It's Raining Again.....

I think the only thing that would have cut through the humidity Friday & yesterday was for it to rain. The clouds that were coming toward my house yesterday afternoon did prove to be a little nasty. And the cooler dryer air that came with it was a relief from the humidity. Today I was able to shut off all the fans in the house and let nature take it's course. It's cooled off quite nicely.

I ventured out with my friend today to our first visit of Strawberry Fest held in Cedarburg. We were meeting up with some others and were warned in advance to get there early as it does get a bit crowded. They were planning on arriving at 7:30 am for the start of the Strawberry Pancake Breakfast. We were not going that early. We arrived around 9am and the crowd was pretty scarce. That is until we walked the the main road and saw "the line". The line for the pancake breakfast went down the block and around the corner. Sorry but no pancake is worth that wait in line for me. We opted for the $3.00 Strawberry Shortcake which proved to be possible the best I've ever eaten. We met up with our friends and strolled around a bit. By around noon the crowd was getting thick. It was that shuffle, shuffle, kind of walking. I was constantly looking for a spot to break free. Then I took a look at the sky and noticed the dark clouds. We decided to leave around 1230 and as we got it started raining. Had it been a little warmer and not so crowded we may have stuck around as there were a few bands playing but seriously beside the small vendor tents there was no where to go to not get soaked. That and the fact that the two public bathrooms I saw had lines longer than drunken Opening Day.
All in all I did accomplish the shuffle. Now I should be all set for Summerfest.

Future File Tape

My husband has been working some long hours the past week due to his company having a booth at Summerfest this year. Yesterday he came straight from work in time to catch the ending of the first inning of Dylan's baseball game. He looked pretty worn out. After a few minutes he casually mentions to me that his mug may be on tv later. He was interviewed while setting up at Summerfest and told to watch the 10 pm news. I walked in the bedroom after Trivia last night to find him sound asleep and caught him on the news. His infamous words while unloading the back of the work truck "Yeah, it's been a rough one". End of his fame. When I told him about it this morning he laughed and remarked that they had talked to him for about 5 minutes. I also had to ask him if he knew this was coming as his hair was looking somewhat good. Not the usually standing on end or combed back look. Perhaps they caught him early in the day.

This is not the first time he's been on the tube. His company was on the Gus Tour show about a year ago and he's all up in the tube. They were also on about 3 years ago and he was on for a quick second. I think he may have gotten over his camera jitters. Wonder what's next?

Free Food?

I don't usually touch on news items to much as I like to keep my opinions of some things to myself, but today I feel compelled to voice my thoughts.
Is this the way we want Milwaukee portrayed in the news? I know it's a touch of reality, but is it that we are that needy of a city, or that we are loaded with free-loaders? Did the city bite off more than they could chew? Did they not think that the offer of $542.00 in food vouchers for a family of 4 would not cause near riot scenes? The sad part about this is that probably only 25% of the people who stood on the line were actually flood victims. Having some of your kids clothes that were in the basement get wet does not make you worthy of receiving free food vouchers.
Openly admitting on camera that you're just there to see if you can get them, and don't really need them does not make you anything more that a free-loader.
Then to have the alderman and Mayor speak about how they were so shocked at the amount of people that showed up (1/2 of them not even knowing why they could get these vouchers) and say they didn't realize that our city had that many hungry people. Yes, we have hungry people. We have a lot of people who need help and cannot get it. They don't have enough people to process these applications, so many of these vouchers will get into the wrong hands. Your penalty for lying on the application: a $250,000 fine and up to 10 years in prison. If they bilked you into getting the vouchers, they will bilk their way out of any kind of retribution for lying. They will be let go as "Uneducated victims who didn't understand what they were applying for".
I've been in the down and out position in my life and did stand on the cheese line once and also received WIC for 6 months. I was fortunate enough to have parents who, without me asking, helped out. I would come home from mom's to find a few food items tucked in the diaper bag. In the words of my father "Where there's a will, there's a way". Sometimes we are all guilty of not getting our priorities straight but one with responsibilities soon will learn from their mistakes. I am, however not guilty of ever being a moocher. I can always find someone that's in a worse way than I am and help out if needed. The people that I saw on the news yesterday and this morning were nothing more than guilty of trying to get something that they do not have coming. The one's that really had the help coming were probably at the end of the line. Why do our news stations only show the idiots?

