Black Cat

Sitting here in full costume waiting on the little kiddies. The rain has put a damper on the evening. So, for the occasion, here is a photo of Casper just taken this morning. My niece picked up the candy. I told her to get candy I don't like. She did a good job, but darn it. It haunts me.

Upclose and Personal

upclose

Precious, a macro profile

It has been a while since I had to use "Hello" to publish a photo on this blog. Usually, I am able to fiddle around until Blogger takes the photo. I've read of others having problems from time to time. Hello works for me when Blogger is having issues.

I work with computers, networks, mainframes, servers, ... the like - so when there is a problem it doesn't bother me (much). I've had my share of problems with my server and I got to tell you. It happens. Like traffic and congestion. You just have to deal with it. Walk away. Go do something else. It will come back in all it's free publishing glory.

I have a personal web page on a paid account and it really bugs me when that one is down. My family uses that one to see my pictures. E-mail has been acting up on it also. I think it has to do with them changing hands. I hope they get all the kinks worked out soon.

I am home today, sick. I am cleaning out high closets. I found my camera manual and found the "macro" feature. The photo above is a macro of my cat "Precious." This is the least liked cat of the four. Nobody likes this cat. She was dropped off on us by my sister who was not allowed pets, but kept her shaggy cat. This one meows, jumps on top of you as if she were a horse, fights with all of the other cats and shoots outside the second you hesitate in the doorway.

It is true. If you are napping, just when you are ready to nod off she bounds across you like some horse. My other cats will very carefully tiptoe around me or delicately step on me to get to the edge of the chair or couch.

She is also the one that nurses on a blanket. I have heard (not sure how true it is) that a cat taken way from it's mother too soon will knead blankets and such as if it were nursing from it's mother. My sister told me that they fed Precious with an eye dropper when she was little. I am not sure why she was separated from her mother so early. I try to give her a little extra attention now and again. She doesn't cuddle up to me like Casper and Jasper. And, Moose. Moose is still adjusting. She came to us in February and still she is skittish around us. Once in a while she gets playful and fun. But, if we reach down to pet her - she acts like we are going to shock her. We probably do, because she is long haired.

I gave poor Jasper a good shock the other day. Right on one of his big, long, white whiskers. He looked at me as if to say "What did you do that for?" I told him I was sorry, but I could tell he was hurt. He has been quite the cuddler lately. When he wants attention, there is no question. He wraps himself up in your lap and if you don't begin petting him right away, his nose is in your face sniffing your eyeballs. I don't breathe when he does this. Just one whiff of cat-food breath and I will gag. But, this is what he does. He sniffs our eyeballs.

The mouse is still hanging in there. My daughter said that he is getting better. His fur is growing back onto the side of his face and he is moving around better. He was stumbling around. I can't look.

Weird, but fun!

Fall leaves with bubbles and a star spotlight

I was playing around. Just a photo of my yellow leaves that had fallen from my tree. Boring, I thought. So, I opened up Photo Shop, started clicking and playing - and this was the result. I may leave out the star pattern next time and just go with the different colored bubbles. I do like bubbles.

It has been a weird day. Nothing I can place my finger on, but just weird. The little goblins do not arrive until tomorrow evening so I have time to get some candy. I can't buy it ahead of time because it gets well, you know.... eaten. I may dress up this year when I answer the door. I'll have to do something with my cat Precious as she tries to run outside each time we open the door. Any little hesitation and she is out the door like a shot. And, the dog is going to bark up a storm when they ring the bell or knock on the door. And she will want to smell each and every one of them. That is, if she doesn't get spooked by them. If it is nice like it is this evening, maybe I will dress up and sit outside and wait for them.

My daughter is still not having a very good time at school. It seems that there are a group of girls that are having a blast starting rumors about my daughter's boyfriend. He has started classes at home on the computer through digital learning, so my daughter is left to stew until she can talk to him about the rumors. It seems as if they get one rumor hashed out and the girls start another. The rumors are about him and another girl.

