Pride and Prejudice

PorkChop

2009-09-09T20:33:00.001-07:00

Wow it is hard to believe that I have not posted for such a long period of time. I've been wondering where the time has gone. I have been super busy with the business and work that I figure there will be plenty of time when winter rolls around. I've learned alot this summer about life in general. It boils down to not sweating the small stuff, enjoy the simple things in life while you can, take time out for family, and the fact that you come into this world without anything and you leave it without anything so enjoy what you have and what you can.

I love this time of year when the weather starts to cool down and you get that drift of crispness in the night air. Football season is about to start which creates a new buzz and something to look forward to. That of course could be due to my bad habit of betting on the games. Of course we started a little early gambling on the preseason games just for fun. It is kind of cool at the restaurant because we are Ravens fans, the restaurant across the street is Pittsburgh fans, and the one behind us are Eagle fans. This makes things pretty interesting.

The restaurant has been on a steady increase since opening and we are hoping that winter won't be too rough on us. I must say that I am tired of cooking seafood. How this has come about is strange but here we are an Irish pub and restaurant that sells more seafood and tenderloin than anything Irish. Someone please give me a pork chop!

Whirlwind

2009-06-24T09:35:00.000-07:00

Well I have started a new job as head chef at a small Irish Pub located on the water in an up and coming resort town. This has been a challenge trying to run a business and start up a new kitchen. The good thing is that the owners have agreed to a set schedule. This is not as glamorous as people think, nor as cool as it is depicted on TV in shows like top chef and hells kitchen. Well maybe Hell's kitchen. The great thing is that the restaurant/pub is small. The kitchen of course is hot as hell!

In the matter of three days we created new menus, changed up kitchen equipment, hired staff, created recipes, ordered the food which arrived at 3:00pm and opened the doors at 5:00pm. That was fun! I didn't sleep for three nights with constant thoughts of menu items and food preparation on my mind. It is not a glamorous job at all, but one in which a person can use their artistic and creative talents.

The best part of the job is the view. The restaurant sits right on the river and we get a good view of the sun setting on the water which is priceless to me. I have noticed that throughout my life I always seem to look for nature and calm surroundings. Lisa has had to help me more with business and lawn care which she despises. She actually has callous hands for the first time in 25 years. It has been a good thing for her to help out, that way she has more of an appreciation for blue collar workers and the jobs they perform. I think more people should experience this and get a better understanding of what it takes to keep the world turning.

So today has been my first day off to do nothing at all. I feel lazy but unproductive which is making it hard to rel axe. We did watch a new movie with Clint Eastwood called Grand Torino. I thought it was good. So life has been crazy recently like a whirlwind.

a good picnic

2009-06-12T19:40:00.000-07:00

We are having our community picnic tomorrow. We have never been in the ten years that we have lived here. We normally get a quarterly newsletter regarding information about what is going on in the community, some local news, and other tidbits. Then they get to the part about how they spend our money from the annual dues that are collected. This is the part that drew my attention. Last year they spent $700.00 on the community picnic-What! Okay, it is bring a dish but then they had a soft ice cream truck come in for the day, plus a pit barbecue cooker. Now we have decided to go and check this out this year. Lisa is wondering if she could manage to eat 10 years of paying for barbecue in one year. I really don't think that will happen.
Business took a hard hit this week losing three customers due to lack of funds and layoffs. We were told that the statistic for our area of foreclosure rate is getting higher. On the good side of things is that we will be getting a casino in the county and open by the end of 2010 which will bring 4500 jobs. That is great and badly needed.
I have found it really hard to write lately and even harder to find the positive in things. I have dealt with so many people that are struggling, irritable, unhappy, and curt. Still trying to maintain a pleasant attitude is hard. The other day I went to get supplies at home depot and the traffic was heavy and I thought I would be nice and let someone else go first at the stop sign. This guy is beeping his horn behind me shouting "come on, move it". I just wanted to stop right in the middle of all that traffic and punch him in the mouth! What is the hurry? What is 45 seconds to get in a store? There for a moment I visualized Kathy Bates in the movie Fried Green Tomatoes ramming her car into another. Finally I got a grip and went about my business.
So to get some peace I am going fishing this Sunday. I always found it really relaxing to sit and listen to mother nature and just let the time pass by. So tonight my thoughts will be that of a big fish and a good picnic.

Maryland tradition

2009-06-01T05:42:00.000-07:00

I thought this weekend that I would just take the time to chill and not think about much of anything. We decided that we would get some crabs on Saturday since the weather was so nice. Nothing better than that old Maryland tradition of eating steamed crabs and cold beer on a nice day. So we spread the newspaper out, poured a couple of cold ones and dug into the pile of crabs in the center, chatting away idly.
Well you know me and the mind started to wonder. Who actually discovered the crab and first ate one. Of course they would have gotten really sick if they ate it raw first. I wouldn't want to think about that. If you really look at crabs they are ugly as sin. Who would have thought they were even edible. Crabs being scavengers will eat anything and I am surprised that this does not deter people from eating them, I try not to think about it myself.
This brought back memories of when I was a teenager working at a local crab house. Myself and two other boys were the crab steamers on the weekends. The delivery of about 50 bushel crab would come and we would stock them in the refrigerated truck by the steamer room. We had three huge steamers that were about four feet tall and 3 ft in diameter that were fueled by a propane line. Each came with 4 steamer baskets that you could layer on top of each other. Then we had the chiller. A mammoth steel vat with a flat screen on the bottom that was attached to a center rod and pulley system. First we turned the drain cocks off, then started filling the chiller with water, we had to add about 300 pounds of ice to the water then we were ready to start adding the crabs. For those of you that have never steamed crabs before they can become very lively and fast to get away while guarding themselves with their claws open and ready to chomp down on anyone that touches them. Once you experience a really bad pinch you don't want to again. The cold air in the refrigerated truck subdues them enough to get the lid off and dump them onto the steel table. This is done to check for dead crabs before they get into the chiller. However you can not take to long to sort because they become very agitated quickly. We had to be fast and accurate picking them up and whizzing them into the chiller. We have chased many escapees all the way out to the parking lot. We had a rule that if they made it to the outside steamer door they were spared the fate of the steamer pot.
Once this is done they go into the chiller which will put them into a long hypnotic state. The crabs stayed in the chiller for about 20 minutes, then we would use the pulley system to lift the crabs slowly out of the ice water. This allowed us the time to fold the legs and claws in, arrange them in the baskets, season them , and get them into the steaming pots without getting pinched. The crabs will come out in that position also which is more presentable on the tray and it keeps the claws and legs from coming off.
This was a really popular crab house and we would spend hours steaming crabs. It was a really fun job and we had a good boss to work for. The surprising thing is that I have never steamed my own crabs since then. When we were packed the boss would come down and ask us to put on some extra salt or add some hot pepper flakes to the seasoning so the patrons would drink more beer.
Eating crabs has to be the most popular Maryland tradition.

Just Sick of IT!

2009-05-29T20:22:00.000-07:00

I have been busy working my tail off only to come home and hear on the news that things are getting better. Come on look around who are they trying to kid! The job market is not changing much, the car companies are still struggling, unemployment is high and people are out of work, homes are still being foreclosed on, gas prices are rising, and the banks are still trying to rip off the public.

I am really pissed about this. In one week I received two notices from credit card companies stating that they were going to raise their rates in June. Did we not give bail out money to the banks so they could in turn loan money to the public. I was furious over this. It is simply the principle of the matter that it is wrong. They want you to spend money to help the economy and once you do they want to make you pay extra for doing so. I say screw'em! I am paying off the one card and cancelling, then I will transfer the balance of the other to another bank. I do not intend to use anymore credit cards to purchase even a gallon of gas. This came after I looked at a bank statement and found a few small charges on my business checking account that is supposed to be free. Once I investigated it they were charges applied to my account by the bank just to include a copy of checks that were cashed. I never asked for this but was told that when one bank merged with another it was their policy, they had sent a letter. Not having that either. You want my account put that money back in it and keep that extra piece of paper that you are trying to charge me six dollars for. Then they were charging people a fee if they were on unemployment and were using a state debit card. Now that is just not right.

Cable bill came in and they raised that by two more dollars. This is the third time in one year. This stuff is what I call nickle and diming the public to make up for lost revenue. So now I cut back on our premium cable stations to just basic. I really believe we have entered a world of pure insanity. I remember when TV was free, when you only had one telephone and one car, life insurance was cheap, doctors made house calls, and you spent quality time instead of quantity time with your family.

Now newspapers are going out of business. Many read the paper online and pay a subscription fee. How many times has one newspaper been left at a diner or doctors office for not one but many people to read. I think the news went further. You can't compare sitting in front of a computer reading the days events to sitting in one of your favorite spots with something concrete in your hand that you can pass on to someone else and share. We are putting ourselves in the position of being ruled by those that create and possess the technology. Little by little it robs one of social skills and basic interaction with other human beings. Now we don't go to clubs, dances, church socials, or sporting events to meet someone, we just go online to look for love. By the way you have to pay for that too!

I am not a cheap person and enjoy the luxuries that life has to offer, but one that just does not like being pushed or taken advantage of. The world has become to money oriented and I for one and Just Sick of It!

America's Favorite Angel

2009-05-25T05:52:00.001-07:00

I have had so many things on my mind lately that I have found it hard to concentrate on one thing. Something that I found very moving was the documentary the Farrah Fawcett Story following her battle with cancer. An icon from the 70's and one of the most famous angels proved to the world that she was more than just hair and a big smile with her best acting to come in the eighties. The Burning Bed and Extremites proved she actually had the talent to act. I think these roles rose her popularity even more with the female population that could identify with her characters that were suffering spousal abuse in private. I don't think there was a young girl that didn't want to look like Farrah Fawcett or want one of the cool cars that she drove. The white cobra mustang with stripes. Of course there was the famous red swimsuit poster that every young boy in America probably had pinned on there wall. So it seems she has had a loyal following of fans through the years and once again she has given the world something to behold. A journey into the life of a struggling woman's battle with cancer.

Her story however has many exposures of just what types of things needed to change and should be changed. It was not just about her, but others, and for those to come. Due to her high profile and many others she was a victim of a breach of confidentiality of hospital records and information regarding her health care. Farrah exposed the hospital and the Star magazine of this breach and had taken her case to court to gain a huge victory for all of us in getting the laws changed to protect our privacy. Go Farrah! I have always believed that the stars pay a big price for fame and fortune and this was just more proof of that. Can you imagine someone snapping a picture of your mother right after she has had chemo treatments coming out of the hospital bearing the news of months to live. Just tasteless!

So following her story Farrah travels to Germany for laser knife treatment to remove lesions that have not yet been approved in the states. That particular part of the treatment did work by the way. Her take on this was the fact that there are types of treatments out there that work, why not make them available in the states. What is taking so long when this could potentially save lives? I think we lose sight that these people are just that "people". Yes they provide entertainment, but that is only their job. They struggle with life just as everyone else does, maybe just on a different level. It was rather sad to see her struggle and brought back flooding memories of my mothers struggle with cancer. That once vibrant young woman with the big hair and white flashing smile now frail and riddled with cancer bedridden in the end still full of hope for one more ounce of life. Farrah might just have been one of America's favorite angles as she has brought joy, protection, and maybe even hope for a cancer cure. What more can an Angel Do?

winning ticket

2009-05-14T20:59:00.000-07:00

Finally have some time to myself.
These are just some pictures of one of the jobs we did. I am too tired to mess with this computer to put things in order. What a weeding job this was. Actually we shoveled 2 yards of mulch out and 5 yards of mulch in, taking 1 yard of mulch to another location. What a back buster that can be.

So hopefully things will get back on course but I have learned a couple of things this year. No one is exempt from a recession and how to live with less. You get caught up in things and desires for stuff that you really don't need but just want. I am learning to shop better, save more, and enjoy what I have. I really don't miss much except for taking our big trip once a year. I have had a great deal of my friends wonder why I have chosen to do this type of work (really labor intensive). I must say that I enjoy hard work and sleep better with less on my mind. I like instant gratification in what I can do. Most of all there is no office Politics! Plus it helps keep me in shape and I get to meet more people in our community. I wish I had more equipment sometimes but wonder how other companies do it with the high cost of some of it. Most people pay anywhere from $5,500-$11,000 for a commercial mower and they will get two. Now that is alot of grass to cut to get that back plus labor, taxes, gas, license, and repairs. I bought mine used and they are still doing good knock on wood.

I did put flowers on my mothers grave for Mother's day than we went to Lisa mom's for a cookout and crabs. It turned out to be a nice day for everyone with really good weather. I miss going out and shopping for my mom. It used to be a challenge to come up with some cool ideals for the holidays and I always loved seeing the surprise on her face.

I put the dogs on a new food regimen about 3 months ago to help with the yeast in their ears. Golden retrievers are prone to this and it can be on going and unpleasant and itchy for them. After ear treatment and cleaning the vet recommended a new food which was an outrageous cost. More of a fish, potato, rice, fruit and vegetable blend of food. So being a chef I researched the ingredients and have been cooking their meals to add to a cut back portion of their dog food. Well let me tell you this has done wonders. Yeast has been gone, dogs have lost some weight, not as much waste in the yard, cheaper on the wallet, larger portions for the dog, and everyone is happy.

Well I missed the Kentucky Derby and didn't get to place a bet due to work. It is a good thing because I would have lost. Lisa however always plays the long shots. Next is the Preakness which I am looking forward to. I will be glued to the tv as they come out of the gate gripping onto what may be the winning ticket.

trees

2009-05-06T17:46:00.000-07:00

I am truly starting to believe we live in Seattle. Seriously it has rained for a week straight. These lawns are totally out of control and people are inquiring if we cut grass in the rain. Not! Soon I will have to accessorise the mowers with paddles. This wet grass just dulls the the blades in no time, not to mention that it takes twice as long to cut it. It has just been a really bomb of a week here. Damn grass growing almost 10 inches high on some lawns due to the fact of broken mowers and waiting to long to call for service. Then they want it cut short. It just doesn't work that way.

Today I went on a murdering rampage (not of my own control). On the way to a job of course a squirrel has to jut out in front of the truck. Before I could even hit the brakes I heard a small thud under the tire. I wished someone would invent a silent squirrel siren to place on your vehicle. Then I was only a mile down the road when 2 birds came down in front of the windshield then pow! One slammed directly into it! Scared the crap out of me at first. Then I had the great treat of picking half a bird wing off the windshield wiper-yuck! What a nasty start of a day. I knew it wasn't going to be any better. More wet, tall, unkept grass to mow-yuck!

I did check out the new owner of a small garage that just opened which has good prices.
I cut a deal with him to change the blades on the mowers at half the price the mower places charge. The best part of this is that he does it all on the same day. Hardly no waiting. I think he could pick up a great deal of business in this department he advertises it. These dealerships charge you and arm and a leg to do this type of work.

I really hate this much rain. Everything is wet and muddy to the point that I am even starting to spot snails. We never have snails!

I learned another hard lesson this week. Old friends can pick up very bad habits and may not be the same person you thought they were. Yes I knew better then to mix business and friendship, so actually I tried to keep things on the professional side while doing landscaping for a friend. I however did give her a better price since we have been friends for awhile. After the job was almost completed I gave her the invoice and said we would be back tomorrow to finish. The next day we finished the job and to my surprise she failed to give me a check. Well I thought she'll just drop it in the mail. Nine days later, no check. After an email inquiring about my payment she tells me that this month is tough and wondered if I can wait for payment. You have got to be kidding me. Who hires someone, then after they do a job tell them they don't have the money.

I was actually furious over this. I have equipment expenses, dump fees, payroll, and business expenses to pay. I am suppose to wait for my money while her no good lazy son rapes her of every dime she has for his drug habit. He should have had his butt out there doing it to help her so she didn't have to hire anyone in the first place. What are people thinking. He's 44 years old.

To me friends don't do this and would not dream of doing that. This is not the same person I knew years ago. Basically it comes down to this. I do a job for you , you pay me when it is done. I called her and told her I am sorry for her misfortune and I have a business to run, I need her to pay the invoice asap. It's not personal, but business. I am really kind of hurt and pissed off at the whole situation. Never again!

I am asking everyone that can help about our Leeland cypress trees. Accidentally sprayed with volck oil, which is causing them to turn brown. If anyone has a cure please let me know. I would really hate to lose all of these trees.

The Inevitable

2009-05-01T05:12:00.000-07:00

We knew it was coming but just not how soon. They laid Lisa off last Friday and closed the Pennsylvania office. This week we took all the jobs that the weather allowed and worked until 9:30 one night with lights. The good thing is we knew it was coming so have tried to prepare, I have work lined up for the next month to keep us really busy.

For those people that think the economy is getting better I have news for you, it is not! I work in several different types of communities doing lawn care and landscaping only to find people at home laid off. Some of the most prized communities have stopped lawn services altogether. We both have been applying for jobs. I have applied at factories for night shift so I can work during the day. Lisa has applied for a job listed in the city as a Cat Scan Technologist on the p.m. shift. During this interview she had been told that 7 other people applied and that 3 lived out of state. One will relocate from Wisconsin if she gets the job. Now tell me the economy is getting better.

I myself am dumbfounded at how people are doing the interview process. I am educated, have vast supervisory experience, culinary degree, great references, and can't even get a job working a night shift in the TastyKake factory. I guess that is a good thing because I would get fat eating all that good stuff. Oh well I will just have to move on. I do want to mention that I have noticed all the banks still have companies come in to basic clean, wash windows, lawn care, and to carpet clean. I guess they can afford it with the bail out money. As I sit and listen to the car commercials announcing what they will give you, I find that once again they are copying and competing with each others market campaign. GM needs a new marketing campaign and strategy. What are they doing with the bailout money?

Maybe I should write to congress and ask for a loan to bail us out. Now that is really walking around with your head in the clouds.

I had an interview with a restaurant corporation and was so totally amazed at how over the top the district manager was. I actually called the corporate office and spoke to human resources. Mind you this is a salary position. The man actually had the nerve to say there could be some 100 hour weeks involved. Is this even possible? I laughed as his face remained serious. He then proceeded to tell me what a prick people thought he was and that he could be. Okay now I never have had an interview go this way. His concern was that I had my own business and that I would not invest all my energy into management of their business. He was a retired cop trying to tell me about my field. Come on with this is not what you know but who you know politics. Okay let's get it over with, let me slice my wrist right now and give you blood. After all that is what your looking for. I proceeded to call HR and give them the lowdown of why the position was still vacant and how I felt this interview went. Of course I did not want the job either. I also did the math for her which would put one that worked that many hours better off at a local convenience store. Are they crazy!

So now we are trudging along like many others after the inevitable.

Hoy Award

2009-04-29T11:43:00.000-07:00

Among many of my talents I have to admit that computers are not one of them. I think it is my inability to sit still for long periods of time or that need for instant gratification that I don't get from the computer.

In reading post today I want to thank Lucy for passing on the Hoy Award from http://spikeandmarleene.blogspot.com/to to me . Very cool tag by the way! I have been reading many blogs for awhile and find that many offer a taste of life and experience that is entirely different from my own. I enjoy many and find it difficult to choose a couple to post. So I encourage everyone to surf and sample a taste of all that is to be had and enjoy what others bring to the table.