Polka Dots, The Monkey, A Fashion Show & Prizes

Apparently dousing yourself in a vat of mosquito repellent wasn't enough to ward off the pesky little varmints this weekend. I guess it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that mucho rain=standing water=eggs=hatching=mosquito's=biting me.
The back of my legs, my ass and my back has the appearance of measles. Fortunately, not many of them itch yet, but I'll be taking the generic anti-itch medication I picked up just for this occasion.

Other than that minor problem the weekend went well. Once again there was way to much food, plenty to drink and the company of good friends. This year the task of Pudgie Pie cook was handed over with proper ceremony to Stb, who did a fine job. You can probably read about it in his blog if he is not to modest to gloat a little.
We had a few sprinkles of rain but for the most part the sun was present most of the weekend.

Our guest this weekend was "monkey". He came flying in shortly after dusk of Friday night. My husband "scored" on this furry little creature with rubber band sections of legs & arms. You pull this thing back like a sling shot and when it lands it makes this annoying, yet funny screaming noise. "Monkey" survived the weekend being annoying, yet never being tossed into the fire.

I know the motto "What Happens At Camping, Stays At Camping" but I cannot hold back on the Saturday morning fashion show. Some one's father disappeared into his camper and reappeared moments later wearing a striking pajama ensemble made lovingly for him by his talented seamstress bride. These pj's will hold sentimental value as they were crafted from the very own "rainbow" collection of sheets that C & R used to tuck J and baby Precious into at night. And as if C didn't work hard enough on that project, she managed to (while sometimes under the influence) whip out 16 scrubbies in a vast assortment of colors. Time was a ticking away and that needle was going at a steady rate but she finished in time to award the prizes for those who earned them. The contest: when making the potato salad C found that some of the potato's were to small to cut up so she left them whole. Those who wished to partake in the contest were required to find the whole potato's. I think there's one still hidden in the bowl of salad so R could earn himself a scrubbie.

All in All it was a good weekend. For the next few day while I am scratching away I will have fond memories.

Blame The Cook

I think that Jesus has a personal liking for my husband. Every time we go to a church festival the man makes a haul. His booty for the recent visit included:4 cases of brats, a bottle of wine, a 12 pack of beer, a sausage and a ham. I went over to the paddle game that he was winning on and they knew him. They knew that he wanted to purchase the last paddle each time..and when he did , he won. I think he needs to purchase the last lottery ticket to ensure a win also.

Yesterday when putting all these brats away in the freezer I came across a box of Italian sausage that he won last September. They were all wrapped in freezer wrap and protected very well. I decided that we should have them for dinner. I gave him several options-spaghetti with Italian sausage, bombers or a little dish called Polish Chop Suey. He opted for the Polish Chop Suey. As I was putting it together I had second thoughts as two of the ingredients are sauerkraut and mushroom soup. "How bad can it be" I asked myself. It turned out pretty good and he must of thought so also as he went for seconds. About an hour after we ate I was outside painting the fence and the end of our driveway and he was loading wood in the truck for the weekend camping trip. It was then that I noticed a stank odor in the air. I stood up and looked at him and as our eyes met I said "Was that you? Oh my GOD!" By the look on his face I knew it was. He then says "Phew, that dinner you made is hitting me hard". This is my fault. This continued throughout the night. Why do I do these things? Last night he put E to shame.

Crushed

Game 2 of the inter-league tournament. Dylan's team (Yankees) won 5-4. They played a good game and were told that they were on to game 3. The coach instructed them to go home, shower, eat a protein filled lunch and return to the ballpark at 1 pm for their next game. (BTW-Dylan had a great hit into center field which tied up the game)

