A Whelping We Will Go

I had no idea when I got up this morning that I would be helping deliver puppies. My friend called while I was in the shower. My daughter handed me the phone and told me it was serious. I could not make out who was on the line.... I did hear the word 'labor'. Who was in labor? Finally it dawned on me, it was my daughter's friend and her dog was in labor.

My friend wanted to know if I could stop by on my lunch break and check on her dog. She was nesting and would probably have the puppies in the next two to eight hours. "Sure, I can do that." I went there at noon and checked on the dog. She was fine.

At one my friend called and said "She's having them." I went over. Two were already born, and my friend went to pick up her youngest from school so she could see this miracle of birth. The third came while she was gone. I got pictures and then a little bit of a movie. The Mommy dog was pretty nervous and kept circling around and around, so the movie isn't that great. The other two baby pups were crying the entire time during the movie, though. And, I could hear myself breathing. I was not breathing through my nose because I was afraid the smell would make me ill, so you can hear me breathing.

The Mommy kept trying to get the third one out and while she moved it would bounce around on it's head. I couldn't take it anymore, I finally reached over and pulled him a wee tiny bit out. He would just roll around while she moved and it was too sad to watch. She kept sitting on him almost. I tried very hard not to interfere, but finally I had to do something. I just couldn't continue filming him getting conked on the head.

Mommy and the three babies are doing fine. The pic above is of the two older (drier) ones. The rest of the pics really aren't fit to post. The two in the picture are less than two hours old. Mommy did a wonderful job. Well done, Mommy Zoe, (pronounced Zoey) well done!

Tis the Season

Sitting in a restaurant my daughter asked me "Mom! What are you doing?" I hadn't noticed that I was holding my hot cup of coffee on my right ear.

"Oh" I said and put the coffee back on the table. "I guess I have an ear ache."

Tis the season for cold symptoms.

Above is a picture of a pretty wreath from 'Tis the Season' in Berlin. I didn't plan the annual get together there this year. A couple of reasons. Number one: I am doing what ever I can to stay away from my immediate co-workers personal life, since she can't seem to separate the two and number two: It is way too expensive. I like the place, I like to look, but what's the point?

Sleepy Jasper

Jasper ain't the only one sleepy this evening. I am tired. Have done quite a bit of cleaning out closets and stuff the past couple of days. Really raised the dust. Trash day will be a good haul this week. Found my daughter's old Gamecube and Sega gaming stations. She and her friends had fun with them. Old games and memories. Showing off their skills. A lot of laughter. I like that.

I need to get some new and updated board games. They want UNO attack by Mattel. That is a good place to start. We always enjoy sitting around the d.r. table playing cards of one sort or another. And board games. We were really in to the word and picture board games for a while. Making sweet memories.

Gobbled out

My cell phone rang while I was browsing the sheets section of the Elder Beerman store. I was wondering if I could splurge for the 600-thread count. It was my brother. He was at my house. I wasn't home. He wanted to know if I wanted to join them for dinner. 'Sure' I said. I was hungry. "Where?" he asked. I said "Anywhere that doesn't have turkey!" Mmm hmm. Feel the same way?

So, I said Red Lobster. I was craving their Aztec chicken. The waitress asked if we wanted dessert. "Are you kidding? I have two pumpkin pies at home." Well, actually one and a half. And, the cool whip is disappearing quickly. I passed on dessert. I couldn't even finish my chicken.

This was the brother who is the EMT/fireman. He was full of stories of the past week. Car wrecks, heart attacks. Never a dull moment. He was telling me how difficult it was to get this guy out of the mangled car when he was already in so much pain. Moving them causes more pain. I asked him, "If you come to an accident and it is somebody you don't like, do you hurt them more?" I was joking, of course. He laughed and named somebody from another department that told this story one time. They use water to clean the wounds. There are blue lids for regular water and orange lids for water with sodium in it. (Not real sure what this is for). She laughed and told him to use the sodium water to make it hurt more. Of course this was all in jest, they really don't do this. Ouch!