As you read blogs after awhile you start to identify with some of the writers. When I hear of Nebraska on the news Lucy, Joe, and Spunky come to mind and I will wonder how they are doing. As I am watching crafts being done on TV, Janie will come to my mind in Kansas (of course that is along with the mention of the Wizard of Oz). Sunny California brings pictures of Betty and Koda to mind, along with Claudia's description of surgical procedures performed in PA., Jacks adventures across country, and the Pioneer Womans life on a ranch. So excuse my neglect of links on this page which is basically due to a severe time crunch at the moment.

Opinion

2009-04-28T03:12:00.000-07:00

It was a long day yesterday and as we were traveling home the guys started talking about current topics. Cloning, Bush, the Presidents new dog, taxes, and other current news. I was really surprised by the different opinions and thought processes. They brought up some good points.

Most of them hate the fact that when they go to read the instruction manual on new products they have to flip through at least three different languages before finding the English version. Now one version was why has this changed so much, and is it making the cost of products go up? The States was originally integrated with several different nationalities years ago, but the main language was English. So why change it?

Obama's dog! Why are so many people interested in the dog that is going to live in the White House when so many are living in shelters. Some thought it was a foo foo dog. Others just didn't give a hoot.

The lady with so many babies and the doctor that implanted the embryo's. Can you believe we didn't even remember her name. I think it's Nadia. This one got a little vulgar so I won't repeat.

Dead beat Dads. Seems like most of them had solid childhoods with good dads and to my surprise the older guys even admitted how much they missed their Dad, even though they had passed on several years ago. Many of them made admission of physical correction by their fathers that seemed to have an impact on their memory. They felt that their upbringing had made them stand up men with dignity and honor and that they thought that was lacking in young men. There seems to be a code with guys. Your always there for your buddy, never hit a woman, man up to any debt, stand your ground, have good intention to do the right thing, take care of yours, and to have fun. Actually that all sounded pretty good to me.

What a dollar used to buy. Movies were .25 cents and you could watch it twice. A huge bag of popcorn, a draft beer, a shoe shine, and soft pretzels at the carnival were all .25 cents. Carnival rides were .10 cents and if your were nice to the carnies you got an extra ride. Gas was .65 cents a gallon. A dollar could buy you a couple soda pops, some candy, and you would still have a quarter left. TV was free and you had one that everybody watched.

The changing times. Most expressed happier days gone by and wished their children could have experienced some of what they had. Drive in movies, to play safely outside getting away from all of the computer garbage, fishing, and Sunday picnics and football games with friends. Most thought that children today are spoiled and lazy. Interesting, and some included their own in this category. They think kids today have too much. They grew up with minimal and more imagination compared to the excess that kids have today.

As I drove I just listened to all of this and wondered why men seemed more free to discuss their difference of opinion than women. To me women have more of a tendency to agree and be more diplomatic. I have read many other blogs that were based on current political news and opinion. Most all comments seemed to agree with their writers and I wondered why? Do people that have a different view feel inhibited to express this? Are they afraid someone will think less of them if they don't agree? Really now we all have one, we see the world from many different views, and we have the right to express them. Opinions are a very important tool. Presidential campaigns run on them. Yes it all is a matter of opinion.

grease monkey

2009-04-25T17:32:00.000-07:00

First I have to tell you about a new product experience. I normally buy those bleach tablets that you put in the toilet tank. In the past when I have run out I have used some regular bleach in that tank. So I went shopping and bought the new Clorox Plus Splashless. Ran out of tablets and poured some of this bleach in the back tank, did a flush and was not really paying attention as the tank filled. Came back into the bathroom only to discover and enormous amount of suds spewing out of the back of the tank. I grabbed a cup and start transferring the suds to the sink. Before I knew it the sink was full of suds. What the hell? Seems like fast running water just helped to create more suds. I guess the Plus meant more suds!

Where did all this heat come from? Who let the sun out? It is hard to believe these skyrocketing temperatures from one day to the next. Yes Al, I know it is part of global warming. I just can't keep up with things since spring hit. Everyone wants their grass cut and they wanted it yesterday. Why in the hell did I decide to call our business On Demand Services! That's what people expect too! Call in the morning and want that grass cut today! I am not really complaining, just amused at how people think.

I actually acquired a new client that is amazed that we have women mowing grass. He even had mentioned in a round about way if we mow in bikini tops. I was torn over how I felt about this and of course that wasn't happening. In one sense I understood that there was a whole new avenue of business there. Can you imagine seeing that ad in the help wanted section:

Wanted big busted, trim young women that can handle warm temperatures,
operate lawn equipment while wearing a bikini, and being oggled by
a few needy souls. Work for ON DEMAND SERVICES
(only mowing no other services are needed)
And here all this time I thought pay per view solved this problem!

I have hit upon a huge target clientele which is divorced and widowed women. They actually create to do list for us. Ranging from changing light bulbs, mulching flowerbeds, to waterproofing basements. I think it is time to expand but still fear the economy and am holding back from doing so. I would love to have a small tractor with a front end loader. It would make some of these jobs so much easier and less time consuming. I guess I will just have to put it on the wish list. I found something new to rent however. It is called the dingo and is a powered walk behind front end loader, post hole digger, trench digger, and raker. Relatively small for those small areas you need to work in. I want one. Guess I'll put that on my wish list too. I am learning that it is not hard to operate alot of the large equipment, it just takes practice.

I have been cutting corners everywhere to save money towards one ( a tractor) . Today it was trying to tune up the mower myself, change the truck oil, and flush the anti freeze. Well I went to the local parts store with all the info I thought that I would need for all this stuff and boy was I disappointed. Get home, get all the stuff out, ready to roll and change the truck oil first ( I have done this in the past on my other vehicles). Oh my God! I thought I was going to blow a big hernia across the driveway. There was no way that drain plug was moving. Three coats of WD-40 and a 3 foot extension pipe and 45 minutes later that thing was not budging. I really don't think men should be allowed to use air guns! They just put shit on entirely too tight! I moved on to other services, lawnmowers. Two down with oil changes, spark plugs, and new air filters. The last one was manufactured by the devil himself. I read the the damn manual front to back and it took me 1 hour to get the damn oil out. Now believe me I do not relish baking in the sun, sweating like a pig, breaking a nail, and getting my hands greasy. It is simply because I am cheap when it comes to certain things. I just can't get over the hump of a lawn mower mechanic getting sixty dollars and hour to change oil and install spark plugs. Then that brutal determination set in that I was getting this done come hell or high water. Well dusk came and I am still at it. For the life of me how can you take a model and serial number plus the owners manual into a parts store and they still give you the wrong air filter! Bummer!

Then came the final part. I purchase my first grease gun. After scanning the instructions I get the thing out do a quick review to check out how it works and install the lube. Oooh this thick pink oozy stuff. Oh my it is really smelly and greasy. It smells just like the garage when you take your car in to be worked on. This was a new experience for me because I just never realized how they got the grease into those little nodules. After the a day of hard labor and an education of how things work I retired to the house like a whooped puppy with an unusual odor that lingered in the air. As I prepared to take a shower, a cold mug of beer in hand , I looked into the mirror with horror. Nail polish worn off, grass and other what not in my hair, and grease smudges everywhere I had realized at that moment that I had turned into a grease monkey for the day!

Just Stuff

2009-04-19T18:43:00.000-07:00

On a good note we have been busy. We have had three days of rain right after Easter and lots of lawns to cut. Two landscaping jobs in progress and one painting job. Two estimates are out for pressure washing and deck sealing.
Now I know we are in a recession and that people don't have much money but to leave your grass get above 8 inches high and expect the same price is ridiculous! People just don't realize how hard this is on the blades and belts of really expensive mowers. I actually had to cut one lawn three times. I am going to post a picture of a job that is coming up just to show you what we face some days. If they are elderly I have no problem with this at all, but for a young healthy couple, or people that can afford it I am thinking about having them get another service to come in just to get a taste of those high rates.
I worked all weekend while the weather was good so we really didn't get to do much of anything interesting. We did order some crabs though. What a tease for the season. The weather was so nice here that I even got my first sunburn-whoopie!
As I was passing through town they had an early parade going on for the little league. Small but quaint. The kids seemed to be enjoying it. A client of mine had taken her niece to see the new Hanna Montanna movie and said it was really good. I think I will pass, but if you have kids I am sure they will like it.
I am ready for a little rain this week to get a day off so I can grocery shop. We had peas tonight with no butter-can you just imagine that?
I wished I would have had my camera with me the other day. As I was coming in to the neighborhood I saw a really bright colored beautiful pheasant. I stopped to watch as he strutted around oblivious to my presence. Then while mowing a yard I saw some movement in the grass ahead. Then a baby bunny popped up and was trying to run to the best of his ability. He was so young. So I stopped and to my surprise there were five babies running around only to make their way to the underneath of a row of cypress trees where the guys where hand mowing. I cut a big circle in the yard, got some gloves on and put them all back in their nest. They were so cute. Of course they would have been lunch for the dogs at my house.
Everyone seemed to be enjoying the weather this weekend. We went from wearing coats on one weekend to wearing shorts this weekend.

What are people thinking?

2009-04-15T19:44:00.000-07:00

Ham, Ham, Ham, and more Ham. I think I got carried away and bought a ham that was a little large. I am doing the whole thing of ham salad, ham and eggs, beans and ham, and the list goes on. I saw a recipe on TV the other day for deep fried deviled eggs. I am gonna have to try that one. Right now I have been obsessed with making a Cuban sandwich with mojo pork, ham, cheese, and pickles which we will be having tomorrow.

I have been reading alot of information about construction products and equipment and keep coming across the phrase "big box stores". Not fully understanding the reference, I read on only to find out that it refers to large home outlet stores such as Lowes and Home Depot. I found it very interesting that neither of these stores sell one of the top rated paints called Benjamin Moore. I found this odd since these stores are widely shopped around the country. It reminded me of jewelry in a sense. Could you find a Rolex watch at Walmart? Why is this? Many people that shop at Walmart could afford one. Why not have layaway for a high end item like this? Now I have my curiosity aroused about this Benjamin Moore paint that is suppose to be so good at $56.00 a gallon, I am going to have to buy a gallon just to see for myself. At that price it should come with the professional painter to apply it. This should be interesting.

It has rained for days here and all work is on hold-what a bummer. TV has proved to be interesting. Re enactments of the Boston Tea Party due to taxes, States scrambling to come up with ideas to increase revenue by taxing the sinful goods ( I better get that good bottle of bourbon now), one state even mentioned a crack tax- does that mean plumbers or pipe? ( now that has to be the best by far), and of course property tax hikes. Now they are thinking about putting a Casino right in Baltimore City. Not such a good ideal at this point since it rates in the top ten for violent cities, has had numerous police chiefs over the years and is currently under investigation for being corrupt, there is not enough parking, heavy traffic, and poverty. What are they thinking? You can't even get into a ball game without being hassled by the homeless and addicts. So the thought of getting away seemed really appealing until they showed the segment on bed bugs that have invaded hotels, and hospitals. I think I will just stay home.

I had a dentist appointment for a cleaning on Monday. I have been going to the same super busy office for 15 years. This was an entirely different visit. The office was dirty and unkept, they had let the cleaning service go. Only two patients were there to be seen unlike the usual ten. I was seated in the chair waiting to see Val the Hygienist and to my surprise she was no longer there. A small petite woman came in to do the cleaning. I was shocked to learn that it was the actual owner of the dental office that I have not seen in the entire fifteen years that I had been there. Normally there are two to three dentist working and two hygienist. They are taking a huge hit with the recession. People just don't have the money for dentistry and those that have lost their jobs have also lost their insurance. As the snowball rolls it seems to keep growing larger swallowing businesses and jobs in its path.

My sister called from Washington State. Her and her husband were going on a mini vacation to Oregon to see an MBA game. It was her birthday so she decided to get a new dress and wanted her makeup done. She went into Saks Fifth Avenue and inquired if she bought from a line of products if she could have her makeup done. The product she wanted was $63.00. The manager told her she needed to spend $200.00 then she could get it done. Of course she wasn't going to pay that kind of money. Later she went into a Nordstroms store, inquired, and the cosmetic counter was happy to apply her makeup for a small sale. What a difference! My sister has stated that she would never buy from Saks again. What are people thinking?

Happy Easter

2009-04-11T15:33:00.001-07:00

Well it is Saturday, Lisa and I are whipped. I gained a new client that wanted service asap, so we squeezed them in and were trying to beat the rain. They had 1 acre surrounded by Leeland cypress trees that needed mowing and trim. Lisa mowed between the cypress while I mowed and trimmed. Then they wanted 6 barberry bushes shaped, 3 dogwoods and 3 burning bushes cut way back, edging removed, weeds pulled, and some other what nots. This was after hanging wall border for someone. We now have a new man in our lives Ben Gay!

Is the economy getting better? I am busier because of the season, tax returns, and cutting prices. A friend of Lisa's just lost her job as an radiologic technologist in a Florida office. That indicates a big No to us. Lisa has applied for a cat scan position at a hospital in Baltimore. It is a 3pm-11pm position with on call once a week. A long drive to work but you do what you need to at this point.

This past year has really made me question the way we live. I am working and doing work that I enjoy but in reality how many years will I be able to do this type of work if the business doesn't grow enough to hire full time employees to lessen the physical load on myself. The house we live in takes up more time than both of us have and is more than what we use. We have to commute to get to work or enjoyable functions. The mileage and upkeep on our vehicles is high. So we have talked about moving. Lisa is thinking more of condo living and I am thinking small bungalow. I still want that privacy and small yard.

Of course this all comes after getting socked with a $320.00 truck shock bill and the need for $625.00 car struts. A hike in truck insurance, lack of work for Lisa, the leftover pangs of last years gas prices, and current electric hikes. I am a person that usually does not sit and wait until something forces my hand but, try to predict what might lie ahead and get a jump start on it. You enjoy different things at different stages of life and I think we are entering a new stage.

To me the things that should be simple are getting harder. I decided to give our riding mower a tuneup the other day to save money of course. Changed the oil, the gas filter, the air filter, replaced fuel line, and the spark plug all without a problem. By the way the cost of that was only $32.89 compared to $167.46 that was charged at the dealership. I noticed that the mechanics get $60.00 an hours to work on mowers. Went to change the blade and put on a sharpened one to no avail. King Kong himself must have put that blade one. I struggled for 2 hours trying to get it off. Then decided to take the whole mower deck off to make it easier. With each bolt and pin removed carefully writing down where everything went I finally got it off 1 hour into it. Not to bad I thought now I can remove the blade and really cleanup the underneath. Even with the deck off the bolt that held the blade was not budging. I had 4 feet of leverage and it was not budging. Several cuss words later, grease laden, and mad as hell I got the hammer out. A small sledge hammer will do wonders! I simply beat the hell out of it. Put the ratchet back on and it screwed right out. Now I am about 4 hours into this mower, did I save money-maybe. Did I get out all my frustration-yes and I won!

I didn't relish getting so dirty and thought it would be much nicer to have a small yard with a little cheap self propelled mower.

I have shopped around for truck shocks for over a month and priced them everywhere. Most were comparable in price so I bought locally. I wanted to put them on myself with the neighbors help but after the lawnmower incident I thought better of it. So I went to the garage in town and was told it would be a three hour wait after I made the appointment the day before. Just Great!
They get $70.00 an hour (they are really nice there though), which I really think this is outrageous pricing. I decided to walk to the bar and restaurant my friend owns in town for lunch.

During my walk I realized that I was the only person in town walking. I kind of felt like an alien from another planet. I wonder why people don't walk more, than realized because we live in a rural town everyone is used to driving. It was still strange. I had lunch and heard way too much of a conversation than I needed to between some men at the bar and the barmaid and decided to head back. On the way I stopped a small convenience store to buy lottery tickets and found two old friends sitting in there having a soda playing keno. Of course we are all gamblers and played awhile reminiscing about old times. We had fun but failed to win anything. Time was slipping by and I decided to walk up the side streets going back to the garage. This proved to be a good ideal.

As I was walking I noticed the homes that needed touch ups, grass mowed, mulch, minor paint jobs and other what nots. This would be a good target area for business and I already had an idea of what needed to be done. A couple residents were out on the porch enjoying the warm day as I stopped to exchange pleasantries. I continued my walk and realized just what a safe town this really is to live in. Oh my once again I am flooded with doubts about the possibility of relocating. Making it back to the garage I was still early but surprised that the mechanic had finished putting on the shocks. Yeah!

I have been dealing there for 10 years now and this is the first time they have asked me where I am from. They were under the impression that I am from the South. I have found this so amusing over the years that people ask me this. Even when I visited the parts of the South. Lisa even will bring up the way I pronounce different words such as bread, mask, sink, eggs, and such. This is what happens when you spend alot of time during formative years with Southern folk (as I have referred to in the past as my second family growing up). The blend of Baltimorian, Country Mason Dixon with West Virginian can make for a different vocabulary sometimes. When I work in Pennsylvania they think that I come from Tennessee. I often have to repeat myself or explain. It can be very strange sometimes.

Well tomorrow is Easter Sunday and supposed to be a sunny day. I miss the Easter egg hunts and Easter baskets. I guess it is still the child in me. My mother was still making me an Easter basket at the age of 32 so that is my excuse for not growing out of it. I gave the dogs their Easter gifts early and they are passed out on the floor like children with their toys next to them after a hard day of play. Lisa spent the day napping and trying to see how many episodes of UFC, the Bering sea fisherman, and survivor man she could watch. I spent the day making a pot of chili and chatting with my sister on the phone. No real big plans for Easter, just a quiet dinner here than going to the relatives for dessert. So on a last note I wish everyone a Happy Easter!

Forge On!

2009-04-06T16:45:00.000-07:00

Talk about sleeping on your head!

Well I finished one clients job with a faux finish paint job which I thought turned out pretty good. I will tell you that this color definitely promotes a feeling of energy. So I thought I would share. This look was created with the a paint system called the Woolie. You get a brush, blender brush, dual rollers, a dual roller pan, and a DVD with techniques. Actually pretty cool with great demonstrations. We like testing out new products to see if they are time savers or simply just a better product.

Came across this dollar the other day. At the bottom front it reads : MAKE A NERD HAPPY! VISIT www.WHERESGEORGE.com and on the back instructions to update the bills location online. Of course I haven't visited the site yet but I just found it really unusual. It is like a note in a bottle set off to sea.

Two more offices closed at Lisa's job and they have taken away another day. Not that we didn't expect this. The crazy part of the employers psyche is that they actually had the nerve to send out an email that read something like: I know many of you are wondering what the future will hold since we have downsized from 21 offices to 5 after closing the West Chester and downtown offices. We know that with dedication and a busy schedule that we can keep the remaining five offices open for business and prosper.

Now this is after just locking their doors without warning or notice to their employees, after cutting hours, cutting off health care benefits, discontinuing life insurance and other benefits, scheduling with no allowance for lunch, and leaving one technician per office. Hey let's just wring the towel dry! It is just absurd and almost third world thinking and expectation. I do acknowledge that she still has a job but, at what expense.

This company actually scheduled MRI test for patients that were scheduled to have surgery knowing that they were going to close and just closed the doors without even calling the patients. How unethical is that? Elderly patients that had taken sedation medications were not even called prior to taking the meds. Lisa is just so disgusted at the whole situation but stuck there for now. We have been talking about moving closer to the city where she has more job opportunities since she will have to be on call. We live too far away from the Hospitals for her to be able to take the on call schedule required. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

We just stay positive and forge on.