I thought by today it would all have blown over, but the rumor mill is still finding fuel to keep burning. Some are not rumors and my daughter is having to deal with that. She is an emotional wreck with not eating or sleeping very well. I try to coach her, but I think that the girls are having fun watching to see how she reacts.

I cannot even begin to type out as to how I would like to deal with him. It would not be wise.

October Orange

The Pumpkin Patch

When I think of the month of October, I think of orange. Usually, I think of pumpkins, too. This was the farm where we purchased our cornstalks, tiny bales of straw and pumpkins.

Both my daughter and I suffered from sinus pain today. Eyes and headache. Not too bad, though. I was able to get some things accomplished that had been on my "to do" list for a long time. Hard to reach light bulbs that needed replaced. Caught up on my laundry pile. Things like that. Now, I am ready to take a look at the bills and paperwork to make sure I am on track in that area.

The going price for euthanizing a mouse is $27. Just in case you needed to know. I have not parted with the money, yet. I am hoping that nature chips in.

I did get a start on Christmas shopping yesterday. I usually never start before November, but each year I seem to be a wee bit more aware of how quickly that holiday comes around. When I was young it seemed to take forever to get here. Now, there just aren't enough week-ends to do everything. My daughter does not have a clue this year as to what she wants. Well, she did say she wanted the PS2 game Scarface. I promptly told her "No." Too violent. She watches her boyfriend play it and she plays it at his house. I told her if she didn't give me some ideas that I was going to get her Barbie dolls. Of course she wants clothes, but that is an issue of where Mom has learned to just hand over money and let them shop. I got tired of returning everything. It's like shopping twice in the Christmas mad rush. Yuck.

It was almost painful to watch the 1933 version of King Kong last night. When the big ape would move his head, it reminded me of the abominable snowman on Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer. There is something I told my daughter when she was little. When I was eight years old, I had to miss the television showing of Rudolph. It was traumatic! She laughed. I told her that we didn't have video tapes, or cable television back then. They showed Rudolph once a year and if you missed it you were out of luck. My oldest sister had her wedding shower that evening and I spent the evening looking at a dark and silent television in some neighbor's house.

When Rudolph rolls around now, nobody even cares. It will be showing again. If you didn't catch it on Friday, it will play on Tuesday evening. Or, just pop the video (dvd, now) into the player and watch it over and over again. But, not in 1968. A year is a long time to wait.

Strange sky

A strange sky to end a strange day

We had it all today. It started out sunny and bright. Turned cloudy and windy. Then it began to sprinkle. While driving to the store this morning, my daughter noticed hail. It turned into a drizzle, which in turn became spitting snow. I came home to more hail.

Later, the sun was out again and the wind picked up. Again. I heard a noise and looking outside I saw some of the fastest, hardest sleet I had seen in quite a while. The wind rolled in some more. I heard a loud bang and looked outside. My neighbor's grill had taken a tumble off their back porch. She was an elderly lady, so I went out to pick it up. The propane tank was twisted and when I went to assemble it back together I heard a hissing noise. I didn't want to mess with it any more. I set the grill upright and went over to my patio, trying to salvage my cornstalk displays. Whew, that wind was wicked. I was also walking through hail on the ground.

I fixed myself some hot chocolate and kept myself busy with chores. Later, when I went to let Sable out, I saw the sky. Above is the view over my western neighbor's back yard. Cluttered with electrical wires, I know, but I wasn't about to go anywhere to get a better view. That wind is still howling. The photo has not been altered in any way. A little more to the right the sky was a bright pink. I did get a shot of the full view, but it didn't look very dramatic.

I have company coming over this evening. We are going to watch the original version of King Kong. The house is cozy and warm. I have plenty of hot chocolate and coffee. I made meatballs and I have popcorn. What a night to stay inside!

