The Circle

I credit my parents with putting a lot of time and effort into raising their children to work hard, have good morals, stand up for themselves and see the good in people. Of course in my teen years I thought they were a bunch of fuddy duds but eventually what they taught me kicked in.
In fact I can't think of much I would change about the way I was raised. My mom tended to yell a lot but with working full time and raising a bunch of kids I can see why. Dad was the logical "let's talk about this" guy and still is. I've seen him snap a few times but now understand why.
I had friends who's father's were at the local tap every night after work and Mom was expected to hold down the fort and make sure the dinner was warm when he decided to make an appearance. I chuckle when I think of my Mother keeping Dad's dinner warm while he was out tipping a few with his buds. Oh Lord, she would have put us all in the car and went to fetch him right out of there. My Mom had balls.
One of my parents favorite quotes was "YGY" (you'll get yours). Whenever we did something wrong they would curse us. Little did I know that these curses would carry over into my life of raising kids. As my kids grew up I found myself using some of their tatics. I would often try to remember my feelings toward my punishments and what was the most effective. Grounding wasn't always the best thing, plus they'd let me off early because I think I drove them nuts. Writing..that was always the most dreaded. I think I hit the nail on the head when that became my favorite punishment to give out. My son would just cringe. To this day we still hear about the camping trip where he was forced to sit and write 500 sentences. Was it effective? I think so because I don't remember him having to do it after that. Both my kids said we were the rottenest parents in the world for the writing punishment and vowed they would never, ever pass this punishment on to their kids. That is until...the other day when I heard my son tell Dylan that if he kept it up he would be sitting down and writing. My head snapped around so fast and I was able to catch the look on my son's face that said "Don't say anything Mom". But see this didn't just happen once in the past week, it also happened with the twins. I came upon them sitting at my kitchen table writing. It was then that I also noticed the Ipods and phones had been taken away. She must be the rottenest mother in the world.

Peaceful

I left work a little after 3 yesterday. It was snowing but the roads were just wet and traffic was moving along normally. This is until I hit Layton Avenue and headed east. It was like I turned the corner into a whole new world. Traffic was slowed and the streets were a little bit slick. I had plans to make a few stops but with the way things were going I took the safe route and headed home. I saw two little fender benders on my way home, one of which could have easily been prevented by waiting until traffic was clear before pulling out. Some things just take a little bit of common sense.
When arriving home it appeared as if we had quite a bit more snow than the western part of the county. I switched on the TV to catch the latest weather report. The stuff was really coming down and I one point I could barely make out the house across the street. The little kid inside me got a little excited. Could it be the big one? Could we be snowed in? When is the last time Milwaukee had a full blown blizzard? Could it last long enough to have my work called off? And then it was done. According to storm tracker tracker it's heading out east. They shall once again have snow days and everything shall just shut down. I know deep down inside all of you are hoping for a full blown snow day. I'm good with it as long as it doesn't impact any Brewer games.
Because of production needs this week I've been coming in early to catch up on the prior days testing. I have been able to do what would normally take me 3-4 hours in half the time. It is a wonder how much you can accomplish without interuption. My boss had mentioned staying later rather then getting up so early. Not a chance. There are certain people that once they notice I'm here late will suddenly have a need to ask me questions or just chat. Early mornings at work are peaceful and productive.

Rudeness

I'm going to look back at my postings and find how many times I've written about rudeness. I am sure that no matter how many times I write about it, not much will change. I like friendly people. You can be having the crummiest day and run into one person who will smile or do something nice and they can change your outlook on the day. There's the person you walk past in a hallway at work and give you the "Hey, how's it going". Not much, but they took the time to acknowledge you. The person who will hold the door open for you rather than let it slam, the person who will take your grocery cart back because they are going that way and the fellow driver who will let you out of a business lot.

I don't think it takes much to be that kind of person. I've never know an act of kindness to take away from your time. How much time does it take to smile? Where are you going in such a hurry that you can't let that one person out of a business lot? And how hard is it to take a cart back for someone when you are heading that way?

What prompts this is a trip to the grocery store yesterday. I thought I was safe as it was a Tuesday. Wednesday are usually rude days. I got behind some High & Mighty lady that felt she was to good to bag her own groceries. You must then get on a full service line. Hats off to the cashier for not losing it as Ms. H&M was giving orders on how she wanted they bagged.

I try to be friendly toward others. I'll take a cart back, I'll hold a door and I will let other drivers out. Your act of kindness is acknowledged by the friendly nod, wave or smile. Better than a glare, snide remark or the infamous salute.

Slush Anyone?

So the little guy that is my profile picture is no longer with us. The picture truly represents his attitude. It was a rough decision but in my heart I know we did the right thing. Little guy gave us a lot of laughs and joy.

Woke up this morning to some pretty heavy snow. Heavy meaning I could have used a firmer snow brush to get it all off my car. The roads were quite slushy when I left for work and had to slow it down a little. I scored and got the prime parking spot at work as it was the only one plowed out. Nice plow guy saw me pull in and plowed it out for me. One of the perks of getting here early. Once again we're not getting as much as the hype predicted yesterday. It is some good packing snow though so be careful of the mysterious snowballs today. I think the fine packing snow brings out the little kid in all of us.

Just listening to the story on the radio about how some group wants to ban the Betty White mud commercial claiming it shows violence. Really?? Someone needs to get a handle on these crying groups. Next thing you know the backwards horse commercial will be banned.

Good Times

My ride in today was a bit slow. I wondered if the cities of Milwaukee & Greenfield had woken up their plow drivers yet. Our street not being plowed was understandable but when I got to the main roads I began to wonder what was up. I found the same mess on the freeway. Along Highway 100 I saw dozens of private plows doing parking lots and such but still no sign of a city plow. The scene was to follow the ruts from the cars before you. A bit like in the pioneer days..follow the wagon trail ruts. I come in a hour or so before the beginning of rush hour. I can tell you there is a lot of work to do before then. My "spot" at work was plowed out and the two plow guys were working really hard to clear the entire lot. With the additional 8 inches to come during the day today it should be a nice ride home. Today I can't blame the fellow drivers for slowing down, it was pretty slick out there.

Had a great Superbowl Sunday with great friends. Once again way to much good food! Those of us on diets are now working extra hard to make up for the day of indulging. K & J did a great job hosting. I wasn't keeping an eye on my husband and didn't notice until the end of the game that he had become a bit snicked. It was right after one of our friends came upstairs and announced "I don't want you guys to be shocked or anything but my wife is drunk". We weren't' shocked! Her voice raises up a pitch for every drink she has. Dead give a way every time. He was sitting with her so I figured he must be getting there also. I went downstairs to find him complaining that someone had made him a drink and it was way to strong. Sitting next to him was the bottle of coke to add if needed. Never saw him add any coke. Once everyone else had left I figured it was time to go. Well he got his gab on, which he does when he's had a few. There was no shutting him up. Thanks to Ben for lending his ear. After the fourth "Are you ready to go" he finally gave in.
It's always nice to have a person who is unable to drive give you instructions on the way home. After 5 minutes I made the comment that it's a wonder I can get to work every day without him sitting next to me. That didn't shut him up either. Once home he was able to carry in our loot without dumping it, and then announce that the burritos were his midnight snack. Within 5 minutes I found him on the bed and out. I'm not sure he moved at all the entire night.
I had an early appointment and when I had come back in the room prior to leaving I noticed a cartoon channel was on. He wasn't awake but mumbling something. Dora was on TV and he was either singing along with the song or just calling her name. Of course he's denying that now.
I got home around noon and he was lounging and didn't seem to be moving to fast. He was fine though (according to him). He doesn't do this to often so I kept the ribbing at bay. Needless to say not a lot got done yesterday and he had big plans for his day off.

Move It To Lose It

While I was doing my routine walking on the Wii Fit last night my mind began to wander. Of course I was able to continue walking at the set pace, daydream and manage not to fall off the board. I started to think about how many times in my life I had attempted to lose weight. How many exercise routines I started and followed, how many diets (healthy and fad) I had been on and the results I've had.
Thinking back I tried to remember the first weight loss kick I did. Funny how weight loss commercials have been around forever. I remember my mom taking Ayds. The little chocolate tasting candy that was supposed to suppress your appetite. She had a box hidden in her night stand. I think I was around 12 and was called fat by one of those gangely boys at school. As luck would have it he was the one boy I had a crush on so I was devastated. I recall asking my mom for help and her telling me I wasn't fat, a typical mom answer. So I took matters into my own hands and "borrowed" a few of her candies. I also went on a diet of jello and hot dogs. My summer vacation was spent eating as little as possible and riding on this rickety old exercise bike my dad picked up from a rummage sale. Success had me at about a 40 lb. weight loss. My mom was a little ticked that I needed all new school clothes. I somehow managed to keep this under control for several years. I'd gain a few pounds and work it off.
Then came the marriage and the first baby. Whoa momma! Whoever told me it was okay to eat for two needs a swift kick. By my eighth month I had the gain under control. I was also so naive that I thought the rest would melt away when the baby was born. Another routine of losing weight. This time it was some stupid fad drink twice a day. Once again worked, but once I started eating again I had to watch it. Stuff creeps back on you.
Over the years I tried other drinks which are off my list now. Of course they work, you're not eating anything. Once you go back to eating it's all over. Weight Watchers was the single most successful thing I've ever done. Years back I met my goal and felt I didn't need to go to their meetings any longer. Thought I learned enough to continue on my own. This is where the neglectful part comes in. I knew exactly when I was eating more than I should. I knew exactly when I needed to exercise more. So now I will once again take my punishment and will once again tell myself that I need to keep this in control.

