I Hate Wrapping

I've been putting this off for a while now. I keep walking in the spare bedroom looking at all the bags of gifts I started purchasing early in November. They need to be wrapped. For the past month or so that room has been a major dumping ground. I don't know why I hate it so much ,as once I get going it's really not that bad. Is it that every decent scissors I purchase seems to disappear? Could it be that the I cannot locate the 4 rolls of tape I purchased just for the wrapping?

I purposely got my shopping done early so I wouldn't have to fight the crowds and I would have plenty of time to get everything wrapped up. All I have left to purchase is gift cards. I think that way back in my mind I am upset because I do 99.9% of the shopping and then also need to wrap it. If I were to take "Mr. Stroller" along with me we would need to mortgage the house to pay for what he'd all buy. In the past we've had some fun shopping especially in the toy department. He wants to buy the kids everything. But then he wants to play with it all also.

Maybe this procrastination comes from the left over effects of the Turkey. It has become traditional that I would attempt the wrap session the day after Thanksgiving, but it somehow gets pushed out to the next weekend. Not this year. I intend to bite the bullet and get on with it. Unless of course something more interesting comes up in the meantime.

Thankful

A Happy Thanksgiving to all my family, friends and relatives! I'm thankful for all of you.
I'm thankful that I have a loving family, great friends and a good life. I'm thankful that my parents can't fool me when something is amiss.

My parent's were planning a trip to Laughlin this Holiday weekend so when I received an email from my dad stating they were opting to stay home as mom didn't have itchy palms, I felt the need to investigate. I made two phone calls to their home and although my husband tried to shush me by saying they were probably shopping, I knew better. My parent's shopping trips are done in the morning. There were no doctors appointments that I knew of and they rarely go out to eat. Their cell phone went unanswered as did their car phone. I went to trivia with this feeling that something was not right. Got home around 10pm to find a voice mail from my dad stating that "He'd be gone for a few hours and would call me later". "He'd be gone"??? what about mom? Could she not answer the phone?? Bingo!! something was wrong. After calling my dad back I found out that Mom was in the hospital. Two weeks ago she had her thyroid removed and was having some complications. Calcium levels were down. she was having major leg cramps and the final straw was her not being able to finish shopping due to being dizzy. He then takes her to the hospital, as instructed by her doctor, and while waiting for test results she has a major panic attack. She scared the crap out of my dad. To make a long story short, she'll be in the hospital for a few days and is doing fine. There's a chemical imbalance due to her medication and they need to get that all adjusted. I would wager to say they have her on some damn good happy pills as this woman cannot stand to be in a hospital. When speaking to her today she said she'll stay a few days. Either the pills have taken over or whatever happened woke her up a little and she's scared.

So I am thankful that they are both okay. I'd be more thankful if I could convince them to come back here. Phoenix is a little far away to just hop in a car and check things out. Either that or I have to do some heavy duty coaxing of my husband to get him to start packing.

Once again...a Happy Thanksgiving to you All.

Two 1/2 Men vs. Packers

I had a major dilemma last night. What should I watch, Two 1/2 Men or the Packer Game. I don't record or dvr anything as I will never watch it. In fact I don't watch much television except the news right after work or when I'm falling asleep. Last night I was torn. Do I watch the Packer game hoping to catch sight of one lonely Cowboys fan in the stands or tune into my favorite weekly show?

I decided to watch the game until 8 and then switch over. In the 1/2 hour I didn't miss much as my husband kept bouncing up the stairs to let me in on the latest. He actually scolded me for not watching the game. I tuned back in right before 1/2 time and was awake long enough to see that I'd won the pool for the 1st half at work. Score!! When I got up this morning I checked the final and had to chuckle a little. I was going to tell my friend (the lonely Cowboys fan) that he's not allowed to attend any further Packer games but it wasn't him. From reading the sports today he's not at fault.

I think I made the wiser choice in my television selection last night. Watching the game may have cost me a good night's sleep.

On a lighter note , we are working 8 hour days this week. 5a.m to 1 p.m. You would think the 8 hour day would fly by. By ten a.m. this morning I felt like I'd been there ten hours. Makes you think back to school days when the week before Christmas felt like years. It must be the anticipation of having a four day weekend or just plain wanting to get the hell out of there.