I have no idea what day the little munchkins are coming around to trick-or-treat. I certainly hope it isn't tonight. Last night was uber-wicked. The rain was so hard and cold. Two missionaries for the Church of Latter Day Saints came to my door. I felt so awful for them. They were very kind. They looked drenched, cold and almost miserable. But, their spirits were up and we chatted a few seconds before they went on their way. They invited me to their church, but I told them "No Thanks." I have no problem with them or anyone else going door to door. It is easy. You just give them a firm no. If they persist, you say "No" again. If they become a problem, you shut the door. They will leave. I have had very few problems with this. I feel bad for people who do. I never, ever let them in the house. My cat, Precious ran outside while I was holding the door open to speak with them. After they left, I waited about one minute and then opened the door to call her. She shot into the house like she had been shot out of a cannon. I laughed at her. "Yeah, it is pretty nasty out there, isn't it?" I chided her.

Griping...

I work in a satellite office for my job. Sixty miles away from the home office. I am often the last to know about parties or get togethers of any kind. This includes the office providing a flu shot.

My home office e-mailed me late Thursday afternoon to inform me that flu shots were available for us for free. They are giving them on Monday and had forgotten to notify me. Now, I get a little under the national average for mileage I can claim in gas mileage in my car for work. I had a co-worker that has no beef with putting this expense on his monthly gas report. I have a problem with it. I just don't feel right. I could take an old piece of equipment and store it into the garage there, and then officially claim the trip was "work-related." But, you know what? I am not going to do it. I think the tax payers are ripped off enough. I don't have to charge them thirty-some dollars so I can go and get a flu shot.

The home office could be gracious and schedule a meeting for that day. But, they didn't do it. Nope. As a side note, years ago, my manager used to schedule myself and a co-worker south of my office to drive in every Wednesday just to clean up the storage room. We both would drive one hour and a half one way to clean this room. And, get gas mileage for it. Is that strange? Maybe I am nit picking.

I am housed for free in an educational building that belongs to my home county. They also recently offered the flu shot to their employees for free and to employee family members for $15. This procedure was to run from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Friday morning. I found about it Friday as workers there spoke of it. At 9:50 a.m. I was called by the building secretary stating that they had forgotten to tell me, but that I could come and get the flu shot for $15. In other words, they waited until they saw there was enough provided for employees and their families before they invited me.

I am feeling like my health is subject to class. I was only contacted as an after-thought.

I got my own flu shot at the health clinic for $20 the day before any were offered to me. As far as I am concerned my co-workers and my employers can go straight to... uh-oh. Perhaps I should curb my typing, here.

To some, the gripe may sound petty. But, I have been working here for eleven years and it just isn't the flu shot. There are many "little things" that add up. I am jerked into reality when a new satellite employee begins working and they make a remark about how we are left out of things because of poor communication or the fact that nobody cares to think of us. Then I remember when I first started. I was stunned at the rudeness of "educated" people. I have worked on and off since 1975 and I have never, ever been treated worse than I have from the educated field of employees. I chalk it up to the fact that perhaps it is because I did not obtain a secondary education. I didn't "pay my dues" so to speak. Yes, I know where the door is. I am not saying it is enough to make me quit my job. It is just strange in the fact that you think they would have more of a sophistication to them. What a laugh. Note that mostly the rude people are the ones who have never worked anywhere else except this one job. Employees who have been around a few places, seem to meld into the office better.

Stay cozy and enjoy your extra hour - if you get one.

Positively accidental

Yes, this was accidental. I did not mean to photograph any pony porn here.

Larger version, click here.

Photo Friday Challenge for October 27th: Accidental.

Attack dog!

Sable runs

At lunch today, I ducked outside to get a picture of the pretty leaves that fell on my front lawn. They don't last very long before the wind sweeps them away. And, it's raining as I type this.

Sable thought "Wow! We get to play in the road? Count me in!"

