The wind is blowing something fierce here! Sounds like winter out there! The leaves are certainly having a great time blowing all over the place!! But the weatherman says we might get to 46 tomorrow -- a little cool for the trick or treaters tomorrow night. Of course when you're their age the cold doesn't really bother you!!

I made a trip to Des Moines on Thursday. It wasn't the most pleasant day to be traveling. When I left it was cool but trying to clear up. As I got out onto Highway 151 there was a beautiful rainbow in front of me (and to my right) as I moved on down the road. I haven't seen a real rainbow in years. I forgot how beautiful they are. I actually thanked God as I was speeding down the road for giving me such a beautiful welcome on my gloomy Thursday morning.

I was in town for a Planners Meeting. I'm a member of the sub-group (Planners) with ICAA and was elected Chairman on Thursday. I take over my office in February. We have a meeting the first week in December again but Marla and Cheri will still chair that one. I also have a co-chair (what a wonderful idea that is). Janell is from Creston out in western Iowa. We've got the state covered for our winter meetings. Last year our December meeting was called because of a blizzard! One of the things we've done for the last few years is exchange cell phone numbers. Some of us leave pretty early in the morning of the meetings and you can catch us on the road. I know I was almost to Brooklyn last year when I got the call. So I give up my secretary job for chair. Hopefully I'll only serve a year and then the younger ones can do their thing!!

Today I had a Rapid Response meeting at 4:00 p.m. We have a business leaving Dubuque within the next 6 months and I'm a member of the team that goes in and tries to help the employees out with different options that they can use or do after the lay-off or plant closing. This plant will put about 350+ people out of work. They won't be starting the layoffs until after the first of the year, but what a bummer for the holidays. I hope that I can direct some of them to different programs that we have and help some of them. This company employs people from Wisconsin and Illinois as well as Iowa so I'll have some homework to do on community action agencies in WI and IL.

It's end of our fiscal year, so I've been busy working on final reports. I finally finished my activities report tonight. Now the fun ones start. We also will have to begin to report on our stimulus funds. Tracking some of that money and the uses of will be a challenge. The stimulus funds are wonderful but they sure cause a lot of paperwork. Sounds like New View may get a visit from the federal monitors this coming year. Maybe we'll luck out and it won't be our turn. If we do get the lucky straw, I'm not looking forward to it.

Picked up some essential groceries tonight on my way home and intent to stay here for the weekend. I've been working on two different scrapbooks and hope to gain on both of them over the weekend. Mandy and Jim have given me some great pictures on a DVD. I've got them all in date order (that took a little time) and when Walgreen's has photo specials usually take advantage of that and order some pictures. The other book I'm working on is for Beth (my niece) . Actually the book is basically about Jackson, her son. Jackson will have a baby brother in February so I best keep at this one so that it's up-to-date when the new baby comes. I enjoy working on both of these books. Mandy takes fantastic pictures of Charlotte (and Jim and Jim takes pretty good ones of Mandy and Charlotte). It's a family thing!!!

Speaking of scrapbooking, I better get at it. I don't have to get up in the morning so I can pull an all-nighter if I want.

Happy Halloween all!!