A & I took off with a plan to return at 130 ish. We were walking out the door and received a call from my son (who was very irate mind you) and told to sit tight for a minute as there was an issue with the game. I wish I would have not listened and went anyway. A few minutes go by and he calls back to let us know that they had to forfeit the last game. WHA...WHA...WHA..What? They won. It appears that after the game ending cards were signed off by the coaches that the coach from the other team had a question. This question came up in a game a few nights ago. The opposing team had a pitcher in for one inning, he then returned 3 innings later to pitch again. According to the Ump that night, who claims he called the Little League commissioner this was okay. They could return, but had to be out for at least two innings. So, today the Yankee's had a pitcher in for the first inning and pulled him out. In the 5th inning they put him back in. The coach walked over to the ump and opposing team coach to notify them of the pitching change and to give him the boy's name. The boy pitches, they win the game. The score sheets are signed and nothing at all is said. Nothing, until all these kids left the field and went home for their hour rest. All hyped and geared up for the next game.

The kid's come back only to find out they won't be playing. The coach's are all trying to get a hold of the commissioner who they find sitting at a picnic table with a bunch of other guys drinking beers. They question this whole mess and are told that it's in the rule book. No one can find it anywhere. The ass wipe goes on to tell the coaches and parents that the Ump made a mistake the other night in telling them it was okay. Well, then the coach wants their loss from the other night wiped off. To late the guys says...you had to do that before the next game played. so they try to get this gripe fixed as the next game hasn't started yet and the guy tells them his decision has been made. "Take it up with the committee". They ask that the game be postponed until they can get a straight answer. He contradicts himself several times in the conversation and lets the next game start. They are still talking to him when he brings up the point that they had to protest before the start of the next game. Ass wipe. Not sure what is going to happen next as there is a meeting this week over the whole issue. To bad for the kids on the Yankees team and way to go for the other team's teaching the kids that they lost...but won.

Here's a good one also. When the tournament rules came out it stated that there could be no alcoholic beverages in and around the diamonds. Someone questioned the commissioner about his beer. He had a permit. This is supposed to be the best league in the City. But, I guess there's no use crying over spilt milk.

A Welcome Weekend

As long as the rain holds out or even stays to a minimum this could be a good weekend. I planned ahead and got all the little piddly things out of the way yesterday so I could actually enjoy the next 2 days. Dylan has baseball tournaments tonight and if they win, will go on to play 1 to 3 games tomorrow. Guess we'll be camping out for the day at the local park. Then it's on to the local Church festival where I can observe my husband playing every paddle game in site. This will stock up his bar with cheap booze and possibly a case or two of brats and Italians. He tried to bet me that he could make it through the festival without playing any games but I felt bad knowing that he'd loose the bet.

Work was a disaster this week. I think that's all I'm going to say about that.

My daughter had a surgery today that is supposed to relieve the pain she's having in her legs and back after having a back fusion over a year ago. I stopped at the surgery center on my way home from work as she was just getting into recovery. Funny thing is I know my kids embellish in drink here and there but I've never seen either of them in a state of drunkenness. She was a little dopey from the pain meds and it was hard for me not to chuckle a bit. They had given her a soda and crackers to munch on prior to letting her go and she was looking at these crackers like they were some sort of foreign object. Studying each and every one of them. Her choice of drink was an orange/pineapple drink which she went into detail about how WE used to get them at school. A puzzled look came over her face as she looked at me and realized we did not go to school together. After about 30 minutes she was released and I very sincerely wished my son-in-law the best of luck for the evening.

Slish-Slosh

Prior to the sky opening on Saturday I was on a roll with yard work. I managed to get in a little on Sunday before the second wave of storms blew through. Yesterday I took a quick look around to survey the effects of the monsoon like weather we had. It didn't look to bad at a quick glance. So I dug it in tonight and continued on my trek toward the summer yard. I figure if the porch is going into demo stage then at least our yard can look somewhat nice. I filled up two P&S plastic bags with those freaking whrilly bird things that fall from our tree. Anyone know of someone with a tree farm. I guarantee they will grow because if we don't pick them up the little buggers are sprouting up all over.

When I got to the far back yard I discovered that it was a big soggy. I'm not quite sure how the hubby cut the grass as it was soaked. The grass is lush and green. I started planting some flowers that I had bought and figure it'll be a few days until they need water. Although we don't have any standing water it's very wet. I feel very fortunate that we did not sub stain any serious damage.