Abbey

2009-04-01T06:46:00.000-07:00

I had grown up with dogs and always had one since I can remember. Dogs were always more to me than just a pet. When my sisters were off to play with their friends since they were six years older and I was left to my own devices, my new best friend and playmates became part of the dogs role. It is kind of strange, but they were always just there. In the middle of the night when you were frightened of a sound in the darkness I would reach down and know that I was protected by my furry guardian. Growing up I have had numerous conversations (of course one sided) about how life was going and stuff in general, they were always their to listen. During the times that I fell ill or were sad and needed company they were there for comfort. They have shared in the happiness and joy by my side throughout life.

Then when Lisa had told me she never had a dog of her own I felt that she really missed out. Since we have been together, we have had many dogs and then I realized that they were mainly my dogs. It was going to be her birthday soon and after so many years together it gets really hard to come up big surprises. Our husky had passed away and I had Rusty for about a year and he had gravitated more towards being my dog. It could have been the good food, crazy games, or just the simple fact that I was the one that brought him home. So that was the ideal! I would get Lisa a puppy to raise as her own dog.

I had been looking and asking around about breeders. Then one summer evening my boss came in and told me that she saw a sign that said Golden Retriever Puppies for sale. We had about an hour left of daylight and she said that she would take me there right after work.

What a sight to see! As we approached there seemed to be puppies running around everywhere, I couldn't wait to get out of the car. This was a first litter of puppies for the female that was on the premises that was AKC registered with papers. The owner had children that had interacted with the puppies since birth with made them even more social. I went in to meet the puppies mother who had really the lightest golden fur with the darkest eyes I had seen. Almost as if see was wearing eyeliner. She was beautiful,very friendly and really excited. The father was not on the premises but we could make an appointment to see him. I wanted to make sure it was going to be the right dog. Now it was out to see the puppies!

Still in my white chef's coat I knelt down to examine one of the puppies and then the next thing I knew I had eight of them all clamoring on top of me to get attention. Puppy Heaven! I wanted all of them at this point.

Some had already been taken and had a string of red yarn around their neck to signify this. I spied a puppy that I thought was interactive and adorable. Then it was gone, there were so many! My boss was laughing away at the mini circus scene that was taking place. Puppies and children running everywhere. When we thought we had the right one, it would squirm away and another would pop up. Where was that little female I was looking for? Then I realized I had been oblivious to the puppy laying underneath me the whole time. It was her!

After checking her out, I paid for her and made the plans to pick her up on the next day as my boss and I laughed at all the paw prints covering my white chef's jacket.

It wasn't quite Lisa's birthday which would make the surprise even better as I planned to orchestrate this big surprise since I was off the next day to take care of all the arrangements. Well I woke up to Lisa still home and not at work. She thought she would surprise me and took the day off so we could do something together. Crap! Now what! That changed the whole surprise. So I made up an excuse to get out of the house and went to get the puppy.

I picked up the furry bundle of joy and crated her for the ride home which was only about 20 minutes and figured she would cry all the way home. To my surprise she was alert, curious, and quiet the whole time. I was more excited than the dog! I pulled up in the driveway and went in the house and told Lisa to come outside I had a surprise for her. The look on her face was priceless when I handed her the puppy with her bow attached to her neck. Now she would have a first dog!

After half a day Lisa named her Abbey. An eight week old female golden retriever that would become her companion, protector, and confidante.

Time has passed and Abbey is approaching 4 years old now and is clearly Lisa's pride and joy. Very well trained and behaved (most of the time), with a really sensitive side. Always ready for a game of ball, a romp with her brother, or ready to snuggle up and watch TV, . Abbey has proven herself and of course fulfilled all those expectations that I knew she would. She has opened a door in Lisa's life that she had not experienced and lit a small candle of love that people carry for there furry best friends. It is a gift that keeps giving, it is Abbey!

Just stuff

2009-03-28T13:40:00.000-07:00

Finishing up! I was quite proud of myself with the plumbing job at hand. Actually it wasn't too bad except for the fumes of the plumbers glue and primer. Wicked stuff! The job took about 20 minutes and that was because I was being careful with the glue. So here it is!

All that is left is too replace the metal stud, insulate, and replace wallboard. To be on the safe side we have decided to wait until winter and just buy a nice piece of paneling to attach in the meantime in case the plumbing job goes bad.

I did use H&R Blocks CD Tax Cut to do taxes this year instead of them and saved. It was relatively easy. If you can do your own taxes the old fashioned way, send them in, and wait for your money your getting the best savings. The program allowed for 5 federal returns and one state return. So to get the most out of the software plan ahead to utilize it with other people filing taxes to save money. You can purchase additional states for $19.95.

Today I made some Parmesan risotto with fresh basil,onion, and garlic. Finding the Arborio rice was the hardest, and it was $6.95 a pound to boot. I have been to 5 grocery stores and finally found it. If you watch Hell's Kitchen you will notice that this is one of their staples as an appetizer, however if you don't eat alot use it for main course with a fresh salad and bread sticks.

Lisa has been sick most of the week with a toothache. She needs to get a root canal and the doctor she goes to can't see her until the beginning of the week. So I have been trying to make soft foods for dinner. Last night we had cauliflower and cheddar soup-not my favorite but it worked for her. She kind of knew what was coming and started on some antibiotics that they gave her. When I got those filled I almost passed out at the price. With her prescription plan it was $60.00 for 20 pills. Without the plan it would have cost $327.12. Are these people insane? I told her to ask for something else comparable if she can, these drug companies don't need to be charging exorbitant prices like that.

My sister in Washington State got a dog from the SPCA two weeks ago. She hasn't had a dog for some time and was getting lonely since my nephew went off to college. She adopted a Papillon (spelled right?) that is a year old and it sounds like she has her hands full. I'm glad she finally got one after waiting for so many years. She had an Akita that she bought when she was in Japan and he lived until age 13. She was so crushed when he died.

Well my Aero Garden has produced herbs but I do believe that the potted method offers up much better results. The basil and marjoram did terrific but I was disappointed with the others.

I have been pondering many things lately for some reason about life in general. The changes that come about within yourself as you age. When you are young you crave experience and wisdom with untarnished youthful outlook and energy. As you get older and wiser you crave youthful energy, but want to retain the wisdom you have learned. I know that there has to be a balance in there somewhere. Lisa and I both feel that there is a level of age discrimination in the workforce. I told Lisa she would have to dress more provocative to interview-what a dirty look I got! She said they would be hiring her on her credentials not her assets. I had to take her back twenty years ago when we were the inexperienced with some looks. Soon I will be ready for a little nip/tuck and will have it done. She on the other hands wants to age gracefully. More power to her! Just give me the credit card-ha, ha!

Why people think that someone of the age of 25 works better and has more stamina then a person of 45 is beyond me. I have seen this first class and can tell you that in my field that is not always true. We had a lady that was 73 years old that worked in the kitchen part time. Now she could not lift really heavy stuff like a man, but it was amazing what she could lift! She had done this for so many years, she was so fluent in motion that she could have cooked in her sleep. Not only was she experienced but she there on time, willing to work, not hung over from partying, and a team player. Imagine that!

I have a client that her husband just passed away in December. She was married for 36 years. Can you imagine the changes in her life? I try to spend extra time with her listening to stories, and do small things at no charge. Changing light bulbs and taking out her trash make things a little easier on her. This week I finished with the painting in her house hanging pictures and paintings in all the locations she picked out. As I was placing these on the walls I noticed that they were all done by her husband as the decades progressed. She had surrounded herself in the home with visible memories throughout the years of her husband. It was just a reminder of how fast life can change as you once knew it.

Well tonight is Earth hour at 8:30pm. During one hour everyone is to shut off their lights. At the rate our electric bill keeps going up I am considering buying a couple of hamsters and one of those big wheels. Better yet put Abbey on there with Lucy's dog Spunky and a squirrel on the other side and I could power up the neighborhood.

knee deep

2009-03-26T16:23:00.000-07:00

Busy, Busy, Busy! I think I need another brain. Trying to remember so much can be overloading in itself. We have been really busy with painting jobs and in the meantime I am trying to get the mowers ready, get taxes done (doing them myself this year because I am cheap or smart, last year it cost $330.00 to have them done), paint our kitchen, mulching, and help Lisa job search. In the mean time the car and truck needs detailing, we get a great day, get everything out, turn on the water outside and nothing. Come back inside to a pool of water on the floor. Pipe burst in the wall! This is the second time! We had the one wall finished by a contractor that did not allow room for expansion and made the wall to snug pressing on the pipe. First time he fixed it, this time we were so furious I wanted to see what was going on. Shut the water off, tore the wall out only to find that his fix was a piece of wood that he had wedged into the wall to give the pipe room had slipped out. What a mess, now it is plumbing 101. Washing machine hose burst and started leaking-geesh what next. Light cover on stove broke and I have made 10 trips to home depot. I have discovered some really neat things during this time.

A new ultra light spackling compound made by red devil that requires no sanding. Yippie! It is so cool. You just apply with a spackling knife to fill holes and cracks and wait 30 minutes and it is completely dry and ready to paint. Does not shrink or crack. Great stuff

Plumbers make entirely too much money. Complete cost of supplies to fix busted pipe was $22.46. This included a ten foot section of PVC, 1 angle, 3 connectors, and primer. Time to disconnect old pipe was 15 minutes, time to tear out wall was 1 hour including cleanup, time to install new is to be seen.

Popcorn ceiling spray. For a couple of years now I have been wondering how to repair and area on a finished ceiling. Now I know. It comes in a spray can for only $12.97 and is so easy to use.

When fixing or replacing bathroom or kitchen plumbing cartridges the cheapest place to purchase is Home Depot and the prices really vary with the most expensive being online. If you have Moen it is guaranteed for life and they will replace it.

Well back to work, still knee deep in mulch water, and paint.

ax women of the Northeast

2009-03-18T06:52:00.000-07:00

I have spent the last couple of days trying to recoup from work. For small jobs that are close I usually take care of those myself and may ask Lisa for a hand if needed. Well we were still getting over the soreness of that 600 pound stump when the same client asked for a tree to be taken down. It was rotten and looked pretty small (remember objects are larger than they appear) so I said sure-of course. To me it was no big deal, but to Lisa, you would have thought that we were cutting down a California redwood. Half way through cutting it nervous Gerty had me rethinking the process. That women had more scenarios playing out in her mind than I could take in. The tree would kick back and fall on us, the tree would shatter, it was going to fall on me before I could finish the cut, and she even tried to push it over before I made the cut far enough in. Can you picture two women trying to push a 35 ft tree over? I wanted to strangle her! Finally she calmed down and listened, I finished cutting and the tree came down like it should have. When it was all over of course we laughed at ourselves and she made me swear to her that I wouldn't take anymore trees down. The phone rang later with a lady that has a small dogwood that needs to be removed-hmmm!

I can not wait for warm weather to start grilling outside and eating healthier meals. I bought a huge pork butt to make pork and sauerkraut. It was a good price but actually to big for us, so I cut a huge hunk off rub it with seasonings, some liquid smoke, then slow roasted it for pork barbecue. Damn, I had pork everywhere. Containers of barbecue to freeze, sliced pork for sandwiches, pork and sauerkraut, diced pork for the dogs, and I still have pork left. It is a pigs revenge! Rarely do I over eat but when it comes to a meal with mashed potatoes, gravy, peas, pork, and sauerkraut that will usually entice me. After dinner we were all crashed in the living room with our bellies sticking out like it had been thanksgiving. That's when I realized that I was turning into my parents-oh,no!

So yesterday was St Patricks day which we always celebrate with corned beef, cabbage, red potatoes, and green beer. I did buy a very small corned beef this time. We went to the movies to see Last House on the Left which was good. I had not been to the movies for some time and realized how much I missed going. That big screen effect with the sound just makes the movie so much better. At the beginning of the previews they were showing some of the new TV shows like roommates and we laughed as they previewed Ax Men-loggers in the northwest. Maybe that's our calling, Ax Women of the Northeast.

Windy Valley

2009-03-14T16:17:00.000-07:00

Farm life during the summer seemed to be filled with endless hours of busying oneself. Help pick the beans, pick the cherries, wash the vegetables, gather the eggs, and other chores my mother gave me to keep busy. We were getting ready to go for a visit to Baltimore to see relatives and I could not get there soon enough. We always gathered a bunch of fresh goodies from the farm to take with us. At that age you can't appreciate having fresh produce for your taking when you want it, but I recall my grandmothers expression of joy when Mom would take in her box of homegrown pride.
The trip to the city was always a day long affair and the best part for me was a place called Windy Valley. This would become a tradition for us that would last for years until it closed. You could smell the burgers cooking a mile away before you arrived. It was a kid's dream place to stop at. A wooden building that looked like it was straight out of the series Gunsmoke. You could almost imagine Marshal Matt Dillion standing on the porch waiting for Miss Kitty to come across the street. A small corral off to the side with all types of ponies saddled up ready to go. A petting area that you could get up close to the ponies and pick the one that you wanted to ride. They even gave you a real cowboy hat to wear while you were riding. People gathered outside at picnic tables enjoying burgers, fries, and milkshakes while waiting for their turn on the pony rides. The best thing about the burgers is that they were fresh, hot, and small with tiny bits of chopped onion on them. The bun was warm, tucked inside of a wax paper pouch with a man riding a horse while lassoing a bull in red and gold print.
They carried a small array of western wear and toys and the thing that I really noticed was the sheriffs badge. It was like a shiny shield of honor that made you the boss. I would daydream of having one of those badges and being sheriff of our town (the farm). Someone had to keep law and order or those varmits would surely get out of control. I had wanted one of those for a really long time and of course my own pony that I was told that would happen when I was old enough.
Then one hot summer day it happened. It had been a long morning and I was a little under the weather. So we made all of our usual stops but missed Windy Valley. My mother had promised that we would stop to ride the ponies on our way home. It was late after visiting with the sun was starting to set when the familiar smell of burgers and horse drifted into the window as we approached. As we pulled into the parking lot I noticed the ponies were unsaddled and being cooled down for the day. We were too late for the ponies. I was so disappointed but took it in stride. There would be a next time. Mom and I ate our burgers outside at the picnic table and watched as the ponies were fed some hay and oats and put into their stalls for the day. We got into the car to began the rest of our journey home when she placed a small white box on my lap. I saw that familiar gleam when I lifted the lid off the box, it was the sheriffs badge! I took it out carefully and examined every inch of before proudly pinning it to my shirt. It had turned out to be a good day and my mind started to drift as the night air pulled through the window of the car. I drifted off to sleep with the dreams of a small town, a pony, Matt Dillion, and Windy Valley.

Job Markets are they Fair?

2009-03-11T06:39:00.000-07:00

The economy is bad, jobs are scarce turning the job market into an employers world of feast. The employer now has the upper hand with mounds of applicants to choose from. I have noticed some things that are now transpiring.

Wages are coming down. Yes,for a fact one of the facilities I worked for as a manager and knew what the initial hiring rates were I have seen the job advertised at a lower starting salary. Older employees are being let go while the retention rate of younger mid term employees are being kept while young new hires are being brought in at a lesser rate of pay. Employers are sitting on resumes and positions sifting through picking the cream of the crop. They want it all! Youth, experience, education, motivation, and dedication. I refer to this as the Stepford Employee. Have you ever really noticed some of the biggest corporations immediate managers? Talk about mania, damn I almost wanted to offer one a Valium (not that I use Valium-but he needed it).
If you are a young 18-26 built, attractive young female than you probably have the best chance of getting your resume at the top of the pile. I can just envision a cartoon with a big fat pig sitting at the head of a corporate desk surrounded by fellow cronies smoking imported cigars and sipping cognac. Squealing at the delight of others misfortune while they sift through the mounds of potentials waiting to grind the corn.Below a dungeon of chained workers bound by heaping credit card bills and high mortgages sweating in the stye of conditions that never get reported bound by fear.

What is missing here? Sincerity, pleasantry, being truly genuine, a combination of traits that makes us human.

What happened to the days of valued employees that retired with the gold watch, pensions (that were actually there), and 25-30 years of appreciated loyal service with dignity and high regard for the company that you worked for. There used to be a sense of pride when someone spoke about GE, General Motors, the State of, Bell Atlantic, and the railroads. Now after several years of employment and a large part of your life that you have dedicated to the job is in jeopardy. How can this be? Very simple hard fact. Sorry Bud, but you have grown older and cost us too much money. You can be replaced by someone stronger, younger, and cheaper. P.S We hope you invested your money wisely. Don't take offense this is just part of company restructuring.

Now from my past experiences I can tell you the market in some areas is not fair and bias. On the level that most of you probably would not expect.

The thing I have encounter the most has been nepotism. This has affected the right people getting the job and the reason for other employees not getting the promotion first. Even when in black and white employee handbooks and human resource guidelines nepotism is rampant in the workforce. Husbands and wives working together, mother daughter/son, and siblings. What comes out of this is preferential treatment and low employee morale. I have been witness to scheduling liberties, actual permitted and accepted low work performance, wrongful promotions and awards, and unexplained and accepted tardiness. We are not talking about small companies either. We are talking about the State of Maryland, a large 14 facility senior retirement home specialist, and another large senior institution. Now mind you these are facilities that are not private owned businesses. These employers are suppose to have all of their guidelines t's crossed and i's dotted. NOT!

I was once an idealistic person that thought the workplace was one that if a person worked hard, did their job, followed the rules, was enthusiastic and motivated they would succeed and prosper with the company they worked for. Well throughout the years the layers of that young naive woman have been shed only to find that only some of that is true if you are willing to turn the other cheek and overlook the other atrocities that go on. Problem with that is I was born a Libra. Oh my how the scales of justice weigh for true Libras. It is true that balance is important, justice must prevail in life, along with fairness in the job market.

The morgue

2009-03-08T18:02:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had a a room in your home that you just don't use to often? A room that becomes detached from the house sitting idle waiting to come to life.

We call ours the morgue. A back bedroom that seems colder than the Artic, darker than the night without moon and stars, almost as sterile as an operating room, and so quite that it seems to be removed from all sound. Last year I decided to give this room a makeover to give it better character. We use it for company so we ensure that the dogs and cat never have a chance to go in there and keep the door closed. I often laugh when I am cleaning and the dogs come to the doorway and peer in like they have never seen the inside before. They will just sit there, watch and look around-strange beasts. This room actually has no scent to it. It is really strange, no wafting of food, man, nor animal. I had taken out the comfortable queen sized bed (dummy me)and replaced it with a new twin to make the room spacious. I painted and put up new matching curtains and bedspread with subtle end stand table lighting. It looks nice, but I am telling you that bed is like sleeping on a slab, what a back breaker!

So between the cold and the slab you look like hell and death warmed over the next morning when you come out of that room. That is why we call it the morgue.

Spring Fever

2009-03-07T16:43:00.000-08:00

Such bums! They need to get a job! And their own bed!

I have been keeping myself busy to avoid that yearly uncontrollable urge that I get when this time of the year rolls around. I have never figured out why it happens to me, but it is the equivalent of a werewolf and full moon. To most it is called Spring Fever. Many will start cleaning, organizing, and changing the curtains to welcome the fresh arrival of flowers and warm air. For me it seems more primal, makes we want to do crazy and chancy things that kids do, but I have been good (so far). Well let's move on.

