A Very Happy New Year........

Today marks the end of another year. As John Lennon said: "another year over; and a new one just begun"........

This has been a year of trials and tribulations; of heartache and frustration; of sadness and joy; of hope and love.

We all resolve to go into the New Year making changes. To do better, to plan better, to accomplish more, to be more loving, more patient, more compassionate.

The powers that be will, of course, try to throw a monkey wrench into the whole thing. But we need to stay above board, to keep our wits about us, to keep foraging onward.

What are your plans and expectations for the year? Mine is to have a more peaceful life. To not let people or situations get to me, put me in a funk, upset the goals I have in mind for myself and BH.

BH's constant saying to me is: "what's done is done. If you can't change it, you do the best you can at this moment and move on". He's so right. We spend most of our days, our emotional health, our heart, thinking we can always make it right. Many times we cannot. It is not within our power. People and situations will be what they will be. The question to ask is: "What is best I can do at this moment?"
Let's all pray for:

a better economic state. That those unemployed will find fullfilling employment.

that people will not lose their homes.

that no one will go hungry.

that children everywhere will once again be looked upon as a gift from God; to be nurtured, cared for, protected and loved as He intended. They are our future. They are a product of ourselves. May we all open our eyes and see ourselves in them.

that families who are estranged will find the will to come together. To put all ill feelings and hurt behind them and reconnect the bonds. No one can make it through this life alone. We're all going to come to the same final end.

that those we love who are on a path of destruction will see the light; will heed the advice of those who truly care and will make a concerted effort to change their lives around, to value themselves, to really know that someone loves them.

May we all face the New Year with peace, love and a commitment to be the person we were designed to be. To be our brother's keeper. To love those who are the hardest to show love to. To give a hand-up to those in need. To love and care for our family members as if they weren't going to be here forever ---- because they aren't. What do the petty arguments, hurt feelings, estrangement get us? A life of loneliness, bitterness, should-have's, could-have's, would-have's.

Make right what you can make right; release what you cannot from your mind and heart; always look forward to a new day, a new opporturnity, a better plan, a new you.

We wish everyone a brighter, happier, more peaceful, more fulfilling New Year! Remember, we are not in this alone. As the inspirational writer, Wayne Dyer, wrote: "If we truly, truly knew who was walking with us, we would fear nothing!" (paraphrased).

Peace to you all. God bless.

Good Morning!!.......

Well how ya doing today? Me? Great!! I've been up since 4:15am ---- that's right --- a.m. Why? Because I can!! This is the first day I have all to myself. No work. No cleaning. No shopping. No baking; no cooking. OMG! I'm giddy with self-indulgence!!

BH and I got up at that time - he to put wood in the stove and me -- because it's morning. Put the coffee on. BH went back to bed. "What're you going to do?" he asks. Silly man. "Oh, maybe I'll pull out my knitting".

Well I did. The shawl I had to put away some weeks ago to do the necessary Christmassy things. So, I knitted 2 rows. And decided to check the internet. No mail. FB is boring, no news. Went to the blogs. Decided to check out some new ones, added a bunch more to "favorites". I really need more blogs to follow. Deleted a bunch that haven't been active for many months or even a year.

Had to get up and put more wood in the stove. Geezz, it's getting cold in here. Don't want BH getting up just yet. And put on a fresh pot of coffee. Hey, it's been over 3 hours. The pot's almost empty.

Can't wait to get back to spinning. I would've uncovered the wheel and got out the tub of roving, but I need to put together a plan of action! Don't like to go at these things willy nilly. I'm sure by tonight, all will be organized.

Oh, and I found a few free knitting patterns on the web. Printed those out, to be added to my 3-ring binder.

Holy crap, it's been a busy morning! It's only 7:30. Well, I think I'll go find that tub of roving -- so many choices, so much to choose from. This may be more difficult that I thought. Just close my eyes and grab one. Do some more knitting while watching GMA. And then --- who knows ---- the day is mine, all mine!!

(Note to self: DO NOT ANSWER THE PHONE).

Have a happy one!!

It's December 26th!!!

Ahh. My favorite day!! How was your Christmas? Ours was very, very nice. Kind of peaceful. Son and grandson came over and of course, daughter was here. Dinner was great. The ham that son got for us was fantastic! We had a wonderful buffet.

We exchanged gifts; had a conference call with family back in NY. It was as if we were all there, like Christmases past. Everyone talking at once, lots of noise in the background, all of us yelling "Merry Christmas" back and forth over phones, and at the end my sister told us all she had a Christmas message from our dad.

That brought down the house. It was a poem. I think it was "Merry Christmas from Heaven". There wasn't a dry eye from us all across the country. She broke down and couldn't finish the last stanza; our dear friend had to finish it for her. Our first Christmas without our dad.

Merry Christmas, Pop. We miss you so.

So, you know how I said Dec. 26 was the favorite day, a day for collapsing, relaxing. Scratch that.

Of course our two boys in the Burbs didn't make it up here. And for numerous reasons, won't be coming up next weekend or the weekend after. So......when one called, I told him we're thinking of meeting him halfway today after we take daughter home, to give them their gifts. ok. That's arranged.

Then younger son calls at 5:15pm to say he wouldn't be coming up. No kidding? Really? Hmmm. Well we'll give your gifts to Ryan and you can pick them up from his place. "Oh. I was going to come up tomorrow", says he. "ehhh, we won't be home. We're taking Julie home and then going to the other end of the state to meet up with Ryan", says I. "Oh. well I can come up anyway and pick the things up", says he.

See, he has a huge box that was delivered here a few weeks ago - some kind of car parts he ordered. I know he wants that box! And maybe the gifts.

This really pisses me off. This is the second time he has not bothered to come up for Christmas; the second time I have created a very, very special gift just for him. It happens to be an essay he wrote when he was young about my dad. My dad kept it all these years; I don't think son believed me when I told me some time ago that grandpa still had that essay. I matted and framed it with a picture of him and grandpa together.

So now I'm thinking, I will leave his stuff here. If he doesn't get them until summer, so be it. C'est le vive.

Anyway, it is Dec. 26. Time to put all the hoopla behind. Time to relax, enjoy, reflect and pray that all will resolve over the coming year.

I do, however, miss the fact that on Dec. 26, the radio stations stop playing Christmas songs. This is wrong. Oh, they play "winter" and "snow" songs. But if the commercial powers that be can start decorating their businesses and advertising Christmas sales in October, you can't play Christmas songs at least til New Year's??! Seriously. We can't extend the feelings of good will, peace and love for another week?? Wrong. Very wrong. Thank God, we have our Christmas CD's. We can play them as long as we want. So there, powers-that-be! Stick that in your microphone!

OMG. I've really got to start relaxing. I'm getting all worked up here. Not good. Ahh, the spinning wheel. That's the ticket. Time to uncover my friend, bring out that tub of roving and..........relax. Peace at last!!

5....4....3....2....1.....It's Over!!

It happens that quick!! Christmas will soon be over. I, for one, think Dec. 26 is the very best day of the Holiday season. I lovvve the day after! One can actually collapse into a state of peace and tranquility (my experience, anywho).

I've been up since 5:45am. Not so amazing except that I couldn't fall asleep until 3:00am. This is going to be a rough day. I'm gonna need a nap. But for now -- the potatoes are boiled for the salad, the beans are simmering away (it's been years since I've made real baked beans. yikes.), the eggs for said salad are boiled, the laundry is folded and all the cookies have been moved into smaller containers. Their numbers have drastically decreased since out-of-state packages were put together and mailed out.

So for today, there's a little dusting and vacuuming to do, clean up the bathroom (you always have to clean up the bathroom!) and putz around doing the last minute odds and ends. I'm thinking of steak for dinner tonight; maybe a late supper. Steak, baked potato, salad and maybe --- shrimp cocktail!! That's how I feel now. At 4:00pm it'll probably change to grilled cheese sandwiches and potato chips!!

Then tomorrow ---- ahh, yes, tomorrow. Snacks, drinks, buffet supper, open gifts, maybe a board game in the evening; say good night, drive safe, thank you for everything, love you ---- and it's OVER!!

We don't do anything for New Year's. If someone comes up, then we go through the snack/supper/games routine and have a great time. If BH and I are by ourselves, it's usually a nice supper, a movie, some snacks ---- and we're in bed before midnight!! Exciting, huh? Definitely old age? Nooo. Just a lover of extreme peace and quiet, just the 2 of us.