You think when I took her in for her allergy shot a week ago that I could have sprung the $6 for a nail clipping, huh? Fact is, I completely forgot about them.

I look forward to the extra hour we get this week-end. I used to really enjoy it about 25 years ago when the bars had to stay open an hour longer. The workers didn't! Yuk, yuk, yuk!

I managed to watch the movie Click with Adam Sandler. Eh. I can take it or leave it. The dog humping humor can be left out. I did enjoy seeing Henry Winkler and Rhoda's younger sister. Do you remember Rhoda? Just had to make me feel old. They were playing the grandparents in the movie. Sheesh!

Oh ... io Sky

One of my drive-bys

I can be a little slow at times. A couple of months back I was shooting out the car window and I noticed that sometimes the camera would not take a picture. I would push and push and I would get so angry. Missed another nice shot! Then to make things even worse, the camera would shoot just when I passed a telephone pole or a billboard sign.

What a dork! It found something close to focus on and "click" it goes. It was just trying to be a good camera. Like I said. I can be a little slow at times. :)

Feelin' the Blues

The lake was not this blue, but the hue calls out to me

I was not up to snuff yesterday. Today I am better, but just on autopilot. I have some turbulence on the homefront that is keeping me awake at night and preoccupied during the day. I suppose in life we could make things easier, but we don't know that until long after the fact.

It is hard to watch a loved one stumble. Hard to watch them make mistakes. Hard to see them uncertain and afraid. I scream out what I believe is advice, but it comes out as the wicked witch who nags and nags. I am jaded. I am a cynic. I don't believe. Because of all of this, I know nothing in the eyes of a fifteen year old. I hope beyond hope that she proves me wrong. I can live with being wrong if it will bring her happiness.

A spray of orange

Setting sun on the camp lake

I arrived late to the campfire on Saturday night, so the only pictures taken were of the last few rays of an orange sun dipping below the horizon. We ended up waiting for about an hour for my daughter's friend to join us. I was growing impatient. I was ready to leave, but because of what happened before, I hesitated. This is the friend whose mother dropped her off at our house without knowing if we were home or not. I thought that they might do that again. The girl does not have a cell phone that I know of.

It turned chilly Saturday night. We burned pallet after pallet, but still we got cold. Most of us left early. We chatted a while. There was a new couple among the group. They were just in from Las Vegas. They were trying to adjust to the cold weather. They brought their five year old daughter. It was pretty chaotic. It was apparent that the parents had no control over this girl. She bounced from one of us gals to the other starved for attention. Many times we kept telling her not to run around the fire. Every so often one of us would try to distract her, but she became clingy when we showed her any attention. I tend to pull children in and play with them, but after an hour she was giving me a headache. A couple of the gals took her for a walk, but found it was too cold away from the fire. Finally the parents took her home, but it had put a dismal atmosphere on the party.

That and one of the boyfriends of us gals kept complaining about women's lib. He was drinking pretty heavy and he just didn't have anything nice to say. He is very pessimistic. He is pro-Bush, anti-gay, anti-foreigners and anti-country. It just wasn't a good night.

That is some tradition

Happiness is having a cake all to yourself

Somewhere the tradition started that when a baby has it's first birthday, they get an entire (small) cake to destroy for themselves. I don't know about this. I love cake (rather, I love the icing) as well as the next person, but this is a little much to digest. Of course she didn't eat the entire thing. She just stabbed at it and shoved a few fistfuls in her mouth, while we snapped some photos and everybody got a good laugh and then she was hauled away to be washed off.

My gracious, that's a lot of sugar.

Silver Lake

One of the beautiful lakes close to me in Eastern Ohio

Caught in the afternoon sun it looks quite silver. I was on my way to the casino last week-end and I just had to stop at a roadside rest and snap a couple of pictures. I didn't dally around, though. I moved on to the fun.

