Here We Go

I'll start my post on a giant cheer for the Brewers! As we sat around watching the Packer game Sunday, we all seemed to be paying more attention to the Brewers game. At first it required a trip inside but soon our host's would bring out another tv for us to catch first the Brewer game then the Mets loss. It was a great end to a great day. We walked our little tootsies off for Gambino's & many others boobies. Nice day for a walk.

It's always crummy when a good weekend ends and a crummy work week starts. Things have been very hectic and frustrating in the work place the past few weeks. We're missing a key operator due to an illness and some of us are in unfamiliar territory right now. Things that the maintenance man should be doing are expected to be done by us. Found out today that the intent is that he should be doing them and there was a little anger in our current boss's voice when he found out differently. So after two days of trying to run a job that should have been simple, everyone in management decided to come out and help fix the problem. We're talking about people that need instruction on using a tape gun.

I've always had an issue with our company going out on a limb for new business, yet not trying to fix the lines that run the current customers jobs. For some reason we always manage to squeak by and make the shipments and the quality is good but sooner or later this is going to bite them in the ass. Enough about work. I think I have blown my steam for the day.

I came home today to find all the windows closed in the house. Poor husband must have had a chill when he got home from work. The heat is not turned on, but I know when he gets home later he will begin the layering of the clothes. The sweatshirts and sweatpants will come out of the drawer where they have been stored for 4 months. Within the next month or so I will begin to hear that we need to move to a warmer climate. I think this year I will call his bluff and start packing things up. I'll begin to purge unwanted items from the home. He will check every box and bag I am carting out of here for Goodwill. I may have taken some "needed" item. Maybe this strategy will work on ending the winter whining.

My Husband Is Hungry

For the past month or so my priorities have not been in the kitchen. My husband walks in there every once in a while to see if there's anything cooking. Then he checks the fridge to see if anyone put anything new in there. I've made a few things but not a down to earth good home cooked meal. I guess I can only expect him to go so long on things like taco's, sloppy joes or hamburgers. I think he may be looking for something more on the line of meat and taters with a vegetable on the side.

I'm on week two of the working until 5 shift and the last thing on my mind or list of things to do when I get home is break out the chef's gear and prepare a meal that won't be eaten until 7 or after. Yesterday after work I decided to visit the local food store. My main purpose was just for the things I needed for the weekend. I threw in a few other things but not much was needed as I have a kitchen full of food. It just needs to be cooked.

Today my daughter and I took a day trip to Lake Geneva. For the past several years it's been an annual thing we do for her birthday. It turned out to be a very relaxing mother daughter bonding day. When I got home it was time to hit the kitchen. My husband heard pans rattling around and came upstairs to investigate. "Could it be my wife has found the kitchen again". I felt a little bad and tried to figure out how to break the news to him that this commotion was not for him but for a birthday event tomorrow and a Packer Party on Sunday. My only way out was to look at him and ask "What's for dinner"? It was then that he heated up some left over tacos and pizza.

He came back about two hours later and saw the prepared items on the table and I swear I saw drool. Now in a way I feel bad but then I have to wonder what is wrong with him? Why can't he cook? He's home by 3:10 every day. All he has to do is tell me what he wants to make and I will buy it. Heck, as long as we're going this far, why can't he take a trip to the grocery store also? I suppose I shouldn't get to ahead of myself in this thinking as I know what we would have. Since he has no clue how to cook any type of meat other then grilling it or browning meat for taco's or Mexican dishes my guess is that we would be eating steak, burgers or Mexican every night. Chicken or pork chops would become nonexistent in our home. And I know for a fact that if he did the shopping it would be a daily run and along with whatever he needed for dinner there would be a tray of taco dip or a jar of garlic olives purchased.

Go Brewers!

Back To Reality

Weather wise this weekend could not have been better. I could have done without the flies and bees but when everything else is going for you why complain about the little things?