Hermits

We were pretty busy leading up to and through out the Holidays. It seemed like there wasn't enough time in a weekend as it was taken up in some type of social event. Then there was the few weekends after that were also quite busy. The past couple weeks have been quiet. Beside two dinners with friends we have gone into a social slump. If it wasn't for basketball on Saturday mornings we may not have even left the house. It is a sad day when grocery shopping gives you a little rush. Not at all for the shopping part, just the fact that I left the house.

Barney has been using the time somewhat wisely. He has begun to tackle his workshop. I ventured downstairs Saturday evening to see what he was up to. Laid out on a table were assorted tools. I could hear him moving things around and noticed a few bags of garbage stacked up. No need to stop a man in motion so I made a hasty retreat back upstairs.

This lull in social activities has given me more than enough time to begin a work-out routine. Maybe to much time. I've gone into the stage of working out for at least an hour a day, but then find myself walking on the balance board for another 1/2 hour or so while watching tv. I think it may be more out of boredom. Over the weekend I purchased the 3 inch height extension for the balance board. This investment really makes a difference. The old calves haven't seen this much action in a while and they were screaming at me a few hours after that workout. It's a good thing!

This lull in social activities have also forced me to cook dinner more often. That and the fact that with 3 more people in the house (on various days) there are no left-overs. I've been forced to become more creative in dinner planning. Healthy yet stretchable. The cobwebs have come off the slowcooker and the meals are being planned out.

As much as this lull can be a good thing I'm getting itchy for some social activities. Good thing I have something to look forward to this weekend.

Day 3

Squats! Gotta love them. A squat has got to be the one exercise that will make you mad that you ever stopped doing them in the first place. They are a reminder that you will be punished if you ignore them. My first indication of pain was Monday morning when I went to sit down for the morning business. I could have probably used a Life Alert or done a commercial "Help I've sat down and can't get up". It's a good thing that we have a counter right next to the toilet otherwise I may have been stuck there for some time.
As the day went on the pain lessened. I actually did a few half squats at work to try and loosen things up a bit. Monday night was right back at it and though the pain was less, it was still there. Tuesday morning was an easier morning and I went right back at it Tuesday night. Now there is just a slight presence of pain. It's a good pain. It means I moved some muscles that haven't been used so intensely in a while. I think it's now time to increase the reps.

All in all I have to say I am pleased with the EA Active so far. I may be looking into the expansion pack soon.

Way To Go

In true form Brett came out and lost the game for the Vikings. At my house there were some doubts whether he'd come back in the game after being helped off the field. I knew he'd come back out. I felt a little bad for him at that point because he was getting beat up and you could see the pain in his face. The ever present smile was gone. I was pulling for the Saints and received some lectures from in-laws about it but it was never for resentment toward Favre, it was all for dislike of the Vikings. It was a good game and I'm sure within the next week or so when Brett heals he will make his announcement for next years plan, and will change his mind several times. The question is...who will he play for?
I felt a little like Brett this morning. Over the weekend I started a new workout routine and with the amount of squats I did I knew I'd be feeling it. It's a good pain (I keep telling myself that). Getting out of bed this morning was a little painful but it's easing up the more I walk around. I may have hit it a little strong but it felt good while I was working out. I broke down and purchased the EA Fitness program for the Wii. The personal trainer is no where near as annoying as the Fitness Coach program. The EA allows you to set up your own program and mix up sports, cardio and fitness. I tend to enjoy boxing a lot. A great stress reliever. The only problem I had was getting the controller into the leg band the right way and getting the leg band positioned correctly. That would be part of the reason I had to do so many squats because until I got it positioned right it wasn't counting the squats. There were a few words to my trainer until I got things set up and reading right.
I probably should not have sold off our second Wii because all of a sudden everyone wants to play something. I can't discourage it as they're on the Wii fit or programs where they're moving around. I am using my seniority and getting my hour a day in. Once I'm done they can play away. In the future we may be purchasing one for the basement. I'm not about having an audience while I work out. I'm nice enough now to do my walking while my husband enjoys his nightly viewing of Wheel of Fortune. I walk, we watch the Wheel. Good bonding time. Then I kick him out of the living room.

It's Performance Review Time

Our company has implemented a new system for performance reviews. We now have to complete our assessment of our performance for the past year and set goals toward the following year. New to us is assessing our direct supervisor. This system was in place when I started here and then dropped off for a few years. Granted there are only 2 questions. "What do I do to support your job" and "What can I do to assist you in obtaining your goals". Seeing that QC in our department consists of my boss and myself my only answer is "help me out as needed". There are some days that I do have to call on him for help but they are few and far between. The most he does is cover for me over lunch on occasion and cover for me when I have a day off.
So in 10 minutes I am off to a meeting to discuss my performance over the past year and come to terms on obtainable goals for the next year. We receive these reviews now, with no indication of a pay increase until maybe May. Should be fun. The meeting is scheduled for one hour. I give it 15-20 minutes at the most.

Lazy Girls

Yesterday was a lazy day at our house. That is for everyone except for my grandson and I. We were all up pretty late Saturday night but him and I were still up by mid morning. He's like his Grandma..hates to waste a day.
By the time the rest of the family decided to greet the day we had already played a few games, made some breakfast and had a few discussions. By noon when the game started my sore throat hit. A little scratchy at first but progressively worse through out the day. I curled up on the couch with my warm blanket and settled down to watch the Cowboys kick some butt. That didn't happen. I'm not quite sure what happened. I thought they could take the Vikings. Romo looked scared every time he had the ball. I'll admit I dozed off a few times but I blame that on the medicine I took, not the nightmare of the game.
After dinner I decided it was time to work out. The twins were all pumped to work along with me. I didn't know it was possible to do Yoga while laying on the couch. I explained the lack of benefit by not doing the exercise correctly and finally got them on the floor, but then a incoming text message prevented one of them from going on. So tonight we shall have no interruption. We are getting dropped off 2 miles from home and walking. No phone, no couch, no snacks, just us and the open road.

Hoarders

Last week I was given the task of cleaning up the 2 labs I work in. This is all part of a new program which hit the lines last year. I was a part if the initial start up of this program and remain on the "team" so I had a good idea of what had to be done in the labs.
Now I will admit that I am a pen hoarder. I need to have one at each area I work in and have taken to carrying one in my pocket so I am never without pen. I lose a lot of pens to people who come in the lab for a quick test and take off with pens. That and post-its. I have a stock of each in a drawer (hidden). My little pen hoarding is nothing compared to what I have thrown out or returned to the supply cabinet this week. Tablets of paper, two full boxes of print paper (why?) rulers (12) scissors (10 or more) enough tape to probably get to the moon and back and 4 hole punches to name a few.
At one time there were up to 4 people per shift in the lab so they must have felt the need to stock up. Did I mention the supply cabinet is very close to the lab? Part of this program is to only keep what you need on hand. To rid the excess or not used items. This is going to take a while. I just need to find a good place to hide my pens.
My husband has taken up his hobby since leaving his part time job. He has spent the past few nights going through all our family videos and transferring them to DVD and doing a lot of editing. I think he is now perfectly happy in his man cave. Got the big screen down there and his sound system working well and a stocked fridge. My only problem now is that I do not need to fall asleep every night to the sound of Elvis.

That's All Folks

Silence..mouths hanging open..utter disbelief..That's what happened at the end of the Packers/Cardinals game yesterday. Bottom line is..the Packers should have played better. They should have never been in the position they were in. My thought is they totally under estimated Arizona. Why did some people think they were going to breeze through this game? I knew it would be a tough one to win and the Packers would have to step it up.
It was a good game. They managed to come back and tie the game. There was the missed face mask penalty that everyone is talking about today. We saw it, but the ref's didn't and that's what matters in football. I give them a lot of credit for fighting back, but there were once again missed opportunities. Thanks to the Packers for an exciting season. On to next week when I will cheer on the Cowboys against the Vikings and see how the Cards do.

The Tailgator

I expected to see a lot more snow this morning. From the newscasts last night it appeared that we would be buried. Knowing I had to put in four hours at work today I slept in a little longer and then volunteered to take the girls to school so my daughter wouldn't have to dig out her car. I took a different route which put me on the city streets rather than the freeway. Traffic was moving along pretty good despite rush hour and the slightly snow covered roads.
I took the road toward Miller Park (gee I miss baseball) and turned up Greenfield Avenue. Made the drop off and proceeded. I noticed the guy in the station wagon in front of me seemed to be tailgating the truck in front of him. He was taking up two lanes by driving down the middle of the road looking for a chance to pass. I stayed back a little ways because he looked like an accident ready to happen.
This went on for a good mile or so when he must of thought he could make a break for it and pass on the right. I saw the car turning into the right lane just as he made his break. Needless to say, he is now probably waiting for the tow truck to get him out of the snow bank he ended up in. Stupid is as Stupid does. I was already past him and watched from my rear view mirror. If he was hoping to not be late for work in the first place then he's later now. BTW, he appeared to be uninjured as he did get out of his car. Didn't hit that hard, just skidded into it.