Who Will Be The Next To Go

If it wasn't such a shitty subject, I would start a pool at work to see who will be the next to go. It could have a benefit if we all decided that whoever won would give it to the person who is cut. I'm figuring it will be me as I am now the oldest operator on the floor and probably one of the higher paid.

Last week they were all about working some overtime in December which several people, including myself were notified of. Today I got an email stating that this overtime is no longer necessary as several big orders have been canceled. We have a warehouse full of incoming material which usually is a good sign. Once the news of the nixed orders got out the rumors began to fly. Hopefully we won't see the Human Resource woman in the office , as she's the bearer of the bad news.

The other thing that sends a bad signal out is how relaxed things are. In the past we were pushed to get up and running. It was all about numbers. Although the operators have kept on track we seem to be lacking the push we used to get. Of course we have an occasional appearance by an Engineer or management but not to the extent of a month or so ago. Then there's the finished product that has been sitting on the shipping dock for a few weeks. All these things add up to trouble in Production City.

We were conversing about this at work yesterday and came up with the plan that we should all make sure we say good-bye upon leaving each day. A joke was made about never knowing when you will be plucked from the floor. This is usually how it's done. Someone comes out and asks to have a moment with you and you never return. Maybe when asked it would be best to just say "No, now's not a good time". Hopefully things are just looking bad right now and within a few weeks will pick up again. As much as I'd like a vacation, it would be nice to assure I had a job to come back to.

It off the the annual Milwaukee Christmas Parade tomorrow morning. My family has been making the trek downtown for several years now to ring in Santa. As cold as it can be, it's always been a good time. The kids love it and the adults just manage to get into the spirit just watching the kids. My brother was pretty big on the parade and his girls had asked to go this year. I can't see there's is any way to bail out of this. Besides that we two celebrities in the family this year. Nanette and Ben will be assisting with the Journal's giant balloon. The kids haven't been told so I'm sure they'll get a big kick out of it. She just better have some good candy to throw our way as she's floating past us. I shall have the camera ready.

It's Soapbox Time

I just caught the woman on the news that turned in her 17 & 16 year old children for robbing a store. I applaud this woman. As I listened to her story and reasoning I thought about how hard that could be. She said she had spent some time in prison and didn't want her kids to go through what she did. She was trying to raise her six kids the right way. "You don't take what doesn't belong to you". She also said she had four younger kids at home and would have no tolerance for any of her kids committing such crimes. The woman closed her comments with saying she wished her parents would have turned her in the first time she did any wrong.

As a parent I've been blessed that my children have never gotten into any serious trouble. I received one call for a bailing out, to which I refused. His father ran down and bailed him out, but why wouldn't he...he had done the same thing years ago. I had warned my son, that if he wanted to play the big boy game to make sure he was careful. (I added that I don't bail foolish people out of jail). I can't imagine how I'd feel seeing one of my kids on captured by camera robbing a store. I know that first of all I'd be angry. Then a lot of questions would run through my mind. Would I harbor them? No. I'd urge them to turn themselves in. Then I'd refer them to my dad. This man has a way with words.

I was talking to him this afternoon regarding this woman. He gets the journal on-line and likes to keep up with the Milwaukee news. He then shared the story of the robber who attempted to steal the 70 year old woman's purse and was beat up by several people who came to her aide. Apparently people in Phoenix/Sun City areas have taken matters into their own hands. He said the police are warning people against it but they have continued to do some bodily injury to the would be robbers. Maybe this is something we should adopt around here. Be more aware of our surroundings and help people out. I'd be all for it except for not knowing if there was a gun involved.

I'm sure that we'll see a lot more of these crimes as the Holiday season approachs. It sucks when you have to be afraid to hit a mall past 6pm.

Heard It Through The Grapevine

It's official. The down spiraling economy has hit my family. Although my daughter has not told me yet...my son-in-law has lost his job. I did get a phone call from her the other night which was mostly regarding her being upset over my brother passing away. I had suspected there was a problem as he's been home a lot over the past few weeks. He did work from home a lot and they passed it off as him working from home to help out with her back surgery recovery. (Boy this is starting to sound like a Lifetime story now.) When him and I were sitting in the family surgery waiting area he was talking about how he had applied for several jobs, and I know he wasn't happy at his current job, and the thought had crossed my mind then but I didn't ask. There is a certain pride that prevents some people from stating the truth.

