Thanksgiving

Well it is midnight and everyone is tucked in and awaiting the big feast. Me, I am of course wondering what I ate that gave me heartburn! It is all of that taste testing to get it right, but I am ready.

This year seems to be a bit laid back. Most of my family is like that anyway which is why we don't have those anxiety ridden holidays like some. I don't really care if your late for dinner, we have a microwave. Dinner may run a little late, but hey there is plenty of snacks to cure your starvation. We just roll with the punches. The best part of Thanksgiving and the other holidays are the laughs you get to share and you know me I love a good laugh!

We were reminiscing and my sister had brought up the time her boyfriend came to our house the first time for Christmas. We had several appetizers and one of them was meatballs. It was like a scene from one of those date movies: He is in the middle of a conversation and feels somewhat put on the spot like his every move is being scrutinized and then the meatball falls off the plate onto the floor. Oh no! It travels what seems like a mile across the beige carpet leaving a trail of the brightest red sauce on the way. Who would think a meatball could travel that far from a slight tip of the plate. Shit this is not happening to me! The look on that poor guys face was precious!

We were discussing how things have changed over the years when it comes to holidays and families. More and more people are having to work the holidays which makes things a tad more hectic for them. This is why I think the world is spinning too fast. Do we really need McDonalds to be open for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Do we really need 98 percent of all retail stores open on these days. I am sure that these employees would love to have the day off to spend with their loved ones and celebrate. Come on let's get back to the basics and celebrate what you need to be thankful for- family, good health, and good friends. So to all of you bloggers out there Happy Thanksgiving!

to be continued......

I have started four different pages today. I just can't get my mind to concentrate on one particular event or topic. I need COKE!!!!!!!!! First I would like to thank Lori for listing me as one of her picks for the Marie Antoinette Award. I do read lots of blogs but don't always leave comments. There are many that are quite interesting to read and I will be listing just a small sample of interesting blogs to visit on my next entry.

This week has been hectic to say the least. Lisa is struggling to maintain her sanity and get through this years battle of bad health. I hope this is not a prelude to what is coming after 40. Having just gone through cervical spine surgery she has also been newly diagnosed as having diabetes type two. Well at least its a good thing that it is type two and not type one, however the hard part is that she is in between the stages of controlling it by medication or diet. The diet part is not so hard, but what most people do not know about diabetics is that their glucose levels can really fluctuate with stress and illness. Well last week she sustained a back injury at work and her glucose levels skyrocketed which meant a trip to the hospital, a few days stay, and new medication regiment. What a double whammy!

So on my trips back and forth to the hospital I pass the wanna be German Sheppard breeder kennel that I wrote about earlier. The owner has found it suitable now to at least put wooden pallets in the kennels for the dogs to lay on instead of just gravel. How nice! I have also discovered that I may get pictures without being noticed at a certain time of day. I feel really bad for these dogs and now have more time to spend on this project to get someone to notice the cruelty and inhumane living conditions.

We had snow yesterday and it was really frigid. The kids were outside today sled ridding and our dogs were loving it. It is just a reminder of Christmas right around the corner. I stopped at our local post office and it was late in the evening with only a handful of people left to service. A man in line asked a most unusual question that just seemed to captivate every ones attention. "Do you get letters that are addressed to Santa and if so what do you do with them?" You could have heard a pin drop, everyone wanted to know the answer to this question. Well here Santa letters are picked up by the local VFW and Lions Club and get answered via them. I thought that was the coolest thing to keep the spirit of Santa alive in all of those young minds. So a big hooray for those two organizations.

This week I am going to pick apart the health insurance companies. I quit smoking about 14 years ago. I used the cold turkey method. Of course you may have to attempt this several times, but never give up. I was a bitch for about two weeks, I ate more candy than willy wonka could make, I gained about 5 pounds, and I thought I had lockjaw from chewing so much gum. But I made it. Lisa still smokes and has thought about quitting several times. So she contacts her insurance company about their publicized smoking cessation program and takes a 10 minute survey via phone. Two weeks later her package comes in the mail. You have got to be kidding me! A big envelop stuffed with reading material, a rubber ball, and a magnet. Well the reading material is in the trash, the dogs have the ball, and the magnet is holding up our grocery list. So this is the program. I told her she should have sent it back and told them to stick it up their @#$!

