Go Brewers

The boys pulled it off! I got to listen to the game on the way home from work due to the rain delay and then capped it off watching the last few innings at home. It was a bit of a nail biter but I had complete faith they'd pull it off. I did get to catch Braun's little slip on his way to first base and Weeks get hit twice while at bat. Oh yeah, and Prince's little mishap at first base. The scowl on his face showed he'd do something the next time at bat. Good game for what I saw of it.
Hopefully they will play well for our home opener Friday. Hopefully the weather will hold up enough that I won't have to chip the ice off my brat or hot dog while tailgating. Looking forward to Friday.

I have a friend at work that is a huge Cub's fan so we'll trade a little smack talk tomorrow. Actually he talks smack..I just extend my sympathy at the loss.

Snow is in the forecast for tonight. Nothing of measurable amounts but it shows we're not in the clear yet. It's 26 days before I leave for Arizona which is usually a weather shock for me. Getting on a plane when it's in the 40's here and landing in 85-90 degree weather there. A week of the same and it's back on the plane and back to maybe the 50's by then. I know that when I go there is usually a day or so of 70's up here so it's like a prelude to spring.

One of these times I'm going to plan a trip around when the Brewers play in Arizona so I can take my dad to a game. He's been there 15 years and not yet been to a baseball game. I blame that on my mother as she finds no fun in going to games. She'd probably be bitching at my dad the whole time for dropping his peanut shells on the ground. One would think she knows nothing of sports at all but she can tell you how the teams down there are doing. Know's the guys by name also. I guess that happens when you read 4 different papers on a daily basis and watch the news several times a day. She just never was one for going to any type of sporting event or allowing popcorn or peanuts to be eaten anywhere else but the kitchen table.

Not Seeing Eye to Eye

After spending a Friday night out with friends, Saturday was spent quietly. I'm such a bore that I was in bed by 10:30 watching a movie that I think I saw the opening credits on. I was up bright and early today and suggested we go to the Home & Garden Show for some ideas for the porch.

These shows kill me as maybe 30% of the exhibitors have something to do with remodeling. The rest range from cooking demos, sheets (??) lots of Asian guys selling sheets, the newest in mops and a few crafters. There were 3 places that actually had to do with sunrooms so we did manage to get some ideas.

After that we went to Southridge, or as my husband would put it "I dragged him to the mall". We had a few birthday gifts to purchase and rightfully so he should help with these things. Besides with the price of gas I wasn't about to take him home and go back. It was kind of a round trip thing. I did buy him lunch at the Red Robin which I found to be a bit over priced and over rated. My chicken sandwich was bland and dry. One of the basketball games was on while we were there and we sat right under a tv. I had to chuckle as almost every guy facing the tv was absorbed in the game rather then the family they were sitting with. The wife and kids would be chattering away and dad would be focused on the tv.

I made this kick butt dinner of chuck roast, taters and fresh mushrooms which was in the slow cooker from 9am until 5. I'm not a big beef eater but it was good. It was at that point that I could see trouble brewing. We began to discuss brick for the bottom half of the porch. I though it should match the siding. He thinks it should match the brick on the front of the house which is a peachy sandstone color. WAWAWA WHat?? was my response. There was complete silence. I then mentioned that I would be tagging along to the store for any purchases made. WHile I'm in Arizona I will be freezing the bank account and hiding any credit cards he has. There will be no peachy/pinky sandstone colored brick in my porch. He explained that it should match the house. The back and sides of the house are done in light gray and white. Someone help me!!!

The Wrecking Crew

As I'm sitting here typing I can hear the faint sound of the demolition of the screen porch. I'm a little nervous. The window treatments have come down and at last look the ceiling tiles and framing for the tiles were starting to come down also. This must be a spurt of energy on my husbands part as I didn't expect this to begin happening for a least another month. My questioning brough a stern look and the reply that he wanted to get this started while everything was dead. I assume he's talking about the possible wasp nest that may be between the walls.