Ok. I stepped away for a minute. BH is sitting in the kitchen.

ME: "Say, would you bring over the big styrofoam cooler. I want to put some of the cookie containers in it to get as much as I can off the freezer, so I don't have to keep moving things when I have to get in there".

BH: "Yeah. Or I could bring over one of the other coolers."

ME: "We don't have any other coolers. I lent the one to Corey at Thanksgiving to take some food home".

BH: "Oh. Yeah. I'll bring it over. You mean the one with the double lid?" (he's referring to the cooler son has)

ME: "Yes".

BH: "Ok."

Why does he DO this?? Every time. The other night is was: "Hey, you didn't give me all my vitamins. The fish oil is missing."

BH: "How many did you take?"

ME: "I don't know. I take the bigs ones last. I DON'T have fish oil!"

BH: "Are you sure you didn't take it? How many did I give you?"

ME: " I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY YOU GAVE ME. I TAKE THE BIG ONES LAST AND IT'S NOT HERE!!"

Holy shit! He questions everything I say or ask; or worse --- he gives me other suggestions. You know, like "why don't you do it this way..." or "but if you did this......" AAARRGGHH!! JUST DO WHAT I ASK! PLEASE DON'T GIVE ME ANY INPUT OR ASK WHY!!

Believe me, you don't want to be filling my brain with jumbled questions and statements when I have all I can do to keep my mental list of things to be done at the forefront!! NOT AT CHRISTMAS, BUCKO!!

I think I need that nap right now.

Ahh, Dec. 26.

Wishing You All a Very Merry Christmas

It's almost here. We're almost ready. Housecleaning today, some laundry. Put on a pot of chili that will get us through supper for the next couple of days. Oh, and find out why the tree lights went out last night for no apparent reason!

Christmas gremlins.

It's just a 3 ft. artificial tree with fiber optic lights. We were watching TV last night, the lights were beautifully fading the colors from one to another and -- poof -- no lights. I hope it's just the bulb, I do have a replacement. Get to it later today.

Son from NY called last night to say their box arrived and he loves the slipper socks! "You opened your gifts already?!" says I. "Yeah, my feet were cold and I knew what they were". (How did he know this?? I never gave him a clue.)

"Did the cookies make it ok?" "Ohhh yeah!" Then grandson got on the phone to thank us for his Christmas money and the framed photo of him as a baby in the arms of great-grandpa. He loves it!! Do I have more photos like that? Maybe if it's not too much trouble I could send him more? Of course I will; no problem!

Nothing makes my heart leap more than when the kids and grandchildren really value the connection to family. I grew up with a very close, large extended family of which wonderful memories through my childhood are still with me today.

Son from the Cities burbs called last night. I could tell by his voice that he is very sick. Yep. Heavy congestion, burning throat, achy and tired. This is his Christmas cold. Every year. From him, fiance and son will soon be afflicted with the same. They weren't coming up for the holidays until New Year's. Hopefully all will be well by then.

Daughter called yesterday. She took her cat to the vet (as I suggested) because she's been wheezing. They were in the vet's office when she called. Seems the cat has a respiratory infection; they already did an xray, but thought maybe more tests should be done --- very expensive tests! The bill was already up to $137.00.
What did I think? Ehhhhh - NO. Ask if they can just give her an antibiotic to clear up the infection. (who's the doctor here??)

Well, the antibiotic was prescribed - to be given twice a day for 2 weeks. Okey, dokey then. Total bill: $197.00. Did I tell you daughter is handicapped and on SSI?? Ummmm - yeah.

BH needs to get up on the roof today or tomorrow and clean out the stove pipes. It'll probably be tomorrow seeing that we had a bit of a snowstorm last night. And he still needs to wrap. my. Christmas. gifts. Hellllooo! Which are hidden under the bed in the spare room ( I accidentally stepped on the package, but I DID NOT look to see what it was. I really love surprises.) But like I said -- I have housecleaning today --- vacuuming under the beds! Oh geezzz, I better tell him this morning.

BH and I went yesterday morning and did the grocery shopping for the holidays. For Christmas it'll be a buffet - because people have a tendency not to show up and I'm not going through preparing a big sit down meal for a few of us.

But I am determined not to let anything get me down. We will have a beautiful, peaceful Christmas.

Well here's wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and the best of New Year's to come! Be safe, be happy, be healthy!

.....And a Merry Christmas to You!

Yesterday I was officially out of a job. It's been coming since October. Our boss sold the hotel. No one knew what was going to happen, but as the months rolled by, and the closing was postponed over and over, tensions and stress grew higher. By November 15, and the 3rd postponement, I was ready to kill someone. Ah, but my intention, which I stated categorically to my co-workers was to sign for unemployment. I would stick this out til the end. Shock and Awe, baby. Shock and Awe.

The rumors started flying. We would all be out of work; some of us would be kept on; we would be required to work one girl to a room (we work in pairs) with a limited time allowance for said room; our wages would be cut (we get paid minimum wage - even those with 5-6 years of service!), yada, yada, yada.

Apparently, the girls never thought of signing for unemployment. WTF?! Come on, girls. Get with the real world! Well I must say, everyone is now on board. Too bad we weren't union. I'd make a great union rep. But I digress........

Things did not end amicably. We all had to fill out job applications for the new owners and were told there would be interviews. Our current boss never once came to us and told us what was going on, what we could expect. She would mention things to one of the desk clerks and they would pass on the rumor. She never had the balls to talk to any of us! Everything that has happened with this transaction was relayed through the grapevine. That's enough to piss anyone off!

Well, Monday I had mine. It went like this..........

New Owner (with my application in hand): "How long have you worked here?"
ME: 2 years
NO: "Can you work any day?"
ME: Well, yes, but my schedule is Monday and Friday and weekends. Actually, I requested those days because I have a disabled daughter who works the opposite days, and I have to take her to appointments and such. So I prefer to keep my schedule.

NO: "Here's what we're going to do. We will pay you $3.50 per room. You can take as long as you want in a room and do as many as you want to. Is that agreeable to you?"

ME: You mean Three dollars and 50 cents per room?
NO: "Yes. That's right".
ME: (shaking my head side to side and with the most "are you shitting me" look on my face Icould muster) NO. I need to make at least minimum wage.

NO: (with one eyebrow raised and a "oh, you Americans" look on HER face): "Well, I will let him know this and we will call you ----after 3:00?
ME: Yes, after 3:00, I'll be home.

End of interview. No phone call. No job. Hallelujah!!! Thank you, Jesus!!

I must add here that with each of us girls, the interview and questions were different. Some were told they would get $3.50 per checkout and $1.50 per stayover; my supervisor, who's been there for 10 years and makes $12.00 an hour and is "on call" 24/7, was offered $7.50 (she refused, after much soul searching - she's a single mom with 5 kids!!); the desk girls were told the only shift they would be working would be 2:30pm until 10:30 pm. No mornings, no midnight shift.

So, there are 10 of us out of work. Let me also tell you that this is the only hotel within 25 miles, and our town has a population of 400 people. As a matter of fact, the next "big" town (pop. 1200) IS 25 miles away.........gas is nearing $3.00 a gallon...........everyone pays minimum wage............see where your math skills start coming into play??!!

When I went up to see the girls, I told them how much I was estimated on receiving on unemployment. Each one of them jumped on the computer at the hotel and looked up their own estimates. Smiles came across their faces; they lit up like a 150 watt bulb; they started getting giddy and laughing. "Hey, I can live with that til I find another job" was echoed throughout the lobby. They all felt much, much better.

That's right. Shock and Awe, baby. Shock and Awe.

Let the spinning and knitting commence full bore!

BH Goes Christmas Shopping......and Other Scarey Stories

Yesterday was BH's shopping day. He and son were going to mingle with the masses. Is there anything I need? Well, now that you mention it, yes.....

So, all showered, shaved and dressed in "going to town" clothes, he left at 9:30am. It's a beautiful, sunny day. Temps in the teens.....above zero. WhooHoo! "Be home before dark" are my parting words. I know. I know. But when all the kids are grown and gone, your husband must take their place. It has something to do with that regressing as you get older thing, I think. Him, not me.

Me? I'm going to get the decorations up and clean the house.

