

I am doing a cleaning project in my closets. I have stored old records for years and now it is time to get rid of them. Each day I try to get rid of one box, and there always seems to be more ahead of me. It takes me about one hour to go through each box to see what I want to save.

I now have one row of boxes gone. Marty has also helped me out by adding new shelves in my cupboards. This too will give us more space. We have a small house, and we need to get rid of what we do not need. This will save my family hours in the future when it is time to clean out my house.

I don't love cleaning, but it is a worthwhile job.

Fancy Nancy Says: My daughter will be glad that I am cleaning out my house.

A Fun Newport Weekend

This weekend was really great. My son from New York and his family came to Rhode Island for the weekend. We had a family get together at my house and then went on to an overnight in Newport. It all worked out so well. We stayed at a Marriott in Middletown, Rhode Island since the one in Newport was sold out.

As it turned out the Marriott was lovely and it was situated in a quiet part of town so it was most relaxing. We had dinner in Newport, and then we visited my sister and family who were on Goat Island.

It was so nice to reconnect with family.

Fancy Nancy Says: Enjoy your family while you can!

Waiting for the Family

Today we are going to enjoy a family get together. My son is arriving from New York and my daughter will join us as well. My other son will connect with him on the beach.

It is always fun to get folks together. It does not happen enough, since everyone is busy. I do appreciate the times we can be together. I hope it happens more often.

Fancy Nancy Says" Enjoy your family when you can.

A Nice Dinner With Former Colleagues

Tonight we had dinner with two couples that I knew when I taught at CCRI. My former boss and his wife now live in Florida and Rhode Island , and I saw them in Florida this spring. Our other friends live in Rhode Island, but they also go to North Carolina to teach in the winter.

It seems that folks like to keep active. Marty is doing better and I have been searching for volunteer jobs for him. He is getting stronger and outings with others are really helpful.

I just wrote to Salve Regina College to learn about their Ph. D program. I don't know that I will apply, but it is always interesting to see what they offer. I saw some of the course fees, and this could be an expensive project. I don't know that I would do it at this time, but one never knows what the future has in store.

Fancy Nancy Says: It never hurts to investigate different options.

New Plan for Teaching

I got the Y to allow a drop in rate for students to attend as they wish for $10 per class. The program announcement does not show this, so until the next fall program comes out, students will not know they can do that.

I may have to do another news release . The Y needs to do more publicity for their programs. They offer many good programs, but they need better marketing tools.

In any case I love working with the students even though the enrollment is very small.

Fancy Nancy Says: Marketing is the key to sales. To sell anything you need publicity.

Welcome to New Visitors

I am always happy to see that new visitors have signed on to my blog. That is so exciting. I also enjoy seeing the visitor's map that shows me the locations of the folks who read my blog. When you have time feel free to send me comments as well.

I have really enjoyed doing this blog. It is a fun way to keep in touch with others, and it allows family and friends to know what is happening in my life as well.

Thank goodness things are improving. My house is now rewired, my car is back , and Marty is getting stronger. As a result, I am feeling better too. When too much stuff hits all at the same time, it is hard to handle everthing. I find that when I am exhausted, I do not function as well. I don't have extra energy , so I need extra naps to get me feeling better.

I am still teaching and with luck my classes will continue in July, Sept, and Oct. I hope to be in Toronto the end of August. The summer is moving along quickly. Right now, it has been very hot in Rhode Island. I don't go to the beach, since I can't take the hot sun. We are lucky and I have some air conditioning in my house. It really helps on hot days. The extreme heat can wear you out, so today, I did my teaching, but I did not do much exercise. Instead, I started to clean out some old records. I learned that you can have them shredded for a small fee. It only cost $2 for three pounds of paper to be shredded.This saved lots of time and energy. I plan to clean out old papers to make more room in the house.

Fancy Nancy Says: When you have a small house, get rid of the things you don't need. Your house will then get larger.

Fancy Nancy In Transition

Well, this week my classes may end at the Y if they don't get enough students. I am now looking for another project in case classes are canceled. I went online to discover courses, volunteer work, or perhaps even another degree. I noticed that Salve Regina college now offers the Ph.D degree.

I just decided it would be fun to learn if one can be a student and live in two different places. I wrote them an E-mail to try to set up an appointment. Who knows, it is worth meeting with them to discover my options.

Marty is doing better, and now he will need some project to keep him going. Since tennis is out for the time being, he needs to find something that he would enjoy doing , even for a few hours during the day. I suggested he apply several places, and I even wrote to some for him. He has to balance his energy, his recuperation, and his need for activity. Life is a balancing act!

Fancy Nancy Says: Balancing your life is not always easy to do!