I packed for cool fall weather and used only one fleece jacket only after the sun went down. It was a little damp in the morning but the sun took care of that pretty quickly. Mick seemed to attract the largest wasp we've ever seen. We're pretty sure it was the head queen. Didn't take long for all the guys to get on it and make sure it no longer had life in it. Waking up to gun shots and knowing that it's not intended for you is always a plus. From the site we were on we used to be able to see the pond and if we were up early enough could catch a glimpse of the duck hunters. Everything is a little over grown now, but it's a plus in the privacy department.

As usual the food was good. If all goes as planned "D" and the boys should be making us a tad bit wealthy within the next few years with their invention. We spent sometime discussing every one's role in making this a success. This was before the beer took effect on "Ben" a.k.a. "Sweet Ben" a.k.a. "Stagger Lee" and his friend "Barney" a.k.a. "Don't sit by those girls...they'll take you down" a.k.a. "I'm not drunk..I just want to build a 6 foot fire". Ol' Barney even managed to make a drunken phone call to our friend Cleve to express his anger toward his wife putting the kibosh on his plan.

We did make a trip back toward town Saturday afternoon to catch Dylan's game. They are now 4-0. Could this turn bad as they play the Cowboys this week? Let's hope not.

So now back at home, the weekend things unpacked, laundry started, dinner made and showers taken, we await to Packer/Cowboys game. What's the worst that could happen?

It's All In Who You Know

My kids are paying off for me. After all the years of doing for them, it's kind of nice to receive some sort of gratis. Some day soon my bathroom will be tiled thanks to my son. My daughter has kept us in cell phones.

On my way out the door this morning my husband stopped me to show me an issue he was having with his phone. Removing the battery and Sim card did not solve the problem. After a call to my daughter I was told that the phone has a life span of about 3 years. That's just about how long it's lasted. He looked a little panicked when I told him I thought the phone was shot. This coming from a man who two years ago wanted nothing to do with a cell phone. He doesn't make a lot of calls, but he's always got it with him. After work I got a call from my daughter saying that they had two brand new phones at their house and I could pick which one we wanted. The one I chose is an upgraded version of my current phone. With her and her husband both working for cell phone companies there are some perks.

The other perk I have with her is I no longer need to board my dog when we are out of town. They have a small humane society at their home so one more dog isn't a bother to them. So tonight when I dropped Sadie off I was given the new phone and the money I offered was refused. Sometimes this bothers me a little, as I'm not real used to getting something for nothing. Hubbie now has the slightly used older phone (come on, you really didn't think I'd give him the new one). I was also kind enough to take the liberty of downloading a ring tone for him. He is now blessed with a snappy Elvis tune. I'm going to see how long it takes him to figure out how to switch it back to a plain ring.

Some how tonight I managed to get all packed for the weekend, clean my house, do laundry and drop off the dog. I'm a little amazed at myself considering I spent most Of the day at work ready to fall asleep at a moments notice. We had a meeting at 2pm today which I struggled to stay awake at. The only thing that kept me slightly alert was the comments from the girl sitting next to me. She spoke loud enough for my ears only and I was having trouble controlling my laughter. She will be paid back when I am a little more alert. I have to say we have some God awful boring meetings at my workplace.

Here's to everyone having an enjoyable yet safe weekend. I hope the sneezing fits I've been having all day are allergy related verses a cold coming on.

Who Is Ned Yost???

In keeping up with other manufacturing companies, we have now gone to a 4 day work week. This also meant having one shift. There is a little staggering of the hours but we're all in one big happy group now. Today I worked with a girl that I originally trained about two years ago. She's a nice person and works very well. We were chatting away and listening to the morning show on WKLH and I commented on the firing of Ned Yost. With this totally innocent face she turned to me and asked "Who Is Ned Yost"?.

Some people would laugh at this or think her a fool. I didn't. I just simply explained who he was. As I was doing so I hoped in my heart that she would not ask me who the Brewers were. She explained that she's just not that into any sports. No explanation necessary...some people just are not.