He's just left to purchase "Industrial Bags" for the insulation. This may get farther than I thought. Earlier I assisted with carrying the chairs down to the basement. This was the first thoughts on how much I'm going to miss the porch. I vowed I would be patient but it may be difficult. I just picture this mud hole when it starts to rain. I think he's on a roll as he'll be renting a Bobcat to do some work and this excites him in a way only a man could relate to (so I'm told).

Yesterday he spent the afternoon at the book store and Best Buy for a program on drawing up plans. I noted a sketch pad was purchased and spralled out on the kitchen table with numerous "Self Help" books. I asked if he was going to need to purchase a drafting table and got a nasty look. I have complete faith that he can do this, but he has a habit of not finishing things as he gets bored with them. Two days before J's birthday party he painted the railing on the basement steps that he started two years ago. He may have no choice in the porch as my parents are coming this summer and he'll feel the need to complete it by then.

I don't usually write reviews on bars but I must mention that we stopped at the City Lounge last night for the basketball game. Nice place. Plenty of room, a lot of tv's, good service and a good crowd. A little more pricey then I'm used to but it was a step up from the corner bar. They have a good choice of beer and Jo tried some type of rasberry Ale that was a little to sweet for my liking. It would have to be a one shot deal or my stomach would be churning. Because I don't really like many types of beer I didn't really scan the list for what they actually had , so no review on beers here.

The demo has resumed so I must go see if I can be of any assistance.

A Dream or Wishful Thinking??

Every once in a while I have some really wacked out dreams. I don't eat before bed and other than the fact that I am a restless and light sleeper I see no cause for some of the crazy shit I dream.

We have a vacation planned in May to go to Rhode Island to visit Gambino's brother and family. On the way there we are driving straight through. The other night I dreamt that we arrived at their home and E (the sister-in-law) hugged everyone and then looked at me and said "God A you look like crap". I was so floored I woke up.

Last night was better. J & K, my husband and Dimmy M. took a ride in J's new car to 7 Mile Fair. Where this came from is beyond me as I hate 7 Mile Fair and haven't been there in years. Well somewhere along the way J purchased a new couch. There wasn't room in the car for this so the guys tied it to the back of the car and J proudly sat on her couch as it was being dragged on the freeway. I suggested that they drop me off first to make more room in the car. I stood at the end of my driveway waving to J as they pulled away. I then noticed that our garage door was open. I went into the house to make sure the house wasn't robbed and went back out to the garage to find the snowblower and lawnmower gone. The garage was also very clean. At this point my husband pulled in the driveway. I notified him of the missing items and he stated that it was no big deal. It was then that I noticed that his ancient snowmobile was gone. I turned to tell him and found him falling to his knees in the driveway with his hands covering his face. "Not my snowmobile...It was the only thing that mattered to me". In the dream I comforted him. In reality I was jumping for joy. Those of you who know us may find humor in this dream. This piece of crap snowmobile has followed us for 24 years. I have seen it run once. We have moved it 4 times in 24 years. There are rabbits living in it.

Now I ask you....Dream or Wishful Thinking?

The Egg Police

I went in to work early today to get out early enough to catch my Granddaughters school program. They had a wax museum. This consisted of picking a person from the past, writing a report, making a poster board and dressing as this person. She portrayed Debra Sampson. (dressed as a boy to get into the army during the Civil War and was booted out after being discovered, but later received a metal).

The Wax Museum opened at 2 and went for 45 minutes. I was amazed at how these kids (ages 9-11) sat, stood, and were able to pose for that long without moving. Her mother, my joking daughter, in trying to get her to flinch or crack a smile walked up to her and said "You smell like butt cheese". What a nice mom, but nothing..not even a flinch. She did really good.

The best part of this was seeing the kid dressed as Elvis. On the poster they had to have a time line. This kid's time line showed a date with the caption "His mom died cause she was old". I could not help but smile a bit. This is something I've never heard of being done in a school before and though all the kids did a great job.

On the way home I made a stop at a small Sentry store on the south side. I haven't been to this one in years and opted to stop there as ham was on sale and I figured the store wouldn't be to crowded. Got the ham. The aisles in the store are wide enough for just two small carts. This was no heavy duty shopping store. The deli cracked me up as I think they had maybe 10 different selections of meat and a handful of salads to choose from. I did find everything I needed. I even got the 2 dozen for $2.28 eggs. I picked up 4 dozen thinking I'd get the sale price for two and pay the regular price for the other two. WRONG!