I have a campfire to go to this evening. The day is beautiful and I am hoping to get some great sunset photos. My battery charger has been acting strange, though. I am not sure it is charging the batteries properly. That could be bothersome.

Tomorrow I am on my way to a little girl's first birthday party. (see yesterday's post with "jeepers creepers"). This reminds me of my daughter's first birthday party. I remember the cake, where we were, who was there. Fifteen years ago. Where were you?

Cheeseballs and trays are made. I have to pick up some crackers, yet. Good food, good friends, good times. Instead of my top hat and cane, I'll have my camera and sunglasses. And, awaaay we go!

Jeepers Creepers!

Where'd you get those peepers? Jeepers, creepers! Where'd you get those eyes!

Photo Friday Challenge: Innocence.

It's a new dawn

Catching the sun between the showers

So today I am sitting in a vocational school. I was downloading a program for an end user that just seemed to be taking forever. I was sitting in a chair in the lobby when the guidance counselor brought a white haired lady into the office. He excused himself saying he would be back. The secretary asked the lady if she could help her.

The little lady said "I need to get my G.E.D." The secretary said that the guidance counselor would be back to help her and the secretary excused herself.

I was curious. I wanted to know why this lady needed her G.E.D. at this stage in her life. But of course it is rude to just blurt it out. Nobody else was in the lobby so I asked her "Are you getting a job? Is that why you need your G.E.D.?" That question itself was a stretch. I probably should have known better but I felt like I should say something. She seemed lost.

Her face twisted into an emotional jigsaw puzzle. She managed to say "I have to get a job."

"Oh" I said, thinking to myself that perhaps her husband had just died. She reached for a tissue from the box on the table.

"After 44 years of marriage, my husband has asked me for a divorce," she wiped her eyes.

Yikes. Talk about opening up a Pandora's box. I said the first thing that came to my mind and please pardon my expression. "That S.O.B.!"

She was distraught. I think she needed more of a therapist than a G.E.D. "I'm 62 years old and nobody will hire me!" She tried so hard to regain her composure it broke my heart.

Before I could tell her there were programs out there for people in her position, the guidance counselor returned and whisked her into his office. She remained in there for the rest of my time in that office. I was upset by my ordeal.

A couple of years ago I volunteered at a nearby University doing what I thought was this type of help for senior citizens. I wanted so much to help the elderly get back on their feet in this technology age. The ones who were afraid of computers and needed the skills to re-enter the job market. It didn't turn out that way. I am not exactly sure why.

I also tried to volunteer with the Salvation Army. They never returned my call.

I will think of something. If it had been in my home town I would have waited around and asked that lady's name and given her free computer lessons.

Am I being naive? To think that I can help somebody in that position? Am I overstepping my boundaries with grandiose thoughts of saving somebody? Hmmm. Sounds like fodder for my next therapy session.

October Sky

Death does not lie still

Can you hear the wind
as it whispers and beckons
a hint of a memory
I hear your voice

Caressing my face
with strands of my hair
calling out to me
making me shiver

My mind races
my heart lurches
dropping like a roller coaster
taking me back in time

Come find me
circle your arms around me
I am reluctant
to let you go.

Life in the closet

A little mini - scarecrow

Yeah. I just may re-name my blog to "Life in the Closet". The technical 'wiring closet' that is. Sigh. I'm not gay. I guess at 46 I would know by now. I just googled that and I can't believe that "www.lifeintheclosetdotcom" isn't taken by now.

So I go to this little elementary school today.

It is raining buckets outside, yards are flooded as are the ditches around the roads.

Inside the school the gymnasium is a buzz of noise and activity. The small children are dancing. I listened to the music. It is "Honky Tonk Woman" by the Rolling Stones. This has the words "I laid a divorcee in New York City..."

I thought to myself, "Wow. Pretty wild music there for that age group."

I went on to my little dusty and dark wiring closet. I was flushing out a Nachia worm on this school's network. I didn't know it was Nachia yet. I only knew that the router was "thrashing". I love that word. Anyway, I narrowed it down to two machines, and the technology guy cleaned them up - he told me which worm it was.