The smoke and mirrors companies use to make themselves look worthy and competent is unbelievable. How much of our premiums are spent on this kind of stuff. It's a good thing Lisa doesn't take advantage of the invitro program. I get horrid thoughts of Rosemary's Baby running through my head.

Last I have two friends that are struggling with addiction in their families. This is a horrible plague for families in the United States. I have dealt with this up close and personal and it just destroys people. I had some work to do for a friend this week who was struggling with some medical issues of her own and I could tell something was really wrong. She was very hesitant but once comfortable spewed her overwhelming burden due to her 43 year old son being addicted to pain meds. and alcohol. I have known her for a long time and she has had a rough road to travel. Recently in the past year she lost her mother to cancer and her other son of 41 died of an overdose a month after her mom had passed. Now she is struggling to maintain her sanity and hold onto her last remaining close relative. She herself was a stay at home mom that drank very little and probably never even tried a joint. She never saw it coming and got blindsided by America's biggest affliction.

She is truly lost without a clue of what to do. She almost seems like she is afraid of her son but yet has a codependency of him. For all that think most drugs come on a street corner where your addict is born you could are so wrong. A whole new waive of addicts have been created in the 90's due to the over prescribing of opiates. To be continued.......

untitled

Why do we hide the reality of what is actually happening inside us and around us. I refer to it as the Painted Face Syndrome. No matter what happens, put the face on and act like it is all okay. Do people like to suffer inside? Is the fact of not having to be embarrassed so important? If you hide it will it just go away and no one will notice? Or is it the fact that no one will listen?

I am a dreamer, and a realist. I have courage and strength beyond the bounds to draw from but at times lack the direction in which to apply it. I possess the ability to be knocked down and get up, dust off, and move ahead. I feel comfortable in my own skin with the feeling to be satisfied with the choices I have made and not ashamed of but wiser from. The unfortunate thing about all of this is that I can't help someone else that really needs it.

To be able to give someone the confidence and power over their life would be a great gift. I think we need more motivational speakers in the world. We need to tear down the labels of thin, fat, ugly, wealthy, poor, and look at ourselves from the inside. Are you comfortable with who you are? There are ways to change, to feel whole again, and life to grasp!

The Obama's

Well I watched the interview on 60 minutes. Yes, the republican that I am watched with an open mind and was very much impressed and at ease with our new president elect and first lady. He did not falter, hesitate, or even have to think much before answering the onslaught of questions that were fired. I feel that we are in good hands and that the people have made a good choice to move us forward and out of this mess. I truly feel sorry for the man to have such a burden going into the presidency. I am also impressed with his wife Michele as the First Lady. She seems to have her own agenda, independence, and thoughts that she brings across in a positive and comfortable way in which you can identify with. I don't think that we have seen a first lady with such independent strength before. Most seemed to be what I consider as "arm trophies" to put it nicely. She will make a difference in her own way. I hope that the term treats them well and that they remain what appears to be truly connected with hope and dignity.

Faltering banks, automobile makers, mortgage crisis, the war, recession, ungodly deficit, and ragging unemployment. Now if that doesn't give them gray hair in one term then the man is ready to rule the planet. Good luck to the Obama's!

Case of the bubblies

Passed the house with the dog kennel yesterday and came up with a plan. My sister is coming up soon and her and I are going to park our vehicle and walk down close to the water where the kennel is to try to get the pictures. Once we have them then I am going to try some of every ones suggestions. I am definitely going to post on the web to get some response.

Yesterday was just a plain rainy and ugly day. So we passed some time away playing pool. It had been awhile since we played. Well one game turned into seventeen. We can become quite competitive sometimes.

I had been trying to get rid of a headache all day. I will admit that I am an addict! Yes I have an addiction and it is Coke. No not that the soda! I have been drinking coke since I can remember. I think I must have drank coke instead of milk as a baby.