Put the Christmas music on the cd player and I'm ready. Every thing went well, though I didn't get as much done as I had hoped. Even though only 1/4 of the decorations were going to see this season. It must be age. I guess I don't move as fast as I use to.....or thought I could. But I was satisfied. Will finish the rest today; not too much left to do.

Well, BH called about 3:00pm. He's doing fine. Is there anything else I need? No. That's about it.

He got home at 5:00pm. Accomplished everything on his list. Or so he thinks.

BH:"Ok. Here's your Christmas present, but don't look. You can't open it til Christmas Day".

ME: "Is it in a bag?"

BH: "No"

So here's the CD/radio/cassette player that I wanted. It looks like a beauty from the picture on the box.

BH: "Here's the humidifier you told me to pick up". Ok. The box looks just like the one daughter bought last week.
BH: "Here's the cake pans. Are they the right ones?" Why, yes. They're exactly the ones I told you to get. Good job!!

Alrighty, then. Let's get that humidifier out of the box and working. My skin is shriveling and scaling like a freakin' lizard. So upon removing the item from the box, I now realize that no, it's not the same one. This one has a lot of bells and whistles. Digitalized. Temp gauges. 4 buttons.

Great. Now I have to read a freakin' manual to operate this thing. I just want the one you put water in and turn it on! Well, onto the manual. Not too bad. Ok. Fill it up and turn it on. Sit down and read the rest of the manual.

Wait a minute. What's this? "Humidifier will start after 10 minutes, allowing for the water to start boiling". WHAT?! Water boiling?? Daughter's humidifier had a nice lukewarm mist that started instantaneously. I don't want boiling water!!

Ah, but there's more. "Unit will make noise as the water boils. If this is too loud, you can turn the speed down to Low".

Indeed. It DOES make noise. But with the wood stove motor going behind it, it's barely audible. For now.

ME: "How much did you pay for that? It was more than $42.00"
BH: "No. Well, I think it was $50. It was the only one they had other than a really small one"
ME: "Did you look on the bottom shelf. It was on the very bottom"
BH: "Yes. This was the only one like what you told me"

We now both go look at the thing. "You wanna take it back?" asks he. "I don't know. It's already got water in it" says I. (Like that would ever stop me from returning it!!) "Well, we'll see how it goes", says I.

Fa La La La La, Fa La La La!

It's -13.....................

Good morning! And how is it in your neck of the woods?

We have been in a deep freeze for - oh - about 5 days now?! The weather man on the news yesterday said the temps won't moderate for the rest of this month. Thank you. Thank you very much.

Well, things have been in a flurry here since after Thanksgiving, trying to get things done for Christmas. Although, the tree is not up yet, the house is not decorated and the cookies are not baked. BUT ----- all the gifts are wrapped, all the breads baked and candy made.

So if all the gifts are wrapped, that means I've finished making them, right? You betcha!!

***16 pairs of slipper socks, crocheted.

***a 16x14 frame matted, by me, (yay!!) and son's essay and picture with grandpa in two separate openings. Looks very good!

***pictures of great grandsons with grandpa cropped, printed and framed.

***picture of daughter with grandpa cropped, printed and framed.

***2 snowman plaster pieces hand painted and affixed with lights - done.

***DVD's of Mom and Pop's 50th wedding anniversary have a cover picture of them dancing - to be given to our kids.

***5 cotton dish cloths, each knitted in a different pattern

***Christmas cards written out and mailed as of yesterday

***boxes of decorations have been brought over from storage and are sitting in the utility room (hey, this is an accomplishment!)

***Christmas buffet menu written up.

***Cookie recipes have been gathered and ready

***Nuts have all been chopped (1# each almond, pecan and walnut) and graham crackers have been pulverized ("Hello Dolly" bars - son in NY's favorite)

I call that progress, baby. Things are just humming along. Of course, there's a little glitch every so often - there's always a glitch, isn't there?

BH has been staying up these past 2 nights til about 2 a.m to make sure the water pipes don't freeze. But of course, we got up at 6 a.m yesterday to ---frozen water pipes. Thank goodness he knows the exact spot where it freezes. 15 minutes with the hair dryer and we're back in business.

Last night was I told him I'll get up early, being I don't work today. So I set the alarm for 5. Water pipes ok. Of course, it's too early to run the KitchenAid mixer, so I'm waiting for the butter to soften and when I'm finished writing this I will make the pan of "Dolly's" (no mixer needed).

All the projects did give me their own glitches occassionally. Caused me to smack my forehead a dozen times and let out a few cuss words. Some unwrapping and re-wrapping; some re-strategizing and a lot of re-printing of pictures.

Ah, but all is done now.

Also made it to daughter's last week. Spent the night. We decorated her apartment and went Christmas shopping. So she has that all done, too.

So the plan is cookie baking for the next 3 days, boxing of gifts and mailing them out on Friday and then decorating the house on the weekend, including putting up the tree. This should not be a problem - it's a 3 foot artificial with fiber optic lights. I love this tree. I do miss not being able to put up a real tree anymore especially since all the hand made ornaments cannot be used. But a lack of room in the house and the fact that for 1 or 2 days during the holidays that we have any company coming, it's not worth the time and mess. I'm sorry.

And we won't be going to visit the kids in the Cities because we're 3 hours away, we'd have to stay overnight and or go back to New York to see the rest of the family because ------- the water pipes will freeze. This is what happens when you have only a wood stove as your source of heat. But BH keeps reminding me that we save over $1,000 a year on heating costs. Well, ------ok----------I guess.

Well, here's wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and the best of New Year's to come! May you be safe, warm and happy! God bless.

It's That Time of Year

I did it again. Lost all track of time. Actually, I've been so busy preparing for the holidays that I really haven't been on the computer. And the few times I did (to check email, pay bills), I wound up checking FB, reading blogs.....and before you know it, a couple of hours have gone by and I'm behind schedule!

Well it looks like we're in for another major snowstorm. And it's coming tomorrow around noon and lasting until Thursday afternoon. 3" to 6" of snow; preceeded by freezing rain and proceeded with strong winds. Oh yeah. And a temperature high of 16 degrees. Doesn't that just frost your Christmas cookies?!!

So our Thanksgiving is being postponed until Saturday, being that most of the kids have quite a distance to travel to our home. However, the 24# turkey is just about defrosted. I figure by tomorrow it will be totally. So it definitely will have to go in the oven Thursday. Night, I'm hoping. I'll bake the pies in the morning, make the stuffing and the cranberry relish.

House cleaning tomorrow and continue working on the gifts.

There's a possibility I will have to go into work on Friday and the weekend. They should be short days, though. Did you ever notice how that statement just never turns out?

Anywho. It's too bad that our holiday will be short lived - everyone will be going home Sunday, early afternoon. But what can you do.

I have been knitting and crocheting til my fingers feel like they're going to fall off. Christmas gifts. There's 4 different kinds of bread in the freezer - 6 to 9 loaves of each kind. Not the regular bread pan size, but the medium size; about 4"x7", I think. Again, Christmas gifts. And I've almost got the 2 plaster figurines painted. I'll spray them with sealer next week. Christmas gifts.

Next week I want to get the candies and fudge done, the house decorated inside and out. Then the second week, I'll be going to daughter's, stay overnight. We'll decorate her apartment and take her Christmas shopping. That weekend I hope to get all the gifts wrapped that are ready and start the cookies. Ahh, and the Christmas cards. Yes. I still send out cards. Some traditions are just so hard to let go of.

I figure anything that's for people living here I can finish up last. But the gifts for family in NY has to be done, boxed, wrapped, boxed again and mailed out by the 17th.

I have this frame I'm doing for son-who-used-to-live-here. It's an essay he wrote about my dad when he was about 12 yrs. old (son, not dad). And I found a nice photo of the two of them together. So I'm going to matte the essay and then the photo in a separate opening. Went to the frame store last week and picked out the matting. The gal there was explaining how to cut the matte. I told her if I screw it up, I'll be back in a hurry and she can do it for me. Wish me luck!!

This project is going to be last. When, hopefully, I don't have anything else on my mind and can give it my total concentration. Oh boy.

I also had the vhs of my parents' 50th anniversary (12 years ago) transferred to dvd. So each of the kids will get a copy. It turned out pretty good. I had a picture of mom and pop that I added text to and printed out for the dvd cover. It looks very nice. I think the kids will be happy. Some of them haven't seen the original VHS tape.