When I got this news this morning, at first I was upset that she didn't tell me. After a few hours of mulling it over, wondering if I should offer help and just wanting to talk to them and let them know things will work out, I had a flashback of twenty some years ago. My first husband and I were separated for a few weeks. The last thing I wanted to do was tell my parents. Not out of fright but more out of feeling like a failure. Here's some more Lifetime at your finger tips. I was 7 months pregnant and had a three year old. My husband opted for a single life verses the wife and kids. I didn't want to burden my parents with this as it wasn't their problem. I think it was my brother who finally let the cat out of the bag .

At first I was upset with him but also felt a bit of relief. A lot of my married life was hidden from my parents but I didn't have them fooled. They just butted out and figured when help or moral support was needed I'd call. The help they gave me will never be forgotten. I have to say, it was what changed my life. So as I sit here now pondering their situation I know that she'll tell me when she's ready. I have to many friends who had meddling parents and I swore I wouldn't do it. We'd only step in when asked or we felt someone was in harm's way. So far, so good.

Her and I just had a long talk the other day about how Christmas may be a little difficult this year. The sheltered family has never tragically lost a member before. In past week or so the same conversation has come up with other family members. I think we'll have some moments, but we'll be okay. I reminded her that as down on his luck as David was, he always had a sense of humor. He would tell me things that were going on, make a joke and state that life goes on. Christmas was always very special to him.

You know how they always say something will come up. Everything happens for a reason. He'll find a job and maybe it'll be a better one. At any rate, nothing comes without a little struggle.

Is There Stock In Wiper Blades

I've come to the conclusion that I have no luck with wiper blades. I was certain that the blades that were on my truck were purchased within the last 6 months. A complaint had been lodged with my husband that I couldn't see out the drivers side as there was always a huge streak right across my vision area. I recall that this was ignored until he drove my truck in the rain and had the same issue.

Yesterday on my way home in the rain this problem arose again. I looked over at the other wiper blade to find the window clear, but a nice piece torn away and flapping with each wipe. When I got home I mentioned it to Barney who replied "I just bought you new blades a few months ago". I figured it could wait until the weekend, so didn't press the issue. I forgot about it until this morning when I got to the corner and turned on the wipers only to watch the drivers side wiper take off into the unknown. There I was with one blade. Unfortunately I do not sit on that side to drive. Like a dork I got out and retrieved the blade. Threw it on the seat as it was to dark to see anything.

My ride to work was fine until the semi passed me. I was going about 15-20 over the limit just to stay in front of him to avoid the splatter that he would leave on my windshield. We all know that switching lanes does no good . After work one of the maintenance guys was kind enough to stop by my car as I was trying to get the thing back on. We came to the decision that it was screwed. The pin was broke and there was no attaching it. The nice guy just happened to have a new blade that he had picked up the night before. The agreement was made to "borrow" the blade and return it tomorrow. We both had a good chuckle as the borrowed blade was from a jeep so it was about 6 inches shorter than my blade. No problem, as long as I can see on the way home. I got in my car, turned on the wipers and just had a good laugh. Right in my vision area was none other than a large streak not being taken care of by the wipers.

This now prompted me to call my husband for a lead on the best wipers to get. Of course, Mr. I Don't Answer My Cell Phone, could not be reached. Finally after three calls he returned my call to let me know he was at Menard's purchasing wiper blades for my truck. Said he noticed they were bad when he moved my truck last night.

I must ask all of you...How often do you replace your wiper blades? How much do you pay for them? How many of you, no matter what blades you get , still have a streak? This whole wiper blade thing just seems like a gimmick to me.

Herbie Is a Crabby Old Man

Being off on Friday's has allowed me to see what the rest of the world does on a weekday. Most of my experiences with the general public have been either on the road or shopping. I'm all about getting up and out early to avoid any type of crowd. I think this has been the key to me noticing much more than I do in crowded after 5 or weekend shopping.