I guess there are others who are thinking along the same lines that I am this season. In my local newspaper there is a section where people can call in anonymously and give their two cents worth for thirty seconds. It is titled "Thirty seconds." One caller's input I read today was complaining about an ex sister-in-law who goes to stand in line for the free toys etc.. when she and her family have more than enough money to purchase toys for their kids. The person calling in had confronted her about it and the lady said "They are just giving them away, so I am going to go and get them." Yep, greed is abundant.

Sable eyes

Somebody needs to go to the Vet's office for an allergy shot. I came home last night and found welts on her back where she had been digging. It usually happens this time of year when we turn the furnace one. She has very dry skin.

I tried to put a soothing ointment on them, but she thought I was punishing her and rolled over onto her back. She is so sweet. She loves attention.

As I have said before, I don't like to shop. I was up at five this morning to use the restroom and thought about all those crazy shoppers out there. I have heard them referred to as "door busters". I rarely shop on "Black Friday". I will probably venture out to buy dog and cat food.

I am fixing the turkey/ham meal today with all the trimmings for my crew. I told Sable there are going to be some wonderful smells coming from the kitchen today. Sometimes she will stand between the kitchen and dining room and peek around at me. As if testing the waters. 'Is she going to give me a treat, or is she going to point over my head?' Pointing over her head is her signal to go away. I will point to the other room. That way I don't have to say anything. Just point. She goes.

The cats are another story. Our usually shy Jasper has become very needy and friendly the past couple of months. People who know the cat say "Wow, what has got into him?" Who knows? I spent about ten minutes combing his fur this morning. All our cats are short hair. He never lets me do that. I notice that he also has dry skin. I'll ask the Vet what I can do for that today if I get in for Sable's shot. Jasper also likes to get into the shower or bathtub when we are done and sits on the wet surface. What is up with that? Is he hot? He hates baths, I know that. He is a curious one, though.

Bountiful Basket

I couldn't find a cup that runneth over, so I chose the basket. "My basket runneth over."

I thought the weather was going to cause a bit of havoc in my traveling plans, but the sun came out. And, what a beautiful day it turned out to be.

Much food, much laughter. The wind was biting and cold outside, but our hearts and our gathering was warm and wonderful inside. I got to hold Rylee a lot. She fussed at first until I realized it was the rough texture of my top. I had another on underneath, so I lost the rough one and she settled right down. Ahh, beautiful, sleeping baby.

Helping hands

It will soon be Thanksgiving. As I mentioned before it has become more important for me to give back, now that I am able to do so.

What kind of families or what type of person asks for help? More important, what families in need don't ask for help? My Mother was a very proud woman. Since I was the youngest, the stories I have are second-hand. I did not witness them personally. By the time I came along my older brother and sister were taking care of the family.

My Mother received very harsh and rude treatment when she would request help or aid of any sort. Maybe she was too sensitive. She stopped requesting. It was fortunate that the state did not separate our family. There were a couple of incidents where they came pretty close, I guess.

Once when my older brother and sister were in high school, their school chose our family to help for Christmas. They bought a tree and brought it to our house on Christmas eve. My brother had already chopped the top of an evergreen down and had it set up before they got there. I could not imagine going through that kind of humility in school.

Another brother was eligible for free lunches when he was in grade school during the sixties. Can you believe the teacher wrote the names of all the students who got free lunches on the chalkboard? He was so embarrassed he decided he would rather go without lunch than sign up for the free lunches any more. This kind of insensitivity irritates the hell out of me.

I don't know how my Mom and brother and sister did it, but I never remember a Christmas (or birthday) without presents or good food. We were so blessed.

Anyway, I always wanted to help the families that were too timid, scared or proud to ask for help. And, I would want to do it anonymously. For example. If you are a member of a church and somebody stands up and begins crying that they are having a rough time, no money, no food for their children - and then a week later they receive an anonymous donation in the mail for $100 cash. "It's a miracle! God heard my prayer!" This is a true story told to me by a friend of a co-worker. What amazes me is the generosity of the person sending the money. It was quite obvious that this lady in need was having her hair done quite often at a beauty salon, she had fake fingernails and dressed to the nines. This is where I run into problems.