On a sad note, our cat, Peepers, 17 1/2 years old, had to be put down yesterday. She's been sick for a while. Took her to the vet 2 weeks ago. She gave her 3 differrent kinds of medicine but told us that Peepers was well over 100 years old in cat life. Well this past weekend she went downhill really fast. Everything shutting down; very sick. But she's in the backyard - next to our dog and granddaughter's guinea pig. She will be missed for quite a while. She was a great family member.

Well, here's wishing you all a very bless`ed, safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

On to the Christmas rush!!

OMG!

That's right. OMG! Where has the month of October gone?! I can't believe it's November already. I have not posted in over a month. Wasn't on vacation; wasn't sick; or incapacitated; the computer didn't crash. I must have lost my mind!

Been getting a lot done. All flower beds are cleaned out; perennials cut down; lawn ornaments and lights put away. BH has laid hay around the house and is still logging - for next year.

I finished spinning what was on the wheels; skeined, washed and balled it all. Almost finished the shawl. It's on "hold" right now.

Son has been up here for 2 weekends fishing. One weekend he brought his friend and other son came up too. The following weekend, fishing son came up by himself. They caught some nice trout. He's going to try smoking them this weekend with my brother's smoker.

Went to daughter's last week. She had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday and then we had the semi-annual meeting with her Living Skills people. So I went out there Tuesday and spent the night. We did some shopping and she made us great chicken burritos for supper.

Work is still going on. The new owners hit a snag in some paperwork, so the closing is postponed until the middle of November - or so they say. Everyone is getting very edgy, sometimes short tempered. Nerves are frazzled being that none of the employees have a clue as to what our employment status is going to be. Except me. I don't give a crap. I told my supervisor last week that I sincerely hope to be laid off - let go - released - fired.

Well I had to put my foot down. This Christmas thing just didn't sit well. Guilt. So after carefully planning how I would get through this with as little money spent as possible, I informed BH.

Me: "Listen, about not buying any gifts for anyone. I have a problem with that. I had already planned on some things. There's the essay that Corey wrote about my father when he was about 12 yrs. old. I wanted to have that framed with a picture of the two of them. I have to make Kim's slipper socks. It's been a tradition for 5 years now. I can even make John a couple of pair. And I'll make Keri and Ryan a couple pair each. You know that waffle iron that Dean won for me at the casino? Yeah, well I was planning on giving it to Ryan and Keri for Christmas.

And then there's the VHS tape of my parents' 50th anniversary party. I wanted to have it transferred to DVD and give each of the kids a copy for Christmas.

Then I have 2 plaster pieces that I want to paint and give as gifts to my sister and mother. (They're Christmas pieces that you put the little plastic lights in the holes and then put a nightlight inside and they look like Christmas lights).

And then Dean and Jr., we can figure out something. And Melanie always gets her earrings or a necklace from "Dad" (cookies and candies from me).

And I think that just about covers it."

BH: "ok. whatever you think".

Easy, huh? hehehe.

So I have been crocheting slipper socks like mad. I have also thought I would make a pair for each of the girls at work. Genius!! Done!!

And the VHS tape was taken into the video place and transferred to DVDs. I picked them up on Thursday coming home from daughter's. This week I plan on painting the plaster pieces. The frame has been purchased; going to the frame shop this week to have them make the matte board for the essay and picture.

Tomorrow I will make a batch of banana bread as part of Christmas gifts. I think next week I'll start to make the candy - and another batch of breads.

And right now the plan is that the Christmas decorations are going up the weekend of Thanksgiving. And wrapping all the gifts that are completed. That way I'll have plenty of time to get to daughter's to help her decorate her apartment and take her shopping.

OMG! I am really psyched! I'll let you know how far along the plans have gotten as time goes on. Wish me luck. Sometimes all the excitement just.........drains.....all......my......energy.

One More Year...........

Yesterday was my birthday. 61. One more year and I'll be collecting the Big money...Social Security. Now we start the countdown. I can't wait. BH and I have lots of plans......lots of plans.

So yesterday started out all rainy and cold. It was supposed to be beautiful, sunny. We ventured out for the day. I found a wool shop in western MN. that was listed in the SpinOff magazine. Actually I found 2.

First we stopped for breakfast; went and renewed the car registration and we were on our way. We drove for an hour through familiar surroundings before we were in new areas. About 1 1/2 hours later, we reached our destination. Nice little town. Very cute shop. She is an Ashford dealer; sells yarns, roving, new fibers like seashell(?) something. You know, it's very shiny; looks like silk. No, not the fiber made from corn, but the other new stuff. And she has equipment and lots and lots of do-dads --- buttons, needles, patterns, stitch holders, stitch counters, etc.

So I bought a swift. I've been wanting one for years but always choked on the price of them! Well she had 3 different styles and the prices were very reasonable. So I picked one out - $45.00. All wood; adjustable. Haven't tried it yet. That's on the schedule for next week; I have 7 bobbins to be skeined and washed.

Also got 2 sets of knitting needles; the bamboo kind. And a package of these new intarsia bobbins that just came out. The look cool -- even though they look like breast implants (hard plastic, though. Ouch!!) They're called "E-Z Bobs". I got the large ones - 4 in a pack. This should be interesting.

On the way home, BH asked me what else I need in the way of equipment for spinning. Ehhhh, nothing I can think of (yet!). I think I'm pretty well set now.

*4 wheels *32 bobbins
*Kniddy knoddy *Tons of wool rovings and batts
*Yardage counter *Swift
*Ball winder

Yep, I think that covers it. For now. Geezz. I better get at it.

Son came up for fishing again. He and BH left at 4:45am. The temp was 36 degrees. Nuts! They're planning on going out tomorrow too. The radio reports tomorrow morning will be 28 degrees. We'll see how this goes.

Chicken Cacciatore for supper tonight. Without fail. I've been dying for this.

Daughter is still having problems. Did I tell you she was tested for a stomach bacteria that causes ulcers? Yep. She has the bacteria. It's supposed to be a long process and a lot of medications to get rid of. Well, the medication is causing her more problems. But the Doc told her not to stop the pills and to get Imodium.

She's had stomach problems ever since she has a wicked cold about a month ago. She just can't seem to get over anything. One symptom goes away and 2 more pop up. Good Lord!! So I get about 8 phone calls a day from her. Questions and "what should I do?" "What do ya think that means?" , etc.

Well I better get ready for work. 11 months and 30 days to go. Maybe. There's always unemployment. Hmmmm. How could I manage that?!

Feeling Better, But..........

Oh yes, the antibiotics are working; starting to feel much better. Going back to work tomorrow. Woohoo.

However..........there always seems to be a "however" or a "but" doesn't there?
My computer has some kind of "bug"! Geezz.

I've tried all I am willing to do to fix the problem. I get really nervous getting into the internal operation to try and find/fix a problem. Went out and got anti-virus software yesterday. Installed it last night. Found no trouble. Read my techie manual. Tried the steps. Nothing. My last resort is to call computer techie son tonight and have him walk me through some steps.

In the meantime, I don't know if I'm doing more harm than good by using the computer. According to the manual, it could be something really bad that's going to need to be taken in for professional help. Son does not live anywhere near us. Damn.

So if this post looks like it was never finished, you know I've crashed! God help us all.

Anywho, we had to go to daughter's yesterday. Take out her A/C, take her winter clothes to her, put up her Fall decorations. Then there was a quick trip to Walmart; just a couple of things. And we were home by lunchtime. Good day.

More spinning, more knitting. We've been checking out the new shows on tv. Tuesday it was "Detroit 187". Great show. We'll add it to our list. Wednesday it was "The Defenders" with Jim Belushi. Another keeper. Tonight of course is "CSI" and "The Mentalist". Both great shows. And I can't wait til Friday night -- Tom Selleck .....I've got a brain fart....can't remember the name of his new series. But anyway, it's a must see for us. Lovvvee Tom Selleck! Wow, he just keeps getting better looking!

Good day for lots of spinning and knitting. We are supposed to get torrential rains and winds all day. I'm thinking of starting a pair of socks......or a beret and mittens.