I'm finding that early morning shopping has been left to parent's with small children, seniors or the other few of us that are blessed with this day off. The day time parent's with small children seem to be very patient with the child that is starting to act up. There is usually a comment in a stern but patient voice asking the child to nicely sit down or stay right by me. It's not like the weekend Walmart shoppers that threaten to "bitch slap your little ass if you don't sit down right now". I've found that shopping in jeans and a sweater is not the style. I would fit in more if I had a lime green or bright pink nylon jogging suit and my hair was done up in a high pony tail and maybe bleached blond. Oh, and flip flops. Who the heck walks around in flip flops in 45 degree weather.

I've come to find that seniors are always in a hurry. The men folk are practically pushing down anyone who gets in their way. If they are in an aisle and blocking someone from getting around them, they will not budge. They act like you may get to the end of the aisle before them. This I do not understand as if you are retired then what the heck else do you have to do all day? I observed the impatience of one man at the deli counter as there were two other people before him. He huffed and puffed and rolled his eyes for each thing one customer ordered. Just to tick him off I thought about ordering two slices of about 10 different meats. I'm sure he would have kicked my butt on the spot.

Seniors in the parking lots are another story. First off the women usually cannot see over the steering wheel and they come in pairs. Two chatty little old ladies looking for the best spot, driving right down the middle of the aisle and damn you if you are coming with a cart. Just get out of the way as they can't see you. They can see a bingo number from across a bingo hall, but they won't see you. The men drivers will honk if you're in their way. Not just a little tap but a full blown honk and a fist waving just in case you didn't get the picture.

Let's talk about one of them being in the check out line behind you. My cart was not yet unloaded as I was waiting for Harriet in front of me to find her wallet, when Herbie who was behind me started putting his stuff on the belt. In trying to be polite I said "I still have things in my cart. I'm waiting for her to finish and move". I heard a grunt. He then made a comment that she needed to move as this wasn't a social hour here. Couldn't believe he turned on one of his own.

Cashier's are politer in the morning. They haven't had a full day of crap yet. Therefore they are nicer to your groceries and won't throw your bread down to be squished by can foods. Sometimes they even put the bread to the side. If you are lucky enough to have a bagger, they pack sensibly, meaning there will be more then one thing packed in a bag and your eggs will not be on the bottom of the 2 liter bottle of soda.

There is a whole different world out there on a weekday. After the holidays are over and the Christmas bargin shopping is out of the way, I'm going to work on having to go the the grocery store only once every two weeks.

So Burp Already

Since midnight Sunday I have been suffering the effects of some type of stomach ailment. Since both my husband woke up around the same time Sunday night with bad stomach pain we at first blamed it on the pizza we got on the way home. At first bite this pizza did not taste right to me. He commented on the sauce being a bit sweet. I quit after the first piece and proceeded to eat the deep fried mushrooms instead. He ate another slice and called it quits.

I was up from midnight until 3:30 am when I called in sick. There was no way this body was going in to work with the constant urge of having to up-chuck all day. As the day progressed so did the stomach pain along with some chills. I tried pepto-tums , Maalox and 7 Up. Nothing seemed to help. By Tuesday morning I still wasn't feeling any better but went in to work. I must say the 10 hours seemed like 40. 7 up was my only friend. It at least was working on what ever acid was gurgling around in my stomach. I was close to stopping for Alka Seltzer but if I wanted to throw up I had other ways to do that. Today brought on some relief. The sharp stabbing pains were down to a minimum and I could eat without thoughts of it coming back up.
I opted out of Trivia tonight to stay home and try and let whatever this is out of my system. Barney is still a little queasy but not as bad as me. He didn't seem to have any problems eating. As a joke yesterday I asked him if he wanted pizza. The problem is, the thought made my stomach curl more than it did his. I need to get this over with before Saturday where the promise of Bonnie and Dick's fish fry awaits.