Seriously I hate water and really don't drink much else but soda. After this past summer with all the problems I have been having with my stomach I have decided to try to follow the doctors orders and not drink carbonated beverages and definitely no coke. Damn ! I have had a headache that you wouldn't believe, laid down last night to get relief and woke up twelve hours later-good grief. I guess from caffeine withdrawal, but let me tell you after four days my stomach is already feeling 50% better. I can't decide what I miss most all the bubbles or the caffeine. So now it is onto punch, koolaid, iced tea, and yuck the dreaded water. I think I am a CO2 freak that just loves the fizzes. Prefer beer over wine but like champagne and Spumante. I have a serious case of the bubblies.

maggie and ten things most people don't know about me

"Wait don't change that channel animal planet is just starting"

"Where's the Popcorn"

Okay I yesterday I went out with a friend for shopping and lunch. We've been friends for a long time and a couple things came up that she said she never knew about me. Then I read Betty's page.

#1 When I was 21 I thought I wanted to be a police officer and went through the intial phase of application

#2 I hate to give speeches to large groups

#3 I get anxiety when I go to the dentist

#4 I was engaged to be married

#5 I know more than I project

#6 I was a carpenter for many years

#7 I have a worm phobia

#8 I have a sixth sense

#9 I am vain

#10 I have really small feet and it is hard to find shoes sometimes

How do you fix this?

For many months now I have passed a house that has several German Sheppard dogs that are in rough looking kennels. I always feel bad for the dogs but have not been able to determine how many they actually have. Then one day on the main road I saw a sign that said German Sheppard puppies $400.00 and I knew where they were coming from.

As I said before if you wait long enough you find things out from all the talk that circulates through the neighborhood. These people were breeding dogs.

Well this just ticks me off to no end due to the conditions these dogs are living. Yes they have food, yes they have shelter, but it is primitive. Good dogs don't come from wanna be breeders that know nothing of bloodlines, the proper testing or care of dogs. These people are just trying to make money off of these poor animals.

As I pass I try to check the conditions. The dogs are kept on very large stone. Can you imagine laying on that all day. Imagine laying on stone for months.

Finally I had enough and called the SPCA. They referred me to the planning and zoning department of the county first to see if they were licensed to run a kennel. Called planning and zoning they don't have those actual records I have to call the county treasures department. Called the treasurers department and yes they were licensed to run this kennel. They have seven full grown dogs that are licensed and planning and zoning approved this. They said to call back planning and zoning to complain which in turn they would call the SPCA. Planning and zoning said they only license the dogs that I would have to call the health department about the conditions. Hmmmmm! I am at the end of my patience here!

First I want to take pictures. How can county government approve such a primitive site to breed animals and license this. Myself and many others have adopted our dogs from the SPCA. Why are they there? Because of places like this!

Who wants to pay $400.00 for a dog that has never seen the inside of a house? That has not been socialized? That has not had the proper care?

I thought there were laws to protect animals. I thought the county and the SPCA would have some system set up that prevented breeding farms like this. They have 5 puppies that have not been sold and they look like they are about 6 months old. What will happen if they don't sell these puppies?

I am so angry with this situation. Poor breeding gives certain breeds a bad name. Poor breeding creates unwanted, unhealthy, dogs with poor dispositions. How do we end this?

I don't know where to start from here. I thought about taking pictures and sending them to our local government officials first, then the newspaper. How do you fix this?

Checkmate

Re entering the workforce is like a chess match. You anticipate what moves will be made to get that checkmate.

Well I was offered the job but at $2,000.00 less. I was kind of put out and offended. To them it is not that much, to me it is principal not money.

I had listened for two visits that totaled 2 1/2 hours of what they wanted and needed. I must work all holidays, work weekends, work swing shifts, supervise, lift morale, teach and instruct, and whatever comes my way.

My stipulation was salary. I don't like the game! I like straight forward this is what I want and mean it. I don't barter with life! Getting what you want is a must for you when you walk in the door, because with most companies raises can take awhile or there are none in times like these. You only get what you pay for! So I declined the position. I look at these things like they are either meant to be or not.