My house needs a good cleaning. Haven't done that in 3 weeks.....except the bathroom, ran the vacuum throughout, changed the bed linens and did the laundry. The dust is piling up. But, hey, I've been sick! Yeah, that works. Actually, I'm waiting for Indian Summer to set in. Nice warm, sunny weather to spike my adrenalin and get things done. I hope it happens soon before the snow flies because the lawn ornaments are still outside and the perennials haven't been cut down. And the weedwhacking still needs to be done.

I've really got too much on my plate.....for me, that is. I think I feel a relapse coming on (sniff, sniff, cough, cough). I better go sit in the recliner and do some knitting.

The Doctor Is In.......

Ok. So I called the clinic at 8:15am yesterday. Asked for an appointment. The receptionist says "let me check the book. We're filling up pretty fast." "Yeah, that's what I thought!" I chuckled. (It is the beginning of cold/flu season, afterall).

"What's the problem?", she asks. I explain all the medical problems I have, ending with "and I think it's now settling in my sinuses."

"Oh. Sinsuses. Well I can get you in at 8:40 or 11:20." 8:40 works for me and it's my favorite doc. Okey dokey then. I'm only 5 minutes from the clinic. Rush to get dressed and comb my hair. Makeup is not necessary when you want to impress upon the doctor on how sick you feel, as well as sound.

We go through all the symptoms over the past week. She checks me over; looks in my ears. "Yep. You have a lot of fluid in your ears. That's a sure sign of sinsus infection. Sounds like you started with a viral bug and it graduated to this. I'll give you a prescription. You should feel better in a few days."

So I started the medication as soon as I got home. I still feel like crap. But I will be patient --- hahaha --- "patient". Oh Lord.

My days have not been a total lose. I have spent the time knitting. Got another Norwegian ski hat done - except for turning and sewing up the brim. Still working on the shawl; got about 24" or so done. Love it. And I've been spinning for a couple of hours in the morning. I get up between 4:30-5:00am. BH is still sleeping then so I have this time to myself. Love it.

There is a down side to all this laying about. I'm really starting to enjoy just being home. Doing what I want to do for as long as I want. But then a reality knock hits my head -- "oh yeah? What about the bills? Where ya gonna get the money on the first of the month? How ya gonna buy groceries and gas? What, now you're just going to get lazy and procrastinate with things like you did before?"

Yeah. I guess. I really need to get back to work. Crap. Well, there's a light at the end of the tunnel. One more year, maybe less. Then I can collect the BIG bucks from the government - Social Security. Ah yes. I am psyched about this. God help the idiots in Washington who screw this up within the next year. I just might have to become an AARP lobbyist. March on Washington. Picket the Capitol building. Write columns in the national papers.

Say, how much does AARP pay their lobbyists, anyway?

I think it's time for another dose of my medication.

Hello.....May I Get an Appointment with the Doctor?

These are words that are very, very seldom used in my life. But something has got the best of me this past week, and it's driving me nuts! Not to mention what it's going to do to my budget because I've missed 4 days of work. Yes, the 4 on top of the 3 regular days off - all of which I've been down with this gunk. There's no justice.

So today, I shall call the clinic and see if I can get in to see the Doc. Especially since I woke up this morning with a slight headache over my eyes. We all know what this is the harbinger of -- the dreaded sinus infection. All I want is an antibiotic to take care of this so I can get my life back ---such as it is.

Son and friend came up for fishing. I was not good company. But that didn't matter too much -- they were gone for 10 hours -- fishing. BH included. I had the house to myself. To lay on the recliner with blankets, watching TV and napping - a lot. And Son and friend brought up all the groceries with them to make supper! Isn't that terrific?! I didn't have to lift a finger - except to get the apple pie out of the freezer for dessert. That was it.

Of course there were the occasional questions bellowing from the kitchen: "Ma, do you have a cheese grater?" "Ma, do have paprika?" "Ma, do you have a glass baking dish to put the fish in?" "Ma, I don't want to fry the fish. How should I fix it?" "Ma, where's the aluminum foil?"

Ah, but it was well worth it. They did a great job! He loves gourmet cooking. I figure what they spent on all the fixins would have cost us about $30.00 a plate at a nice dinner restaurant. Thank God this gunk in my body has not messed with my stomach! Oh, that would be bad -- really bad. Afterall, my second passion is eating! When I can't eat, I think I must be near death.

Yesterday they went out fishing again. BH did not go. 10 hours wiped him out. However, we got a call about an hour later. Son tells me that while on the way to the lake, in the State park, they hit something; a bird. It went under the car and "I think it hit the brake line because there's fluid running out and there's no brakes". Uuhhhhhhoooo.

Let me say here that they are using BH's "fishing car". Because the rowboat is strapped to the top and all the fishing gear is inside. It's a station wagon. A 1984 station wagon. You read that correctly --- 1984. It's his "fishing car". Therefore, I do not step foot in it. It looks and smells like a fishing car.

So BH gets ready to go see what's going on and get the car back home. During this time, Son's cell phone keeps cutting out. There are repeated calls back and forth, of which I can get only about 3 words out before we lose connection again. I'm trying to tell him Dad's on his way; sit tight; wait for him; he'll get it taken care of. I think that amounts to 15-20 calls.

The last connection was "so we shouldn't put the boat in the water and fish?" "NO! stay where you are. Wait for Dad".

Well, I figured after an hour that they must be on their way back - somehow. 2 hours go by. 3 hours. Ok. Somewhere, they're on the side of the road, fishing car in the ditch or smashed into the back of our conversion van as they were towing it home -- because there's NO BRAKES! I call the cell phone. BH answers - "Yes, dear".

"Where are you?" "We're fishing". "I figured as much". "We'll be home about 2:00". "OK. Say, I thought after you left. Don't tow the car. It has no brakes. You won't be able to stop". "Yeah", he says. "I thought of that". (A little chuckle on his end comes through the phone). "I have enough brake fluid to get us home. We'll be ok".

At this point, I don't care if the car sits in the park. I don't care if the powers that be tow it to an impound lot. I don't care if they fish til midnight.

They did make it home - with the car. All is well in "Men's Town".

I'm starting to rethink my headache this morning. It just might not be sinuses. It might be a pain in my ass!!

Ah, The Weekend.......

Rough week. Wasn't supposed to be, but.....

*My first 3 days off from work in a row. Big plans. Lots to get done. Tuesday evening I started feeling a little weird - achy, tired, throat sore. Whammo! Some kind of flu got me down for 4 days! Nothing done.

*I did manage to get 5 loaves of banana/date bread made. I was debating this in the morning when BH asked "are you going to do anything with those bananas? They're kind of brown." "Yeah. I think I'll make banana bread". "I was just asking. Didn't want them to go to waste."
Okey dokey, then.

*Dosing with flu drink, Tylenol and cough syrup. Thank God my appetite is ok. I hate that when you're stomach is growling loud enough to make you look out the window for some kind of predator animal, but the thought of food turns your stomach upside down.

*Had to call off work yesterday; could barely talk. Throat worse. Chest hurts. More medicine and 7Up.

*Son and friend came up last night to go fishing today. It is now 5:15am and they have left for the lake. It is also 39 degrees outside!! The guys and BH are dressed in long johns, hooded sweatshirts, 2 regular sweatshirts and heavy wool socks. If they fall out of the boat, they'll sink like a rock!! God forbid.

*Son's friend brought up haddock. Son is going to make us supper tonight. He loves to cook and is very good at it. This makes me very happy. Scrap the chicken cacciatore until next time. I did pull out the Dutch apple pie from the freezer for dessert tonight. He also brought up red potatoes, asparagus, hollandaise sauce, capers and mayo for tartar sauce and assorted spices. I told you he was good!!

*Took out a loaf of banana/date bread for the guys for breakfast. It turned out very good; moist and tasty!

*I am going to call in sick today. Still a little achy and coughing loud enough to shake the windows. Rest, rest, rest.

*I started knitting another Norwegian ski hat. It's 3/4 done. One more pattern chart to do. It looks nice.

*The shawl is coming along nicely. Got about 12" done. I think it might be a little too wide, but what the hell. Fold it in half, right? And it looks like I have enough of the yarn to make it as long as I want. Good. Because I'm not ripping it out again! I don't care if it's the size of an afgan!

*I have 3 bobbins plied, maybe one more to go from the singles.

Hey, what's a girl to do when she just wants to sit in the recliner all day?! I mean, other than sleep, take medicine, sneezing and blowing her nose incesantly.