I made a good investment this weekend. When one's Christmas shops they always need to pick up a little something for themselves also. While at Toys R Us I happened upon some boxing gloves for the Wii system. This just seemed like the obvious thing to purchase for myself. Since my husband accused me of boxing like a girl, I intend to prove him wrong. After messing around with getting the remote hooked into the gloves I was off. I had to stop once as the remote went flying out of the glove. This problem was quickly resolved and I was on my way . 1/2 hour later I had to call it quits. My arms were sore and I had mastered my stance and never went down. I'm telling you that this may be my release. I'm thinking of putting a punching bag and decent gloves on my Christmas list.

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

I've grown tired of the same old grocery store. Pick & Save is convenient, but it burns me that they carry the same old stuff and the prices keep going up. I was up for a change in shopping scenery so today I decided to try "The Pig". Besides they had diet coke on sale and I seem to be addicted to it. I had to make sure that I wasn't going out of my way to shop so I did this today when I had another errand to run in the same area.

I expected more than I actually saw. Immediately upon entering the store I grabbed a flyer and noticed that I needed a club card for many of the on sale items. This called for a detour to the courtesy counter. I waited in line as the woman at the counter finished her conversation with who appeared to be her neighbor. They chatted about another neighbor and a school function they were both going to on Monday. I think my sigh may have cut their conversation short. Got the card and went on my way. The store was clean enough but it lacked stock. It's a smaller store so I liked the fact that I didn't have to maneuver around to many people. About the time I hit the third aisle I realized that this store had the feeling of a small town store. People were walking by greeting each other by name. I waited at the deli while deli girl finished up her conversation with a friend. Yes, this was defiantly a friendly store with a gift of gab.

My normal time spent for weekly shopping from entrance to check-out is usually no longer than 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. I noted the time as I made my way to the check-out. I was under the wire. I spent 10 minutes at the check-out with only one person in front of me. Of course, the cashier knew the woman and they chatted. By this time I was finding this all very humorous and the want to sigh had disappeared from my mind. Finally it was my turn and things were going well until the bagger, an elderly man, was engrossed in conversation with a customer. I watched as my groceries started to pile up and he made no attempt to bag them. I stepped over and began to bag my own. It was like a clip from a horror movie when the entire place seemed to go silent. This must have been unheard of. I am now a marked woman. I think I will forever be remembered as the woman who tried to bag her own.

I will probably return to "The Pig" if I'm in the area. What the heck..I'm sure that I've made a few friends there, and I did make it out within my alloted time.

How Can She Be Two Mothers

To get away from the repetitive news each night I switch over to Lifetime and watch an hour of Reba while preparing my husband a lovely dinner. Last night I saw and episode I've never seen before. Brock's mother was in town. I heard the voice, as I was slaving over the stove and turned in time to notice that she is also Doug from King of Queens mother. This would be the one and only Jenny O'Hara. I feel the need to mention this as this could be a trivia question. Not that I'd be able to remember this when the question was asked. Of course I'd sit there holding my head and repeating over and over again "Shit, I know this...why can't I think of it?" I figure if I post it that at least one of us will remember.

Me thinks me has created a monster. Two weeks ago some people were let go at work. One of the girls I hadn't worked with to much until a month ago. She's a nice person and excellent worker. The day after she was let she called me at home to share the tidbits of her release. She has now called me at least every other day. The calls are getting better as she's not as depressed anymore, but she is bitter. The call usually comes around the same time every day so I have to yell to my husband to check the called ID. I think he takes joy in answering and then handing the phone over to me. The grin on his face is a dead giveaway.

Speaking of weird dreams (stb) I tried to wake myself up out of one last night. It was just so ridiculous. My friend "Andy" called me to say he had one Packer ticket and did I want to go with him and his friends. We had to meet at the Concertina Bar which he gave me wrong directions to, as we were driving in my van together. We finally found the bar and when walking in saw that it wasn't exactly what we thought. We walked into an old lady strip club. We're talking Old- like in their 80's. Andy was hesitant to go in as his girlfriend "Dodie" would be upset if she found out he was in a strip club. Huh? So I wanted to get to the Packer game and could not get several of our friends -Don, Ryan, Peven and Timmy to leave. They were whistling, and cheering away. I was then in shock as one of them took all the Packer tickets and stuffed them in this old ladies funky bra. I woke up! Maybe this is a result of going to bed earlier than usual.

I'm Stuck In Little People Land!