Back to giving. I just can't stand the idea of whiners getting all the free hand outs. The people who are not proud. Those who think they have it rough. The ones who buy lottery tickets and push their way to the front of the line for a free ham because they have no money left. The ones who know how to play the game. The sly and sneaky ones who abuse the system. It goes on and on.

So, this year I am gathering up my faith. Faith in the human spirit of giving. I am not going to let my jaded suspicions control my giving this year. I am going to hope for the best. Hope that the ones who really need help the most are going to get it. I don't want to be jaded.

Be careful

..
..
..


I had to chuckle when I received an e-mail of a joke the other day. I try not to forward every joke I get. I have wonderful friends who think that e-mail is great and they send me every joke they see. Most of them I have read before. I love my friends and I just let it be.

A lot of times people who forward e-mails don't realize that they include the previous person's e-mail header and/or e-mail subject when they send the e-mail on to their friends. I saw this one that included a joke, but also included a guy wondering if this girl was interested in him in a "friendly" way or not. Here it is:

----- Original Message -----
From: "Scott J. Gill" <Scott@amerinsurance.com>
To: <Tmercury@hmgmail.com>
Sent: Monday, November 14, 2005 9:22 AM
Subject: RE: Laugh of the day

> Hey there.
> Need to have speakers on low to get the full effect otherwise can be
> taken out of context.
> You still appear rather hesitant of getting together for a cocktail
> outside of the office? Maybe just a timing issue. If you are seeing
> someone with plans of furthering the relationship, that's cool. I'll
> still send you happy email.
> Have a good one.

I am still chuckling. I can imagine somebody saying something in e-mail about a co-worker or a friend and including it with a joke. The recipient of the e-mail thinks nothing of it and forwards the "joke" to the unsuspecting talked about person mentioned above. What a web we weave.

Discontinued?

What! I can't find my color. Well, not a color really. I like Perfectly Clear Moisture Whip by Maybelline. All respects to Registered Trademark, blah, blah, blah.

Will I have to settle for a light pink? Or coral? I hope not. I must keep looking. Please don't discontinue it! I just want a clear moisturizing lip cover. None of that gooey lip gloss we used to wear when we were teens. Moisture whip was perfect without the color. Vaseline, blistex, others are good, but this one made my lips feel great. Pampered, moist. Took the chapping sting away. And it doesn't leave that chapstick feeling on my lips.

Sigh. I have been writing some very personal life experiences. I haven't decided if I am going to post them yet, or not. They may hurt family members feelings. I don't know if my family reads this post. If they do, they haven't mentioned it. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. Maybe I should keep them to myself. In my private journal. They hurt to write them, but I guess I am purging something out of me. In a way.

I am on the budget for my gas bill. I got a notice today. It is going up (I expected this). It is close to double what I pay now. Not double, but close. Wow. I have had two friends request that we don't purchase gifts for each other this year. People are feeling the pinch this holiday season. I always contribute to a Christmas club. The check that comes from this helps. I try not to charge things, unless I purchase them on-line and know that I can pay them off within the thirty days or so.

I always take a tag off the tree in my bank's lobby. I get a name of a boy or girl plus their age and I get to purchase a toy for them. Then you take it and place it back under the tree with the tag. You don't wrap them. (Nut cases could wrap anything up and pass it off as a gift). The library has a box for toys and a tree for hats, scarves and gloves. I came across a couple of slightly used coats we don't wear anymore. They go to a coat drive.

My sister is part of the Y.M.C.A. and she is helping to fix meals for the residents this Christmas. I volunteered to help her. The Y in my town does not have residents. We do have a homeless shelter that just opened up this year, but since it is new - it has plenty of volunteers. At this time. All of this helps to take my mind off of the hustle and bustle of the season. And those with illnesses. The holidays are stressful enough, without illness to contend with.

I'm watching the History channel. They are covering what hysteria went on during the radio broadcast of "War of the Worlds" . It is amazing.

Right in front of my eyes

Sometimes, I can be a little dense. Like loading pictures. For over a year I posted my graphics with Hello. And when I wanted to post more than one picture, I posted them one at a time and cut and edited them together in the blog. When the Add Image was right in front of my eyes. I think I had tried that feature when I first began blogging and it never did work for me so I found an alternative and just recently went back and re-tried it. Well, that's my story....