I knew there would be some sort of trouble when I got to the checkout line. The cashier looked like someone pissed her off really bad. She saw my card and immediatly called for a bagger. I told her I could bag. Apparently I'm mute as she continued to call for a bagger before even checking anything out. I always save my eggs for last and as they were being rang up she announced loud enough for shoppers in aisle 3 to hear "There is a limit on these eggs". I told her that I was under the impression that I could purchase two at the sale price and the othersat regular price. A flat-out "NO" came from her mouth. "There is a limit" and she swiftly moved them off the belt and to the side of her register. It seemed as if she though I was going to dive for them. She then said that she'd had several customers today that she had to "pull" eggs from. I'm wondering if she got a badge at the end of the day.

So Long

Glancing through the obits this morning I saw that a former boss of mine had passed away. I graduated High School early and went to work for a medical supply company the day after I graduated. I remember the interview like it was yesterday. The co-owner was my friends mother. The place was in Franklin which at the time was like driving out to farm country. I went to the interview with basic office skills. At the time they didn't have a computer system so everything was done by good old fashioned electric typewriter and a big filing cabinet full of over-stuffed files. My job was to be taking care of billing Medicare/T19 patients and answering phones. I had no prior experience but remember thinking that things weren't very organized.
"Terry & Gene" made me feel very comfortable and welcome. They were both very dedicated to their company and put a lot of trust into employees. Some of which stole from them and had some pretty crap ass ways of dealing with customers. In the 7 years that I was there I watched the company boom...and then take a huge fall due to new competition. The owner attempted to start a Solar Heat company which may have been a bit to early for people to accept. That flopped horribly and he went on to rebuild and design boats. It was a small office with a total of about 12 employees so everyone was pretty close. Their daughter came to work for them also and then her boyfriend (soon to be husband) joined the "team". Needless to say things weren't working out as they were also friends of my ex-husband and mine. Wasn't much fun working with her all day and then having them hang around at night also.

When my divorce proceedings started I felt it was time to leave the coop. Terry was very caring and understanding and we remained in contact for several years. Gene passed away two years ago, and now she's joined him.My ex remained friends with this couple and visited Terry & Gene often in Reedsburg. My kids have been to visit them also and had a good relationship with them.

I called my son today to see if his dad knew. He called me back tonight a little upset as his dad was choosing not to attend the funeral as he has a problem with the "former friends". I have always been glad that I walked away from that friendship as it was all about money and who could buy more shit. But does someone want to tell me what that has to do with paying your respects to someone who was never more than kind to you?

He's Famous...kind of

I took the grandkids to the yearly Open House at Quality Candy/Buddy Squirrel today. This year was a little different. As we approached the building there was no line. This was a plus as it was a little chilly out today. Although they were dressed warm it just felt damp and cold out. So we were able to start our trek indoors. They have a line set up where you just walk through and can see how certain things are made. You then get to a point where you can take the "Bunny Bypass" and not see the Easter Bunny. They tried to act like they were old enough not to do that this year but I could tell by the looks on their faces that they may need another year yet. So this was about a 1/2 hour detour. It was around this point that we met up with my husband. He had the camera out and ready to film them. He then walked along with us for a bit which I think makes the kids feel special as Grandpa works at this place. They get an extra sucker and a few extra samples.

We walked into one area where they sell nut mixtures and different popcorns and I had a request from my daughter to purchase some cheese corn for her. I glanced through some of the bags of nut mixes when I saw it..."Arnie's Awesome Mix". What the &*(* !. The kids spotted it also. Grandpa has his own candy mix. Their faces were priceless. Their chests puffed up and you could see pride. I just looked at him and said "YOu have a mix named after you". Mr Humble just nods and says "Yep" I had to buy it. Not sure what I'm going to do with the contents as I remember when he brought some home for us to sample and I didn't care for it all that much. I recall saying "It needs something a little sweet". When we got home I looked at it again and noticed there were some chocolate covered peanuts in it. They weren't in there before. Did he take my advice? Should it now be re-named Arnie's Awesome Mix (with a little help from his wife)? Either way, I'm a little proud. I wondered if he gets anything from it? His answer "Just my name on a bag".