How does two turn into four? I started out with having two kids for the weekend and it multiplied into four. Three, 10 year old girlie girls and one 9 year old boy. All was going well until there was a major disbute over what movie to watch last night. That ended with no movie. They didn't really grasp the whole extent of Grandma puts up with nothing. They came very close to loosing the tv completly when the arguing continued over what tv show to watch. Around 10pm I was beat from a day of the girlie girls. I made sure they were all settled and warm and headed off to bed. I didn't hear a peep until 6:45 when I heard my neice jabbering away. My trip down the hallway was short and sweet. "I don't want to hear another word until 9am". The only thing I heard was a very soft voice stating that her stomach hurt really bad and she thought it was from hunger. That brought on a chuckle as I know what they all ate yesterday.
Right now as I am posting this they are getting ready for Trick or Treat. This brings back memories. I'm sure that my brothers and I drove my parents crazy for hours before we were set to leave. My kids drove me nuts also. This must just be so exciting for them. Yes, these are the same kids that gave up after an hour last year. I was in utter disbelief . I know we would go for what seemed like hours, usually heading home for a candy dump and heading back out. They half way filled bags last year and called it quits.
So far I've done the parental duties of fixing hair, painting nails black with crappy, cheap polish and put in earrings. Two of the four are hacking like crazy so they've received the proper medicine dropped off by their parents. I just now have fixed a zipper and last night I sewed up broken wings. (I am the best grandma ever). Suck it up kids.
My daughters surgery went well. Last report from son-in-law was that she was able to sleep pretty good last night and seems to have discomfort only from the incision. Her leg problems seems to be better which was caused by the screws in her back being placed to deep. It will take time for the damage to the muscle to repair itself, but the outcome is looking good.
Duty calls for me to now fix and spray hair black. We have two dark fairies,one witch and a racing sausage. (the last one is the cutest costume.)

He's Not Fond Of The Number

Until the official team photos are released to me by his mother, this is the only solo photo I have from this season. Funny how I picked out the packet I wanted, ordered it and it just happened to get mixed in with hers. She had to take them home to sort through them and figure out who's were who's. I bet my 8x10 is hanging on "the other grandmothers" wall. It seems a little weird not to have a game to go to this weekend. He did comment that he may go back to basketball and then through in a soccer comment just to get my attention. "I love you Dylan, and I would go to whatever event you were in but you'd really be pushing it with the soccer" was my reply. Can't help it, it's just not my thing.
So I posted this picture because I felt the need to show him off a little. Other people post boob pictures, pet pictures and just fun pictures. You guys can all suffer through my grandson's picture.
I seem to have contacted someones cold. I'm trying to keep it under control. Haven't hit the bottle yet as a suggested cure. There is a chilled bottle of very fine tasting Black Zambuca in the fridge downstairs that may become just a little lower in level this weekend. I have to be at the top of my game as I have my daughter's girls this weekend. She's going in for a second back surgery tomorrow which will hopefully give her good results. The twins can be a little trying at times and really try to pull things over on people. Yeah, I'm not going for it. There was mention of going to see High School Musical (not going to happen). We may just opt for baking some pies. Future homemaking skills are much more important than a movie that will be out on video within a week.

Damn Cowboys

It is the Cowboys curse! Dylan's team went undefeated the entire season, made it through the playoffs and lost to the Cowboys in their Championship game yesterday. The little guys put up a fight but it wasn't enough. They played the Cowboys early on in the season and shut them out so I don't know if there was a growth spurt or what over the next 7 weeks but they lost to them. Whatever the case both teams played well. One team played better.

We lost two employees at work this week. This is just the beginning. Our division doesn't have that many operators to begin with, but we have enough to run the lines we have. I'm sure what we're feeling right now is what a majority of companies are feeling. My wish is to make it to the end of the year at least. Not sure how well I'd take being let go before the Holidays. At any rate everything happens for a reason. Maybe there's another job out there calling my name. (not a library as they are cutting back also).