Sound kind of cranky don't I? I am today. I'll just give Lisa forty lashes and feel better! HaHa.

Watch out because the next entry gets worse, frustration beyond belief.

Lisa goes for hers today maybe she will have better luck and get a checkmate!

Party Crashers!

Of course we watch most of the Ravens games and get the football food ready. When the food came out we had two uninvited guests ready to crash the party. I guess they figured if they wore the right apparel no one would notice!

On the prowl

Wow things are really moving fast. Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Had my second interview yesterday. Lasted for 1 1/2 hours-jeesh! I have been offered the job but they need to see if the salary I requested is okayed. I am not budging on this. They want 50 hours minimum a week and of course all holidays and shift. I know I should be grateful and I really don't mind working hard but this is going to be more mental than physical. I applied at Willow Valley Resort and Conference Center and my job will be to supervise, teach, and motivate the kitchen staff. Believe me they are not happy campers. I have worked in many institutions and kitchens and this one has really low morale. Not a smile! I think I have my job cut out for me.

I keep telling myself that it doesn't have to be permanent, just get through this economy crisis and you can get back to business. The other neat thing is that I pass an auto dealership on the way and they have a really sweet looking car out front-now that's motivation!

I got home late last night, made a light dinner (stuffed mushrooms with roasted walnuts, sausage, stuffing, onion, cheddar, and a salad), had a thousand things running through my head, sat down to watch TV and I heard our cat.

That familiar high pitched meow that signals Abbey and I that she had gotten a mouse. Of course Lisa goes into her freaked out mode and runs to the bedroom locking the door. Well we just didn't have our synchronization down and this turned into and hour project. That was one fast mouse. Maggie would catch it, drop it, and every time I went to put it in a bucket it took off. Finally I captured it in a cat litter bucket and slammed the lid on and drove it down to the ponds and let it go. I can't stand to kill them because it takes them forever to die and seems really cruel. I did flush one half dead one down the toilet downstairs and of course Lisa wouldn't use that one for a month because she thinks they can climb back up (it probably could but I won't let her know it, she would never use it again).

Didn't feel so hot when I went to bed. Next thing I know I woke up and was really sick of the stomach. Actually threw up which I never do. Went back to bed then woke up again this time I had diarrhea ( I know everyone is glad that I am sharing this). This is unusual for me I really don't get sick to often. Then it hit me. Over the summer I had a really bad bout with my stomach, finally went to the doctors and had a cat scan which was normal. Then after she looked over my history and exam she said I had a bout of diverticulitis. The week prior I had eaten alot of popcorn, seeds, nuts, and all that good stuff. This was the first time ever and it wasn't much fun. Then I recalled Lucy saying about her bout with the peanuts and Mexican food. So last night it must have been the walnuts and jalapeno cheddar fries. It seems that nuts and heat don't mix and make this flare up quicker. Believe me I don't feel like eating anything today.

So this household didn't get much sleep. I was in and out of the bed all night, Lisa couldn't sleep because of me and the fear of mice, Abbey and Rusty just wasn't sure what was going on, and Maggie was on the prowl all night for another mouse.

it was priceless

Thought I would share some fall colors around the house. I love this time of the year with all the color. Although, this weather makes me hungry. Made some fresh herb pizza dough then topped it off with mozzarella, Parmesan, bacon, and onion. It was really good. I did notice that the dough is not as fresh and airy the next day. Last night we had corned beef and cabbage with baby red potatoes. Today it is gonna be beef stew. We tried a new veggie sandwich on grilled panni bread. Red roasted peppers, Muenster cheese, grilled onion, mushroom, and zucchini. It was excellent! It's time to loose 5 pounds. Last year I dropped to what is suppose to be the ideal weight for my height which was 116. I can tell you that as you get older this is not a good thing. That's when I started getting really severe tendinitis and started to feel weak. The clothes fit great but when you reach a certain age weight loss does not look healthy and you don't feel physically strong. You also loose muscle mass. I equate this with the way boxers move up a weight class because of the stamina and strength. I have found that the ideal weight varies by age also. Mine seems to be 124. What a difference these pounds make. If you watch dancing with the stars you know that Susan Lucci is competing. She looks good but is a bit too frail and if you notice she does not have much strength. She does not have the muscle mass to compensate for the lack of weight. So the thought is to start now, loose about 5 or 6 pounds to make sure I leave room for all of the holiday treats.