Nothing.....What's New with You?.........

This is my normal response when talking to someone on the phone. It's also my usual response. period.

I think this hibernating thing is getting the better of me -and the season hasn't even really started. Boy, have I been tired lately. I don't want to do anything except spin and knit. I gotta force myself into a better state of mind and get moving.

I discovered I have "spinner's thumb" this morning. Geezz. The bottom knuckle of my thumb is very sore, like it's sprained. Having a hard time drafting fiber. I think I'll have to rest it for a couple of days. Hope it doesn't affect my knitting. I'll find that out later today.

I'm psyching myself up to do some housework today; get outside and weedwhack, pull some more weeds, put the lawn ornaments and lights away and hopefully get that damned window scraped and painted.

They hired a new girl at work, so I volunteered (saw the opportunity) to cut my schedule to 4 days. So I now have 3 days off in a row! I should be able to get something done, don'tcha think?

Christmas has been on my mind a lot lately. You? I've been thinking of things to make for gifts, then BH and I had this discussion the other day. See, our agreement is that once the grandchildren turn 18 and have a job, there's no more Christmas money sent to them. We now have 3 grandchildren who have reached that golden age. That leaves 9 more to go.

Ah, but now we've been talking our kids. Our kids need nothing. They have (spend) more money than BH and I have ever seen at one time - on a regular basis. Any thing we can buy them seems like nothing. It's disengenuous. It's ridiculous. AND on the other hand, BH and I need nothing, want nothing. So we're talking no gifts this year. The money spent, the postage (nearly all of them live out of state), the craziness looking or planning for just the right gift for that person.......

Make something, you say? Ha! There's only 3 people that appreciate and take care of a handmade item - my mom, sister and "adopted sister"(friend).

Ah, but the grandchildren. I think we should still be giving them their Christmas money. They don't get gifts from us because they have everything they want year 'round. And we cannot afford a $100.00 piece of electronics or clothing for each kid! You know what I'm talking about!

I do have (did have) plans for a couple of the adults. Handmade. But now I may have to rethink this. Give it to them at a non-descript time. Geezz. This is giving me a headache. It's too early to be thinking about this. Seriously.

Son and friend are coming up this weekend for fishing with BH. I gotta plan a dinner. I'm thinking chicken cacciatore. And make a stawberry/rhubarb pie. So son can take some of it home. Because we ate the one I made a month ago when son and fiance were supposed to come up. And I told her about it. Said I would make another one when they came up. But she won't be able to do that til maybe Thanksgiving, since she's back in school and working. Luckily, the Dutch apple pie is still in the freezer. Yes, I told her about that too. So son will be able to take some of both back home. Hey, when you're getting old, you gotta keep on their good side. You never know when you'll need their help at the homestead or God forbid, who you'll have to live with.

Yeah, I better rethink this Christmas thing big time!

The End of a Season.........

Aahh, the end of summer is upon us.....big time! Temps have cooled right down - 34 degrees Saturday morning when I got up. 60's, mid 70's during the day. Leaves are turning gold and red and falling off the trees like rain. This is my time of year!! I love Fall. Could stay like this all year as far as I'm concerned.

Work will also be slowing down - at least during the week. We still have a month of weekends that will be very busy - full house.

BH has been cutting the grass - again. He thinks one more time will do it until next year. Silly Man!!

We went to the casino last Thursday; had a great time. Walked out with $70.00 more than we walked in with. Hehehehe. I love it when that happens. I haven't been in a casino for almost a year. I know! I think I really enjoyed it because the week before we took a day trip which didn't turn out as planned. Wasn't that enjoyable. I was bummed.

Talked to my brother in WA. Saturday night. He says he's planning on coming out for my birthday - October. I'm so excited! I love it when he comes to visit. Which is not often. Now I just hope he doesn't tell my brother. They're twins. And my brother down in the suburbs of Mpls. latches on to whoever comes to visit. Therefore, we get to spend one day with our visitor and he takes control and makes them come to his home for the rest of the duration. Really pisses me off. And if he can, he makes sure he comes up here on the day someone gets here. So BH and I have no quality time with family alone. Aggravating!!

I have been spinning. Think I've got almost a pound of the Shetland done; just 3 more pounds to go! Of this wool. Not the whole stash. Don't be silly.

Ah, and I started knitting. Finally found a pattern for the beaded, silky brown that I've tried half a dozen times to make something with. Very simple pattern. 3 stitches, 2 rows for the pattern. And it's very lacy. Keeping my fingers crossed. Now the only question is if I have enough yarn to complete the shawl I have in mind. But, what the hell. Throwing caution to the wind and moving forward.

I think I'm also going to get started on another pair of socks and another Norwegian ski cap. Ah, yes, Fall is definitely upon us!

Doing better with the Facebook thing. I'm conversing a bit more. But I still get the feeling I'm eavesdropping on other people's conversations. Weird feeling.

I have not done any weeding or whacking in the gardens. They don't look too bad. I'm kinda hoping for the hard frost. Then I can just go clean everything out and cut down the perennials. Done.

Also trying to convince myself that it would be better to leave the painting of the family room go until next Spring. Afterall, winter and the woodstove are just going to make everything all sooty again. Spring would be best. Then the guy on the other shoulder tells me "get it done NOW! It'll look so much better for the holidays and you'll feel so much more relaxed and comfy with a new look for the room". But you don't understand. I've got a lot of spinning to do. I've got things I want to knit up with my beautiful yarn. I've got a quilt to sew up for a Christmas present. I've got other things to do. Afterall, it's Fall!!

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood......

Well, it's a beautiful morning - promising to be a gorgeous day! Love it! More heat and humidity for the weekend, but I don't want to talk about that now.

BH and I are going for a long drive today. Where? Don't know. Who cares. Just want to get out of the house and enjoy. We are planning on stopping at "Gordy's" restaurant in Cloquet for dinner. Can't wait!

I am still trudging on with spinning the notorious Shetland wool. BH thinks I should just throw it out. Wwhhaatt?! Are you crazy??!! Throw out wool?? Who does such a thing? Why, the spinning gods would make my wheels go all wonky. I'd never be able to spin a fingering yarn again!! What is wrong with you?!

Men. They just don't get it.

Yesterday I had planned on doing lots of constructive things. Nada. My energy level dropped through the floor. I think this is a sign. Fall is definitely on it's way. I have this theory about winter. We are meant to hibernate. To sleep. To eat. To watch TV. To knit. To cuddle. We are not meant to continue our never ending chores that wear us to the bone. I'm just saying. So I think this is the precursor. Slowing down. Getting ready. I wish I had a gigantic cinnamon roll right now. You know, start building up the caloric content in the body for the long winter ahead. But I'm too tired to make any. Ah, that's what bakeries are for! And restaurants. Some people don't get that this is the slow-down time ----thank God!!

I'm still trying to get into the FB groove. Sent messages to 3 family members today and found an old friend I've lost contact with for years. That was a nice surprise. We'll see how it goes. I think I'm going to post some new pictures too.

I did manage to go outside yesterday and pull some dead flower stalks. Dead! Already! See what I mean? I intended to weed the gardens and weedwhack. But by the time I finished pulling some of the dead foliage, I was tired. Time for a nap.

Forced myself to make a great dinner. Fried chicken, baked sweet potatoes, peas/carrots and applesauce. I even made the honey mustard sauce for the chicken. Delicious. I was proud of myself. BH was happy. That's what it's all about, after all.

Well, think I'll get back to the spinning wheel before something weird happens. Gotta keep at it! Keep the gods happy!! I've still got plenty of good wool to spin!

No....Seriously...........

This is going to be my new catch phrase...eh....word? "seriously". "seriously?" "are you serious?" "no. seriously".

I've heard it quite often. It makes me chuckle to myself when I hear it in context. I think it takes the place of "Duhh".

I think my age is beginning to show. It is beginning to hit me where it hurts. Cases in point:

While perusing FB, I go to some photos of my stepdaughter. The caption reads "J has his first lemon shot". Ok. It seems my 13 year old grandson is doing a lemon liquer shot with his mother. The apple of my husband's eye; his youngest child, who has brought herself up from the depths of adversity, being a single mom, now in school for her registered nurse degree, daughter of an alcoholic, floozy mother.

SERIOUSLY???