Wanted: 1 Quarterback

I heard the news at 9am this morning and it spread quickly on the line. I got to witness the expressions on everyone's faces. We had a customer in from out east and it was the first thing he said to me when he walked in. He, of course being somewhat of a Packer fan himself. I myself won't believe it until the first game of the season is played and I don't see #4 running out on the field. If it all holds true then "Thanks for the ride Brett".

I had to do an interesting Grandma chore last night. My son dropped my grandson off and asked a favor of me. "Would you please take him to his "God" class. My son had to do a tile installation quote and was not sure he'd make it back in time. Not a problem, we live about 4 blocks from his church. About 10 minutes before we had to leave it started...."I don't feel good Grandma" (didn't work) "I don't get to spend a lot of time with you and Grandpa" (didn't work either). " The class is boring" (made me smile but still didn't work). "Did my dad go to these classes" (yes). I then told him that I also did and I also argued with my parents about it. I went into lecture mode and explained that no one ever suffered taking these classes and that it was a parental duty to allow their children to learn these things. That when he was old enough he could make his own decisions but for now he needed to go and actually listen to what he was being taught. There was quite a pitiful little act going on but I wasn't buying it.
The whole incident brought back the memory of me at about 8 years old fighting with my father over learning the weekly assignment and how I didn't need to know that stuff. This turned into my first attempt at running away. Where did I go? I walked the 6 or so blocks to our church. I never said I was a smart kid.
His reasoning continued up until I walked him to his class room. I told him if he still felt sick to call me and I'd come and get him, but he would have to get his homework and class work and we'd do it at home. He told me that his dad said I was a tuff one.
On the way home I had a flashback to when my son was attending his classes and the constant arguing in getting him there. This boy is a spitting image of his father. When I got home I promptly called my son to "thank" him for this wonderful duty that he put on me.
About 2 hours later I received a call from Dylan telling me that he learned about Moses and it wasn't all that bad. There is truth in your parents telling you "What comes around goes around.

Bingo! (not)

I've probably only visited our local casino 4 times in the 17 years it's been here. Three for Bingo and once with my parents. The visit with them was okay. We went during the day when the casino was not at all crowded and there were no strange smells. We went this Friday to celebrate J's birthday with a round of Bingo.
I drove down alone which is a first. My first mistake was taking 16th street. It took me longer to get from 16th & Greenfield to the Casino then it took to get from my house to 16th & Greenfield. Then to walk through the casino to the Bingo hall took forever. Through the gapers who feel the need to stand behind people playing slots and watch their every spin. Unless you're playing it's just not that exciting.

Bingo was fun. Although we seemed to be at the unlucky table. One winner of $100.00 was all we could produce. Afterwards we opted to cut out rather than stick around and try to find some slots to play. Plus I was a little turned off by the whole thing when someone felt the need to drop their ass in a crowd. Guess that's one way to clear an aisle for retreat.

Not much more of an exciting weekend. I consumed a total of 3 beers on Friday and on Saturday roamed around my house looking for something to do. Today I think my husband finally got fed up with my comments about wanting to do something and broke into a lecture about how winter is always boring and I should more or less get over it. So I opted to go and sit with my sister-in-law at the hospital with her crabby husband who is still cooped up there. A few rounds of borrowed "Go Fish" cards later I was on my way out of there also.

Some ice was chopped today which has allowed for the Roman River to flow down our driveway. Can't figure out why the porch is not leaking but there is a waterfall coming off the corner of it which I'm sure will be running under the wall within the next few hours.
That will then probably freeze tonigh when it's turns colder and we'll be holding skating lessons in our enclosed porch. The plan is in action to tear down and replace the entire thing in spring. I'm not really to excited about that as it's going to be a mess and of course we can't really start anything until early May. My only hope it that it will be done by fall. I'll miss my porch but will be happy when it's done. The old lady is pushing 32 years and needs work.