Of course the weather has been crazy here. March 1st it was cold and snowing, dumped 7 inches on the ground in 20 degree weather. March 7Th it is 73 degrees with the sun out. It was as if Houdini had been here. Now you see it and now you don't. I did get to use the snow blower and that was a trip in itself. Our driveway is not paved, it is gravel and on an incline. So as I start up the hill and there are rocks flying out of the shoot along with pine cones and small sticks. The neighbor looked horrified! So after about 2 hours the drive was cleared and we were able to get out. My horrified neighbor was shoveling her driveway which is just as bad as ours with the incline. Every time it has snowed her husband has been out of town. So I told her to use our snow blower and gave her a crash course on how it worked. I thought I would die laughing when she expressed concern that she did not want to break it! After all the rocks I mowed over. So all went well and we saved ourselves a great deal of back pain. The dogs were loving the snow and spent most of the day running around like wild banshees playing Frisbee. It is refreshing to me to get out when the weather is like this. I don't really mind snow and think it is beautiful to look at. That is of course until you have to drive in it. Fact: No two snow flakes are the same.

The Betta still lives. Ernie Borgnine (from the Poseidon Adventure). This is the first betta that I have had and I must say that they can be interesting. Since they are Japanese fighting fish you can not have two males together and only introduce the female when she is ready to spawn. Some quick facts: They do have teeth, they have the equivalent bite ratio that equals that of a Great White for their size ratio, they do eat bits of raw carrot, broccoli, green beans, mosquito larvae, and brine shrimp. and that they have an organ that allows them to breathe oxygen from the waters surface. It kind of funny to have dinner with him sitting in the middle of the table staring at you while your eating. I don't really think the cat has noticed him-that is a good thing.

Lisa's new coffee pot. After all the bitching over my coffee pot that she just hated with a passion we got a new one. I must admit this is convenient and the coffee is really hot. Keurig: just pop a prepacked sealed container into the top and push the button, 20 seconds later it is done! You can buy your own filters to use any type of coffee you prefer. She is in heaven, so I guess that is all that matters. Of course you can't have coffee without a Ravens mug.

I have been watching the NFL free agent signings. We were holding our breath that Baltimore would keep Ray Lewis. He did stay and we are set for another season of good football. You know I just have to say it Hainesworth-100 million dollars! Oh my god what an insane amount of money. I truly did not think that Dallas was going to keep Terrell Owens. Even Jerry can't keep up that kind of spending without the big wins. This year Romo better take'em to the playoffs or he will be out next. I do miss the Sunday games and now we have decided to go to our first ice hockey game. We will probably go to see the Philadelphia flyers since that is closer than Washington. It should be fun. We are gearing up for the Kentucky Derby! I would like to go there one year and see it in person. Here we have the Preakness and this year it will be much different. The Preakness has been known for the inside field party and wild inebriated participants that usually don't even know the race has started. They are cutting off the bring your own keg ideal and strictly using vendors. So no more bring your own bottle will keep things more on the sober side and race oriented.

I have spent a great deal of extra time with family members lately. My sister that lives in Washington State has called more often since her husbands shift has changed and she is lonely. She is experiencing the empty nest syndrome since my nephew went to college. It has been nice to talk to her more often, I just wished she lived closer.

My friend Jackie has been having a hard time of it lately with her son and his abuse of drugs. I know she feels lonely and scared. Her other son died of an overdose only just last year. She just can not make heads or tails of why this is happening. Nor her or her ex husband have any vices and have tried to raise their children up well. Her son has been trying to put her on a major guilt trip and it is such a shame because she does not deserve that. Makes me so mad sometimes that I just want to slap him. He is 46 years old living at home, not working, not helping, in legal trouble due to traffic violations, behind in child support, and addicted to prescription pain medication. He just tried to overdose this weekend and she called in a panic. He suffers from diabetes and a back injury that his doctors have been treating with high amounts of morphine, xanax, percocet, wellbutrin, and other garbage. This has been going on for five years now. Now that he is severely addicted most of the pain medication is not effective and he is abusing it which has led to bouts of severe depression and near fatal doses of medication. What are these doctors thinking? They need to re-evaluate people that have been on heavy medications after a certain time period and introduce the need for surgery to correct the problem and lessen the amount of pain and need for drugs.

It is like she is setting on a time bomb just waiting for something to happen. I find this so selfish of children to inflict on their parents. They should be taking care of the parent! He actually told her that it was her fault because she won't give him 35,000.00 to go into a treatment facility in Arizona. Now that is her retirement savings and who is going to look after her? Can you imagine! The more a think of it, the angrier I get. I tried to keep myself removed from the thought and just be there for her, but damn he needs a major ass whooping and slap of reality that he got himself there, he needs to be the one to get himself started on the road to recovery.

I have also realized that I never really comment much on those of you that leave comments. I do enjoy hearing from everyone and I do stop by and read what you have been up to. I don't always leave comments, but like to know how your doing and what life is like in other parts of our world. So stay well, enjoy life, and get ready for that Spring Fever!

Just Stuff

2009-02-25T08:27:00.000-08:00

Well, we finally heard from the hospital that Lisa applied to and she did not get the job. They hired a PRN that had been working there. Time to move on to the next one. Her company is still maintaining their offices in PA and she did get an increase in hours but, the monthly cost of insurance is outrageous. She had off yesterday and offered to help me out on a job.

My new motto is "Objects are heavier than what they appear". I had a client that needed a stump left from a tree that had blown over and was resting on top of the ground to be removed. Oh my god it must have weighed 600 pounds! Worse than wrestling a gator if you can muster that image. So we made our plans and got the thing up onto the trailer to take to the dump, you talk about being sore. Lisa now thinks that I have truly lost my mind and I am not quite sure that she isn't right. I need to use the word NO!

I did get a response from the Mayors office regarding the smoke shop. Interestingly enough it is a legal business that they can not discriminate against. Of course we knew that! However it is within the rights for the town commissioners to create laws that protect the citizens rights and keep them safe. They also noted that the devices that they sold were for use of legal tobacco products. I laughed at that! When was the last time you saw your mother or even grandmother smoking from a bong? Just envisioning that picture alone gave me the best laugh! Hmmmm sounds like there may be a possibility to create new zoning laws. The good thing is that our police department is keeping a watchful eye on them.

We also saw response from the SPCA regarding the man breeding the German Sheppard's. New housing has been provided for the dogs and a noticeable amount of exercise time. It's all a good thing.

We have lined up some new jobs seems like people are getting back tax money and wanting to spend on some extra things. I have really noticed a spending pattern with all of our clients. You almost can predict when they are going to call, just not what they will be requesting. Keeps it interesting. I still am not so sure of the recession and have applied for a couple full time positions to ensure that we survive the economy pitfalls. Scheduling the business flow will be challenging and we may have to say no to some things, but it is what it is.

We started to watch a new TV series on showtime that is called the United States of Tara. It is about a woman that has multiple personalities that transition when she becomes stressed or under pressure. It can be very funny!

Get On Board!

2009-02-21T09:57:00.000-08:00

As I have been doing errands and passing through town I noticed a new small business located right in the middle of town. Now I really thought my eyes were lying to me, so I have made it a point to check this out in more detail.

Yes, I was seeing correctly. Water pipes in the windows (bongs), and other drug paraphernalia used to smoke pot and hash. Small mirrors and straws in kits for cocaine. Oh wait I did not use the proper terminology that is required to obtain a permit to open such a shop "Pipe and tobacco supplies". Bottom line is a head shop sells devices for the use of illegal drugs. What rock is our county officials living under?

Now this is a really small town with the local middle school within walking distance of the shop. The shop is located directly across from the town hall, police station, and our local county representatives office. Who gave them the permit? Have people lost their minds? Are they that removed that they do not know what problems this can create?

I am just flabbergasted and I don't have children! I am worried about doing the correct speed in town and then see this. I have made every effort to make sure everyone I come in contact with knows about this shop and from what I have heard it has made the papers. My next step is to contact the mayor and even get a petition up if need be to rid this small town of the last thing that is needed. Why even have this shop here because the demographics just don't match up unless it consists of young adults? Could it be that our own good ole boys club that seems to be running things are actually doobie kings from and era gone by? Maybe they are not making a good salary and have a little extra curricular import business they are involved in to support a lifestyle they yearn for.

Young adults are curious and will experiment and that is expected, but why dangle the temptation right in front of them. Why expose them to something that can lead to a life of drug abuse. I understand that this does not happen to all kids but do you want your child to be that one in five that becomes addicted, that one in ten that is killed in an accident from substance abuse, or that one in fifteen that will spend years in and out of prison? I don't actually know the numbers but I can bet they are astronomical.

The exposure our society has placed on young adults with the justification that they will make up their own minds fails to realize that children and young adults need to mature and develop their mind before the exposure happens. Lets just look at the numbers because they don't lie.

From 1970 compared to 2000 has the rate of teen pregnancy went up? Has teen drug use and addiction increased? Has the number of suicides, arrests, and deaths increased? I for one think that citizens need to become more involved in their communities to keep up on what is happening to keep their community safe. What disgust me is that the city would not put up a skate board ramp due to legal reasons if someone got hurt. The city could not afford the insurance. But of course a bong shop is okay. I hope they get their heads out of their butts (that's putting it nicely) and GET ON BOARD!!!

blissful innocence

2009-02-18T20:47:00.000-08:00

It's late and my mind seems to be racing with many thoughts. I don't really think I should watch the news late at night since it makes my brain race in 50 directions. It seems like the whole banking and finance industry has just went to pot. Talk about corruption! How do they get away with stealing billions of dollars over a ten year period without raising a red flag. Personally I think Bernard Madoff and Allen Stamford should be hung up by their balls for raping the public! Things are just way out of control and we need to impose some stiff penalties on people like this. I don't mean luxury camp jails either, put them into the main stream like everyone else.
I am just so glad I spent all those short lived lottery winnings. Sorry Betty, but I did try to hit the big one and I would have shared with everyone. It does bring me delight when I hear the local news giving out the best bargains at local stores to save the consumers some money. Imagine that actual competition for our business! I have also found delight in the new level of courtesy that all stores seemed to be instilling in their employees. Actual greetings, help when needed, and small exchange of pleasantries. I feel as if I have went back in time when the consumer had the power. We need to enjoy this while it last! The funny thing is that I never know how much it is going to cost to fill up my tank. Gas prices have yo-yo'd so much that I just can't seem to pin it down. Better bargains out there, competitive pricing, actual service, and all for the almighty dollar. Even though it has shrunk it carries value in many ways.

With this huge stimulus package I still hear of more layoff's in the automobile industry. Do you really mean to tell me that these top level managers and CEO's did not see this coming years ago? How educated are these people? So highly educated that they become criminal! How many different models of cars do we need? This is exactly what I mean when I say I feel like the world is spinning out of control. We have went from quality to quantity, self preservation to self destruction, abstinence to self indulgence, and from conservative to promiscuous. To raise one child well is not enough you need to have 14, to feel loved even if you can not afford to feed them. This is the exact reason why people fight stem cell research. They are afraid of the horrible social ills that will seep into society from neglect as that of invitro fertilization.

Why can't we turn a negative into a positive. Everyone wants rights and choices so let's give it to them in a way that would be a win win situation. First, for all of those inmates that should be given a second chance to redeem themselves: give them the choice of organ donating and reduced sentencing or a chance to fight in the war for their country. Second we really need universal health care along with privatized health care. We should have a choice, and small employers would not suffer as much, and larger employers could utilize private insurance as a better incentive hiring package. The government needs to invest in the health of those that can work to keep them healthy and working and prevent people having to take disability. We need better government watchdog programs for the financial industry with harsh penalties for violations, if these people are that good at getting money maybe they need to be doing tax returns for the public for free. First let them see all the hardworking people in person that they have been robbing and than get them back the most money possible. Now that would be interesting. Dear Bernie I am ready and waiting for my taxes to be prepared.

It is funny how the world changes ones perception. As a child the world is full of fantasy, wonder, and belief. Then once you hit adulthood the facts of realism hits home dismantling all those years of blissful innocence.

streak still holding

2009-02-11T09:44:00.000-08:00

I sure hope this lucky streak stays for awhile! I am on a roll! Of course when I cashed my tickets the other day I purchased new numbers. Now my sister had said a week ago that she felt one of our birthdays were going to come up in the lottery. So after studying some numbers I played my mothers birthday 908 and two others. After work Lisa and I decided to go for pizza at one of our hangouts. We ordered, and I picked out some random scratch offs to play while we waited. I scratched the first one and it was a $50.00 winner, proceeded to scratch off the next four and each was a $15.00 dollar winner, the next was a $20.00, and the last two were losers. I said "I just won $130.00 dollars" and Lisa was like "yeah right your full of it". She didn't believe it! So I cashed in and came out $90.00 ahead. We came home and I checked our numbers and we hit again. Mom's birthday came in box for $80.00. It was just unreal! So Lisa is like" hurry go get a mega millions ticket we might win."

I think she truly thought that it was going to be possible to win. So of course we were daydreaming of trips to Tahoe, Tahiti, and other far away places. That is what makes it fun! I still can't complain because I had the money ball and won $2.00! Well this week has definitely been good so far and I hope everyone else is having the luck that I am. How long this streak will last is to be seen.

Lucky Numbers

2009-02-09T18:27:00.000-08:00

Finally tenacity has paid off. I have been playing the lottery and noticed that a set of numbers had not hit for quite some time. Well it finally paid off and my numbers (985) hit twice-wahoo! First it came in boxed so I cashed my winning ticket for $80.00 and decided to purchase the number for that day. When I got home I couldn't believe it, it came in straight that day. It paid $580.00-Yippie!

It was like a winning horse crossing the finish line. Yes, I know I have the fever! I just love the thrill of a win because the odds are so high.

So I spent some of my big winnings today and bought a fish. Yes, a fish (beta) named Ernie that is displayed in the center of my table in all his glory. I thought I was going to kill him trying to put him in his new home. So everyone got a treat today new Frisbee and ball for the dogs, cat treats for Maggie, and CD for Lisa, and a little fish named Ernie for me from some overdue lucky numbers.

P.S. Hope my luck holds out and Ernie isn't floating upside down tomorrow morning.

Contractors

2009-02-07T19:25:00.000-08:00

Contractors, gotta lov'em they are helping our business. I find it amusing that the very thing I used to bitch about it has come full circle for me. Over the years we have had to use contractors for several projects and I have found that they can cause as much disrepair trying to repair. There are several that are just down right messy and expensive to boot. Then there are those that just don't have the best work ethic.

Recently we have had a flurry of calls for all sorts of small request and odd projects due to contractor expense, blunders, and mess that has been left behind. One client has spent several thousands of dollars having hard wood flooring installed which looks great, but during the installation the contractors actually marked up the walls even leaving small gouges that need repair. So we get the call to patch and paint.

Another client has brick work done and calls for us to come and clean up the mess that has been left outside. A pile of broken bricks, bags, harden concrete, and debris. This leads to a new client for summer lawn care-yeah!

I have yet to understand why consumers don't hold the people that are paying good money for such as licensed carpenter, plumber, electrician, or mason responsible for damages. No matter how small the damage it was not there beforehand nor should it be after the job is done.

A lady has tile installed and needs to have it sealed. Contractors want way too much money for these type of projects and it is starting to roll our way. The funny thing about this is that we don't advertise that we can do this type of work. The original premise that I have been building the business on is working but going into a different direction. We offer multiple services so that once a client establishes a relationship they become comfortable with one company that can give them better price points and handle small jobs that no one else wants to do.

We have went from lawn care, landscaping, pet sitting, to power washing, hauling, hanging pictures, installing window treatments, drywall repair, small tree removal, and other crazy sorts of things. We are building good relationships within the community and I am enjoying this radical change from that of a restaurant but there are those times when I yearn to start another.

With the economy the way it is I don't think that will happen for awhile. So for now I am thankful for all those messy men out there that we know as contractors.

keep our pets safe

2009-01-29T16:16:00.000-08:00

Ice, Ice, Baby! Seems like it is everywhere. We had a solid sheet of snow and ice on the driveway and after trying to wait it out for some of it to thaw the reality of it was that we had to shovel. So finally we got to use the snow blower, however I don't think it was made for all of this ice. I was tempted to get some flavorings out and make snowballs. After three hours of this snow blower dragging me around up and down hills I am beat. Of course the crazy dogs were having a ball running in front of the shooting snow then race around and come back for a face full of more. Idiots! We had to use 280 pounds of ice melt! I gave the mailman a good laugh. As he was putting mail in the box I waived only leaving one hand on the monster machine as I hit a patch of ice and landed on my butt.

I was able to get a picture of one of the woodpeckers a couple days ago and hope that you will be able to see it. This one is a small version compared to some of the others that we have.

Click on picture to enlarge and look to the middle of the second tree from your right.
Speaking of birds I have to share this story. We went to MacDonald's in town about 4 months ago and I noticed a one legged seagull there in a flock of about 50. They have migrated from where the water is about 20 miles to this parking lot. Well we ate their the other day and who should I see but this one legged sea gull that stands on the hood of my truck. He was really pitiful to look at. The leg was missing from let's say the knee down. I know birds probably don't have knees but I will use this since I am not up on my bird anatomy. Then I realized after looking around that several of these birds were missing legs. It was just terrible to look out and I am assuming that this may be due to power lines. I felt so bad for those poor birds!

Finally some of my herbs are taking off and maybe in a couple of months I will have enough to use.

I have heard about ILL. Governor Blagajevich inevitable ousting that is approaching. Please give me a break on this one. Now is there anyone you know that could keep their job after all of this? Is this man in his right mind to even think that Oprah Winfrey would consider giving up her time and the money she makes to be a senator? Sheer craziness if you ask me that is tolerated way too long.

Must say that the Indian cuisine that I prepared the other day turned out really well. Lisa enjoyed it and as I ate mine I had beads of sweat present on my forehead and brow. It was hot! The whole house smelled like a spice factory. I counted and it was 14 spices total. One of the many spices they use in cooking is called garam masala and is a blend of cumin, coriander, cardamom, peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and saffron. You actually roast most spice seeds than crush and blend together. The smell of the roasted spices is really aromatic and wonderful to smell. The house smelled like a restaurant for two days.

I was researching dog food when I came across a site that many consumers had complained about the Nutro Natural Choice dry dog food. This is what I use myself and was horrified to read about the deaths and sickness that many pet owners contribute to this dog food in the recent months. So as a heads up, anyone who is using this may want to do some research on this to see if your pet may be in danger from consuming this brand of food. Just reading what goes into dog food was kind of really gross to think about. Most people can not afford those really high priced foods and are relying on the fact that most food is safe for our pets. They even use sick and dead cows to add to foods along with the intestines, heads, hooves, and many other gross parts. There seems to be alot of room for error here and maybe the government should create and impose stricter guidelines to keep our pets safe.