Lisa went on a interview yesterday. Lisa has only had three jobs after she graduated. Wished I could say that! Lisa's sister and I could be interview experts. I warned her some of the interviews can be long and brutal. I wanted to laugh when she came home and was beside herself with all of the questions that were asked. Seven other people are applying for that same position and most will have to go back for a second interview. She goes for her other interview next week and we are keeping are fingers crossed. My second interview is tomorrow with the same company. My decision is I want what I am worth. I finished the business books last night to give me a better prospective on things and business has been good. All repeat customers, so now I need to concentrate on growing the operation. So I don't think I should settle for less. I have what it takes and what they need but I want top dollar. Scary!

I think our neighbor (the one that was robbed) has moved on, I have not seen any activity for weeks. I'm waiting for Barb (the owner) to come up so I can ask her. This is probably a really good thing. When we first purchased here we were under the impression that the homes in the community were owner occupied, but learned that there is a small percentage that are not. This can create some issues.

Went to Walmart yesterday and they had loads of Christmas stuff out. You know it is really not that far off. They had so much really cool stuff and I love looking at it all. I just get this surge of excitement and warm feeling when the season rolls around. I drive Lisa nuts because I start playing Christmas music so early.

My sister came for a brief visit awhile back. I noticed as we get older we do really get set in our ways. She is just plain noisy! She gets up early (she has insomnia) and starts digging around for a coffee cup slamming the cabinet doors, rattling around in the silverware drawer. I have never heard someone so noisy, and she burps. Yes, I said she burps. Really loud. In fact we all have burping issues. I think it is our soda consumption. My whole family is hooked on soda. When my sister visits it is nothing for her and I to go through a 12 pack a day. She could blow a match out from 50 feet. Well I kinda got away from what I was talking about. I keep the sugar, flour, and stuff in canisters. I was sitting at the table when she was making her coffee and I saw her put heaping teaspoons of kosher salt in her coffee thinking it was sugar. Yes, I had that evil anticipated wait of the reaction to come, of course I wasn't going to tell her. She lifted the cup to her mouth and took a big swig of that coffee. Her eyes widened, her lips tensed, and at this time I thought she was going to spew coffee all over the kitchen. I was laughing so hard I thought I was going to fall off the chair. She grimaced and took a deep gulp cringing as it reached her stomach. She gripped the end of the counter, roller her head around, which of course made me laugh harder and proceed to call me a $#@#%%. It was priceless.

Presidential Blues

It's over! Okay now we have to accept what we have been dealt. This good turn out to be a good thing, so I keep my hopes up because I think we need change also.

I am however not going to let this off the hook so easily. I did some research this morning to see the results of Maryland's individual counties. I knew that we lived in a red county. Oh my! I was quite shocked when I realized that more of the counties had voted Republican. Maryland has always been known to be a democratic state. It had been won by Obama as a democratic state. This puzzled me as I usually just accepted these facts in the past without question.

With more research I have found that of course our largest city and poorest counties voted democratic. Add up the number of people in these areas and that gives you the answer. Then I took the time to go over some of Baltimore City's election questions. Money needed for the library's, the opera house, the museum, and much more. These properties are declining because of the areas they are located in. Baltimore has become a very violent and unsafe city. People are leery to go to these attractions due to the crime level. We have had more police chiefs in 4 years than Paris Hilton has changed her shoes.

So I see now where the democratic vote comes from that makes up the electoral vote. This is putting voters off when they know that people that have never voted before signed up this year. No wonder the politicians attack these large cities to get the vote when it makes such a difference. When you have large apathetic communities ridden with crime, drugs, and corruption they want change. Unfortunately their ideal of change is to throw government money at this problem and I for one am tired of my tax money going towards this. So now the majority has had there say and let's hope they have made the right decision. Get ready for taxes to go up.
Maybe it's time to move to a red state to get rid of these presidential blues.