When I ventured to the front yard there was a squawking bird up in the tree. This thing would not fly away. It was then I made the discovery. She was homeless and her babies had suffered the effects of the storm. It seems that the birdhouse that was hanging in that tree was blown to the ground. She squawked louder when I picked it up. The nest was still intact and I could see eggs. I guess I could have easily gotten rid of the birdhouse but I got it back up in the tree. Last look she was sitting on top of it....very quietly.

"Good Luck With Your Basement"

That little ditty seems to be the phrase of the day. Shows you how friendly the people in Milwaukee and surrounding areas are. Sure, we're all in the same boat.
We were fortunate to only have a small amount of water in our basement, but what do you expect when you get dumped on with 8 plus inches of rain. Our little sump pump could only handle so much but we're glad for what it did.

Our yard, on the other hand is a mess. All the bark and mulch I had out is washed away somewhere. The helicopter things that fall from our tree are covering our yard and decks. The best bet there is to wait a few days until things dry out and then suck them up. All in all I can't really complain, as there are families in much worse condition then we are. I just watched a home in Lake Delton floating down the Wisconsin River. People just need to be a little smarter and stay out of the swollen rivers and not send their kids out to play in the raw sewage pond that is now their backyard.

My new computer is all set up and operating. I'm loving it. I have a lot to explore and get used to but so far so good.

My weekend sucked except for Friday night when I went with Annette to the unveiling of the Pink Harley. Had two Cosmos and a few munchies and proceeded to the local pub where we met up with some friends. Being that STB was in Vegas, I was able to collect the winning tickets off the Miller Lite bottles several times (4). Saturday and Sunday were emotional crap days spent trying to convince the brain surgery brother-in-law to seek some help. He's currently on a roll to self destruction. Very sad situation, but people are wearing thin trying to help them out.

I'm back to the normal shift now and happy as a lark. It's a little quiet due to lack of employees, but I'm sure we'll get used to the change. We're on our way out to catch Dylan's baseball game. They had to switch the location due to the original one being now under water.

Hope everyone weathered the storm well

What The #@$%^!!!

Yesterday was quite the busy day around this house. I was up bright and early to start the yearly chore of cleaning out all the gardens and replanting. I figured I'd better hit the greenhouse as early as possible to avoid the rush. By 830 am I was at the first one. Now I'm a pretty good cipher-er and totaled up my purchases. Imagine my shock when I got to the checkout and she rang up almost $90.00 less than I had purchased. I asked her if she was sure and her reply was "No, I got it all".
I was trying to be honest after the 12 pack of coke incident in Rhode Island. I asked again and she asked if I thought she over charged me. "No, just the opposite" I said. "No, I got it all" was repeated. When I got to my car and checked the receipt I was very under charged. Score. Not so much luck at the other stores. I'm hoping that the plants & flowers I wasn't charged for will live for at least a week or so. We managed to get quite a bit cleaned up and I did start planting some stuff. We have nothing going on this weekend so hopefully the weather will hold out. A see a few beers in the picture also (it will help to ease the muscle pain).

I finally took the plunge and ordered the new computer (well kind of) I am currently on hold awaiting a Customer Service Rep. as my order was kicked out the first time due to my debit card having a purchase limit. I forgot about that prior to placing the order so this is partially my fault. We're going on 15 minutes on hold right now. This doesn't include the first time I was on hold for 10 minutes and was cut off. The recorded voice is telling me to stay on the line as my call is important to them. Hopefully I'll get the English speaking person for my final call.

So here's what it's like to go back to work after being gone from the place for 6 working days. 5 people were let go and there was some shuffling. We're back to 5 of the original people from 1st shift. We thought we'd have a meeting this morning explaining why as only the shift leader and I knew somewhat of what was going on. I'm not quite sure anyone was expecting this as it was a little shocking. I'm on my last week of 3rd shift and looking forward to getting back to a normal shift next week.

Still on hold...my call is still important to them. She's thanking me for waiting. I just hope the doofus who's taking my call isn't on break or something. If so, most breaks are only 10-15 minutes so they'd better quit gabbing at the coffee machine or water cooler and get back to work. Maybe they're chatting about their weekend activities or something.

I'm giving them 5 more minutes and they lost my sale.