Earl & Merle

My husband quit his part time job right after Christmas. This was supposed to be a temporary job when he started almost 9 years ago. He used to like going there until they changed hands and things got a little unorganized. Another winter season of being on the cold docks was just not to his liking, so quitting was prompted by me also. I just didn't want to go through another season of him complaining. His time was up there and his "to do" list was growing.
What was I thinking?? It's been almost three weeks now and I'm ready for him to go back. I need to compile a list of things he may enjoy doing. The new TV kept him busy for a few days and moving the other one downstairs (a separate post in its own) has kept him occupied for a day or so.
Tuesday and Thursday nights were my time to catch up on chores and just have some peace and quiet. It's not to much fun having someone "watch" you work out. I offered to get another Wii fit so he could actually join in rather than sit on the couch and watch. He's good at telling me I'm doing something wrong. You think he'd actually answer the phone when I'm working out?
The other night he decided to do laundry. This consisted of throwing a load of towels in. That was the extent of it. The nice part of him being home is that he's now here to carry in groceries as I usually shop on Thursdays. He also has to have a break after dinner to watch "his show". I thought it was something really interesting at first and then discovered it was Wheel of Fortune, when I heard him yelling out answers and telling the contestants they were wasting their money. Maybe he'll try out for the show.
Tonight I was talking to Nanette, who was also a little fed up with her Ben. We were discussing the tearing up of their carpeting. She suggested that she may tear up the carpet and roll Ben and Barney in it. From the back ground Ben says "Who, Earl and Merle". Perfect nicknames for the two buddies.
Ben wants to know what I'm going to do when we're both retired. Well as much as I'm looking forward to the day I don't have to work again, I figure I'll have three years of time to myself for 8 hours a day. By the second week I'll probably be waiting at the door for him to get home.
I think the problem is that he has so much that he wants to do and just doesn't know where to start. He's enjoying the freedom of not having to rush home, eat and leave. I'm sure in a month or so we'll settle in to this change. I just need to hold on that long.

Responsibility

I am on a rant again about responsibility. The production hours at work changed today. A normal start time of 7am was moved to 5am so the operators could get out at 1 and rest up for their New Years celebrations. Very nice on the part of their boss who usually won't allow this to happen. In the past there have been communication issues when hours have changed. Forgetting to notify QC or maintenance of the change and operators forgetting to set timers for the change. I was notified of the change two days ago and wasn't to happy. I only had to work 3.5 hours in the first place and would have liked the extra two hours of sleep, but I complied with the operators wishes.
The four operators that were to work today were the one's that pushed for the time change. When I got in this morning they were all sitting in the lunch room as usual. For the past year or so I've been in earlier then them and have gone and turned on some melters to allow them to start up on time. I told them yesterday that I wouldn't be in until 5, therefore they would have to turn the glue on. No one did. They all forgot. As I went out to turn it on I noticed that the major melters were not running. They are on a clock which should have been changed yesterday to reflect the starting time change. No one did it. This glue takes 1 1/2 hours to heat up from cold. This caused a 1 1/2 hour delay in their start up time. The acting Production Supervisor took the fall for this. I say it wasn't his fault. He notified them that their wishes for an earlier time change had been granted. It is not up to him to make sure the line is ready to start up. These people work on a line every day and know their start times. They tried to lay it on the operator who isn't here today. I say no! One of them should have taken the initiative to make sure the timers were set. He could care less, he's off today. He probably could have looked into it but in the long run these operators should take the fall. This is why their boss doesn't allow different start times. This is why I am no longer a boss...I cannot stand when people cannot take the blame for their own mistakes. Sad thing is that I know come Monday when the Production Supervisor is going through the numbers from today he will announce the delay and stand there and take the fall. Not one of them will speak up and claim responsibility.

Happy New Year to all! May you all have a safe and fun evening.

9

That is what my car told me the temperature was at 5:45 this morning. "9". By the time I hit Highway 100 it was 11. The creaking of the frozen porch door told me it was cold. The crackling of my car door when I opened it seconded that motion. Funny how it didn't really feel that cold. Maybe I've become used to the cold. The perk was that it was cold without wind so the coldness just kind of sat there.
When I got to work I noticed the abundance of salt in the parking lot and on the walkways. I think our service overdid it a tad. It may be a good idea for them to spread it out a little more evenly. There are literally piles of salt in some areas that if you're not careful could trip you. I'm sure that at some point this winter someone will be writing up an incident report for unsure footing on the salt.
The birds got me this morning again. There is an evergreen tree close to the side of the building that one has to walk by to get to the door. A flock of birds has made this there evening resting place. Usually they fly out around 7 am. This morning it was still dark when I walked past and I saw the tree branches moving a bit. Out they came. I stopped while they began their flight into morning. I felt a little like Tippy for a minute or so. I'm not quite sure how all those birds fit into that tree but can picture them all huddled together to stay warm. Their path out was not all on the same course so I think some of them were a bit shocked to see me in their way. I'm just glad that I was alone at the moment and no one got to see the show. I see this as being a pay back for my laughter last week when one of the guys I work with was walking past at the time of their departure from the tree. I happened to be outside and got a good laugh at him dropping his lunch bag and taking off with some not so nice words coming from his mouth. A good idea to solve this problem might be taken from Steel Magnolias. Get a gun!

My Shadow

It's a tough transition from being very busy to being idle. There doesn't seem to be a happy medium. I went from going non -stop the few days before Christmas and right up to Christmas morning then it was like all of a sudden someone slammed on the brakes. It was over just like that.
We did have one social event the day after Christmas but it was very low key and was only a few hours. It involved snacks which I avoided and cake which had the yucky whipped cream frosting, so that didn't interest me either.
I am beginning to see the inside of the fridge again. The hash brown casserole is gone, finally. I couldn't eat it again. There's still some dips, polish sausage and cheese & sausage. I need to get rid of some cookies and pretzels and then things will be good. Yesterday I did make another batch of peanut butter balls as they went fast and I'll need them for New Years.
So in all total I had 5 days off. Two were pretty busy. The remaining three were a bit boring. Apparently my husband was also bored as he took to following me around. He assisted with setting up the new printer he bought me and it was then I discovered the poor guy got no toys for Christmas. He received clothes and gift cards. I don't think he knew what to do with himself. That and the fact that the kids didn't get any toys so he had nothing to put together.
This is quite unusual as he usually gets something to putz with. Last night I told him to dig out the beer making kit he got at least 5 years ago and hasn't touched. It was on his list.
I may make a "to do" list for all the idle time he will have.

Taking A Lesson

There was drama this weekend. Some of it started in the middle of my Friday afternoon chocolate dipping. The drama was on my husband's side of the family this time. Things are a mess over at the family homestead and we were called to action. Arnie went first to try to sort things out and make sure that his mother was okay. She's been doing so much better since her hip surgery and this was just a kick in the butt for her. Arnie has a way of keeping his cool and assessing a situation prior to flying off the handle. He's a talker, not a screamer. Because I was in the middle of something I waited until later to take the trip over. This was good as it gave me time to cool down and take a look at the problem at hand.
It appears that one of the kids was dipping into Mom's emergency cash. I feel bad because at first we questioned the amount of money she had. With the surgery and meds she had been on we wanted to make sure she did in fact have the cash. There was enough evidence supporting that she did. The guilty one also fessed up to the crime. My heart went out to my mother-in-law as she's always been there to help the kids. She's borrowed money, charged things and paid for certain things for them , all while being on a limited income herself. This was money she had put away for a trip she wanted to take and just little things for herself. I cannot fathom the hurt she was feeling. The trust that has been lost. This of course affected my sister-in-law also who has just recently had surgery and is in frail health herself. She's right in the middle. Trying to find a reason for this and yet feeling the hurt also.
The story filtered through the family and some first reactions were to pounce on the guilty one. Call the police! I didn't see her the first day but upon my return the second day she was home. We had a talk. I never once raised my voice. I told her that she had to make it right with her grandmother and not just by paying her back. She needed to earn her trust back. She told me she intended to pay her back before she discovered it was gone, but she just got caught up in things. There's no admission of drugs or any addictions. It's just car problems and the fact that she likes to hang out in the bar. She likes to buy drinks for people. This is where Arnie stepped in and talked to her about priorities in life. He had my full attention also. All done without raising his voice. Reminding me so much of when my kids would be in trouble and he'd wait awhile and then talk it out.
On the other hand, we have the brother and sister-in-law that went marching over there the next day and totally screamed their fool heads off at all the kids and the sister-in-law. Threatened to have them evicted and flat out told them they were all losers. We were again called to pick up the pieces. When I talked to the screamer she told me that they needed it. She feels no remorse in freaking out my mother in law, and has now written the family off. Good way to handle life...you don't like it..just write them all off. She was at one time one of my closest friends and I have seen this change in the way she deals with life coming for years now. I will give her the benefit of doubt as her husband has had some medical issues for the past three years. This, I would think, would make her a little sympathetic to the health issues of others. You just don't raise hell in a house with two people who's blood pressure is already being monitored.
I tried to not bawl my eyes out when I got there and found my mother in law in tears huddled up in her bed with no intentions of ever coming out. She had already begun to find a way to begin patching things up with the niece , and although still hurt was defending her. The "take control, and scream at everyone tactics" didn't quite work.
I am guilty of bashing my niece at first. My first reaction. I need to take a good lesson from my husband and take the step back before opening my mouth. You think after 25 years I'd have that downpat.

Stay Tuned

Our "Holiday" Party is being held today. This is an on site party complete with Wii bowling and some game show activities. I would venture to guess that the reason for the on-site location is the budget cuts. Rumor has it that another reason is low attendance at the past Holiday functions. They're usually held at Country Clubs or the ICC and are held on a weekend two weeks prior to Christmas. In 9 years, I've never made one. The company picnic on the other hand is usually more populated. Hence location and it's summer and it's not two weeks before a Holiday. I just choose not to go for my own reasons and don't fault anyone involved in the preparation and planning. I know what goes in to planning a party and trying to make everyone happy.