A Hearing Conference Day

Today I went to Sturbridge to hear my hearing doctor, Dr. Lee , do a seminar for the Mass. hearing group. He is very talented and very bright and I love him since he got me to hear again. What a genius he is! His talk was interesting and he also had another doctor add to Dr. Lee's presentation. It was worth traveling to see him.

Marty is still recovering from his surgery and getting better but also getting restless. I will try to help him find a sitting volunteer job. I just wrote to Betty Cotter who was looking for volunteers for a book sale. Time will tell. I also wrote to my lawyer, since I may want to help him out this summer. Class enrollments are down, so there may be no teaching after next week. Time will tell.

Fancy Nancy Says: If one thing does not work, try something else!

Line Dancing and Exercise

Today I did line dancing, then I went to exercise at the Y. All I know is that tonight my knee is aching. Maybe getting healthy is the problem. It seems that when we try to do the right thing, sometimes we get some injuries trying to get healthy. Oh well, all we can do is try.

We had a foggy day and night, so they canceled the night for the philharmonic playing on the beach. However, our neighbors had a nice pot luck gathering for the concert, even though the concert will not run. That is New England weather . It is unpredicatable. It seems life is like the weather, also unpredicatable.

Fancy Nancy Says: Don't count on the weather or too much else. Life is not certain!

Senior Center Events

I have volunteered to run a news group at the local senior center. Today would have been my first meeting with the group, but no one arrived. Oh well, it gave me a chance to do some paperwork. The senior center in our area is lovely. They offer many good programs, and most of the programs are run by dedicated volunteers. I even had a delicious lunch there, chicken cordon blue. A gourmet lunch for a $3.00 donation.

I still hope more students will sign up for my classes at the local Y. In the summer it is hard to predict what folks will do. Many simply go to the beach. In any case time will tell what happens to all these programs. All you can do is try to offer them and hope there is some interest.


Fancy Nancy Says: Teaching enrollment is often unpredictable. You never know if students will show up.

Welcome to My New Blog Visitors

I just read that there were four new visitors to my blog. I don't know who you are, but welcome! I love to hear from folks who read my blog. It is exciting to see who is new and where they are from .

Today was busy between the dentist and teaching , the day went quickly. I also attended my writing class and shared the piece that I wrote called, Good Afternoon, What is Bugging You? That was a piece about my bug episode. The class laughed when I read it.

My classes at the Y have been very small. I hope the number increases. Otherwise, they may decide to cancel the programs. The programs are good ones, and the price is reasonable. Perhaps folks just don't want to attend in the summer months. I will miss teaching if they do cancel.

Tomorrow is a full day at Lahey Clinic for some medical tests. I hope they come out okay. Still have to deal with dental issues. For now, one thing at a time. It was tough when everything came at once in the past few weeks. I hope things stay calm for a while now.


Fancy Nancy Says: Life is like the New England weather--- very unpredicatable.

A Wonderful Watch Hill Day

Today was a bonus day. We took a ride to Watch Hill and had lunch at the Atlantic Hotel which was renovated last year. What a great scene overlooking the ocean. It was so peaceful that I hated to leave. The lunch was fine and the ambiance was superb.
Marty drove and this was his first real outing since surgery. We both really enjoyed the day. It was so nice to do something relaxing and fun. The rates at the hotel for overnight guests are unreal. I think only New Yorkers would be guests. The room rates start at $600 per night and if you want the penthouse it runs into thousands of dollars. I don't think there are many Rhode Islanders staying overnight. Folks here don't have that kind of extra money.

In any case, we relaxed , enjoyed a lovely lunch and returned to our small home in Narr.


Fancy Nancy Says: Live like a queen now and then!

OOPS!

In my last blog I neglected the spelling of the important word, bed. Yes, there was a bug in my bed. Thanks for proofing my post. I have corrected it. We all need good proofreaders.

Today I wrote my course proposals for my classes in Florida at Florida Gulf Coast University. I mailed the ideas out to my boss, and time will tell what he will run. The thing that I have learned with teaching is one has to be very flexible. You never know what classes will fill and if there aren't enough students, the class may not even run.

I have found that nothing is certain when it comes to enrollment. As a result, I try to make the best of the various possible situations. One does not know the outcome until the day the first class runs.

Fancy Nancy Says: Never count your students until they actually arrive!

What is Bugging You???

Several nights ago I woke up and a bug was in my bug. I am phobic with bugs. By 7:30 am the next morning I had contacted the local pest control. Thank goodness they arrived and had to spray under the house, since that is where the problem begins.

I got a kick out of the message on the phone line for the company. It said, Good afternoon, what is bugging you! A great line for a pest control company.

Fancy Nancy Says: I hope nothing is bugging you, if so call the pest control company. They were great and came by noon that day.