Ranting and feeling opinionated

Okay I just can't take it anymore.

I am going to refuse to watch the news for awhile. Why? Due to the following.

Obama has a Aunt that is an illegal immigrant living in public housing in Boston!
I am sorry but I find this distasteful! We have many American citizens that need housing that have been paying their taxes for years and they can't get it. We have people from hurricanes that need housing and they are still living in trailers, but Obama illegal relative is living in public housing. What is wrong with this picture?

I go for an interview and I need to have references, good credit, I get background checked and you would think I would be making six figures with the interviewing process ( I wished). However we can have the Senator from Alaska committing fraud and guess what? He can actually run for the same political office! That's just insane!

I watched 20/20 and always wondered about our voting machines. The program director sat right there on national television and stated that we spent something like 20 billion dollars of tax payers money for election machines that they did not know if they would work or not. The money was distributed to individual states even before the machines were built. Purely idiotic! He was appalled and resigned.

Palins wardrobe, Palins kids, blah blah. I agree with Palin. There is a set of double standards that we as a nation hold women accountable for. Did we asked any of the other presidential candidates in the past years how much they spent on their wardrobe? Do we not criticize women in the media if they are not up to Hollywood standards, sure we do. Do we asked the men how will they juggle family life? Of course not! This is 2008 not the 1800's.

The Phillie's win the World Series and the fans are destroying the front's of stores and defacing property. What the hell? I think these people would be really surprised if they went home and their house had the windows busted out or their cars had flat tires and paint across the sides. What are people thinking? Why is this stuff tolerated? Give'em some serious jail time and this will stop.

This stuff just drives me crazy.

On a good note we went to a nursery Halloween party on Wednesday. Boy was it cold! It was worth it though. The green houses were turned into decorated dining areas with a doo wop band performing in the front. They did have heaters and lit chimneas which made it cozy. Plenty of beer and wine but they ran short of food. This was a good way to interact with other landscapers and get some fresh ideal's. Last night we really didn't have many trick or treaters so I guess I'll be eating all the candy-oh just twist my arm.

We both got job interviews. I had mine yesterday as a Sous Chef at a Resort/Conference Center. I go back for the second interview next week. I don't know why but in this business they normally interview twice. Lisa has hers next week and things seemed to be looking up. She has applied for a cardiac cath tech at one of the hospitals and the director is the one who trained her many years ago. Funny how you run into people.

I am still not sure what to do. Business is still coming in just not as strong as the summer months. This position that I applied for offers good money but it is salary which means less time for business. I don't want my customer service to slide backwards. I am grateful for the opportunity but I struggle with making this decision.

This morning we had a large hauling job which took three truckloads of household stuff to the dump. I could not believe what this woman threw away. Lamps, suitcases, perfectly good stuff, shoes, pictures, tools, printer, and a 24 ft extension ladder that was almost new. I sold the ladder right away to someone else for $50.00. Steve took most of this stuff up to an auction house. She just got divorced and didn't want certain stuff. She didn't even want to have a yard sale.

Betty, I hope you read this. People will always disagree with the things others say. I don't deliberately try to offend someone, but they might not agree to what I say and take offense to it. I don't write for others I do it for myself and say what I want. If they don't like it I suggest to them not to read it. I did read about your grocery store incident about the Bible. I personally think that people have lost integrity. I think however that you probably really put him on the spot and he may think twice about doing that or he may pick up the Bible and actually read it. So you probably did accomplish something without knowing.

Most companies have put their mowers in storage. Not us! We mowed two lawns the other day and I will tell you it was cold. I said I didn't care, if they want lawns mowed in December we would do it. Machines don't earn money sitting in storage.

We had a group of wild turkeys out today in the neighborhood and of course I didn't have my camera. There is about 14 of them that travel around this time of year. They better hide soon with the economy being bad they might end up on someone's table. I know it is alot of ranting but I get these days when it all comes out.