We've had an eventful week. Nothing earth shattering, nothing life threatening, just eventful for us. It started off Saturday night. The neighbors were at it again. From what I could hear, and this was with no doors or windows open and the air conditioner running, the baby daddy took off with the baby, and the baby mama wanted the baby back. This time there were 4 police cars. Since they were getting things under control we tried going back to bed when all of a sudden a deep male voice yelled, telling someone to shut up. The nosy person that I am had to get up and look out again, just in time to see the baby mama being handcuffed and put in the back of the car. I will say that this was done gently and professionally, so it can't be said there was any brutality on the part of the police.

We stayed home from church Sunday again. I know, I know, Mom, but this was weather related. Pouring rain. The weather cleared in the afternoon and warmed up enough to need to turn the air back on. I've been turning it off in the mornings and opening the door, not only to let light in but some fresh air. I was on the phone with our former daughter-in-law when I turned it on, and after getting off the phone some time later realized that it wasn't any cooler in the house than when I turned it on. We went out to look and the fan wasn't turning, and the top of the unit was hot. So, opened a couple of windows and made sure the ceiling fan was on in the bedroom. I also put the furnace blower on fan to circulate the air and we were actually quite comfortable. This unit was installed in 2006 and it had never been serviced, so we were hoping it was just in need of coolant. I called the people who installed it and they got here about 3. A capacitor had gone out and it needed a good cleaning, but the coolant was good. It didn't cost a lot, and now it blows nice cold air, but it's gotten really cool so we haven't needed it!

Wednesday was a pretty rainy day and our friend Ron came by and told us that Buddy had run off during their morning walk. He wanted us just to keep an eye out for him. Bill walked around the block looking for him and then we drove a pretty big area to see if we could see him. A few minutes after we got home we both heard a sound and there was Buddy, soaking wet, whining at the front door to come in! He came in and I got a towel to dry him off. He was filthy! My towel immediately went from bright yellow to black! But he was so happy to see us and be dried off. He ate 2 bags of treats and drank a bowl of water. We made a call and let Ron know that we had him. Buddy finally realized that Ron was not here and it starting pacing and whining for him. He finally settled down on the hearth rug in front of the buffet in the foyer, watching the front door. When Ron came in I don't know who was happier, Ron or Buddy!

Thursday I thought we were going to have to turn the heat on. It didn't even make it to 60 and it was supposed to be in the 70s. I had to pull sweats back out and put socks on for the first time in a couple of weeks. But, we managed to get through and it warmed up some yesterday.

Yesterday we went to Jonesboro to get some locks for the computers. They are all equipped with a lock slot. We aren't going to make it quite as easy for them to walk off with them again. I also ordered a new suitcase and portable DVD player. As soon as those come in I can send the receipts to the insurance company. We should get about $500 more than what they have already paid. I told Bill if it had only been 100-200 we wouldn't claim it, but the $500 is worth it.

Our town has had a tough time this week. A 17-year old student was murdered Monday night, by a classmate who had just graduated Friday night. This was on the heels of another murder last week. We have just about the highest murder rate, per capita, in the state. There are only about 15,000 people who live here. There have been a couple of demonstrations, all peaceful, to stop the violence. This was black on black crime, as was the other one. There have been a couple of black on white murders within the last couple of years, with whites both being the victims in this. I'm not saying this to be racist by any means. But, when the majority of your population is black, the majority of your crimes will be committed by blacks. This latest murder has sparked the community. Several groups, both religious and secular, are in the planning stages to see what the community can do. The sad thing is that the city leadership doesn't seem to want to address the problem with the community. The violence you see in the news seems far away...until it happens in your backyard. I can only pray that the demonstrations we had and will have today will continue to be peaceful. If you are a praying person, pray for our little town, for healing and that we can come up with something to counteract the violence, without resorting to more violence.

That's been our week. We have no plans for the holiday week-end. I remember going to the cemetery with my grandmother early in the morning for the military tribute. We enjoyed gathering the brass after the 21 gun salute. Grandma was the "keeper of the graves", putting out flowers, etc. My mother has taken on that role now. I haven't seen anything here for any kind of ceremony. Whatever your plans...have a good holiday week-end!