Yesterday we received a memo with details of the party. One thing that struck a lot of people was the raffle ticket rules. In the past when you attended a function you received a raffle ticket toward one of many prizes they were giving out. This year you may purchase raffle tickets, with proceeds going to a local charity. You must also be present to win with the drawing being at 4:15. There was a lot of barking about that. Quite a few people in our department planned on attending the party until 3 and then cutting out. I have decided to stay. There are some good things at stake here. A 32 inch Sony flat screen HD tv, a Bose home music center, Ipods, Brewer tickets and various gift certificates. For the cost of $3.00 per ticket or 2 for $5.00 you really can't go wrong. Spend $20.00 on tickets for a charity cause and have a chance to go home with one of these things. No, wine glasses are not a prize this time. Even the chance of paying $20.00 for a vacation day is appealing to me. So, I will attend until the end and hopefully go home with something. We'll see.

Charlie Brown Ain't Got Nothin

this is the tree that my husband worked so hard on Sunday afternoon. After positioning it where he wanted it I made him move it to right under the front window. I was afraid that all that hard work would go to waste if some hoodlum should decide to steal it. Here it stands in all it's glory. I may add a decoration or two as Christmas Day draws nearer.

Rembering Randy

One year ago today we lost a good friend. A man full of laughter and with a compassion to enjoy life to it's fullest. To this day I still can hear his hearty laugh. To many times we shared laughter that would bring tears to our eyes.

A year has gone by fast. Yes, it still feels like a few days ago we were chatting on the phone and making plans to get together for a few beers and a game. I can honestly say that not a day goes by that something doesn't remind me of him. There are days I can smile to myself over a funny memory, but also days that I really miss him. I get plenty of hugs from my husband, but he had this way of giving a hug goodbye at the end of a fun night out. He always had all the right words and always made light of any situation.

I know he's probably sitting up there with Big Dave and my brother getting in all sorts of trouble and just having a good time. Probably the last one to leave any type of social event and probably in the middle of a circle of others telling one last joke. Void of any pain and problems. I can't picture him any other way. Probably made supervisor by now.

So on this day I remeber him. I'm a little sad because I miss him. I smile when I think of certain things. I'm still trying to make sense of it. I'm proud of Jodi for being so strong and know she also misses him. Forever in our hearts!

Panic In The City....

Here we go! Will the city shut down? Will school be called off? Will the grocery stores be packed with people in fear of running out of food? It's 2-4 inches possible by midnight. Not that I like snow or anything but it's no reason to panic. Yes, it can cause some inconveniences at times but if you plan accordingly you'll be fine.

I heard the first report around 11:30 stating that the National Weather Bureau had issued a snow advisory. By the time I got out onto the production floor 15 minutes later there was panic in the air. These are mostly people who have lived in Wisconsin all their lives. One guy who's been in Wisconsin for 2 years was calm and assuring everyone that they'd be fine. 2-4 inches. To me that's wimpy snow. I say bring it on! Give us something worth panicking over. No need to rush to the store as I doubt anyone will starve in the 24 hours it would take the city to dig out after a big one. Maybe for some batteries, beer or diapers (if you had babies). Drive according to the weather conditions at hand and all will be fine.

Snow does make everything look clean for a while. It covers up all the deadness of fall. It looks good until the dirt and sludge from the snowplows is tossed onto the clean piles of snow. I am more partial to the big flakes that fall at night. It does have a certain prettiness about it. One that maybe the warmer climate inhabitants could be slightly jealous of. I just hate the cold that comes with winter. I hate the crunch of the frozen snow beneath your feet. I hate the blast of cold that goes down the back of your coat and the tingling of your ears as they begin to freeze. I hate that your face is frozen but your nose will still run. That's not to far away. And to think 3 months ago we were trying to find ways to cool off while camping. Ah, yes, Wisconsin! Gotta love it.

The other excitement at work today was the coyote spotting. For years those of us coming in at 4 & 5 am are used to seeing them. We've gotten to where it doesn't even phase us. Some of the office and management personnel have spotted them roaming our parking lot as late as 8 am. They put out a warning to us. If we see them we should stay in our cars and honk the horn to scare them away. When all is clear you may then exit your car for the building. There is one guy that still rides his bike and he's thinking of ditching that mode of transportation for fear that the coyotes will chase him. I think he should carry a few morsels in his basket and throw them out if they do. At any rate, there are enough rabbits and squirrels around here to keep the coyotes from bothering any people. If they're so worried about the pesky critters then they need to speak to the people at the back side of the parking lot that put food out for the geese & deer. They have created a death trap for them.

25 Years

Yes, today is the official date. 25 years ago Barney & I said our vows in front of our families & friends. It just doesn't seem like that long. My first marriage lasted 5 years and it seemed like forever. This one has gone by quickly. Maybe because the first one was the marriage from hell and the second one has been fun.

We've accomplished a lot in 25 years and also accumulated a lot as can be seen by our storage areas in our home. I've switched jobs 3 times, he's had the same job. We've managed to stay afloat financially and have been blessed with good health. We've had 4 dogs, several birds, hamsters and cats. He's been a great father to my kids (truly grateful and blessed for that) and shared the good times and sad times. We are pretty equal when it comes to family members and their need for help. The one thing we can never do is use each others families in an argument.

Things have been good but with any marriage there have been some struggles along the way. We have managed to work through them. We've both put effort into this marriage. I remember the first year being pretty shaky, but it was also a learning experience for both of us. So today as I look over the past 25 years I can truthfully say that it's been fun, interesting, frustrating at times, exciting and adventurous. I can go for another 25.

Today I am also celebrating the fact that the ol' snowmobile has also been with me for 25 years.

Giving Thanks

I'm thankful every day for the people & things in my life, but today seems to be the day that one vocally expresses the feelings.
I'm thankful that I was able to get up this morning and prepare a Turkey. I'm thankful that I had a Turkey to prepare as so many people don't.
I'm thankful that I have a roof over my head to share these things with.
I'm thankful that I have family to share this day with.
I'm thankful for those who are not with their families, but instead fighting for our right to do so and for those who have done so in the past, and for those who will do so in the future.
I'm thankful for my husband, who has been a rock for me throughout 25 years of marriage.
I'm thankful that we are both still employed, as so many have lost their jobs this past year.
I'm thankful for all the past experiences in my life that have allowed me to learn from the bad ones and rejoice in the good ones.
I'm thankful for my friends. I think I may qualify as one who has been blessed with only the best of them.
I'm thankful for the fond memories of have of those who can't be with us any longer. Although still sad at times, I'm thankful that I have been able to lean toward focusing on the goodness of their lives.
I'm thankful for my children. Without them I wouldn't be the person I am. They have brought plenty of joy to my life, and without them I wouldn't have the three wonderful Grandchildren that I have.

I'm sure I may have missed something, but to sum it up...I'm thankful!

Parade Issues

The annual Christmas parade has always been a "thing" for our family. It started with my dad taking us and I think it was just to get us out of the house so Mom could relax and do whatever Mom's do when kids aren't around. There were some years we missed but I've always had memories of silly things that happened and my dad always seemed to have this certain look on his face when he took us. Going places with dad were more relaxed then with Mom. He let us run around, he bought us cotton candy & popcorn and he poked good hearted fun at things at the parade. He bought us McDonald's after the parade and told us not to tell Mom.
Before I had my kids I took my sisters a few times when Dad couldn't. It made me feel good to take time out of my life to bring a little joy to them. Since I've had my own kids we've tried to go, weather permitting but have missed a few. I was hoping the tradition wouldn't die once they got older. We went along with them when they were teens and dealt with some of their friends sitting in the car because they were cold, but eventually coming out to check things out.
When the grand kids were old enough to go without being bundled we headed out again. Instead of our group getting smaller it's gotten bigger. It's more like a family gathering where we get to be silly, eat doughnuts, drink hot chocolate and hopefully not freeze. My brother David was big on the parade and always made sure his girls got to go.
We have this "spot" we always try to get and by leaving at 8am were always assured to get it. This year the route changed! We had to find a spot a block over. As we were walking up they were closing the street and the island was available for the taking. We scooped in and staked our claim. Set up the chairs & blankets and made sure the kids had prime spots. All was well until about 10 minutes before the parade. Things were getting squishy. We were all about cheer and moved closer together several times to accommodate late arrivals. Then it got ugly. My sister & family were down on the end. A late arriving group of people with kids came and decided to cram in next to her. One of the larger woman was just about sitting on my sister's lap and they were shoving her kids out of their spot. One of my niece's wasn't having it. She did a little shove back at this kid twice her size and told him to move. She didn't care, she was there first and no one was getting her spot. My sister nicely told this woman that we would slide down a bit to let her kids have a spot on the curb. We did so, and big woman then squeezes in and stands right in front of my sister. I heard the arguing. Then brother-in-law stepped in and explained how this was for the kids and we've been here since 8am and could she at least stand in back of her kids. She does this eye rolling thing and excuses herself for "sleeping in". Some how it got resolved for the moment.
The parade went on, the kids were happy, warm and well snacked up. The weather was great, they got to see Auntie Nannette and Uncle Benny in the parade and were delighted that they were waved at by someone they knew. They were like celebrities. Santa came and the parade ended. We began to clean up our mess of cups, and wrappers, chairs, blankets and most of all kids. A lady on the other side of us offered the late arrival a bag for her kid's trash. She stated nicely that we should leave it as we found it. The woman poo-poos her and states that they have people to clean the mess up. The other woman states that it's proper to clean up after yourself, at which point late arrival woman says "What is up with you white people. You all think you own the world". Fighting words were coming out. We took out trash and left.
Will we go again next year. Yes. That's what us white people do.