For me the change in hours hasn't been really that big of a deal. I now work until 5 which sucks as I can't say I enjoy the rush hour commute home. For the previous 3rd shift people switching from nights to days takes a little getting used to. They commented on being able to go home in the sunlight. That won't last long. Another month or so and I'll be going to work and coming home in the dark. The weekends will be for seeing the sun.

All in all it's kind of nice having enough people to run several lines. Hopefully they won't reduce the work force again. This may just be the chance to cross train some people so not just one or two operators have knowledge of a line. (that could be a dream come true)

I'm looking forward to camping this weekend. The weather outlook looks good. I'd like to see the wasps and bee's stay in their own homes for the weekend. I thought for sure my husband would opt to stay home and work on the porch, but he's set on going. This is a very needed weekend away. The roof is framed in and he's chomping at the bit to take a half day tomorrow and get some more work done. This really needs to get done before the snow flies. My porch serves as an excellent fridge especially around Christmas time. Keeps the Christmas cookies nice and cool.

Crunch

It's that time of the year again. Our yard is already pretty littered with fallen leaves. Not sure if it's because of the lack of rain and everything just dried up or if it's actually that close to the fall season. Funny how they make no sound at all when falling, but someone walking on the sidewalk that is spewn with leaves and it gives off quite a bit of noise. I can even hear the chipmunks running around my yard now. All this means to me is a lot of work. I feel like I just got done planting and now I'll be pulling it all up.

I am enjoying the coolness in the air. I wasn't to much a fan of the hot, muggy summer we had. We're camping next weekend so I'm sure that I won't appreciate the crisp evenings or the possibility of frost in the morning.

Dylan's team is now 2-0. They had a fantastic game the other night that didn't have a dull moment in it. I sat in my lawn chair for the first quarter but then was on my feet the rest of the game. Very exciting to say the least. Let's hope they can keep this up. There were two injuries on the opposing team. I applaud the sportsmanship shown by all in attendance and the concern for the boys well being. This is a very well run league.

Tomorrow marks my brother's 43rd birthday. It marks day 20 since he passed away. The family is celebrating his birthday at a local favorite park of his in the afternoon. And what would this families birthday celebration be with out a cake. Yes, although corny to some, I made a cake for my brother. I've done it for a lot of years and things just wouldn't seem right if I didn't. Of course my family will be over to help eat it. It may be a little bit of a difficult day.

UnSupported

I was called upon today for a Grandma duty. One would think it would be a chore, but I actually enjoy this type of duty. Both parent's working late..could I take Dylan to football practice? I think they both know by now that asking me to take him to any sporting event that he participates in is always a definite yes.

This is a typical 9 year old boy. Get dropped off at Grandma's house, check the fridge for goodies, have a meal, play with Grandma's Wii and watch some TV. Ten minutes before we had to leave I told him to go get ready. Five minutes later he comes out of the bathroom and announces he forgot to pack his cup. After some calls we came to the conclusion that going all the way back to his house and waiting for his step-father to get there would make him 1/2 hour late for practice. He got a bit of a lecture that I'm sure went in one ear and out the other. I told him we'd go anyway and if the coach had a problem he could sit out or run laps instead. He ended up participating in the entire practice. I'm not sure he ever told the coach but I noticed his was a little protective. At the break he came over to guzzle some water and revealed that he had "forgotten" to mention it. Like a dedicated grandmother I sat for the two hour practice and then took the sweaty little kid home. Lo and behold upon arriving at his house the cup was located..exactly where it was this morning when his mother told him to pack it. I think he needs to be a little more responsible, but I also think Mom could have taken a second look around before leaving, knowing that the boy is a boy, therefore scatter-brained.

The Walls Are Up

Last week construction began on the screen porch. The slab was poured with only two mishaps. They cut the electrical line to the garage and when the cement was poured the phone line was somewhat destroyed. That was finally fixed on Friday night.