Just stuff

2009-01-26T07:45:00.000-08:00

Well we finished the painting job a day early and may capture an additional job from this client which is great. Things turned out good and I was really happy with the job. I have learned one thing since Lisa's days have been cut and she has helped out to save money ( she can not paint!). It was like a laurel and hardy episode one day. She has gained alot of respect for blue collar work since helping with some of the jobs and can be quite amusing sometimes to work with. A good belly laugh is worth more than money sometimes. Next we hope to pick up the job of two downed trees this week. It is tough but we are really trying to give good deals to get the jobs and help out the client at the same time.
I had to laugh at Janie's comment about hating hot dogs and beer. I will admit to probably being the hot dog queen. I just love them and it can be with all the trimmings, plain, bun less, or just with mustard. For breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even snack. The only thing is that it has to be one of those junk dogs with variety meats which I consider to be the original hot dog. Can't handle the beef ones. Of course we are gearing up for Superbowl and hope to get on a pool at one of the local bars. We went out to dinner over the weekend to a local bar and restaurant that has some of the best seafood you can find at a really good price. The catch is the atmosphere needs alot to be desired but at least you don't have to get dressed up. We had crab cakes, raw oysters, fried clams and french fries with a couple of beers and it was really cheap.
I noticed that some of the patrons were playing Wii bowling and I found that unusual for the area. It was pretty cool to watch but then I thought about how the electronic world has taken away from the physicality of participation. It seems that less and less people bowl, play pool, roller blade, hike, and are active outside of the IT realm.
We are preparing for either snow or sleet coming are way. I did get the snow blower started on the first try but of course the weather was like 48 degrees so I think the problem of why it would not start before was due to the cold weather at 22 degrees. I am guessing that some gas additive might work but if anyone has a suggestion it would be greatly appreciated. I've been studying some spicy curry recipes to try for today and have found that Indian cooking is very interesting. I have decided to try a spicy curry beef over rice. I did need to get some extra spices for this one and Lisa almost died when she had to pay $12.00 for a bottle of cardamom. Spices can be expensive at the regular grocery stores and I would advise people to check out local markets and small foreign speciality shops where they are much cheaper when you want to make original dishes. Another thing we ran into this week was the difference in a cost of a bottle of shampoo. We buy ours at our hair salon which I paid $29.00 plus tax. We went to Walmart an I noticed their beauty salon had the same kind of shampoo at the cost of $18.95 plus tax. The same size bottle and exact shampoo. That is a big difference! For all that buy your hair products at your local salon you should check the Walmart salons to see what type of savings you may be able to get.
We did watch 60 minutes last night about the loss of jobs in Ohio from the DHL plant. I wanted to cry because I felt so sorry for those people and the town. Especially those that had both the husband and the wife working at the same plant loosing their jobs. Ohio has been hit hard with the recession and was having problems before this happened. The question next is what will people do for medical and how will this take its toll on the state and the hospitals. The snowball just keeps rolling and getting bigger by the month.
As for the football that I had signed only the memorie remains due to a fire we had when we lived on one of the farms. My parents were having a house built and stored our childhood memories in the barn until its completion. The barn was struck by lighting, caught fire and burned to the ground. My sisters and I still talk about it to this day. Of course no one was injured and that is the most important thing, but we often talk of what things would be worth today. I know I had a collection of about 400 comic books that I had collected since early childhood and my dear friend Charlie McCarthy was in there. I was a comic book junkie as a kid and still have that childhood tendency to capture anything to do with Spidey and the gang. Yes some of us never completely grow up!
The other thing I learned this week is that Lisa thinks that I cannot sing. Imagine that! She even had the nerve to tell her mother had bad it is. Of course I find this amusing and it gives me that little edge now to tease her with. My sister is coming soon for a visit and of course I have been thinking of a good joke to play on her in my little evil mind. Perhaps something scary this time?

the golden arm

2009-01-23T06:49:00.000-08:00

There are those great encounters that some experience as children that seem greater than life at the time.

It was an ordinary summer day and as usual myself and other neighborhood kids were outside running around playing like the world was ours. As normal thirst called and I headed home to get a quick drink and a handful of bubble gum. Bubble gum was of course a must have staple to survive then. I headed into the side door entrance that lead to the restaurant kitchen and around the corner into the walkin to grab a sprite. It was midday and I could hear the stir and voices of the patrons. It was unusually loud and not the normal lunch crowd because it was a Saturday.

With inquisitive interest I peered out the dining room door to see a group of patrons and my mother hoovering around a table with a lady and man seated at it. I could only see the back of the mans head from where I was at. While everyone was busy I figured I could sneak around to the stock room and get some extra gum for my friends. I often wondered if my parents every really noticed a missing candy bar or handful of gum when they opened up the boxes for display behind the bar.

I had my gum and was rounding the corner when my mother almost bowled me over rushing into the kitchen with great excitement on her face. Then she said " do you know who is here?" Well of course I didn't I was outside all morning. "Quick go get your football" she blurted as she started the kitchen check. Still standing there completely in the dark with my pocket full of surprise I asked "why?". Getting out two beef patties from the refrigerator (they made their own fresh burgers) my mother said "hurry, quick go get your football because Johnny Unitas is here!"

Now for all of you who don't know, Johnny Unitas was one of the greatest quarterbacks to play football and played for the Baltimore Colts back in the day. He would be the equivalent to today's Brett Farve or Peyton Manning. Oh my God! I couldn't believe it, I ran upstairs to get my football for him to sign. This was so cool! Little did my mom know that I kinda of made a detour through the back yard and around the neighborhood to tell my friends that Johnny Unitas was here in the flesh actually eating a burger at our restaurant with his wife. Before you knew it the dining room was filled with fans wanting to say hi and get autographs.

He was really nice and did sign oddities (footballs, scraps of paper, tee shirts, and even a baseball bat) for all the kids and shake hands with the patrons. They of course seemed very used to this type of greeting and were very humble. His food arrived and we left leaving his wife and him to eat their lunch in peace savoring a fresh burger and what small town fame is all about.

My mother was thrilled that she met him and that he actually stopped there for lunch, but never made a big deal about it and would remember it fondly. Myself and the gang sat for a long period of time that day enjoying the sun, the gum, and sharing the stuff that we had signed by the man with the golden arm.

Kudos to Obama!

2009-01-22T17:04:00.000-08:00

I watched the inauguration, the parade, and history in the making but there was one thing that really struck me that I had not seen for a long time. A positive role model. There were so many young people that were touched by President Obama in the most positive way that you don't see very often. He is not a sports legend, movie star, or current rock star on tour, but the President of the United States. Kids of all ages seemed to be impressed and interested in something and someone that can truly make a difference for millions of Americans in many different ways. It was truly impressive, and touching. At the same instance I was imaging the change that was actually taking place that would last a lifetime and change the direction and mindset of our future generations. Kudos to Obama!

snow

2009-01-20T06:01:00.000-08:00

It has been an interesting couple of days here. The big hype for the playoff game. The grocery store only had six packs of hot dogs left. Now that was hard to believe. Everyone was in their team shirts and hats purchasing snacks and other goodies getting ready for kickoff. Of course we had the big let down when the Ravens lost to the Steelers in the playoffs. Steelers have been playing a great game and deserve it to win the Superbowl.

Things must be quite different here as compared to the west coast and I am assuming it is due to the weather. Betty had mentioned about going out to eat and having to wait for a table. Saturday we decided to go to dinner and a nice restaurant on the water and made reservations. We were the only ones in the whole dining room! The good thing was that we received excellent service and the food was delicious. I did feel sorry for the staff knowing that they make the majority of their salary in tips. Afterwards we strolled the waterside town (in 5 degree weather) and it was close to empty everywhere which is unusual for here. I have heard many people say they were staying home because it was just too cold.

I started a painting job on Monday that will take up the week, which is good. So I am painting and it starts snowing. Now they only called for a snow shower. It started snowing harder and harder with really big flakes. I really needed to get one room finished with primer and was moving at a faster pace in case the snow kept coming. Finally finished around 4:00, cleanup and headed for home which was a really good thing because the temperature was dropping and I could see some ice already forming. We live in a development that we all pay a fee for the roads to be cleaned. That is really funny due to the fact that it doesn't happen until a day or two later. The problem is that it is hilly like a mountain with trees and no roadside. So I come around the corner in my truck and see like 20 cars at the ponds and people standing around. I just gave thought that they had something going on. Then I saw the ice. No I didn't panic just put it in low gear and kept up a good speed made it up the hill then popped into the drive. Now I bought this truck for this reason alone. A big four wheel drive Chevy that can handle snow and it holds good to its name. Later after talking to the neighbor who has AWD and couldn't make it up the hill that is the reason everyone was at the ponds. We watched car after car slide sideways, spinout, and one do a 380. Finally after mega complaints the snow trucks came bearing gifts of salt. Everyone was happy for about 30 minutes until we lost power.

I cleaned up the walks and then was going to rev up the snow plow for the first time removing snow. I pulled the started and nothing! Okay this thing was just serviced it should start right away. After about 45 minutes of trying to start this thing I was worn out. Used starter fluid and everything. It was just too cold! This thing had started all summer and fall, now it just quenched up. This seemed really strange because it is colder in other states and I am wondering how do they keep everything running. So it was back to the trusty old snow shovel.

Losing power here is like changing your underware. It seems to happen everyday. Well now we are down for hours and I don't really mind it as much as Lisa. So I made this really nice butternut squash and apple soup for dinner, started the fireplace and this seemed to appease her need for electricity for awhile.

Playoffs

2009-01-16T13:59:00.000-08:00

The weather has turned really cold here at 5 degrees. Actually I kind of like it because the ground is nice and hard in the backyard for the dogs, which means less dirt in the house-yeah! They won't stay out there too long when it is this cold.

I have actually taken the time to do some painting which I haven't done for years. Now I have to clean up the basement. I just imagined myself sitting across the mountains in a row boat on a quiet lake fishing for bass. Looks as if this may be in Colorado. See I told you I day dream.

Now I am going to start a new herb garden with oregano, basil, Italian parsley, and mint. I had an earlier one but the light drew small gnats during the summer. It seems to be the time of year for small projects and hobbies. I bought a really neat vase for the kitchen table and now am in the search for a nice water plant to go with it.

Things are not so hot in town. A friend of mine owns a bar and restaurant which she is really struggling with. I have noticed that she is not opening during the day and has cut back on the days they are open. I should stop in to see her. I tried to tell her in a nice constructive way that the previous chef was ruining her business but it came too late and then the downside of the economy hit. Most of all I can't believe she is not open on Sundays. She is missing a large part of business during football season. I went to the feed store to get dog food and the owners are really struggling and one went back to work full time. They have cut down their inventory and staff. Then I noticed the signs in the development behind us that has not finished building the total number of homes. The poor guy got foreclosed on leaving two new homes never lived in and four other lots that were up for auction. Over 1.5 million dollar in investment! After doing some research I wonder what happens at this point. People that bought those houses paid $450,000.00 under the assumption that the development would be finished and all the homes would be of equal value. Now what happens to the value when the new builder goes in and puts up $150,000.00 home. That is a loss for everyone and such a shame.

It is getting nasty around here with the playoffs happening on Sunday. A brutal rival between the Ravens and the Steelers. The fans are going wild over this. Then when you throw the Eagles into the mix it is really wild. Everywhere we look people are sporting their team shirts and colors. Actually it is a lot of fun! Our neighbors are from Pittsburg-booooo! only kidding. Let's hope that the officials get all the calls right and we see Big Ben on his back most of the game. Go Ravens! I have been glued to the TV on Sundays watching the games and have been surprised at the outcomes. I really expected the Giants to be there but maybe Plaxico is that missing link after all or should we say Eli's security blanket. It was just really weird seeing Brett Farve in a jets uniform, Peyton Manning sitting on the sidelines as he watched the hopes of the colts being dashed once again, and LT out for the playoffs once again. We are hoping that purple power reins once again in the playoffs.

The tide may be turning

2009-01-09T20:33:00.000-08:00

Among all the negatives I have felt a sense of well being underneath waiting to climb to the surface and bring good things. It has started! Lisa got a phone call from HR at the hospital she applied and she is still in the running for the job she applied for. They have narrowed it down to three and will try to make the decision in two weeks. We had not heard anything and assumed that they hired someone-whew! This is really good news and I am hoping she gets the job not only because of the pay, but I think she needs a boost at this point in her life and this would be just the thing, plus she is deserving of it.

I had a dream the other night and when I woke up I could remember everything very clearly like I was awake the whole time. Okay you know I am a gambler but I had not gambled for sometime. I have been playing some scratch offs and won three chances to win a thousand dollars a week for 20 years. Wouldn't that be nice? So we are waiting for the drawing and of course just planning that dream vacation (which we will probably wind up taking in the back yard-HaHa). Well anyway in the dream I had bought three scratch off tickets and there was a winner on each one. The first was 75,000.00, the second one was 7,000.00 and the third was 700.00. Now I have been researching what scratch off has this amount on it to buy and in the meantime I have been playing a four digit daily number that has not hit for along time which is 9850. Well yesterday and tonight I just missed hitting this four digit by a hair. Then the mega million (currently12 million) was drawn and I bought one random ticket due to the fact that I never come close not even one number. So I am watching the drawing (which I never do) and decide to check that ticket (which I never do) and to my surprise we had numbers. I actually was getting excited since I always have crappy numbers. Then to my surprise we had four numbers and it is worth $150.00. Yippie!
Things seem to be changing!

I was so excited just because we never win on this game that I woke Lisa up and showed her the ticket. Still groggy and half asleep she did comprehend what I was saying and was surprised also and said "things seem to be turning around". Now I had not mentioned what I have been feeling to her and I thought wow that is just too coincidental.

There would be so many things to do if I hit the big one. I often wonder what I would do with the money and usually I have the same outcome when daydreaming of this.
1) Pay off all debt
2)Take a nice vacation to Tahiti
3)Start large restaurant chain
4)Put money into the community
5)Give to Katrina victims for their homes
6)Open food pantry and soup kitchen for the homeless
7)Share with siblings so they can live comfortable and retire

I have always been a daydreamer and I do feel the tide may be turning.

Just stuff!

2009-01-07T16:09:00.000-08:00

It's cold, raining, and gloomy. I have been on a cooking spree this week and will be hunting for a treadmill before long. Since Lisa and I have been home together for the first time in 25 years it has been a treat to enjoy the holidays and have dinner together in the evenings. The problem is it is starting to show in my stomach. I am not used to eating three meals a day plus snacks even though I am a chef ( we just taste little samples of food all day). Lisa don't seem to have this problem (lucky her!).

This week I made black eye peas with sauteed onion, garlic, bacon, and thyme ( a good luck thing), home made basil and ricotta ravioli, red sauce ( a basic light marinara sauce not as chunky), fried crabmeat wontons, bourbon chicken wings, spicy hot grilled chicken breast croistini with provolone and bleu cheese dressing, antipasta, vegetable beef soup, coconut smoothies, apple pie with caramel, tomato and basil pizza, hot bacon salad, and the list goes on. Now you know why the need for a treadmill. Rusty and Abbey are in heaven when I get in the kitchen. They will lay at the doorway for hours waiting to devour any scraps or goodies that will pass their way. In my entire life I have never seen dogs eat so many different types of food.

Each one will finish any leftover salad or component of one. They eat wedges of lettuce, tomatoes, celery, cucumber, any type of fruit such as tangerines, apples, and watermelon. I have only found one food that they snub which is shrimp. They don't really like the texture of it. Rusty is a sugar hound. One whiff of something sweet and he is walking around with his nose in the air, eyes just begging for a taste of it. So of course I give in and make them a not to sweet smoothie and they are happy.

We got our tree cleaned up that fell outside and it was enough to fill the whole back of my truck up to the cab and an eight foot trailer. It looked like it was going to be more than we thought. Our neighbors gave us a hand which was really nice. The one young guy finally moved out across the street where the supposed robbery happened. I really think it was a set up due to the fact that he did not have the rent.

The economy is really hurting business and things have been more than slow. I really anticipate slow winters but this has been the slowest. Everywhere I look I see more and more people home from work. If the housing market would not be so bad we would consider selling and moving to somewhere like Seattle Washington. They seem to be holding there own with a good job market still going on. It has gotten brutal here! Went for an interview that was an hour away and during the interview they stated it would be several different shifts. I was actually kind of pissed that they did not include this in the job posting or make mention before hand. So I am still looking and of course holding on to business at hand. Things seem to get more interesting everyday and I can't wait until Obama gets sworn in to see what will happen.

New Year!

2009-01-01T12:58:00.000-08:00

I can't express enough how glad I am to see a new year! I rang out the old with great excitement and a positive attitude that this year is gonna be a better year. They cancelled the fireworks downtown and it was windy and cold. We were disappointed until our neighbors let us know they had bought plenty of really big ones. It was so cool! We had great stuff to eat and just watched from the back deck at an array of colors in the sky. Yes they cancelled most fireworks displays around but leave it to our little redneck community to make sure they rang in the year right. It's a wonder they didn't set someone's house on fire, but everyone had fun.

Of course we had to have some bad luck before the year ended and during the morning the wind was just howling outside. Now in the past I had said that we just had three huge pine trees removed and the others trimmed. I heard a cracking sound and just knew but had hopes it wasn't ours. I looked outside and just wanted to scream obscenities when I saw that it was the top of a pine tree in our front yard that had broken off and blocked the road and our neighbors driveway! You have got to be kidding me! No this couldn't have happened when it was 60 degrees outside the other day. So we spent the morning doing cleanup to unblock the road and the driveway. This summer the other two in the front are coming down. If that would have hit the house or a car we would have had some serious damage. Never again will I move somewhere that has pine trees.

On a really good note I did notice at the end of October that the buzzards were not here. Yes, if you remember we had the problem of about 100 buzzards that used to roost in these pine trees. For ten years now I have been fighting this problem. November came and still not a sign of the buzzards. I started to contribute this to the warm weather that we were having. Then finally in December we realized they were not coming and have not seen hide nor hair of them (or should I say hide nor feather). I think it is because we have cut down the major roosting pine trees that they used for years. Only time will tell for sure. It is really nice and I sure don't miss them this year.

I have a sense of well being with the New year starting and can't wait to see what it will bring. To all of you Happy New Year!

Onto New Years!

2008-12-29T16:43:00.001-08:00

Wow! Christmas comes so fast then boom it is over! We still have all decorations up and probably won't take them down until after New Years. The holidays were good but I ate way too much junk! Now it is time for some serious exercise so I have made a promise to myself to walk the dogs at least 4 days a week for an hour. They are loving it! I took some pictures of the spoiled brats at Christmas. Of course we got them some toys and chews. I bought Rusty a cool duck that quacked that he really got into. After about 3 hours I looked and he had eaten the feet of the duck-crazy dog! Maggie got a new basket for a bed and seemed comfy and happy.

I collect snow globes and Lisa bought me an unusual one for Christmas that lights up,blows snow, and plays music as the animals rotate at the bottom. The top is dented to hold a candle. Pretty neat! We got some cool stuff this year.

I am hoping the weather will hold out through New Year's Eve so we can celebrate it down at the Harbor with fireworks. This is the first year that I can really say that I can not wait until it is over. I am certain that 2009 will be much more promising than last year. I also interview for another position soon with just the right hours to continue business at full force. I am keeping my fingers crossed and hopes at bay for now.

2008-12-24T12:20:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

Christmas magic

2008-12-21T14:29:00.000-08:00

Oh no I woke up yesterday with the worst cold which is unusual for me. That awful runny nose and watering eyes, cough, and achy muscle stuff. Damn I look into the medicine cabinet and to my surprise there is nothing for this. No NyQuil, Alika seltzer, theraflu , just nada, but a few aspirin. I guess that is a good indication that we haven't had colds for awhile. So I figure just wait it out, get some rest and watch TV.

I have watched more TV in two days than I care to think about. I watched the Christmas story the Polar Express. Very good story and the writer had quite an imagination. It was so odd because as I was watching it I thought of how we tend to lose the magic of Christmas as we get older. Then at the end of the story there was that same message about loosing the magic.

It made me ponder for the rest of the evening about the magic of Christmas and how that changes as we get older. Then I wandered into my past and thought about the changes that have transpired over the years. I still believe that Christmas is very magical and in that alone the spirit comes alive. In this particular story a small bell off Santa's sleigh held that Christmas magic because of a small boy's belief. So I hope for everyone they can find that belief and enjoy a little Christmas magic!