Working On My Last Nerve

In the past week we have received ten or more calls from toll free numbers. They show up on our caller ID and I brush them off as being un-important as theres no message left. My daughter picked one up the other day and it was for the Heart Association wanting me to pass out envelopes to my neighbors. She told them I was out of town. They call back 1/2 hour later and I answer. I nicely explain to them that my neighbor does this and I contribute therefore there are no other neighbors to ask. I live next door to her and she has it covered. He's very persistent and I continue to try to be nice. Finally I ask him if he understood me and he persists. I hang up. Last night the call comes again. I explain, he persists, I ask to speak to a manager, he declines my request. I proceed to tell him that I want to be taken off the calling list or I will call and complain. He thanks me for my time and hangs up. Sure enough, at 8 pm last night the same number! I'm done with these people. Being on the no call list does not block non-profit organizations, which is fine but once you tell them no then they should not return the call for a least 6 months. Today my call is going in to the American Heart Association.

Too Early...

3:15 a.m. is just to early to be getting up, no matter what it's for. As usual our business seems to pick up the last quarter of the year. Just when everyone is becoming busy with the Holidays and shopping. What's nice is the production associates are now back to 40 hours after being on 32 since March. And I should mention that fact that I am grateful to have a job when so many people are still losing their jobs or out of work. The downside to this is by mid January they will be back to 32 hours unless the industry picks up.

Our company Christmas party this year is an on-site event. The boss raised quite a ruckus around here regarding the party. Our work week for production is Monday-Thursday. The Christmas party is being held on a Friday afternoon. He took it upon himself to change the work week schedule to Tuesday through Friday so everyone would be here for the party. I think having a Monday off would be nice, but also see the conflict others are having. Not many of the production workers have attended the Christmas parties in the past. I have never been to one, simply because I don't enjoy them. I enjoy going out with the people I work with in a comfortable environment. The problem that arose with switching the hours is that some people have taken part-time weekend jobs to make up for the loss in hours. He's now telling these people to take either take off from those jobs or take a vacation day from here for that Friday because he's not changing the schedule. A few unhappy campers around here now.

Yesterday we received an email with details of the party. It's from 2:30 to 4:30. We are scheduled to work 5am-3. He was asked if we were shutting down 1/2 hour early to attend and they were told they can shut down at 3 and go. I'm almost certain that no one will be attending the event. It's not mandatory. The problem here is that this is considered a during the work day event. Beside the production employees the majority of the work force have a 8-4 or 9-5 workday. They are being paid to attend the event and odds are will be there the entire time.
He was asked if we could work 6-4 and shut down at 3 and go. Denied. So he came to me to find out why all the complaints when he tried to do something nice. He didn't want people to have to come in on their off day. After a brief discussion regarding production workers attire and hat hair and not much time to clean up or change I think he understood a little. The question from him that I couldn't answer was "How many production associates do you think will come" and "how many do you think will take off after their 10 hours are in"? I'm guilty of being one of them that will take off. Not because of the pay, but simply because I feel we're being forced to attend an event.

Sometimes you find the most unlikely people listening to Christmas music. It's a nice change for an hour or so a day but they've got it blasting out on the lines. Big old goofy guys singing along to Janet's favorite donkey song.

They Got Us

The past couple weeks a group of friends have been planning a small cribbage tournament. Ben, Nannette, Arn & I even had a little practice prior to a Packer game to brush up on our skills. The tournament was to be Saturday. Snacks were assigned to everyone and things were rolling into place. I received several emails regarding the tournament and noticed a few facebook posts by friends also in regards to the tournament.
Saturday morning things were going along as usual. The taco roll-ups were made and waiting. I did the weekly keep in touch phone calls to some friends & family. Everyone was pretty busy. My friend asked what we were doing after cribbage and suggested we get together. My daughter and the girls were up and out of the house for a "brunch" with a friend. We were told to be at cribbage by 1:30 to register so we could start by 2. We left the house, taco roll-ups in hand around 1:20. The thrill of the day so far was we found the bridge on Grange Avenue to be finally open. My daughter and I had walked over it the night before but the road was not open. I called her to somewhat brag about going over the fence but got no response. She called back a few minutes later and sounded pretty busy with her girls and her friend's dog. I could hear the girls practicing their "cheerleading cheers" in the background. I decided to hang up as we were pulling in the lot. Arn made the comment that he didn't want to be at the bar all night. "Let's not make this a 9 or 10 pm night". I rolled my eyes as usual.
As we were walking toward the bar I saw my husbands brother Ike walking toward the bar. "What is your brother doing here". We both paused and noticed that he just kept walking in. Hmm..Maybe he was getting in on the cribbage. We kept walking and then Arn spotted my son's truck. By that time it was to late, we were walking onto the porch of the bar. We both tried to turn around but heard the laughter and camera's were flashing. "Happy Anniversary". What a surprise! "No cribbage" was just about all we could say at first.
These guys are great. All the planning and little white lies they told. All the effort put into making it a special day for us. Neither one of us expected this. We were (still are) going out of town for our Anniversary weekend. Never, ever expected anything. We had a great time with all the people that matter the most to us. Great friends, great family, and man there was a lot of food.
Things I'm thankful for that day..of course everyone who made this possible plus Arn decided to go get his hair cut Saturday morning. Also that I changed my clothes at the last moment. I had running pants and a tee shirt on. Heck, we were just going to play cribbage.
Thanks again too all those who made this possible.
I can't leave this post without mentioning the Packers win over Dallas. I must admit that I was a leaning toward a Cowboy's win. It was just an added plus to an already great weekend.

What To Do...

Tomorrow will be my first Friday off in quite a while due to some accumulated comp time and a little bit of a lack of work. I'm wondering if I'll be able to sleep past 5 a.m. I'm thinking negative to that because of the snooze hitter that sleeps next to me. I find myself to be a very polite riser. My alarm goes off and I get up and shut it off and head for the shower. Mr. Snooze isn't so polite. He hits the snooze several times. In the past I have found the way to solve this is to just stay up as long as I can. If I'm in a deep sleep I don't hear it. I hear nothing until he slams the door when he leaves.

I'm trying to think of things to do tomorrow. I've got some shopping to do and had plans to haul some things to Goodwill. If I get the junk I want to rid myself of in the truck tonight then I don't have to deal with my better half wondering what I'm getting rid of. Sorry to say that I can't get into his stuff. I have noticed him loading up the back of his truck with junk and making a few trips to the dump over the past several weeks. The other day I saw the snowmobile sitting in the driveway on wheels. I got a little excited thinking it was going to the dump. "Hey, is that going to the dump" I asked. "If you can move it, you can take it to the dump" was the reply. I walked over and started pushing it. He never moved so fast! Stood right between me and the hunk of scrap. My only recourse was to comment "Well, I guess it's been with me for as long as you have. Dang that thing is old". I have come to the conclusion that I am married to one stubborn man. Either that or there's some hidden treasure under that snowmobile seat. I can't think of any sentimental value it has and it's not like he's ever going to fix it. Not quite sure what goes on in the head of his sometimes.

Maybe I should just take the day for myself. Sleep in, laze on the couch and watch some Lifetime tv, prepare the taco roll-ups for the Cribbage tournament Saturday, read one of the four books I have started, watch the Wii fit video.......

Could This Be Relief?

I get up and leave for work a little earlier than most of you so I'm not sure you got to experience the frost on the car windows this morning. Yep, there is was, nice and thick and not just the windshield, the side windows also. I turned the wipers on and heard the all to familiar noise of the wiper blades scraping across the frost. I rolled down the side windows and upon coming back up the frost remained. Because I was not in that big of a hurry I waited for them to clear while I sat in my car. Must remember to dig out the handy frost removing tool.

I should be happy to see this frost. Yesterday my doctor told me that as soon as the first big freeze comes, I should see some relief from the allergies I have suddenly encountered. Yesterday was not a good day. The month long cold and sinus headache finally got to me and I could not cure this on my own or with otc drugs any longer. I was spending just as much on DayQuil as I would on a prescription that could clear it up faster. I'm not one to run to the doctor, but I know when I can't do it without help. She was kind enough to give me some good antibiotics which I must take for 7 days. She said between that and some allergy medication she suggested I should be good to go in a few days. I took the antibiotics around 5 last night and did sleep well. For 4 hours. I woke up at 1 am wide awake. Part of this temporary sickness was feeling tired all the time. 4 hours wasn't going to cut it. I strolled around the house for a bit, took some NyQuil and went back to bed. As soon as I started feeling like I was going to fall asleep, the snoring began. WTF!! He hasn't snored like that in ages. I tried to pull the extra pillow out from under his head (not to smack him with it or smother him) because it looked like his head was propped up to high. Boy did I get a glare. But at least he turned on his side and stopped (for a short time). I think I may have dozed off for an hour or so until it started again. Chucked it in around 3:30 and got up. As far as dose number one of the medicine...nothing. I did sleep good for 4 hours but the headache is still present. I've now taken dose number two and the nose is starting to run now. I am armed with two boxes of Kleenex and lots of hand sanitizer.

This just in...Dairyland Greyhound Park is closing December 1st. Good. It was really going downhill the past few years. Although they did have some good cheese fries. We'll have to look for another spot for those on the rainy camping days.

I Wasn't Shocked....

Watching the Packers loose to Tampa Bay wasn't at all shocking. They are a poorly coached team being killed by their own penalities. By the middle of the first half I began to laugh at all the mishaps. Next up..the Cowboy's. This should be good. I shall not wager anything because I already know what the outcome of that game will be. I'm loving all the morning talk shows trying to make sense of it. Plain and simple...they are a bad team right now.

We had Dylan yesterday and it became more amusing as he started analyzing what was going wrong. My little Fantasy Football kid was flipping channels for scores. He looked like a minature bookie. Him and my daughter were still watching toward the end of the 4th quarter. I heard the yelling and knew that TB had gotten in one more time. No use crying over spilled milk.