My youngest brother (age 42) has just moved out of the duplex my sister bought so he and his 11 year old son could have a stable place to live, rented another house so he could re-unite with his ex wife, who got pregnant by another man while still married to my brother, and now has 5 kids by 4 different men (including the one by brother) and was a hooker when my brother met her. Oh, but that's not the punchline. He left my sister's house in a shambles. Holes in the walls; cat and dog urine drenched carpeting throughout; bathroom ceiling falling in (which he was supposed to replace a year ago. Sister bought the supplies), a backyard torn up and covered in dog crap, 2 broken inside doors to be replaced, and God knows what else.

ARE YOU SERIOUS??

Son calls Monday night to say the maintainence guys for his apartment complex are coming in to fix the damage from a leaking roof and repaint. He must move all his belongings to the center of the room. He's going to have to take Tuesday off from work. Can't have strangers moving his posessions all around. He found a bedbug crawling up the wall above his bed. OMG! What does this mean? Where did it come from? Are there more? He's gotta move. He's going to have to break his lease. And his paycheck got lost. Payroll dept. doesn't know where it is or how to track it down.

REALLY. SERIOUSLY? ARE YOU SERIOUS?

Our handicapped daughter was supposed to receive her renter's rebate check last week. (it's a Minnesota thing). Stepson got his right on time. Daughter .........not yet!! I keep checking her bank account for the deposit. Nope. So I went to the State's website. Page entitled "Where's my refund?". Filled out the required info. Answer: Amount has been deposited in your account as requested on your rebate form. We are not responsible for the bank's posting of the check. Contact your bank as to the deposit status.

SERIOUSLY? I MEAN, SERIOUSLY??

We were informed yesterday at work that this weekend will be another full house; a wedding in town. We are down to 4 housekeepers. No prospects in sight. Not to mention that next weekend - Labor Day - full house for 3 days. We have a weekend of festivities here in our little berg which anyone from 500 miles around seems to want to partake.

AW C'MON. ARE YOU SERIOUS??

Ah, the Egg Scare. I have a dozen and half eggs in my fridge. The local tv station has been giving us updates and warnings for the past 5 days. They say they have updated their website with more distributors and lot numbers. I go on the site this morning. My egg cartons are not listed there. Good. The lot numbers? On my egg cartons, the print does not show up and most of the numbers are missing!

NO. SERIOUSLY??

The eggs will be going out to the compost pile. The foxes and raccoons are on their own!!

Let's get back to FB. Yes, I admit I've been spending more time there than I ever thought I would. I'm trying to fit in. Not going to happen. These people are mostly my relations. I have nothing in common with them. I have tried. SERIOUSLY. I'm not into the games. I don't care when your dentist appointment is or what time you went to bed last night. My SIL who is on FB chat quite a bit, so I thought "great! at least I'll get to chat it up with her", has announced that she will be taking time off from FB and chat to go full speed ahead with her crafting for some craft shows coming up.

AW, SERIOUSLY??

And I have been spinning. Right now I'm doing a black Shetland. About 3 or 4 pounds worth. To be plied with a handpainted singles in fall colors. I bought the Shetland wool a . long . time . ago. Over the internet, from a spinning group who gets it from a zoo, processes it and sells it for charity.

I love the Shetland. It's soft, luxurious, makes beautiful yarn. That is, once you have just about ripped out all your hair and vow on your saved soul that you will never spin again! That's right. It has been carded, but with a lot of teeny, tiny bits of vegetable matter, knots, short cuts, lumps, bumps and anything else that may have worked its way into the wool. Spin 2 inches. stop. remove undesirables. spin. stop. remove. spin......stop........ You get the picture.

Oh and that's not all. I also have about 2 pounds of grey Shetland wool I bought at the same time. It's still sitting in the storage tote. Waiting. Snickering at me. I can hear it.

ARE YOU SERIOUS?? SERIOUSLY?? NO. SERIOUSLY!

Well I guess I better hike myself up by my bootstraps and get at it. I have a feeling it's going to be quite a while before I'm knitting with this particular yarn.

SERIOUSLY!

What a Life.............

Good grief! I have an hour before I have to get ready for work. Work......we just lost another co-worker yesterday. She found another job. That brings us down to 4. During the summer. The busiest season. Full house every weekend; almost full on weekdays. Long hours. No employee prospects in the near future - like by Monday??

BH has told me he wants me to quit by Spring of next year. He doesn't want to spend another summer basically alone and no time for us to enjoy ourselves. OK!! sounds good to me. This is what will keep me going for the next 8 months. Onward and upward!

The heat and humidity is back. Supposed to last for just a few days. I certainly hope so. I am SO ready for Fall!

Still spinning. Grass needs cutting so bad as does weedwhacking. However, we have been having torrential rain storms every other day for about a week now. We could be doing yardwork every other day. Not conducive with my schedule of things I really want to do. Can I get an "Amen!"? Maybe we'll just wait for frost to kill it all. Sounds like a plan.

BH is going to a tool auction today. Egads. I can't be there, so lord knows what he'll come home with. They have laptop computers also. I have a feeling........

Nothing else going on. Just trying to maintain and abide. Boring. Boring. I'm still trying to psyche myself up to get involved in Facebook. I don't know. Everytime I go there, I just can't seem to get involved. And just about all my family participates. I must be getting too old.

I can't wait for the cool weather to come back - permanently. Still got a lot of things to do around here. Cool weather always gives me a great burst of energy.

Wishing you all a great weekend!

The Rise and Fall......

Ok, so last week the temperature kept rising and rising, as did the humidity. I swear it has to go higher than 100%!! I mean, when you sweat just breathing ---c'mon. You know it's higher than 100%. Hate it. Hate. It.

Ahh, but this week -- it is cool. I mean really cool. That's cool! I've had enough of summer. Bring on the Fall. I absolutely love Fall. But unfortunately, not what comes after. (the W word).

I have been spinning like crazy. Almost got one storage tub of roving finished. Not a large tub, mind you, but hey, it's a tub that's just about finished. No knitting yet. But I have been thinking of the next project.

I've also got sewing on my mind. I'm thinking of setting up the table in the spare room and getting started on a quilt that will be a Christmas present for son and fiance.

There are a few things yet to do around the house. I'm thinking after Labor Day I'll get started on that. I do a lot of thinking. Now if I could just put it into action! Geezz.

What else? Well, work, work, work. Very busy. That's another reason I can't wait for summer to be over. People will go home. The work load will ease up a bit. And I'll have more time for --- spinning, knitting and sewing! More "me" time. We never seem to have enough.

Son, fiance and grandson were supposed to come up this past weekend. We had to cancel. Damn! 2 weeks before, they had to cancel. Looks like we may not get together until Christmas! And that depends on the weather.

Why cancel? Well, BH hurt his leg a couple of weeks ago. I think I mentioned that before. Anyway, he tried to go fishing that Wednesday. No go. Couldn't manuever around in the boat. Has trouble walking. Soooo-----called and made an appointment with the doctor on Monday. We went yesterday. He had an xray. Yep. 2 shards of steel in the knee. One on the side and one in the middle of the kneecap. Small shards; 3mm and 2.5mm. The one on the kneecap BH says happened some time ago. (Hmmm, never heard about that one!) The one on the side is the trouble maker. It's not in the bone, but under the skin. How far, the doc doesn't know.

Then the doc starts talking about contacting a general surgeon. BH turns white. I can tell his brain is screaming "danger. Danger. Delete. Delete". He asks the question "what if I just leave it alone?" "Well, you could do that and hope it doesn't get infected. If it does, that could mean more problems".

Needless to say, he's going to take the gamble and wait it out. Silly man. I don't have a good feeling about this.

I know you've heard this before, but "it's a good thing men don't have to give birth. There would be no human race"!!

Well, you know the routine. Housework today. More spinning, hopefully. Tomorrow I'm hoping we can take a day trip. I heard about a great restaurant about an hour from here. I would really like to try it out. For you northern Minnesotans, do you know "Gordy's" up in Cloquet? My friend was telling me about the great food and extensive menu. When she mentioned "taco salad", she had me! I would travel anywhere for taco salad!

Need to make an appointment for an oil change on the van. The car has been repaired. Has it ever! $567.00 worth. Holy s**t!! But I can't say I didn't contemplate it was going to be quite an ordeal. So it wasn't a total surprise.