Soap box time!

2008-12-19T21:19:00.000-08:00

I know it is the holiday season but after a night of doom and gloom on TV things didn't seem to be to festive for many people. I watched dateline which provided a glimpse of the collapsing home mortgage market. It was sad to watch as people were forced out of their homes due to foreclosure. Most of this could have been avoided as far as I am concerned. We all know that some mortgages had been given to people that really did not qualify, and mortgages with all types of fluctuating rates that should have never happened. Many people could afford to pay for their homes if it weren't for these ungodly rates that the banks are forcing them to pay. What good is an empty house to a bank in a collapsing market? This is where the government needs to step in and say enough is enough and force the banks to refinance at an acceptable rate to keep these people in their homes. If everyone thinks that is happening than someone is blowing smoke up their ass. Why isn't their a national lending audit to see who is charging what. I am so frustrated by this. I wonder if these CEO's sleep well at night-crooks!

It was so unnerving that I started to doubt exactly what we had done when we refinanced, even though I was pretty comfortable with everything. So I poured over all of our paperwork and let out a big sigh of relief that everything was in order. How many of you have actually sat down and looked over your mortgage papers since you have purchased your home? Take a good look at your payment plan and it can be staggering. The interest that you pay even with a good rate can be sickening when you realize how much of your money actually goes to principle. Yes I think the banking industry should be shot! I can remember a time when I was small that banks wanted your business and would do anything to get it. There were free lollipops, dog biscuits at the drive in window, free savings books, and you could open up a savings account with as little as ten dollars. The bank personnel greeted you with a smile as you carried in that giant bucket of change that you had been saving for something special and then gave you your grand total after counting it for free.

There is not a bank that I know that does that anymore. They don't take loose change or if some do they charge you to count it. You pay to withdraw your own money from your account, you must have a certain amount of money to open up a checking or savings, you must keep a certain amount of money in there or they will charge you, not enough funds you will be charged, use an out of network ATM machine you will be charged, need checks you will be charged, and the list goes on. Now when you call the bank to check on something they will tell you that you can do all that on line. Well what am I paying them for? Then there may be that one day when you go to the bank and they don't have your money, god help you if you are smart enough to get ahead but choose the wrong bank to put more than what the federal government insures.

It just might be better to keep your money at home under the mattress these days to get a good nights sleep. Remember that old saying a penny found is a penny earned. Or is it a penny earned is a penny saved? I am not quite sure why pennies are still in circulation. It is not uncommon to find pennies nowadays. People don't want them so you will find many in those loose change trays that are in store for those people that need a penny or so. What can you buy with a penny? Now that is a real brain teaser!

Then I had to sit through another debate on gay marriage, religion, the Bible, and Rick Warren.

It was time to get a drink by now. Oh my the debate of what a union is, how the church sees it, and it goes on. Time for another drink. I think there are more important things to address right now in this country.

The next segment is on the new doll baby on the market. I think it is called Little Mommy Doll. It appears that some of the dolls that were manufactured have a phrase that they whisper, "Islam is the light". There seemed to be a discrepancy about this before they hit the market and evidently someone does not want to loose a dollar and went ahead with distribution. Why not be honest and stamp this on the box. More Crooks!

They are going to try to get rid of the death penalty in the state of Maryland. Well as a taxpayer I don't want to pay for more violent REPEATING criminals to live the rest of their life in prison. Our prisons are already too crowded. So now we are going to release these petty thieves with drug habits to annoy the public by breaking and entering, stealing, and taking up police and court time. In the mean time we can watch our insurance premiums go up as we pay out of pocket for these petty theft damages to fuel their drug habits. I want to say to all the bleeding hearts out there when you look at the statistics there are very few that are innocent that get put to death. Let's not forget the innocent that have been murdered that have no appeal.

I did get to catch shoes being thrown at President Bush. I am not happy with the way things have turned out, however I do have enough respect for the leader of our country to restrain from such a display of ignorance. I am finding I have less tolerance for other countries acts of dislike for Americans. This is fine , than stay in your own country and reap what you sow. It would also be nice if these countries would stop depending on foreign government help from the United States.

Then I watched a segment on how Mexican workers are returning home back across the border due to the lack of work in the United States. Hmmm! There were probably many good workers and I feel for them, but I also have something to say on this issue. I was born and raised in the United States. I have been working since I was 16 and have paid taxes. I found it to be absurd when I applied for a managers position at TGI Fridays for them to want me to learn Spanish so I could communicate with the kitchen staff. Um the last time I looked we were an ENGLISH SPEAKING country. I am still in the states and didn't apply for this job in Mexico. After doing my research there are TGI Friday locations that are independently owned and the owners will get their kitchen staff from Mexico on green cards. Guess what I have never eaten at any TGI Friday's since. It had nothing to due with the fact that they had a Mexican staff. It was all about the fact the number one they were green card workers that were taking away jobs from American citizens at less pay, and that they should speak English if they want to work here. It was a slap in the face as an American! It is the principle of it all. I am tired of being abused in my own country.

Well on a lighter note after 3 glasses of wine I mellowed out and put a movie in. Thought I would share a nice choice of appetizer or dessert wine for you to try as I get a little soap box time!

New Year

2008-12-16T11:45:00.000-08:00

Everyone usually has a special ball and this is one of ours. This has been in our family for about 55 years. It used to be my grandmothers which was passed onto my mother and then to me. I don't know the story behind the ball just what it represents. Every year my family will visit and see this one particluar ball and it just seems to flood them with Christmas memories. Now that is a treasure!

It's been a little crazy here and I have finally found time to do a post. Last night we took a drive to the Herr's Potato Chip Plant in Nottingham PA. It is just a short jaunt for us and they decorate the grounds for Christmas so that you can drive through and look at all the lights. We did take some pictures but you know me and technology. Most did not turn out. The plant is even open for day tours to show how they make their chips. Let me tell you it smells really good in that area when your driving by with the scent of fried potatoes in the air.

Now we have decorated our one tree outside three times with lights. We added extra and plugged it up and guess what. It lit up than bang half went out. So I go to the store and buy three more sets and put them on. I plugged it in then bam the bottom set went out. Yesterday I added the other set and so far this is what we have. I don't think I'll ever get a job setting up outside decorations and lighting.

I have taken a couple pictures of the tree we put up and our chrismas village. Abbey keeps trying to steal some of the people and a car underneath for some reason (crazy dog). The cat get's behind the village and sleeps. I laugh because it usually reminds me of that movie land of the giants. Still haven't finished my shopping and just started to wrap presents today. Time seems to be flying and before you know it we will be celebrating the New Year.

Find Waldo

2008-12-09T18:16:00.000-08:00

Click to enlarge

I opened our side door to take out the trash and was surprised to see six deer on the edge of the woods. Trying to be quiet I scrambled back in the house running upstairs to get my camera fearing they would be gone before I could get the picture. As I raced back outside I could still see them slowly making thier way into the woods. I thought I was going to get the greatest picture.

Trying to take the picture while some of them were running was impossible. Now this is where the old time camera worked better because you would be looking through the lens at the subject. Well hell I was trying to watch them and get them into view in the camera window while trying to zoom in. It was really like trying to find Waldo! Even after taking the pictures when you look at them it is like trying to find Waldo! Good Luck! I am curious if the pictures are actually enlarging for you when you click onto them. Please let me know .

A special moment in time

2008-12-04T06:35:00.000-08:00

It was a relaxing day and we decided to put up the tree. Now it takes hours to do this and our current tree is not that big. First we have to make a snack platter, find the right Christmas music, light some candles, and get all the stuff out.

We have went artificial for the past 10 years and needed to replace our tree last year. I picked out a gorgeous one about 7 feet tall with glistening dew that looked real. It was $475.00. But hey they last a long time. Well time got away from us and at the last minute Lisa decides just to buy a tree on her own. Believe me when I tell you she does not like to shop. She came home and was so proud of that tree that she got on sale for $40.00. I was afraid to look! She couldn't be serious, but she was.

It was a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree! I saw the gleam in her eyes as she put it up and I didn't have the heart to say it was skimpy looking because for some reason this little tree had some special meaning for her.

So this year we got out our Charlie Brown Christmas Tree and decorated it with great pride reminiscing over each ball that we placed, and for the first time decided to do a small garden underneath. We completed it all with great pride then hit the lights and watched the tree and village come alive in pure amazement as if we had seen this for the first time.

Of course having a cat and two large dogs with wicked tail strength becomes an issue with the tree. We were taking bets on which one would knock the balls off first or trample a house. It was different this year. They came in the room and I was really amazed and wished I had filmed it. They looked over the tree and sniffed around then laid down right in front of it and just looked at the village underneath like it was displayed just for them. You could actually see them checking it out and taking it all in. Could it be possible that Abbey was actually growing up!

Night fell and the chores were complete and we buttoned down the hatch to watch a movie. Candle lit the windows with angels peering outside, the scent of vanilla drifted through the air from lit candles, and the room had transformed into Christmas. We were all curled up in front of the tree, the cat was asleep on the chair next to the tree and the dogs were snuggled up next to us with our Charlie Brown Christmas Tree gleaming in the background. I was flooded with the feeling of that special moment in time.

Continuation.......Marty

2008-12-04T05:58:00.000-08:00

I am writing this one for all of those people that think the drunk driving laws are too strict and for Marty.

Martin Luther Shuff the Third. What was my Aunt thinking? My cousin Marty short for Martin was one year younger than I and a very sweet soul. He would take so much razzing from us over this name as kids because it was the longest that we had heard of in our family. When I think of Marty I remember all the great times we had together over the holidays and summers. Marty always had the coolest race tracks to play with and high tech toys at the time. We would spend hours playing with robots, cars, and all the make believe stuff. Marty was an adventurer at heart and really enjoyed visiting us on the farm where his mind opened into a new world where he would become a different superhero or character everyday. He loved James Bond.

Let's see he was also accident prone. We were ice skating on the pond (of course where we weren't supposed to be) and he fell in. Not good! He cornered a mouse outside once and got bit in the finger. It was gross! He went canoeing with my sister and tipped the boat. Very wet! My Aunt used to always tell him to be careful! That was like telling a stone to roll over. We grew up very close and stayed in touch throughout the years. Marty grew up in the city and loved music and dirt bikes and excelled at both. One day in the car when he was about 16 he was singing the song Hotel California by the Eagles and I can still hear his voice like it was yesterday. It was great!

I will never forget that he came to visit us when my ninth grade dance was going on that weekend. He would be staying with us for the week. So I took him to the dance with me. Oh my God did I get razzed about that by my friends at school until they saw him. Then they all wanted dates with him. It was cute because he was very shy that he was out of his own element but started to loosen up when all the girls wanted to dance with him. We had a great time that night and didn't have to worry about impressing anyone, just having fun.

Marty later develop his own band and started to sing in clubs. He just had it all by the time he was 20. Good looks, a promising future, he was engaged, and was loving life. It was quite odd because at the time everyone seemed to be scattered across the states but yet we all bumped into each other in the time frame of three months. You know how you haven't seen someone for awhile but yet when you meet again you have that warm feeling like it was just yesterday that you were with that person. When we met for the last time it was in a club where his Mom worked and we were joking with each other about our childhood. He looked good, laughed alot and was happy. It was nice.

I was at Mom's when we got the call. Marty was in John's Hopkins on life support. He was brain dead. My Aunt wanted all of us to come to see him before she had him taken off of the life support.

Marty had been hit by a drunk driver not more than 5 blocks from where his mother was working. The driver had ran a red light and hit Marty's car going 50mph crushing the drivers side. Part of the car came through the window and severed his vocal cords and damaged his head. The driver had two previous DUI's and walked away with a broken arm. The irony of this is that my Aunt has been a tavern owner all her life serving booze. Her life changed forever when this happened. Marty was 21.

Continuation.....Kim

2008-12-03T07:28:00.000-08:00

I have attempted to write this piece several times but it becomes very lenghty due to emotions.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday my sister and I spoke in length about two losses we have had due to drug and alcohol addiction. I will tell you from first hand experience that all of the programs that everyone thinks is out there is pure bullshit! The more money you have the better level of treatment you get and the better chances you have of staying clean longer. Of course all of this is just a step to nowhere unless the person that has the abuse problem wants to stop.

Let me start with my cousin Kim. Kim was raised by strict Catholic middle class working parents is the suburbs. We were very close when we were young visiting for holidays, summer vacations, and Sunday get together. Her life was at a faster speed then mine and we were the same age and first cousins. I never figured out why her life was so much faster paced, until I was older. It was just the simple fact of exposure. We lived on a farm in the country with limited exposure and a slower way of living.

Kim started out on marijuana that she would get from her older brothers friends and other cousins. This progressed to PCP. Now that was a trip in itself to see a room full of people out to lunch on PCP. As we grew older and started to get into the club scene (fake IDs of course) I noticed just how many drugs she was doing. Kim was now at the level of Quaalude, PCP, and acid. The atmosphere unnerved me and I started to distance myself more and more.
Kim became a groupie of popular eighties bands that would go on to become famous. She had access to whatever drugs she wanted and took full advantage of this. Of course eventually like everything else it spiraled out of control quickly. My Aunt and Uncle started with the usual stuff of grounding (but of course she had been doing this unnoticed for years and already had an addiction issue which they had no clue of). That's was the sad part for my Aunt and Uncle. While they were working to put their kids through private school the drug use had started and taken hold before they even noticed. Kim hid things well and was an expert that had many accomplices that were close. The next step of course was limiting the friends that she could be around, counseling, and getting a job. By the time Kim turned 21 she had been in two facilities for drug use, church, counseling, NA meetings, and I can't tell you how many more programs.

I have read so many pamphlets that I could be an expert on some of the topics. Come on, reading material isn't going to cut it. We need programs to bring us up to date and conquer this problem. Or maybe the money made off of drugs is just to damn good for the US to give up. Do I believe that alot of this is brushed under the rug? For sure!

I attended some of these programs as support with her. At the free cheap programs she scored drugs and connections to buy what she needed. Many were there because it was court mandated and did not want to stop. It was a waste of time and taxpayer money. Then we went to visit her in her first in patient rehabilitation program that the insurance paid for. It is not like what you see on TV! I could relate this to a second hand crack house on the corner. What I did notice about this type of treatment is that they do more group discussion to let the patient know they are not alone. If they find drugs your out and they do random urine testing to protect the patients trying to get well. They create a sense of regiment back into ones life. They try but need more funding for a higher level of intervention better doctors and copping methods.

After that didn't work my Aunt and Uncle spent $20,000.00 of their savings for a private facility. Kim stayed there for nine months. When she came home she looked great and seemed to have a new look on life. Unfortunately this only lasted for about 8 months and she was not only back to drugs but much heavier substances. Time passed and I saw less and less of her. Then one day we got the phone call that she was in the operating room in a very critical condition. She had hit a telephone pole at 60 mph head on while under the influence of drugs. Kim had broken her jaw, fracture her clavicle, broken her arm, and torn her aortic artery.

She was lucky she made it to the hospital. The surgeons repaired her and she had a long road to recovery. During the process she had a stroke that paralyzed her arm and one side of her face. She was 28 at the time with a 2 year old son. Kim lived to be 35 and passed due to complications from the auto accident that left her with a heart condition.

When I think of her I remember the times when we were young and innocent running around the beach seeking out the best seashells we could find. The strong bond that we had like most first cousins do of the same age and of course that crooked smile and hearty laugh that came with ease.

Enjoy!

2008-12-02T20:42:00.000-08:00

Wow I can't believe I have not posted for this long. Thanksgiving went well and so did all the pies. I am a huge pie lover and will eat just about any kind of pie. That means pie for breakfast, snack, dinner, and of course dessert. I have eaten so much pumpkin pie that my skin is getting that slight golden pumpkin tone, the belly greets everyone first at the door, and I have a smidge of a new skin scent that kind of resembles nutmeg. Only kidding! I did tried a new stuffing recipe incorporating roasted chestnuts, cornbread, pumpernickel, reg bread cubes, onions, celery, seasonings, dried cherries and pecans. Turned out really good.

My sister spent about 5 days visiting and the time flew by. We watched some movies, worked, shopped, and reminisced, but this visit was some real quality time just talking about stuff. I will tell you that we used to be avid pinochle players until 10 years ago when our Mom passed. My God it was like dumb and dumber trying to get back to the basics of the game. For three days we tried to get through one game and of course it just wasn't happening. Now I am on the quest to get the game rules for the two player version (she has to see it in black and white or she thinks I am cheating-and I wonder why). She can be such a baby!

Well what I would like to share with everyone is what she brought with her. This made me even more thankful for what we had as compared to others during the holidays. Her friend is a truck driver and recently made a trip to Galveston Texas to deliver much needed food and supplies. This is one of the meals that get delivered during disaster situations for the victims when the world basically stops for these unfortunate people. So the next time when you think you don't have enough remember the meal someone else may be receiving and I think you will find yourself rather humbled. I did find the whole concept very fascinating and wondered why not make these meals available for the elderly that can't cook for themselves. I have never seen them in our area.

Everything is in the box for a complete meal. Napkins, spoon, knife, salt, pepper, instructions, 1 container of premixed spaghetti with meatballs in sauce, 1 dish that is lined with a chemical heat pad that gets activated with the pouch of salt water, and the box that is foiled lined to act as an oven. Basically you pour the salt water onto the heating pad, turn the spaghetti container over face down with lid on, put the dish into the box and the chemical heat pad activates creating steam. Heat for about 5 minutes and you have your meal.
Product is packaged for D&B Specialty Foods Inc in Deerfield, IL. Is 9 ounces and 260 calories 80 from fat. The box says no refrigeration and no preservatives. Also used for camping and the outdoors. As far as the flavor goes, you have to put yourself in the frame of mind that you have not had a hot meal for days-then the meal is great!

Thought I would also leave a neat diabetic or low carb meal we use that taste really good. The following items can be bought and used later in the week for pizza nite.

Some dreamfields low carb pasta, olive oil, fresh lemon juice, fresh basil, Roma or grape tomatoes, minced garlic, and Parmesan cheese. Cook pasta, sauteed chopped tomatoes in olive oil with minced garlic, add cooked pasta, add grated fresh Parmesan cheese, a small squirt of lemon with salt and pepper, Heat thoroughly then add some basil that has been thinly sliced. Top off with some Greek olives.

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T21:07:00.000-08:00

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......

2008-11-22T17:41:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-18T16:13:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-18T15:31:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-15T10:54:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-13T08:54:00.000-08:00

"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?