Not that I'm really big on the Hallmark holidays but I made an effort to get my husband a card and a little something for the date. Yesterday came and went without a little envelope for me. I'm sure he's waiting until tomorrow when he can get a card for 1/2 price. This is a little bothersome to me as in 24 years he's never missed getting a card for me. I made some good ribs yesterday. Had them in the oven cooking slowly for 6 hours. They came right off the bone. He made the comment that they were "quite tasty", ate them and retired to his chair for the evening. Granted the man has been working very hard on the porch. He woke up around 9:30, walked around, noticed I was still home and hit the sack again. Really exciting evening.

I start my getting up at the uncalled for hour of 3:30 am tomorrow. I keep trying to find the good in it by the fact that I will not be getting out of work at 3pm. Can't say I had any liking in the 5pm release hour. In our meeting the other day it was mentioned that those who were so flexible as to volunteer for the late shift may be called upon again in the future to do so. I may duck down at the next meeting. I'm a little tired of switching hours. There's usually a newspaper or magazine laying on the table I could easily pick up and hide my face behind.

It is twelve more days until I will turn on the heat. This could go longer if there is no need for it. What's a few more sweaters and a double layer of sweatpants? I'm noticing as the porch gets further along the house gets a little warmer. With brick, new windows and very sturdy storm doors on the porch we may be able to get another month without the heat. Ben has a goal to help my husband complete this project within the next few weeks. He claims he's eating his Thanksgiving dinner out there.

I Saw It First

It is 17 days until Halloween. The other day I put a few decorations on my front window and got out the Halloween candle and put it in the living room. It's pretty much the extent of my decorating. I do like the holiday and get a kick out of how far people have gone in decorating for Halloween. I tend to like the traditional scarecrow propped up in the yard and thing the witch flying into the tree is a little funny. The pumpkins on the porch are also an added touch.

On my way home from work today I did have a little bit of a shock. Now I know the stores have already decorated for Christmas and they have displays and decorations out for the home. On 43rd & Grange there is a town house all decked out for Christmas already. I took a second look thinking that just maybe it was last years stuff never taken down. No.. this looked fresh, and the lights were plugged in. At first I thought WTF..it's way to early. Then as I thought more about it I wondered if maybe the house was done up as someone wasn't going to be around at Christmas. Maybe they had parents who flew south or west for the winter. Maybe they had someone who was heading out to defend our country or coming home for a leave. There could be several reasons. In the past I would normally freak and rant about how it's to early. This time I tried to reason. Then I thought "What the heck" it's their house and they must have a reason for it. I'm sure ours won't go up until the traditional 10 days before Christmas. He usually intends to get things up before the snow flies but something always prevents this carefully thought out process. I must mention that my friend seems to have Santa already set up in his living room as we saw by his recent photos on his blog.

The good thing about today. I am half way through my work week. Tired as hell, but 1/2 way there.

I Smell Poop!

So maybe today just isn't my day. A famous quote from Ben Sr. "Don't let life get the best of you". I try to live by the words of Dad as I have the utmost respect for my father. At my age I guess one would have chosen a different path, but he always managed to see the brighter side of things rather than brood. Therefore , I see myself heeding his advice for years to come.

I was told by my husband not to mention this again but I feel the need to say, we should be camping this weekend. We opted out as there is work around the homestead to be done. There are things that have to be done before the blustery days of winter settle upon us. Ben Jr. wants to eat Thanksgiving Dinner on the new porch so we must get hopping on that. It's also a good day to get the yard cleaned up. I got a semi-early start as I wanted to get out before the bees started getting busy. This worked out until around noon. Husband came home for lunch and ate his McDonald's on the deck which drew every bee, wasp, hornet and their cousin for miles. After he returned to work I left the area for a bit to let them clear. Apparently they are not liking the fact that I am taking their food source away by pulling out any plant life left in the garden.

I made a haul from the backyard to the curb using my rummage sale purchased wagon. On the way back I notice a little trail of pooh on the driveway. I just figured I dragged the wagon through some pooh. On my second trip I noticed some foliage sticking to the bottom of my shoe and went to scrape it off on the edge of the deck. Whoa Nellie....stinky. I fear I had stepped in a nice pile of Sadie's pooh. Now the shit was embedded in the sole of my shoe. I seem to recall laughing at someone who suffered this misfortune a few weeks ago. Garden hoses come in handy in these situations. Guess I should have surveyed the back yard a little more carefully prior to getting to work. Checked the wagon wheels...they are spotless.