Putting that loss aside, I had a very productive weekend thanks to the nice weather. The yard is all cleaned up and I got a lot of cleaning done. Nice to have the doors open to aide in drying the cleaned carpets.
Made several trips to my mother-in-laws house for items she needed. It appears that now that she's home the help has subsided. Sure people will run to the store for her but then leave everything on the counters. She's still using a walker and isn't quite able to put things away yet. I give her credit for trying. But, I'd like to give the two older kids a good kick in the butt. I guess they were to young to remember everything she had done for them. Put a roof over their heads and basically supported them because their drunken, deadbeat father couldn't.
She made live good for them. Yes, things suck at home for them. Their mother is going in for her 2nd hip surgery soon and depends on them a lot for help. "What 21 year old wants to be stuck taking care of people" is the comment that was made. So you leave you 15 year old sister there to do everything. The 19 year old man boy has a job now (finally) so because he works 30 hours a week he feels it's not necessary for him to do anything at home. I'm seriously thinking of getting her on the Hoarders show just so that house can get cleaned up. I will go over and clean my mother in laws house but I refuse to clean a house with 3 adults living in it. Two that should have the sense to figure out that their mother needs help right now. Either that, or they need to get out and fend for themselves.

I Don't Think So

My husband raised a question to me last night. Should he put the camper away or am I interested in going this weekend. Granted the weather man said we would have highs in the 60's for the weekend, but I think he forgot to check the lows (30's). The man who goes to bed in sweats, socks and a sweatshirt and has to have the flannel sheets on while at home in the heated house wants to camp when it's going to be in the 30's at night. Sure..I'll get right on packing up. I'm sure it would be nice during the day and we'd have a good time, once we defrosted from the night before. Now if we had the ultimate home on wheels I may reconsider. I'm thinking that once the sunsets at 4:45 pm there may not be a fire big enough to stay warm. Plus the fact that the only bathrooms available are the pit toilets makes me think this through logically. No!

Update on the football pool at work...I am still without a win. I wonder just how far this loosing streak will go on.

I received a few emails yesterday regarding the Packers loss. Most of them were expressing sympathy. I don't feel bad about it. They played horribly! Our quarterback did finally decide to scramble and run in the 3rd quarter which made the game a little more exciting, but once again penalties cost them. The whole Brett thing was over played. Nice to have a camera focused totally on him so we could see him blow snot out of his nose. My highlight of the game was hearing the comment regarding Rogers "He's a nifty runner". Cute.

So this whole cold thing is really starting to frustrate me. I have been stuck with it since October 2nd when I went to Arizona. I have gone through the sinus part, the stomach part and the returning sinus thing. My home remedies are not doing it and Stb's remedy isn't working either. I'm pretty close to going to the doctor for something to wipe it out. Problem is every time I'm ready to call and make an appointment, I feel better for a few days. It's back again, and along with it is the totally wiped out feeling. Can't seem to get enough sleep. Maybe if I just became a booze hound for a weekend I'd burn it out.

Boredom=exercise

The past month or so has been a bit hectic around my house. My daughter moved back home and her girls are over a few nights a week. There was a bit of an adjustment period but I think we're on our way to things settling down to normal. We had about 2 years after my brother moved out where it was just the two of us, two cats & Sadie. Dinner got made once in awhile, there was a minimal amount of clutter and we sunk into a routine.
That's changed. We now have an additional dog (my daughter thinks she's getting her back when she moves out) and a dog that visits (when the soon to be ex son-in-law is out of town) and two 11 year old girls. We now have to worry about lunches, what to have for dinner, homework and little girl stuff. It's a little fun. More fun because I'm not totally responsible for them. I can stand back and watch their mother take charge. I thought I was strict as a mother?? You don't want to mess with Momma Shelle! She is on them.
I had to set some ground rules, but I'm still the Grandma. I'm still the one that gets to spoil them a little and have fun with them. I don't want to loose that by having them live with us. The good thing is they're well behaved and polite. As girls their age, then can be a little messy and unorganized. Going in their room reminds me of going into their mother's room years ago. I'll never forget when she wanted new carpeting and Barney went in and looked at her room and told her "When we can actually see what the carpet looks like, we'll think about it". We never knew what her carpet looked like until she moved out. But boy that girl had my bathroom and kitchen sparkling.
Last night was a rare occasion. I was the only one home. Of course the pets were all there, but it was quiet. This was the time I was supposed to catch up on things and do whatever I wanted. I can't believe I got bored. I made some dinner, did some laundry, cleaned up a few things and it was only 6pm. So it was then that I decided to get back on the wagon. I haven't had a regular routine for working out for a few weeks. Baseball season for Dylan is over and I was walking to his games a few times a week. Took the dogs for a walk a few times. It paid off for Sadie as she lost 7 lbs. I decided to pop open the Wii Fit Plus program I purchased last weekend and check it out. Not bad. It has a few added features and about 20 new exercises. I tried a few of them and then came across Kung Fu Rhythm. The first time through I was lost. What the mess am I supposed to be doing? Tried it again and caught on. Difference between first try (41 points) and second try(265 points). Then there was this Parade Marching aerobic game I tried and laughed through the first try. It's one of those things that are goofy and you hope no one walks in and sees you marching and waving your arms around. Those few things plus the regular routine I was doing have shown some benefits this morning. Maybe an 1 1/2 hours was a little to much. I guess if boredom puts me to getting off my butt and exercising I can't be upset. I shall try again to master the Kung Fu game (and march).

Did You Know?

That there is a trailer park on Highway 100 just a few blocks north of Greenfield Avenue. I go this way every day and never really noticed it. I stopped at a small gas station this morning, that I've stopped at before and there it was. I'm guessing there to be at least 150 mobile homes in the small area.
I remember when I was younger I had a friend in my class that lived in a trailer park. I went to her "home" a few times and thought it was pretty cool. It was like camping. At that point I was to young to realize that it may not be all that it's cracked up to be. I can see a newly married couple hanging out in one while waiting to buy their first home, or maybe a single person, or perhaps a retired couple who spend part of a year there. What I can never imagine is Barney and I living in one. We'd have to have one hell of a rummage sale and really downsize our possessions to ever think of living in one. No basement, no garage, no attic. We'd have an issue. Then there is the added fact that you are right on top of each other, so it's worse then camping. They had an article in the paper a few weeks back about the historic trailer park on 27th street. How they're all like family and help each other out. That's a small one and it's been there forever. It's convenient that the historic bar is the center of the trailer park. The city wants to get rid of it to improve the quality and appearance of this area. It's going to take more than that. So they're going after the little people first rather than the business's in the area. I say "leave them alone".
Then there's the one on 6th & College next to the old Blue Canary tavern. I used to drop a girl I worked with off there. It was nasty. This place was like a ghetto. My friend's mother lived in this park for 2 weeks and got out. I know they've been warned to clean the place up several times. Come to think of it there are several trailer parks within a mile area. Further up on College Avenue you have a nicer park. These appear to be more like permanent homes. They have decks and sheds and it's all kept very neat. When I was a paper girl this was part of my route. I recall a lot of elderly people living there. People who had decided that they don't need all the crap that fills up an attic, garage or basement. There's no bar on the grounds of that one. Then you have the 27th & College one that is also pretty run down. Hmmm...there's a bar right there also.
On to other things. I am enjoying the 1/2 hour of peace and quiet I'm getting this morning. This is one of the joys of coming in early. Within the next 1/2 hour people will start rolling in. If it's anything like yesterday I may need to start handing out numbers. I may also need to hire a phone operator.

Come On Dere Hey!

Isn't that how all Wisconsinites talk? Not so. In listening to a talk radio show on my way in this morning, they had clips from the Regis & Kelly show. They were talking with an actor who was born and raised in Appleton. They asked him to speak Wisconsin. He's from Appleton! He breaks out in this language I've never heard unless I was in extreme northern Wisconsin and upper Michigan ( or was making fun of Fargo). They got on the subject of Milwaukee and noted that in this area we speak with the same accent. In fact they said "all of Wisconsin speaks this way". Made us out to be a state of goof balls.
I know we have the old Polish & German accents still floating around. (I still get a kick out of my childhood friends mother swearing in Polish). Maybe we're portrayed this way because we have such a mixture of nationalities in this state. Pretty soon we'll have our own language, but it won't be what was portrayed by this doofas on TV.

The football game we attended the other night in honor of our late friend Randy, was once again a reminder of what an impact he made on people. I've felt bad for almost a year now for never attending a game he coached. He'd ask all the time and would speak proudly of the team, but we never made one. We left the game at half time and caught the team walking back toward the field after their break. Somehow I could just picture Randy walking with them. The image was perfect and just gave me a little chill. Pretty sure he knew we were there. The almost emotional moment was broke when we had to lighten it up a little by painting the mental picture of him jogging along with the boys. I know exactly what he would have responded to us "What, you don't think I could jog from the school back out to the field? Come on, let's put 5 buck on it". And somehow he'd get out of it. You live on, my friend.

I Do Not Like You!

I'm a little confused as to why my ex-husband would feel the sudden need to speak to me at Dylan's game Saturday. I pulled in the lot right behind him and purposely parked two aisles away to avoid having to walk anywhere near him. (There's some history in this latest dislike of him and I though I made my thoughts pretty clear to him via a phone call when I was in Arizona).
Anyway, somehow I managed to make it to the Dylan fan clan way before him. My son questioned his where abouts and seeing as there is a bar on the same property as the field we all just naturally assumed that's where he parked his ass. Nice.