2008-11-12T16:00:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-11T04:32:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-11-09T16:42:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-07T05:23:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-05T07:56:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-05T07:20:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-01T09:51:00.000-07:00

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.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T12:51:00.000-07:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Thinking of Christmas Already

2008-10-26T23:21:00.000-07:00

The weather is turning chilly, Halloween is right around the corner, Thanksgiving is down the road and then there it is CHRISTMAS! I get the fever early, thanks to my mother.
About this time every year we would ponder on those things that we were hoping to get for Christmas. We were asked to produce a list and then sat down to review it with our mother before Santa would receive it. It was like a Christmas Story all over again (by the way that is a must for me to watch for every Santa Season). We would be perched on the edges of the kitchen chairs as my mother would get her coffee ready before tackling the undaunting task of each list. I soon learned to write my list in great detail to make this process go faster so that Santa would be getting my list early, why yes I wouldn't want him to forget anything.
I of course would go first, I was the baby! This was the only time that I can remember appreciating being the baby.
Oh my the questions and facial expressions she would make as she poured over the list. "What is this?" she asked as she pointed to the bottom of my list. "Oh know she picked that out first to ask me about, I thought she would not see it". I hesitated and almost stammered then slowly in a very explicit manner described the Charley McCarthy ventriloquist doll with all of his attributes.
Her lips curved up into a smile and with a slight amusing laugh as she reached for a pen. "And where did you see this doll?" she asked. Well of course it was in the Sears and Roebucks catalog. I would make it easy for Santa and just rip the pages out usually and attach them to my list, but had caught such a raft from my sisters that I grew accustomed to listing page numbers and itemizing things.
With a flash I produced my second page of itemized, labeled, sized, gifts of color preferences and locations. I knew this would make things much easier for Santa with all the kids that he had to take care of.
"Now what are you going to do with that doll?" she inquired. Of course I would become a great ventriloquist and probably perform all over the country.
Oh the dreams you have when your are young. So simple to conquer the world.
I waited patiently and she reviewed things. The the big question came. "What do you want the most?"
Without a doubt the Charlie doll! She nodded her head and circled the Charlie doll and attached the itemized list carefully to the first page. Then off I was with grand thoughts racing through my head of Charlie sitting on my lap with his top hat and eyepiece in place just talking away.
Well by the time Christmas rolled around I had forgotten what the other stuff was that I had put on the list except of course Charlie.
Oh my God! The build up on Christmas Eve was tremendous! Of course my best friend Rickey and I would put out cookies, candy, soda, milk, slim jims, bubble yum, and any other goodies we could find for Santa and the elves. I pity the pour souls that had to eat all of that stuff. We would spend hours discussing the possibility of what we might get the next morning. Watch how the Grinch stole Christmas, then say our goodbyes and wait for Christmas. I swear I woke up early every Christmas just from anticipation regardless of how much sleep I got.
We would have to wait until Mom and Dad were up. That was the rule along with no peeking. It seemed like they slept for hours. Then I would hear that tinest bit of movement.
I tried to wait quietly then of course I had an excuse. The dog slept with me.
"Mom the dog has to pee" I would sneakingly quip. I would hurry and reach down to and shake that dog out of her dead sleep and motion for her to come to the door, race back to the bed and leave her poor puzzled statue standing in the middle of the floor. Of course I would make it up to her later by sharing dinner. Once she was up I knew she would become a little noisy, shaking her fur wildly prancing around the room. This only worked for three years before they caught on.
There door opened and I could hear the coffee cup bottoms hitting the counter, the spoons swishing around in the water. Well of course I could because at that age I had supersonic hearing to go with my xray vision. The sound of their slippers scuffing across the floor into the living room.
"Okay you can come out now" she said. I came around the corner to see none other than Charlie McCarthy sitting in a new rocking chair there in all his splendor with his top hat and tuxedo waiting for me to bring him to life.
I had Charlie for many years and he provided some of the best laughs (especially in a tavern full of drunks). We never got to tour the country together but. I remember him fondly which has me thinking of Christmas already.

odds and ends

2008-10-24T12:33:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to stay positive and relatively calm but when I watch the news and read the paper I am starting to panic somewhat. Stock market still falling, banks still in trouble, and more closures. Another car dealership closed just 15 miles from us that was also a long standing business. This one was Honda. In the paper today I read where Chrysler is closing another plant in Newark, Delaware. A loss of about 1,800 jobs. This location is about 24 miles from us. There are no job openings in the tri-state area for Lisa. Her company has notified everyone that at the end of this month they will no longer have health insurance, life insurance, or disability insurance.
I have decided the best thing to do is for me to put in some applications for a full time chef's position. I have not figured this out yet, but for some reason there seems to be jobs in this area. So I better take it now while it is there. I have gotten a reply to one already so I am keeping my fingers crossed for a potential interview. I am hoping that between Lisa working part time and on my days off we can keep the business running until things calm down. With all of these layoff's I cannot predict how business will be in the next 4 months especially with lawn care season over. It is getting really bad and I don't want to be sitting between a rock and a hard place. Everyday the news gets worse.
I have also read wear Korea is having a food shortage. Now that is really bad. A month ago I had touched on this subject about the United States and the dwindling farm land used to build houses on. Where will we get our food in the years to come? Korea could be an example of what we will have to face.
So much for all of this doom and gloom on the bright side I fixed a toilet today and it only cost us $6.89 yeah! Maybe I was a plumber in my past life, it just seems to come natural. I made a pot of beef vegetable soup for dinner to go along with some grilled cheese sandwiches. What is really good is cream cheese and jalapeno peppers on rye bread grilled-yum! Now it is off to try to change my own oil-awweeehhhh!
You know 5 years ago I never would have done this, but I am learning to save money and stop being so wasteful. We have always bought what we wanted and have had nice holidays, but I am realizing that I have a basement and attic full of stuff that we don't use. That is really a waste. So now for the first time we are trying to organize a yard sale-that's gonna be a trip! Of course we have no ideal of what we are doing or how much to price things at. I for one hate to haggle over pricing, that is gonna be Lisa's job. If we ever move it will take forever to sort through this stuff. We have a electric guitar (of course I wanted it) that I never learned to play, an old piano that we don't play. Tennis rackets (bum knees can't play), roller blades (don't use since Lisa broke her wrist), sleds, vases, stuffed animals, comic books from our childhood, jewelry boxes, and the list goes on.
I have a new thing that I do now. Once a month I go online to eBay and buy either a gold coin, or bouillon bars. It is an investment, it is easy to store, and hopefully will increase its value as we age. I have noticed on eBay that people overbid on things just like at some auctions. I attended a closing of a sports goods store and people were bidding like crazy at the beginning. I just haven't figured this out.
Gas prices have came down dramatically here. Yesterday it was $2.49 a gallon. What a relief that is to everyone. We think we have figured out the neighborhood break in. Inside job! Due to excessive talk in the neighborhood and the absence of our neighbor due to the lack of funds for his rent it seems quite clear what transpired. People say time will tell in this case it has. I have lots running through my head today so just a post of odds and ends.

Holy Cow! I finally got it!

Master minds

2008-10-21T17:10:00.000-07:00

Well I must truly tell you all that I am fed up with this program. I am not quite sure what it going on but I can not get anything to load correctly. It is either the carrier that we have or the computer security (I'm guessing?) that won't allow this. I just can not be this dumb. I have tried to load play list for about two weeks now only to keep getting messages that read broken gadget, failure or some shit like that. I've read so many I don't even know what they say anymore. So I put that aside for awhile and thought I'll try some of this other stuff. As Betty would say GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Okay photo bucket slide show sounds good. Got everything set up in photo bucket and went to apply to gadget and a warning appears stating that this could cause computer to slow down and information may not be saved. What the hell? Yes I am sorry for cursing but these are just mild complaints that are leftover from my earlier rant. Could it be our Internet carrier? It is a small independent company, not AOL or Verizon. Could it be the security downloads we installed?

As I work my way through most of this I must tell you I do not really get what it means. What is a feed and what does it do? Some of programs have so much stuff it takes you an hour just to sort through it before you get started. UGGH! And all of the advertisement on these screens. I want plain and simple, cut to the chase, black or white, not all of this bullshit to sort through.

While doing this I had the phone ring 5 times. All of it was telemarketing except one. Number #1 Do I want to advertise for the business? I get about 4 of these a week. My new thing is when someone from their company signs on for a service then I will think about it. Number #2 New homeowner rates do you want to refinance? As bad as the economy is right now I just feel like selling! Number #3 My sister-wanting to let me know that she is donating her whole body to science. Okay! Your decision, I'm surprised she's not leaving it to the aliens. Number #4 Having a blowout sales event for Chevy. I may switch to Ford after that brake deal they put me through. Number #5 Advertising for the yellow pages two counties over. How much money do they think people have to advertise, but then again they should look on photo bucket, play list, and the list goes on. Who are the masterminds behind this blog?

Is it the Moon?

2008-10-18T16:13:00.000-07:00

I was watching him watch her. Her hair was whisking around her face with the slight breeze that was in the air. He was silent. Could he possibly see her that far away with his cataracts? The wind picked up and her dress flowed around her body slightly adjusting her hat.

His gaze became more intense and you could see his muscles tightening. Did he recognize her? I tried to contain myself and kept quite. That was asking alot. Her eyes were very large with a piercing stare. He moved forward small steps at a time.

Finally I couldn't take it anymore and burst out in laughter. Chance (on of my clients dogs) has been fascinated by the neighbors Halloween witches display ever since she put it up yesterday. We have been through this scene at least 5 times.

It must be silly animal weekend.

Early this morning I guess I wasn't moving fast enough as my other clients corgi decided she wasn't getting enough attention and head butted me in the mouth. It has to be the cool weather because all of them are acting crazy.

Next stop is Whiskers the cat. I am giving her fresh water and food in the garage and she decides that she is going to try to stand on my back. Something she has never done. Well when that cold paw hit on a part of my back that was exposed I didn't know what it was. I reared up and forgot that a cabinet was over head and damn near knocked myself out. She just stood there purring away.

Came home and thought I would take a nice relaxing bubble bath. NOT! Abbey this foolish 3 year old that refuses to grow up must have remembered that I gave her a bath last week downstairs. Lisa lets her in from outside and she comes barreling through the house, up the steps, past the kitchen, down the hall, then into the tub in a single leap. She was soooo proud of herself! I of course was not a happy camper. This is when it turns into one of those "it's your dog things".

Try cleaning a litter box when the cat refuses to get off the top of it. I explained several times to her that I know that is her bathroom and believe me I really don't want to use it. Smokey must lay on top of the box and watch what I am doing. Good thing she is not really heavy.

Hmmm! I am rethinking this career change. Maybe its the moon!

Taking the Time

2008-10-17T08:01:00.000-07:00

Click on picture to enlarge.

My mind is kind of racing today. It is one of those day's when I have fifty thoughts and 50 to do's going on and what am I doing but posting a journal instead of doing bookwork. Question for anyone. On my travels I have came across this plant in many areas and wondered what it is? The berries are small clusters that are purple. Seems to last from spring to fall.

Well this week was definitely different for us. I celebrated my 46Th birthday on Tuesday and we celebrated our 25th anniversary on Thursday. Wow 25 years! The good thing is that it does not really seem like 25 years. This has been the first time ever that we both had off together at the same time (one of the perks of owning your own business). The other odd factor is that we usually plan something big. This year it was Hawaii. Due to Lisa's surgery, the current state of economy and layoff's those plans were nixed. We did something simple (after I worked in the morning-I can't help myself!) We went to lunch with her Mom. Lisa's mother treated us to wherever we wanted to eat and it was my choice. You know we have never eaten at a golden corral which is a buffet restaurant. They thought I was joking! They of course were thinking seafood. Let me tell you it was quite a deal for what they had and I enjoyed it. The food was hot, fresh, and plenty of it. We ate leisurely without interruption and had some good conversations . The down side was that I ate like it was Thanksgiving. My belly grew three sizes. Later that even we had a nice bottle of wine, some cheddar fondue out on the deck with a fire. You know sometime the most pleasant of surprises are right in your own backyard.

Okay at 46 do I feel old. NO! I do have the crackling joints beginning and arthritis, but I still feel like I'm in my mid twenties. I even woke up with a pimple-ooooh! I hate that. I am going to try Windex one time like in the movie My big fat Greek wedding just to see if it works. I figure it can only go three ways. I will wake up and nothing will change, it will be gone, or I will have this big gnarly pimple three times its size. My sisters always call on my birthday and send cards with money-yeah! I think we keep sending the same $20.00 bill to each other. This year Sharon is going to send something unique, I haven't gotten it yet. Lisa's gift was an early card with money to gamble in Atlantic City, makeup, a box of candy and a movie card. She follows my mothers tradition and still makes me my favorite birthday meal. Since she doesn't cook that well I let her off the hook this year and requested something simple. It turned out nice! Except for Abbeys gift of a roll in the mud after I had given her a bath just the other evening.

Right down the road from us we have an old steel bridge surrounded by trees and and a creek bed that flows underneath. It provides some great fall colors as the season changes. Whenever I pass over I usually stop to listen to the water rippling over the rocks taking in all the color.

I recently accepted two new clients that travel often and need their dog taken care of. They go to re-enactment camps from the civil war time era. It is very primitive with no luxury at all and of course no cell phone use. Seemed very interesting. I have often thought that if I could go back in time I would have liked to experience the old west. The pioneer days and most of all the staking of your own claim for property like in the movie Far and Away. Things just seem to move too fast for me sometimes. We have three phone lines in our house and it seems like you spend more time answering phones than anything. I just hate having a cell phone. Customers are calling while your out on a job and I loose concentration or have to stop in the middle of something. I have just gotten to the point that I only turn it on when I'm in transit. Maybe we will retire in the Hills of Tennessee, the mountains of Montana, or a remote shore bank in Alaska. Really I do enjoy interaction, but I like meaningful interaction.

Meaningful Interaction. I will give you an example of this. I have a client in my neighborhood that I do work for. She is a divorced woman that is a VA nurse. She seems rather nice to me but had stated when I first went to work for her that she had a strained relationship with the neighbor. I was mowing her grass when the neighbor came out one day. A big man in his early 40's with a gruff attitude pointing to me where the property line was. I got off the mower and listened, smiled, and expressed to him that I knew where the line was and that I would do him a favor and cut his small side for free while I was doing hers. Just to make things look nice. He became very friendly after that. I have seen him many times and waived since then. I thought that this may soften their relationship. The other day I was mowing her lawn and Lisa went with me so she could see what I call the lawn from hell. Tony the neighbor that I am talking about was outside and his dog Coco was on the porch. I asked him if we could pet Coco. I had seen him staring at Lisa, then he came over and introduced himself to her. I was laughing inside because I knew what he had in mind and I thought you are barking up the wrong tree. I was petting the dog when Lisa came over and Tony expressed to her how he needed petting too. She was appalled! She did an about face and muttered "pig". Tony then proceeded to stress what a nut case and a bitch I was working for. That she looked like a troll and needed a new attitude.

This is what I mean by a NON MEANINGFUL INTERACTION!

I had quite alot to say today. The brain never stops! I wish that people would be more kind, more gentle, genuine, stop rushing and get used to taking the time.

Can you solve the mystery?

2008-10-15T04:47:00.000-07:00

I have always been fascinated with true crime stories and the human mind. After the police came that night I thought about everything and what he had said, something still was not right. So the next day I saw the neighbor outside and went over and asked him what had happened and some other questions regarding the break in. Believe me when I tell you as before that you can not always judge a book by the cover and that there are skeletons in every one's closet. I am going to list the facts, characters, background, and events to see what you think.

LOCATION:
Cree Terrace: a climbing street that winds through heavily wooded areas comprised of many different types of homes located in a residential community that used to be a vacation area.

The beginning of Cree Terrace we have the Altman's on the right a modest rancher, us on the left a bilevel, Krissy and Mark next to us a small cottage, directly across from us is Barbara in a two story A-frame with the lower half rented out to Bob. All in clear view of each other, except for the shrubbery.
CRIME:
Bob's apartment was broken into, vandalized, and robbed during the day on a Monday (Columbus day).
POLICE REPORT:
Police report in not totally correct with all of the necessary information. Bob did not tell them everything.(This comes directly from Bob). Police interview Bob, Altman's, and Us. The officer in charge thinks that it is kids due to the vandalism and no theft. Bob did not tell the officer what was stolen. Guns and Money.
CHARACTERS:
Bob: 21 year old male renting lower apartment from Barbara. Current length of residence 7 months. Victim of recent robbery. Occupation construction/farm worker. Has part time live in girlfriend. Works day shift and not steady. Likes to party, is neighborly, quite, stays to himself most of the time. Has developed close relationship with the Altman's, mostly Steve and Duane. Currently on probation, has a DUI and struggling.

Barbara: 46 year old gay single female living between two residences. One in Baltimore, and the one on Cree Terrace. Recently renovated her home to rent out lower apartment to help pay the mortgage. Always comes up on Sat./Sun and stays until Monday. Very consistent pattern of everyday life. Very friendly with everyone in the neighborhood. Close relationship with the Altman's. Shares a large amount of personal and financial information with the Altman's. Occupation: Landlord/long time employee of Wholefoods Grocery/4 year coast guard. No police record.

Krissy & Mark: Both are in the Mid 30's. He is a tool salesman. She is a teacher. First marriage, no children. Just moved here about 9 months ago. Very friendly and neighborly. We share produce and goods, etc. They are busy and stick to themselves, work during the day, go away on weekends to hike. Krissy currently joined the board of directors for our development. No police records.

Us: We have lived here 10 years. We are neighborly and friendly but do not visit neighbors, nor share personal information. I run my own service business so my schedule is erratic. Lisa is a MRI Tech and works Mon-Fri. during the day. Lisa does not pay attention to what goes on in the neighborhood and is friendly and neighborly but does not socialize with the neighbors. We both are rather guarded. No police records

Altman's: Late 50's couple with two grown daughters. Steve's fourth marriage. Residence of 12 years. He is an injured truck driver with no police record and currently on Workman's Comp. Currently on a very potent pain patch that causes him to talk alot and divulge quite a bit of information. Nancy is a private house cleaner with no record. Both are drinkers. The two girls one living at home is 19. The other has moved in with an ex-convict and is 18. Steve does not work, and Nancy has an erratic schedule. The daughter works split shifts. This is the loud house on the corner. Very friendly people, will help anyone that needs it. Close relationship with the victim and the home owner. Steve has even worked with me on past occasion. Currently have a live in guest that is thirty three years old. Long police record. Steve states that he was a foster child and used to live with them there about 10 years ago. ( This has to be false due to his age). Duane: unemployed 33 year old male, long police record, no transportation or support. Friendly with Bob. The Altman's know everybody and everything. They are the ones that pass on all the information about what is going on in the community. Always outside smoking on front porch and working around their house.