You Want Cheese With That?

I think my depression over the Brewers loss has come to an end. I had an appointment on Sunday and thought for sure she'd have the radio or a TV on. She asked me a few times what time the game was on but then noon came and went. Another customer walked in around 1:30 but claimed to not be listening to the game. She "forgot" it was on. By the time I got into my car and tuned in the radio I was a little taken back. 5-0. Got on the phone with Gambino to see if this was true. She happened to mention that the Packers were also loosing, but then threw in that "On a lighter note, The King and I is on." I can't complain, they gave us a good season.

My workplace often has luncheons that production employees are usually not allowed to go to. One of the nicer guys will sometimes go and bring back some tidbits for us. Today was a different story, as we were allowed to go. This was a "Get Moving" theme. Earlier this year they had a similar program with employees against management to see which group could log more steps in a given time. The employees won as several management personnel dropped out. I think this luncheon was to kick it off again. We were given one hour so the first 1/2 hour was spent in line for food. The second portion was spent eating and listening to two men from Comedy Sports put on a little show. We all got up and left after our allotted time was up. I warned my fellow co-workers about getting up in the middle of a skit. "Mark my words, you will be made fun of". Sure enough, as our little group of people headed for the door there were cracks made. I wish we could have stuck around for the rest of the show, but production called. Plus, none of us got to hear the newest "Get Moving" challenge. Although we all appreciated the chance to go, we found it odd that you would have a "Get Fit, Get Moving" theme and serve several pasta dishes and chicken breasts smothered with a thick mushroom gravy and for dessert cream puffs and chocolate eclairs. That's going to take more than a few laps around the parking lot to work off.

I have been volunteered by my son to work the concession stand on Sunday for the game prior to Dylan's game. If any of my friends want to get a real laugh, stop on down at 10:30 Sunday morning for some delicious pretzels with cheese or nachos. I was under the impression I just had to hand out candy, soda and coffee. Didn't know I had to actually heat up pretzels and cheese. This ought to be good.

TGIF ??

First of all let me start by saying I am very thankful that I now have Friday's off. I'm a little tired during the course of the 10 hour day, four days a week but very much look forward to the three day weekend. Today marks the third Friday off. The first one was spent preparing for and going camping. Last week Friday was spent on a day trip to Lake Geneva and then preparing for a family birthday party. Today was spent on appointments that had to be re-scheduled when we went to 10 hour days, and catching up on some chores and shopping.

For some reason that extra day off each week seems to be filled to the brim. I was up at 6:30 and think the only time I sat down all day was driving to appointments. I even had to stand at the Doctors Office. They have not yet invented the sit-down boob squash?? It's now 8:40 and I sure that if I went to bed I'd have no problem falling asleep.

I thought about catching a little cat nap this afternoon but when I got home I found a large cement mixer churning away in my driveway. I knew there was talk of laying some cement today but "Mr. Communication" just let's me know when to give him money. As I walked up the driveway to investigate I caught site of Dirty Ben. He looked as if he could really give Pig Pen a run for his money. Then I saw Rick. He wasn't quite as dirty and looked to be doing a good job on the mixing. As I glanced toward the work area I was glad that my husband at least had clean underwear on and that they weren't inside out. I don't know what it is with Mr. Droopy Drawers but he just shouldn't squat or be on his knees. I though for sure he was going to stand up and loose the pants completely. Yes I do know what the problem is....He has no ass. He didn't like the comment I made about buying him a body suit. Like I said, at least all you could see was underwear.

The guys called it quits around 6 (because they ran out of cement mix). The plan is for this to start all over again at 8am tomorrow morning. This was being discussed as they all sat down to eat some pizza. When the two younger ones got up after dinner the old bones must have been creaking. The macho men tried not to wince in pain in front of me but I caught it. I suggested taking a day off and was looked at as if I was some kind of freak. We'll see how well they're moving tomorrow. I do, however give them a lot of credit for the task they undertook. Real, genuine men.
In the words of Rick "That's what friends are for".

Here We Go

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

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

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

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

My Husband Is Hungry

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

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

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

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

Go Brewers!