Finally got daughter's new A/C put in and her new dresser was delivered last week. I haven't seen it yet. She said all went well. No scratches or dings. They put it in place for her and she put her clothes in the drawers. God, I hope she didn't pack them in. She says she didn't. But her idea of "packing" and mine are a bit different! Maybe I'll get there next week and check it out.

Anybody on "Facebook"? I was on it for a while. Then I cancelled it a couple of months ago. This week I re-joined. I don't know. I just don't get it. I read all the posts, check out who's there, see if anyone new joined. But I just don't get it!! I guess I'm just not one to report what I had for supper every day, or that the cat just threw up another hairball. Am I missing something?? Actually, I wanted to chat with my SIL, but everytime I'm on, she's not.

Ohhh, another gold star for me!! I finally got the collage frames done and hung on the dining room wall! All I have left now is the collage of fishing pictures for BH to hang in the spare room. I'll get to that eventually.

Hey, does this remind you of "Facebook" blogs and blurbs?? Uh oh.

Tornado......Tomato

Ok, tornadoes have nothing to do with tomatoes, and visa versa. We have been under sooo many tornado watches and warnings these past 2 months, I am sick to death! Enough already! No more with the tornado scare. Pleeassee!

Yesterday's weather alert had warnings and watches until 1:00am this morning. I went to bed at 10:30; BH said he would stay up until the danger passed. I don't know what time he came to bed. He's such a good guy!

And don't get me started on the heat and humidity! What the hell is this?! This is Minnesota, for god's sake. You know, Northern USA; and we live way north. Where's the cool weather, breezy temps, beautiful skies? And the RAIN! Geezz.

We've been swamped at work. Not good on hot, humid days. The energy level drops real quick.

After 3 weeks of running into the town where the daughter lives ( an hour each direction), we finally found out her hip is not out of place; all is good. We also managed to find the much needed dresser, which will be delivered this Wednesday. Which means another trip to her apartment to remove the old dresser. I hope this is it for a while.

Finally got the car into the repair shop. Yep. Not good. The right wheel hub was shot; brakes were bad; rotors bad; tune-up, yes. Ok. Do it. It has to be done. Our mechanic said if we waited for the hub assembly to come in, he could do the brakes at the same time and save us labor costs. Because the brakes have to come off to replace the hub. Ok. Sounds good.

Total cost: $562.00. And the left hub will need to be replaced some time. "They can last a long time or go quickly", says the mechanic. Also "the rear brakes will need to be replaced before the snow flies".

I seriously need to start playing the Lottery! Keep on working.

BH's leg is doing much better. Did I tell you that a piece of steel broke off the sledge hammer while he was chopping wood and hit the side of his knee - right on the bone? Well, it did. Laid him up for almost a week. No infection, thank God.

Son, fiance and grandson are supposed to come up this weekend. I'm taking Saturday off from work. The hell with it. I need some "fun" time. They were supposed to be here 2 weeks ago but she got some kind of bug and under the weather for quite some time.

Now I have to plan Saturday's dinner. There are 4 trout in the freezer. We better eat them soon. Son can show me how to cook them. I did buy steaks (cheapy ones, but very good). We can have "surf and turf" poorman style!

I see by the clock on the wall that I better get my arse moving. Breakfast, cleanup and get ready for work. Think "Lottery" tickets!

There Must Be a Full Moon!......

This has been one very weird day! There must be a full moon tonight.

Got the housecleaning done. Yea! But......

I totally forgot to take the car up to the mechanic for an oil change and tune up as well as check to see why it's rumbling underneath! I'll have to stop there on my way to work tomorrow, make my apologies and re-schedule for next Thursday. I hope. Then I'm going to put a big note on the fridge so I won't forget again. (I did have a note next to the phone, on the kitchen counter. I cleaned the counter today and never noticed the note!)

Son and company were coming up this weekend for fishing. So I thought I would make 2 pies for dessert on Saturday - a Dutch apple and a strawberry/rhubarb. Just got the pie dough all rolled out and Son calls. Fiance is down with some kind of bug. She's been fighting it for a couple of weeks. Re-schedule in another 2 weeks.

Hmmm. The apples, strawberries and rhubarb are partially thawed, pie dough is in the pans. Better finish the pies. They can go into the freezer. BH may want to keep one out, though. Ok. I have enough of each fruit to make up another in 2 weeks.

BH was out sawing and chopping wood today. Out of my hair all day. Great. But by 12:00, I finished my work and I don't hear the chain saw or the mallet. Oh well, he's probably puttering around back there. At about 1:45 I hear the outside spiquet turn on. Oh well, he's busy with something. Then I see him coming up the stairs. He's limping. What's wrong? Nothing. He sits down on the deck to take off his shoes. There are strange spots on his socks; there's dried blood on the side of his knee. What happened??

Well, he was hitting the wedge with the mallet when a piece of steel broke off the mallet and flew into his leg. Shrapnel. It hit the bone on the side of the knee. A bloody gash about 2 1/2" long. Dried blood, thank goodness. So it's onto the recliner, ice pack and pillow under the knee. He then proceeds to tell me that when it happened, he washed the blood off and started feeling nauseous, lightheaded. He had to sit outside, in the back yard, for a while before he could manage to come in the house! We are on "wound watch" now. He is still in a lot of pain.

"This is why you cannot be outside by yourself. This is why I'm constantly asking you what you're doing" was my statement. "No more outside by yourself for you" is my ruling. Which he will overrule.

Then I forgot all about the bills that I wanted to get written out tonight so I can drop them in the mail tomorrow morning. Geez. I will have to write out a couple in the morning so they get out on time.

I keep thinking today is Friday.

We sat down to watch "Sherlock Holmes" with Robert Downey, Jr last night. Got our strawberry sundaes ready; put the dvd in. 15 minutes into the movie, BH says "are you sure this is the right movie?" "Of course it is" I spouted out as soon as he finished his sentence. Ten seconds later: "wait a minute. Did you see his name in the opening?" "No" says BH.

I get up, get the sleeve it came in and read the movie plot. Son- of- a- pup! IT'S THE WRONG MOVIE! THEY SENT US THE WRONG MOVIE! This has actors we never heard of and the plot has dinosaurs and a giant squid!! It IS a Sherlock Holmes movie, though.

Go to the computer. Get the movie provider up. Go to our que. Check our listings. Check "Sherlock Holmes" movies. One listed for 2009. Check the plot and actors. Yep. That's the one we wanted. BUT NOT THE ONE WE GOT! The bad one was not even listed.

Clicked on "report a problem". You bet. Checked "rate this movie". WHOA, BABY!! You wouldn't believe the tens of people who got the same wrong movie! Lots of anger out there! So I added my 2 cents. And re-ordered the movie we want. Can't wait to see how this turns out!

Let's see. What else weird happened? Oh. I started putting pictures together for my collage frames. On the computer. Got the first four frames all printed out. 4 pictures each frame. The next 2 frames have 5 picture slots each. The pictures I want for these ----- well, the number 8 total. That leaves me with 2 blank openings to fill. I do not have any more pictures for these. They are supposed to be candid photos of all our grown kids - 8 kids. Crype sakes!

So, on the computer. Look up clip art. Find Irish symbols. Yes!! The "Tree of Life" and the "Claddagh". Perfect! Now I'll just print the pictures and symbols out tomorrow. Geez, I hope the printer doesn't run out of ink!

Pictures!.....

Well, someday I'll figure out how to arrange pictures! But anyway, here's the new Traveler all put together. Some painted BFL on the bobbin. The orange, which is really a golden pumpkin color, NOT orange (damn camera) on a bobbin. The blue (it is a beautiful baby blue-camera again!) yarn ball is a 3ply with glitz, worsted weight. And the pinky ball is Merino 3ply, 2 white singles and a pink, blue and pale green painted ply, sport weight.

Can anyone tell me how to get these pictures lined up? This is frustrating! I can't move them into position once they're downloaded onto the page.

Aaarrgghhh!

Well anyway. I've managed to do a lot of spinning these past couple of weeks. A lot, for me, that is. I still haven't frogged the shawl. Just can't bring myself to do it. I keep looking at it thinking "this will work". But I know it won't! I will frog. I will frog.

Son, fiance and grandson are supposed to be coming up this weekend for fishing. Haven't seen fiance since Christmas! I think we'll have a great time. I hope. I think it's supposed to rain on Saturday. Good grief.