FACTS:
The house was vandalized badly. Bob left the main entrance door open. There then is his apartment door, then steps that go up to Barbara's level. Another entrance door that leads to her side of basement. They punched a hole in a wooden flimsy interior door about the size of a 10 " diameter.
They trashed the house. Bob said they broke glasses, sliced up stuff with a knife, and put holes in the drywall.
Bob lied to the cops and said nothing was stolen.
Bob is on probation so that is why he lied about the guns being stolen. Two shot guns and money were stolen.
Bob denies having enemies.
Bob states that the money was in a place that only he and Barb knew in the one side of the basement, not his apartment, but you have to go through that way to get to it, or through her front door down to the basement.
Bob states that he doesn't have much company.
He seems genuinely upset and mad.
Bob contacted Steve to ask if he saw anyone or heard anything but did not ask anyone else. I went to him.
Steve stated no.
Bob left lower entrance door open because he thought Barbara was coming so she could get rent.
He reported this to Barbara and she stated about filing a home owners claim.
Babara did not come as she always does.
Steve does lots of personal favors for Barbara and knows his way inside and out of her house.
Nancy cleans house for Barbara's dad and Steve says she is always asking for extra stuff without paying for it.
Duane has been in Bobs house to party and have a couple of beers together.
Bob, Barbara, Steve, nor Nancy have contacted Lisa, Myself, or Krissy or Mark about this robbery.
We find this highly unusual because we all communicate and watch out for each other.
A robbery occurred on a street where I work for a client.
Steve has been with me several times at this street
The night before the robbery I heard Duane and Steve leaving in the truck late at night-unusual
The men were identified as wearing dark ski masks
They shot the woman's dog in the face.
The very next day Steve was outside moving a couch wearing a dark ski mask in 75 degree weather. Odd!
I asked why the ski mask (this is before I knew about the robbery) he stated that he did not want Workman's comp investigator seeing him move the sofa.
5 years ago we saw a traffic stream of young kids into this household during the day
kids of all ages not just their daughters age
Steve is friends with another man down the road that just got busted for drugs
I recently say Duane at this same house
The man is an avid gun collector (all had been seized by sheriff's department)
All of the young kid traffic stop completely.
Can not get the truth about who Duane is.
Steve admitted under the influence of pain medication some past events that transpired in the neighborhood that were underhanded imposed on other neighbors
Steve poisoned the neighbors two dogs
Steve is committing Workman's comp fraud
Barbara does not have a legal renters occupancy permit
Bob thinks he is being overcharged on his rent
Steve has a grudge against Barbara that she does not know
I locked myself out one day and Steve opened my door in 10 seconds with a credit card
In the last three days the weather has been gorgeous and there have not been any signs of the neighbors outside except for us and Krissy/Mark
Steve and Duane claim that they go out at night to scavenge trash metals.
Steve asked what i thought was an unusual question: Where do I keep the dogs in the house?
This sent a red flag and I stated they have free run.
Last of all the Altman's are suffering major financial problems.
The day of the crime the kids were in school.
Yes we do have vandalism problems on occasion here.
I have not seen many kids lately and the ones I have seen are very young
I was outside that whole day and did not see anyone at Bobs house
The dogs did not bark
Steve's dogs did not bark
There is a private passage way that joins the Altman's and Barbara's yards

My take: Past history has proven that many serial killers had no record and some were actually in the security profession such as the BTK killer. Ted Bundy was charming. Randy Woodside was an ex football player. History has proven that large bank thefts do not always generate from the common criminal but from high powerful executives that have no criminal record. Proven facts state that robberies occur from someone that knows you, knows your routine, and knows what you have. Murder victims lives are most likely taken from someone that they know instead of a random act. Criminals can be charming, witty, deceiving, while possessing a sadistic nature. Ted Bundy lured some of his victims in by using a dummy broken arm routine. Some of victims of child abuse and practice animal torture. Then there are those that commit a crime and want to be there to see the aftermath and bath in the publicity of the case.

Could our likable overzealous strange neighbors on the corner be behind the robbery/robberies?

Okay that is most of what I can remember so What do you think? Can you solve the mystery?

Its not Kids

2008-10-13T19:26:00.000-07:00

We are trying to fit in all the last minute summer stuff that we have not finished yet. I've been painting the outside concrete at the bottom of the house. First primer then the final coat. I just can not get finished because of so many interruptions. So I spent most of the day outside and have the primer coat finished. Then I just couldn't stand the dogs anymore. They needed a bath bad! So they spent the full day outside getting really dirty one last time then it was bath time and dinner. It tired them out and they crashed. I have the hardest time keeping Abbey clean. I don't care what it is she will roll in it. Water, mud, walnut husk, anything smelly, and anything wet. It is driving me nuts.

So we are watching dancing with the stars and someone knocks on the front door. It is one of our town cops. Someone broke into the house across the street and vandalized it pretty good. This happened today. The police department tends to think that it is neighborhood kids because of the vandalism. Now I only left the house for an hour today and have been outside for most of the day and did not hear or see anything. I have news for them, I really do not think it was kids. There haven't been any around and the ones we have seen are just doing their own thing. I really don't even think it happened today. You know every time something happens around here it is when our other neighbors host a guest. I mean host as in have a temporary live in for awhile. They live next door. They have a young man that has been staying with them and asked me if I had work for him. I always get the full name and check everyone out for criminal records before they can work. Well he didn't have a drivers license (he said he lost it), he didn't have a social security card (he lost that as well), he does not have transportation, and does not have a work history. He is thirty one! Well I did my research and pulled up a lengthy criminal record on this guy. Not good! When they asked me I expressed the fact that he has a record and I could not hire him, I advertise criminal background checked personel. I also made it clear that I knew he had a warrant out for failure to appear to keep any backlash from happening.

Now I listen alot but just don't comment. A rift has been brewing between the two neighbors and now all the sudden this happens. I am telling you my gut instinct knows that it is not kids.

Making a difference

2008-10-12T15:28:00.000-07:00

I feel rather cynical today, even though I usually stay upbeat most of the time. Summer is over cutting about 60% of our work. Even with new marketing ideas in place for winter work there is no denying that people are not going to have the money for extra services. Now with Lisa's company folding, the most likely thing to do is for me to go back to full time work in a restaurant to ensure that steady income. Her company has not closed all of the PA offices yet and I think we have figured out why. The credit freeze. Her company must have been borrowing large sums of credit to get through. So they have offered her maybe 4 days a week although the health insurance has not been ironed out yet. My how fast things can change. We know that the PA offices that are left open are only a matter of time.

We have had two unusual things happen in town. Giant grocery store was here but two small to contain the locals so they have just completed building a larger one. I wonder if it will survive. Second is a thirty five year old auto dealership has went out of business. They over extended themselves just the year before by purchasing more property and a huge amount of stock. The doors are closed as of last week. The picture is getting uglier every day and the elections are right down the road.

I have to say I have been watching a good bit of TV and I found it appalling the other day when I saw the show Paris Hilton's new best BFF. I think it was on VH1 or MTV. I actually watched three episodes before making my mind up that it was really pathetic. A select group of young women and a couple of guys vying to be her new best friend. Competing to win her approval. Do we really need this on TV for our kids to watch? Is this the example we want for our young generation? Who does Paris think she is too tell someone else if she approves of them or not?Her mother was even on one episode to help her make up her mind and give input. Do the Hilton's really need this money? The Hilton's need to do without and get back to real life and know that money will and can never buy everything in its truest form.

Then I watch Saturday night live with the comics ridiculing the presidential nominees. Yes I realize the world needs a little laughter but lets get down to the facts that something is wrong here. We ridicule, demean, and cut down people that are actually trying to make a difference in our country while buying products that support a foundation in which mean girls have be born from. Sorry Paris, but as far as I am concerned you need to wipe your own ass and kiss your own feet. As far as Palin goes well at least she is trying and has made a difference in the state of Alaska.

Now for Obama and McCain. Both seem like good men but I just don't get something. How can a man that is the product of a black father and a white mother raised in a white family say he is black? I really need this explained. I thought that he is considered bi-racial? Now I think that this sounds like an agenda on his part due to the fact that there is a large black vote out there just waiting for that first black president. That did not wash well especially after I saw that Biden is living in a multimillion dollar home. Good Grief! We really need to look at that. That has made me think twice on my vote and I am republican. The economy needs change, the Senate needs change, and America needs change! McCain has decent history but does he have what it takes. I don't think so. I think he is too old and not in good health which would leave Palin in charge. Not enough experience there.

Maybe we just need to get rid of all those senators and congressmen and women that got us here. Some are in there way to long and tie up passing legislature and good laws. They are making ENTIRELY TOO MUCH MONEY! We should question this and make them earn their living and maybe we could have a president that would be making the difference.

Hype

2008-10-11T15:22:00.000-07:00

Bells were ringing and I could hear people yelling and cheering in the background. The noise level almost required earplugs. There were a group of guys cheering as if their team had just won the Superbowl or world series. I stopped what I was doing to really absorb the atmosphere. It had turned from quite and serious to loud and animated. People milling around sipping drinks with a gleam in their eye wondering if they would be the lucky one.

There was an unusual amount of young women and men tonight which is usually not the norm. Maybe there was a cool concert or something that had drawn them in. Most of the girls were dressed rather nice and it seemed as if finding the right subject was on the top of the list. Many were a little drunk at this point. It was really crowded and I thought it was early until I glanced at my watch, it displayed 1:30 am. Then I thought this was really a great place to meet people if you were single and a really cool place to hangout with a group of your friends. You had several places to choose from to eat at. All kinds of shopping from high end to low end, the beach, dance clubs, the movies, and free drinks. The atmosphere was eclectic!

Where else could you find all of this so close to home?

Atlantic City! The Tropicana Casino and Hotel.
We went for the day and could not have asked for better weather. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and the gambling was hot. We walked the boardwalk gazing at all the shops and had lunch overlooking the ocean. We have been coming here for years and have always had a good time. There all types of entertainment, food, beach, shopping, and sights (on the boardwalk). This is really the only place that I have ever seen that allows vagrants to perform for money on the boardwalk. You may see someone playing guitar, trumpet, bagpipes, singing, acrobatics, or even someone playing an upright piano on the boardwalk. Many people are homeless, alcoholics, drug abusers, or veterans. However many of them are very talented and can be pleasant to listen to. I would miss them if they were not there, it is just a part of history.

With all that has transpired we decided we needed a day away to forget it all and At antic City can do that. Time stands still but your wallet is always open. We started at the Tropicana then worked our way outside down to the steel pier. Shops such as Gucci, Movado, Tiffany, and many more. I wondered how many people actually come here to shell out a thousand dollars for a purse. The seagulls were gliding in the air searching for that kind person to throw them their next meal. They get so close that you could touch them. Of course I am sure they would bite if you did so, so I nixed that off my list. Then we went to Caesars Palace. We were drawn of course to the Roulette table.

Roulette, one of our favorite games. This was the best because they had just opened another table and we got a good seat. Boy was Lisa hot on the numbers! I was holding my own and before we knew it she had a good stack of chips with some black chips. She cashed out and I continued to play hitting really good on double 0. We were ahead and cashed in and came out $450.00 ahead. Yeah!! Back out to the boardwalk for awhile then into the casino for some video poker and more Roulette. The one thing I never do is drink and gamble. I am to concerned about the win rather than the drink. I wondered how many people get so drunk that they don't realize what or how they are gambling. This was a good day and then we realized it was almost 2:00 am and we were getting tired. Had the 2 1/2 hours drive home yet. After counting our loses I was amazed. I had only lost $3.00. We held our own and luck was on our side.

We did inquire about the economy while we were there and many did tell us they were feeling the crunch. The balance of age was upset due to the elderly and middle age working class dealing with the stock market and mortgage crisis. The young and employed in college and still living at home were the casinos largest population on the weekends. It was a fast fun filled day of hype.

The Exorcist

2008-10-08T17:32:00.000-07:00

Okay my head is now spinning completely around after hours of trying to post my play list. Patience in not my strong point and foul obscenities are starting to flow more frequently. !!#%$$% I'm am done with this for now. Try not having alot of patience, but never wanting to give up on something. You think this is bad. The other night I put a movie in to watch and I tell you it is a nightmare. Three remote controls later, 4 screens later, and still not the right screen for the movie to come on. I fiddled with that thing for 20 minutes before I realized that a cable had come loose in the back, thanks to the cat! I yearn for simple times and simple machinery quite often. Then to beat all, you know how I just love this digital camera I have. Well I bought new batteries, put em in and guess what? Nothing! Now what! Jeez forgot to read the package where it says charge first. Now really who wants to charge something first before you can use it. That reminds me of when we were kids and would get some really neat toy for Christmas and guess what? It needed batteries! Mom and Dad forgot the batteries!

As for the squirrel saga, it still continues. The truth is a dogs nose doesn't lie! Rebecca's husband said it was gone but the dog said it was still there and I believed the dog. Today the note said the squirrel is now in the office room of the house. The doors were shut and a chair was in front of the door and I laughed. There is a six inch space between the floor and the bottom of the door. It is an old house. Abbey (one of my new clients) of course knows where it is and has left the wood stove alone and is now fixated on the door. I have a picture of her that I will try to post but at this rate who knows what will happen, it may wind up on someone else's blog. Ha Ha! Ladies get your holy water ready because I am about to spew when I attempt this one. Boy do I miss the Journals, it was simpler.

Maybe I am just edgy. Yesterday we went to Walmart to get a large order and stock up. Well we had two carts full and the doors on the truck open in an odd fashion. There was another truck parked rather close that I could not get the cart close to the truck with the door open. The owner of the truck was about to leave and getting in the truck. So I politely waited! He had a young girl about the age of 5 with him. He fiddled around and then I spoke and said that I would wait for him to move first before blocking his door. It took this man with one bag and a kid 15 minutes to get in the truck. I thought I was going to explode. My mother would have told me to get my ass in the car because someone was waiting. But No! I only had about $350.00 worth of groceries just sitting there because some little girl doesn't know what seat she wants to sit in. Do you call this parking lot rage? Now if it were my child I would've said you will sit here, people are waiting, now get in and buckle up thank you!

Okay I don't have children but since when do the kids decide to tell the adults what they want, when they want it, how much they want, and how much to pay for it? Did I miss something? Who are the adults here? Now I know this sounds terrible but I truly feel that children are catered to too much. They are loosing the value and respect system. Sorry but there are lines and it isn't suppose to stop at the house. My neighbor is a teacher and you should hear the stories she tells us. I feel sorry for her. She doesn't think she wants to have children now. Sometimes I wonder if things have changed that much or if I am just getting cranky. Back to more computer work and I am sure another episode of the Exorcist.

Crazy bird dog

2008-10-05T15:19:00.000-07:00

Things were winding down this weekend as far as my clients go. I still needed to pet sit a new clients springer spaniel until next weekend. She has been a really sweet dog and fun to watch. So I was in the middle of planting some new trees (Leeland cypress) and realized it was time to go and take care of the dog (her name is Abby also).

Pulled up in front of the house and I could hear Abby barking before I even got out of the truck. I knew something was wrong! I opened the door and she came streaking through the hallway like a bolt of lightening and then back to the kitchen. I headed to the kitchen to find her, with her nose poked inside the old timey wood stove. She is going nuts. Okay so I'm thinking it's probably a mouse or a bird.

Go to take her outside and then the next thing I know here comes this huge German Shepard through the doggie door (it's a big door). Now I'm thinking where in the hell did he come from and is he friendly. I just kind of stood there for awhile letting him sniff me and he seemed fine. The more I looked at him I realized that he was really old. Probably so old that he would be to tired to bite anybody. Abby didn't seem to mind him so I just left him alone. Walked outside and asked the neighbor if he had ever seen the German Sheppard before and he said yes a few times but wasn't sure who's do it was. This visit was getting crazier by the minute.

Abby was so worked up she had knocked her water bowl over and water was everywhere. She was racing through the house to the outside and back to the wood stove. First I cleaned up the water, then I put both dogs in the hallway and locked the doors. Then I got a flashlight and peered in the wood stove. I saw nothing. So I inched in closer and a big squirrel jumped toward my face. I thought I was going to knock the table over getting away from it. Then I thought it could be rabid-now what! So I put the dogs outside, grabbed a broom and a blanket opened the front door and tried to get the squirrel out. This thing was not coming out and just went deeper into the belly of the wood stove. I realized then how crazy all this was and that it was going to be someone else's problem. I am not a squirrel hunter.

I decided to close up the stove, tied the blanket around the stove and put chairs in front of it. I let Abbey back in to eat and the next thing I know she is on top of the chair with her metal tag holder caught on the chair. What was going to be next? I called the clients daughter (she was staying there at night) and gave her the good news that she would be squirrel hunting when she got off from work. I closed the doors and put the German Sheppard outside with Abbey that crazy bird dog.

Stability

2008-10-04T07:16:00.000-07:00

Wow! Now things have hit home full force with the economy. Lisa worked as a MRI Technologist for a large company called National Medical Imaging. She has been with them for six years and last night received a phone call from her supervisor saying that the company has closed. No forewarning, no severance, nothing. They just let everyone continue to think they had job security and after everyone had completed their full day of work and went home, the company changed all the locks and shut down.

National Medical Imaging LLC expands throughout three states encompassing PA, MD, and IL, with many locations. There are still many employees that are not aware that they have no job and will report Monday as usual to locked doors. Can you believe that? What ever happened to ethics? You are expected to have them when applying for and holding a job, and usually your employer wants anywhere from two weeks notice to almost a month when you are quitting. But where is the employers ethics?

To not forewarn your employees that they may not have a job and to close the doors without them knowing is borderline criminal and pathetic. I must commend Lisa's supervisor on having the balls to go against company policy to call her technologist's and give them the news. What does she have to loose, she doesn't have a job either. This is just another example of banks over extending credit and loans to high profile companies that are in distress. Now that the banks are hurting we are witnessing the ripple effect that is plaguing are economy and leaving thousands job less.

We, like thousands of others will have to tighten our belts, cut back on things, pull up our boot straps and forge on. Whatever it takes. Most of the companies employees are in shock and the money is not the only issue. Many of them carried family health insurance polices that they will no longer have or be able to pay out of their pocket for. No health insurance, no life insurance, hefty mortgages, car payments, credit debit, and no job. National Medical Imaging has left many of its dedicated, hardworking, professional employees in the dirt with nothing to brush themselves off with.

I have just had it with this economy and am ready to move on. I mean literally move. When you live in small rural towns and travel to work it puts more of a strain on finances as everyone well knows. Gas prices are coming down but we are traveling further and further. Electric utilities are going up and up so maybe its time for a warmer climate. I really don't think stability is going to find us we need to find it.

2008-10-03T06:26:00.001-07:00

Football Sundays

2008-10-03T05:55:00.000-07:00

As kids we grew up watching and playing football. Living in a community with a large group of kids it was just a natural thing to pick someones house to play a morning game of football, then watching it on TV. Yes even all the girls played to. We had people playing from the ages of 10 to 40. It was really a good time and the home team then was the Baltimore Colts. Of course you had your traitors that worshipped the Cowboys, Steelers, and Dolphins.

Back then which was the late seventies and early eighties you could pick any channel on TV and it seemed to host a football game. Now they want you to pay extra for a game of choice even though you are currently paying for cable. Remember when TV was free? I had never been to a football game until two years ago when Lisa's company gave her two tickets to see the Pittsburgh Steelers play the Baltimore Ravens at home. It was really a good game and I enjoyed all of the hype of being there in person. The tailgating is really cool also with the smell of barbecue in the air, and footballs flying over your head at any moment with everyone playing in the parking lots.

So I thought I would go online and purchase some tickets for the Philadelphia Eagles vs Baltimore Ravens game. I could not believe the prices! For a decent seat to see the players they want anywhere from three hundred and up per seat. I think the lowest ticket I could find was $135.00. Can you imagine that. These players are getting paid extremely too much and I for one would love to go but I am not going to pay that much for a ticket. Whatever happened to the old school sports figures that kids could look up to and have a chance to meet, and see them play. How can families afford to take their kids to games? Football, Baseball, Soccer, and Ice Hockey used to be family affairs but now cater to the well off with luxurious box seats and suites. What used to be the saying America, Baseball, and Apple pie? The only thing affordable these days is the apple pie! Athletes getting paid with multi-million dollar contracts while our kids are on the streets with nothing to do.

People are wondering why we have so much juvenile crime. Can lower income families afford the cable, sports channels, take their kids to baseball games, football games, Disney world, movies, and other events that kids grow up with. I truly believe that commercialism is too blame for much of America's demise. All of this glitz and glamour that cost the fans billions of dollars. Fans need to truly boycott these sporting events to bring down the cost of admittance to a more affordable price so families can participate providing our youth with some encouragement and positive growth. Let's get back to a more traditional family Football Sunday.

Transferring

2008-10-01T06:31:00.000-07:00

Feeds, blogs, posts, alerts, and everything else. This is like a different language to me. Who knows if I even did it correctly. Oh well I think I have arrived!