Friday after work I came home to what appeared to be Menards Lumber Dept. in the back of my husband's truck. He was already pounding away. As of 7pm tonight him and my brother Ben managed to get the walls up (and they're pretty sturdy). At one point Friday night I thought to complain of all the pounding and sawing as I had a nasty headache but then I thought better.

Yesterday was my grandson's first football game of the season (very exciting). It's always a plus when there is a win. To me it was like opening day of football season. Last night we went to Indian Summer, one of the less crowded festivals of the year. We caught the group Burle on stage and as in the past it was a good show. I was a little disappointed in my fry bread taco this year as I opted for chicken instead of beef. I still say the best place to get an Indian Taco is in Badlands, South Dakota. A trip may be in the works.

Today was pretty low key. As I cleaned I could hear the sound of hammers and saws working in the backyard. I wandered out the front door to take a look at the condition of the yard and decided to save that for another day. More leaves and crap are going to clutter the yard, so why clean it all up now. Besides, in my eyes summer is not over yet.

I did catch a little football this afternoon. Had to see if Brett was doing okay. He looked a tad bit nervous during the last few minutes of the game. Watched a little of the Brewers loss. No further comment on that. And, I watched a bit of the Cowboys game (enough to see that Romo's chin was bleeding).

I have one more week of five-eight hour days and then it'd down to a four day work week. I have to keep telling myself that this will be all worth it for a 3 day weekend.

How Rude!

After 11 days I figured it was time to step on the board again. My little Wii person made sure they informed me that I hadn't been around for awhile. I felt good in knowing she missed me. As usual the boxing was right up my alley. I probably should have been boxing for the past 11 days as it does help any pent up anger and frustration that one may carry. In fact I'm trying to figure out how to transport the system to work and use it on my break.

I'm sitting here now waiting for the AT&T repair man to show up. Our phone has been messed up since Tuesday. My phone will ring once and go dead. No voice mail. The line is very static . I called right away Tuesday when I got home and discovered the problem. It's taking some people a while to figure out there's a problem before finally calling our cell phones. This can be annoying as some people have called back three or four times before giving up and trying the cell. So the repair man called about 1/2 hour ago and his call went through. Said he was on his way. He then called back about 10 minutes ago to let me know he was on 92nd & Good Hope and his van broke down. He is awaiting a tow truck. He noted that he didn't think he'd make it tonight and was trying to get someone else to take the job. Certainly there will be a credit applied to my bill for waiting for service. Of Course!

Things are getting somewhat back to normal. I'm still waiting to wake up from the horrible nightmare I had 12 days ago. I'm still trying to make some sense of this. Maybe in time I'll be able to justify the "He's in a better place" or "He's free now" statements, but for now I can't. I'm grateful to all my friends who have been so understanding and caring through all this.

On a lighter note...It's about time we got some rain. Although the day has been gloomy we did need some rain. My grass may not feel or look like a Brillo pad tomorrow.

Getting Back To Normal??

After over a week of taking care of business & sorting through my brother's things, it's back to work tomorrow. I don't think I'm ready. In my mind I know I have to get back to a normal life, but in my heart I don't want to let go. My parents head back to Arizona tomorrow morning and saying good-bye was difficult as usual. This is a time when I do not wish to trade places with them.

I've been told over and over again by many people that in time life will get better. I think what makes it so hard is seeing the girls. The younger one is hurting and showing it in ways a ten year old would. The 15 year old is hurting and shows it like we do. Little things set her off. Her mother sets her off. They have a strained relationship. She had an out with her father. They had an excellent relationship. I think the last time he had to yell at her she was probably around 5.

In two weeks we start a four day 10 hour day. I will now be back to having Fridays off. This will allow me to catch up on things around here. For over a year now I've been putting off organizing and cleaning up the spare rooms. Every time I tried to do it in the past David came to live with us. I think in the back of my mind I put if off thinking he'd be coming back. I may just have to hold that room for his daughter now. Maybe fixing it up in more of a girlie fashion is the answer. She would have a safe haven here. If she could cook that would be a free ticket in.