As I have stated before schools are cramped for space. They put the speech teacher in the closet with the network equipment in this school district. I was listening as I studied their network.

A little boy came in and was quite chatty with the teacher. He said "Tristan is a girl." The teacher said "No, Tristan is a boy." The boy was probably 8 or 10 years old. He said "Tristan is a girl because he has boyfriends like we have girlfriends!"

The teacher promptly went on with her lesson.

As I was leaving the school building I exited near the gymnasium. The song playing this time? "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet" by Bachman-Turner Overdrive. And the lyrics in this song include "Any love is good love. So I took what I could get!"

Cripes. I remember elementary school and gym class inside on gray rainy days. We danced to "The Farmer in the Dell!"

Oh, come on! "cripes" isn't in this blog's spell check dictionary?

Who knew?

The best pizza in the world = the most painful heartburn in the world.

Who knew?

The old welcome display

The old one in the foreground, the new one in the background

The old one kept falling off the nail when we got a hard wind. I added some crafts to it because it was getting thin. The new welcome sign is hanging in the back ground. Underneath sits a very comfortable rocking swivel patio chair.

Come on over and sit a while.

New Welcome sign

My new Fall Welcome sign

What I didn't purchase at the festival last week-end I made up for it today at a pumpkin patch and at JoAnn fabrics. It was a bright and sunny day. My daughter and I decorated our patio and our front porch railing.

I didn't win at Mountaineer. I lost a little. Not much. If I have reached my spending limit, I quit. I had forgotten how to play the slot machines, so I had a rocky start. I found the non-smoking section. I played the slots there right before I left and won back almost all of the money I lost. At least I went home without too much of a dent. Wow. Six years ago, I couldn't tell how anyone could become addicted to the machines, but this time - it was a bit different. They use the paper tickets now instead of the dirty, noisy quarters. You lose the rush of hearing the quarters cascade out of the machines, but you don't have to deal with the germs. The machines try to mimic the sound when they are issuing the ticket, but it isn't the same.

Personally, I think a ticket with $81.10 isn't the same as holding 4 twenties in your hand. I seem to have no problem shoving that ticket back into a machine. I wouldn't have shoved 4 twenties in at a time. I would put just one in. So, I think this ticket thing is more to the casino's favor.

The bright lights, the noise and the cigarette smoke contributed to a headache, but I cut it off at the pass with my migraine medicine. I made it to 2:00 a.m. I started at 4:00 p.m. We ate dinner from 7:00 to 8:00. The rest of the time was spent in the speakeasy. There were 8 of us. We bounced around and had a good ole time.

The drinks I tried were:

1 Amaretto Sour
2 Vodka Collins
1 White Russian
2 Bud Light

That was over a nine hour period. I liked the Vodka Collins the best. The Bud Light was during dinner. Drinks are not free at this casino. Water and coffee are if you are playing the slots. My elder sister wants us all to go to Las Vegas. She has been half a dozen times. I'll get there. All in good time.

We spent the night and the next day I went to visit my friend. I discovered that she is now in a nursing home. She contacted a staph infection at the hospital and they sent her there. She was looking better. She really wants to get out.

I was a bit mortified by the nursing home. I had not been in one since I sang in the church choir some 34 years ago. How very depressing. The smell got to me. I must have washed my hands about six times the 4 hours I was there and used the anti-bacteria handwash twice. Once in my car I used one of my Clorox disinfecting wipes. I keep a container on my front seat.

That reminds me. My sister brought individual packets of wipes for us to use at the slot machines. The buttons are touched by hundreds of people a night. We didn't see anyone else using them. I never used to be this germ phobic. I just think more these days "What if?"

Destruction

Photo Friday Challenge: Destruction. My living room Christmas eve 2004

Do you see my dog's tail?