He showed up a few minutes after the 2nd quarter and felt the need to stand near me, not talking to me, but rather directing comments to my kids about me. Not nasty, just sickening. All that kept running through my head was the Green Eggs and Ham poem. I chuckled as I wished for Annette to be there adding to my crafty poetry. "I do not like you, you're a louse. I did not like you as a spouse". I cannot stand you anymore, I'd like to knock you to the floor.
Then he starts goofing around with the twins and wrestling with them. One of them gets knocked into me smack into the small of my back. Jolt down my legs, but I withstood screaming out loud and found joy in the time I smacked him so hard I split his lip open. (No, I'm not a violent person). Then my son stepped up. "Dad, what are you doing? Don't mess with her, it's pretty obvious she wants nothing to do with you". His reply "Yeah, she's still mad at me for screwing up our marriage". "HUH"....I pride myself in keeping my mouth shut. As I listened to my kids laugh and sarcastically assure him that's what the problem is I came up with one more line. " I wish you'd stumble from the bar, so I could hit you with my car." It needs work, but it kept me from making a scene. Yeah, real grown up ex I have. Not the time or place to hash out your indifference's. The thing he doesn't understand is...My kids are grown now. I don't have to pretend to like him anymore. That was hard enough to do when they were younger.

The game was good until the last 2 minutes when the other team scored and beat the Buc's by 1 point. Lot of rukus going on about the ref's missing the block in the back which would have wiped out the td. Playoffs are next. Hopefully it won't be as cold Saturday. (I like to tell myself foolish things sometimes).

I Can't Win

Plain and simple. I cannot win a football pool this year. Of the 10 people in our pool I am the only one who has yet to win. I'm close until a team scores in the last minute or so of the half. I'm not complaining because I feel confident that my day will come.

I did however hit my first Royal Flush on a poker machine. Yet my glory was short lived. I hit it on nickles as I was trying to regain some of my loss's. I felt a little excitement as this was the largest pot I hit in Laughlin in two days. I quickly cashed out and went to find my mother. The smile on my face was instantly gone when she showed me her own Royal Flush (the second one hit in two days) for 5 times the amount of mine. Oh well. Short lived glory.

The bad thing about coming back from vacation is going back to work. The good thing is my past two days at work have flown by. I'm off my normal QC job and working QC for a pretty important customer trial. Very busy, yet very interesting. It's a change of scenery and a change of pace. Keeps my mind off other things.

Mother-in-law had hip replacement surgery Monday and is doing well (so I thought). One of the siblings claims she whiny and a patient from hell. Maybe she changes when I get there to see her. I'm not sure this is going to solve all her problems, but it's a start. She finally decided to take the smart route and go into a Rehab center for two weeks. It was a divided family for a while on where she should go. Home was not an option. The rehab will get her more and better quality care than sitting at home.

I though I could make it through Halloween without turning the heat on but on it went when I got home Friday night. Granted 64 is good for now, but I was bummed to come home to 40 degree weather. I think I'm just about over it. The shocker was sitting through the girls cheer leading debut on Saturday afternoon and then Dylan's game Sunday morning. I was a bit chilled and am still feeling the effects. I don't think that what I thought were allergies while in Arizona were. I was trying to convince myself, but can't seem to be fooled.

Wow..That's Nippy

If the blast of cold air that slapped me in the face as I walked out the door this morning didn't wake me up, then I don't know what will. It's a might bit chilly, but then again it is fall. I'm all set to extend my summer a week longer starting Friday. It's still in the 90's in Arizona. I'm just not ready for this cold quite yet. Fall means yard clean up, and our yard is already full of leaves. Next thing you know it'll be snowing and Christmas will be right around the corner.
Speaking of snow, it appears to have snowed shingle grit in my attic. We stupidly did not cover the things in our attic prior to doing the roof. I went up to get a suitcase and saw the mess. This will need to wait until another date to clean. I need to find a smaller shop vac and get up there and clean the mess. Funny thing was when I told Barney about it he had this strange look on his face. The look that I've become to know. The look that said "Oops, I probably should have know that it would be a mess." I have to admit that the thought of covering things up or moving them never entered my mind. I was telling one of the guys at work about it and he got this look of panic on his face. He just had his roof done and like us never moved anything. My stuff at least is in totes and bags. He said his stuff is just sitting in open boxes. It's nice to know that someone has a lot more work ahead of them then I do.

How does the state loose 15,000 DNA samples from felons? Is someone going to be on the chopping block for this? Is this an inside job? Why is Steven Avery back in court? A mistrial because a juror was dismissed? And you have to feel a little sorry for the guy who's truck got sucked up in the sink hole and then on top of it some degenerates rob his truck. It was a bad day for him.

I made a wrong number call from my cell the other day and rather than hang up when I got the voice mail I left a quick message apologizing for the wrong number call. I though it was the polite thing to do and I knew that if I didn't someone would call me back anyway. Two days later (last night) I get a call "Who dis"
me: who are you calling
"Dis number be on my phone. I wanna know who dis is"
I then explain that it was called in error and I had left a voice mail apologizing
"I don't got no voice mail, and if I did I not fixin to check it"
me: okay then..sorry.
I looked at the number and knew it was the one I called in error. 1/2 hour later I get another call and look at the caller ID first and it was the same number again.
"yeah, who dis, yall left me a voice mail"
me: Seriously?I just talked to you and told you it was a mistake. I just hung up rather than to through the ordeal again.
Geeze..you make one little mistake.

note: "dis" does not show up in spell check.

The Roof...The Roof

I could see them from the corner. Two men working on our roof. As I pulled up I saw my loyal handymen. My husband & brother Ben were laboring away. Communicating in the way they do : a grunt or a nod. Wasting no time on small talk. They had time for a quick wave to me and then continued on with their task.
A few minutes later I received a call from the roofers cell phone. They were in need of water and a few hammers. Granted these guys are right above me and they call. I could hear them talking from my kitchen. I handed up the water and then went on the search for the hammers. Of course they were not in the garage where I was told they were so I ventured into the workshop. Norm would be embarrassed to view my husbands workshop. I think it's more like a junk collecting area. But I managed to locate the hammers. I was shocked to find them hanging on a hook and not thrown in a drawer.
I prepared dinner which they declined as they wanted to keep working. In the words of Ben "I'm not coming down until dusk". Threw up some more water and had to leave to pick up Dylan from football practice. We got back around 7:30 and they were still up there. I had to make the call. "Come down now. You can't possibly see anything." There were a few grunts and I was asked to pass up a flood light. This project was done for the night.
I went inside for a minute and upon returning saw the two old men, who five minutes ago were moving around on the roof like 20 year olds, but were now struggling to walk and groaning. "I think it's time to start calling workers to do these big projects. It's getting to hard on you guys" was my comment. Before I could even get it out I got the evil eye from both of them. I guess it's just not proper to tell the manly men that they just aren't as flexible as they were 10 years ago. I have proof of this now after attempting to sleep between Barney's groans every time he moved. The good part is they got a chunk done and my son will be around to help tonight. The bad part is they are about 1/2 done. I need to stay away from the scene because I don't like to see them hurting. I'm pretty sure that by Sunday we'll need to rent wheelchairs for the Breast Cancer Walk.
Needless to say "They are both my hero's".

1-2

Dylan's football team is off to quite a rough start. After winning the first game of the season they have lost the last two. Dylan seems to have shrunk during the off season. On his baseball team he's of the average height and weight. Get him out on the football field and he's one of the smallest on the team. He's on the front line of the defense and always seems to be up against some giant kid. Somehow he does manage to squeak through and make some good tackles. Not sure what was up with the play calling last night, but I'm not the coach, so I'll leave that at that. Once again I have to stay down field of the other grandfather for fear of speaking my mind on his constant yelling. Point blank-he needs to watch the game, not one person. He needs to leave the coaching to the coach's and he needs to quiet himself when around the refs. It would be most embarrassing to Dylan to have one of his family members kicked out of a game. We're there for support and the fun of it, not to condemn every play called or question every blatant penalty.

I attended a class yesterday that taught me not much more than I knew already. What I did learn is there are a lot of people in this company that cannot get past a start up screen, and they use computers every day. I think I will be seeking this further education on my own as this was a crash course (8 1/2 hours). I did get a book out of it though.

Sit By Me Drunk Girl

I must have a sign plastered somewhere on me that attracts stupid drunks. We went to the Brewer game yesterday and sat in the usual place we sit when my husband is awarded with tickets. Ten rows in back of the Brewers dug-out. Nice seats, but I'm ready to tell him to trade them next time. These are season tickets but we've yet to sit around the same people. I'm assuming the surrounding tickets are about the same (given out). Yet, it seems that every time we go I end up in front or back of some stupid drunk girl. Not funny drunk, annoying drunk. The one yesterday went as far as having her husband announce it was time to go. She started out okay, but then I think she felt obligated to purchase a beer from every vendor. I didn't need to know she had to use the potty. And why is it that the voice changed the drunker she got? It went from normal to high squealing baby talk. There was a couple sitting with them and from what I could pick up, it was a first date. The girl bailed around the 7th inning to join some friends. The drunk girl spent some time trying to text her but couldn't figure out the phone. Also in the 7th inning she asked her husband where JJ was and how come he didn't bat yet. I felt his pain as he shook his head and explained to her that he was no longer on the team. I give him credit for his patience while she rambled on about JJ.

I also noticed that every time we sit in these seats we spend a good majority of getting up to let people out. I don't mind passing beers down, or getting up here or there but seriously it was at least two times per inning. There was a group of woman that just couldn't all go at the same time. One would come back and the next would leave. I think they felt the need to guard their Doug Melvin bobble heads. These weren't people with kids, these were all grown adults. Around the 6th inning the man in back of me leans over and says "Do you realize that I have not had to get up for anyone yet"? He didn't want to trade seats with me.
I'm grateful for the tickets and enjoyed what I could see of the game and somehow managed to keep my cool. I tried to get Barney to move over to the aisle next to us as no one was sitting there but he wasn't budging-except to let people out.

I did have a little scare yesterday with a sore throat, but all seems well. It appears to be a slight sinus thing or hay fever. Should be easy to take care of with some allergy medicine and much needed rest.

Morning Shows

I caught parts of two morning shows on my way to work this morning. The topic of one of them was "If you live like a millionaire for a day what would you do". I thought about it for awhile and then wondered if I'd be able to keep what I purchased. The question was soon answered. Yes.
So then I figured that I'd want to purchase things that would not cost me any further money. Sure I could buy a mansion, but then I'd have to come up with the money at a future date to pay the upkeep and taxes. I could buy a few very expensive cars but I'd have to insure them after paying the initial premiums. After some thinking (on my level) I figured I'd pay off the debts of my family and closest friends, I'd invest some money, purchase clothing, any needed furniture, and then buy a slew of gift cards to be spent at a later date. Couldn't think of much else but it was all a spur of the moment thought.
The second show I caught after listening to Jason Aldeen sing to me about his "Big Green Tractor" was about ditching someone during a date. Either doing so or having it done to you. Some interesting calls came in but I don't think it brought the results they were looking for as it ended pretty quickly. I thought about this for a moment and since it's been 26 years since I've dated I had to dig deep into the memory bank. I recall being with some friends once and meeting this guy I had afterward tagged "The Butchers Son". We were at a local bar and one of my friends and I left with these guys (alcohol played a big part of the stupidity) and went to a few other bars. We were pretty stupid in not taking our own car. As the evening progressed she seemed to be doing fine with her guy but Butcher's Son was weirding me out. (His dad owned a butcher shop downtown and he worked for him). The topic of every conversation was something to do with being a butcher. I was sober enough to picture myself cut in pieces. At bar closing they decided to take the night further and go to a local greasy spoon for a great dining experience. I suggested going back to get our car. They were having no part of that and neither was she. We ended up at a Webbs back on our side of town. I seriously wanted out of this and was ready to just ditch the whole thing but didn't want to leave her with these two clowns. We walked into Webb's and I felt instant relief at spotting one of my male friends with his group. When the clowns hit the bathroom I grabbed my drunken friend and we bailed with my friend. They took us back to our car and as we were getting in the clown's pull up. Male friend steps up and asks "What are you doing with my wife" to butcher boy. Drunkin friend was whining all the way home. Stupid night.
Next morning show. What secret song is on your Ipod? Don't have one but it was interesting listening to some of the call ins. "Ben" seriously?

The Morals Lecture

As kids most of us sometime or another have had "The Lecture". My dad was good at giving them and believe it or not had a way of getting through. Maybe it was the honesty, as he would use himself as an example. Of course some were far fetched, but he never put on a front. Dad wasn't afraid to tell us what he did as a kid. He also wasn't afraid to tell us of the punishment he received either. Maybe that was the part that made us listen carefully. We may have been just a bit afraid of the punishment. We weren't perfect kids, but my parents had a pretty good hold on it.
I went through the same thing when my kids were of age. Tried to be honest, tried to listen and punished when needed. There were lectures and examples used. I called upon my dad for advice a few times and between his chuckles, he was always able to offer some useful advice. I was able to make it through their teenage years without to many problems. It was a sigh of relief.
But it didn't end there. I have a pretty good relationship with my kids and am able to talk openly with them. I'm grateful for that. I've kept my nose out of the raising of their children because from what I can see they're doing a good job.
My daughter has recently moved back home and along with her came "Bella" her dog, which I'm not letting go when she leaves. We also now have the twins (11 year old girls) a few nights a week. The girls are beginning to develop their own personalities and starting to branch out on their own. Along with that comes the fights. My daughter does a pretty good job of handling things, but the other night I was asked to talk to them. "What!" "Grandparents aren't supposed to lecture" was my first thought. "I'm done with this". Then I remember calling on my dad, and figured this must be part of the duty. It turned out that it wasn't a lecture, just a talk. A talk about making choices, fighting with each other, and walking away from situations that you know are not going to turn out well. This was over dinner, and as I began to talk to them I noticed that they were both staring at me with somewhat wide eyes. Neither of them were eating. I had to stop and lighten it up a little before I burst into laughter. This seemed to ease the frightening looks on their faces. We were warned as kids not to be bad in front of our Grandparents. I spent some time being frightened of my grandfather who turned out to be one of the most understanding and funniest people I have ever known. I have now mentioned to both my children that their kids need to be normal in front of us. I'm not feeling to good about them ever having to be afraid of their grandparents. Besides, if they act up I may take a trip down memory lane and go for the old "you're grounded".

The Early Birds Gets Squat

After a week of relaxation it was back to work yesterday. No big shock that not much has changed. My current boss has "a new appreciation for me". I stood and listened as he told me his woes of waking up before the crack of dawn , how tired he was and what a headache he had the entire week. He claims he never really knew what I did. I think what he was trying to say is that he never took the time to see what I do. He had an easy week, only one line running. Usually I work my lunch around the line running and yesterday for the first time since March he came out to the line at 12:30 to see if I wanted to go to lunch. By George I think he's got it now.

So I'm on my way to work this morning doing a little over 60 on the freeway when I get passed by a fellow co-worker. I start work any where from 5- 5:30 (depending on how motivated I am). The operators don't start until 7. He reminds me of a sinister cartoon character driving like a madman to beat everyone else to work. I had a good chuckle as he sped past. I punched in 2 minutes after him and when I walked through the break room there he was with the newspaper all spread out and his coffee in hand. I have worked with this guy for close to 9 years now and still can't figure him out. He will be at work 1 1/2 hours prior to his start time. He needs to sit and read the paper, bang around in the kitchen, check his email, bang around in the kitchen some more and re-read the paper. Right now him and I are the only ones here and I can hear the cabinet doors banging. Not sure what he's always looking for.

The testing that I came in early to do isn't where it's supposed to be. I love getting a call as I'm leaving asking if I can test something right away in the morning. I get in, there is nothing here and no email or voice mail. I did take the effort to go look for the samples with no luck.

We did manage to make it home from vacation in time for Dylan's first football game of the season. They started out a little shaky but managed to win. One of his grandfathers drives me nuts at his baseball games with his yelling and now I have another season of football to sit through. I had a short fuse on Saturday and after listening to this 350 lb. guy screaming "Get him, get him" over and over again I moved. This helped for two minutes until he followed the team down the sidelines. Barney's got it on tape and I told him to make him a copy so he could hear himself. His wife doesn't come to the games because she said he drives her nuts. If I didn't love Dylan so much I'd opt to go sit on the other side so I wouldn't have to listen to him. The things I endure for my kids and grand kids.

1.3 million

24 hours from now we will be heading out for five days of camping. This may mark the longest camping trip since back in the day when we'd take the kids to the Dells area for a week. We always found things to do there and fought through some nasty storms. In the end it was always a good time.

Today is the day to pack and do all the last minute things required. I've already made several trips to the store to assure I have everything. In the end there will be something forgotten.

We went to a friends 50th birthday celebration last night. The first leg of this celebration was an "All you can eat taco, and all you can drink Margarita cruise". Since I've never been on the Milwaukee river before I found the cruise to be very interesting. Saw a whole different side of Milwaukee. They've done a nice job making the area look good. We saw a sign on the outside of one building listing the condo's at $320,000 to 1.3 million. I think I may, just out of curiosity go check them out. I am very interested to see what the difference in them is. The cruise was nice, never got to the taco bar but had a few Margarita's.

Then it was on to the friends house for a pretty low key party. I guess 830 at night is kinda late for some folks. It was there that I got the story on two couples who were supposed to be on the cruise. One couple apparently has a knack for running late, and threw away $50.00 by doing so. Another couple who talked it up and had big plans just never showed. I find it frustrating that people RSVP "wouldn't miss it, what can I bring" or just flat out never respond. I more so felt bad as the person who's birthday it was goes out of her way to make sure other people's birthdays are special. In the end I guess those who really appreciate her friendship were there.

Well I hear the rustling of the rest of the family, and I promised to make eggs and sausage so it's off I go to Grandma duty.

Hiding Out At Work

I usually don't like working on Fridays, and today's not any different. I'm here because I have to be and because I don't want to be at home. Around 9am men should be arriving at my house to aid in the pouring of the patio next to the new porch/sun room. For the past week Barney, with the help of Ben, has been preparing for the pouring. Several trips to the garden center have been made for stone, several trips to the dump have been made to dispose of the stone and dirt dug out to make the patio, and several trips have been made to the local hardware store for items needed for the construction of the patio. As of yesterday the cement was ordered and paid for. It all sounds like it's going smoothly. But wait! Something will go wrong. There will either be not enough cement, a broken window, or an (knock on wood) injury of some kind.

It's not that I have no faith. Barney does good work. But something out of his control always goes wrong. This is why I want to be at work. I do not want to hear "Oh Dear" coming from the driveway. This could only mean that I am needed to do something. Most likely write a check for additional cement or find a band aid or something of the sort. I shall remain in my safe harbor until 1:30. It's the best place for me. Completely out of the way.

This is my last day before a week long vacation. It's been over a year since I took an entire week of vacation. I plan to use the weekend to catch up on things around the house and pack. As of Monday I plan to get to my destination , set up and plop in my chair with a beverage of choice until Tuesday. I just need a day to have nothing on my mind, and nothing to do. Hopefully one of my friends will give me a jab every once in a while to ensure I'm not in some other world.