Today I was looking for Static Guard spray. I looked in the cleaning supplies aisle. With the air fresheners, fabric softeners, starch spray and the detergent. I couldn't find it. I asked the cashier. She told me it was in the cleaning aisle. I told her "No, I've looked and looked and looked." I returned. I was desperate. I hate getting shocked. I combed the aisle. What if they changed the can from it's bright orange and navy blue to something else? I looked harder and closer. Finally, there it was. The original orange/navy colors. Kind of a smallish can, but it will work.

It's Gonna Be a Long Night

This picture is only three of the four girls that are staying tonight. They just came in from the dance. All wound up on caffeine. Energy drinks or pop, or both. My daughter's boyfriend walked the four girls home. I'll let him stay for a while. He has talked more than I've ever heard him talk. Four girls, I guess he is in his glory. They are having pizza and pop without caffeine. My choice.

I suppose I will drive him home. I can't stand the idea of him walking two miles across town after midnight by himself. I imagine thirteen-year-old boys disappear just as often as fourteen-year-old girls. Not on my watch. Not if I can help it. I can take fifteen minutes out of my night and drive a kid home.

The music hasn't started yet. They will tire of the conversation pretty soon and somebody will turn it on. I am in my bedroom which is just off the living room where they are. The cable stations are blocked on any rating over PG-13 and TV14.

Okay, I just heard "Why are we talking about birth control?" Time to go out and check to make sure everybody has enough pop and pizza. (grin)

Giving Thanks

Today was our annual Thanksgiving luncheon at the office. This is the office that I work out of. I don't work for them, but I spend my office days with them so they are as close to co-workers as anyone has been.

We had a bountiful supply of food. I got off easy this year. I brought pop. Or, as some say - soda. I made it easy on myself today. Seriously, there was no need for more food. I ate everything I placed on my plate. It was all that good. I didn't come across anything that tasted bad. Everybody got along, the atmosphere was relaxed and humorous. It was indeed, a beautiful event.

In the back of my mind was the previous assistant superintendent. Last year at this time, she retired. She is suffering from a severe bout of bone cancer. She noticed that her back just wasn't feeling better after she worked so hard in her garden this summer. It is normal to have a back ache during such strenuous activity. It became serious.

Here are some words from her sister:

...yesterday after getting the results of her MRI. It seems even the good news was bad news. The tumor on and in her spine has continued to shrink and that is good news. But cancer by its very definition is a"space-occupying lesion". As the tumor has shrunk, there is no healthy tissue where it once was. The cancer ate it and it is gone from her spine. Without this bone tissue, there is no support and therefore the remaining tissue has been stressed and she has suffered several fractures of all 5 lumbar disks. Bone snaps like a dried stick and the splintered shards embed in the surrounding nerves and tissues and this has worsened her pain considerably. The compression of the crumbling bone also puts pressure on her spinal nerves and this also causes more pain. Her oncologist increased her pain medicine so at this point she is able to get relief. The plan now is to continue chemo cycle #5, begun yesterday.....

And my coworker from my office told me about her father suffering in the hospital with his own bone cancer. I feel so bad for them. So much pain, such a serious sobering atmosphere in midst of our joking and laughing.

Give thanks? Yes, I think I will.

"I can't stop to count it."

One of my favorite musicals is Evita. I was never a big fan of Madonna and I probably never will be. Although she has talent, she just rubs me the wrong way. I think the music, the story and Antonio Banderas does it for me in this show.

Sigh. I can't forget to mention this fine fellow.

Can't go wrong with him.

Juan Peron. Evita Peron. Did she dupe the public? One of her quotes:

"Keeping books on social aid is capitalistic nonsense. I just use the money for the poor. I can't stop to count it."

Yikes. At first you think, "She used people to get to the top." Well, if you look deeply at some other politicians, you can say the same about them. Or, how about "She slept around." Well, a lot of men sleep around and they don't get a "bad" reputation, most get idolized. So, that don't cut it with me.

It isn't the messenger it's the message. What did she do that was so wrong? Did she steal from the rich and give to the poor, meanwhile lining her own pockets? Perhaps a female Robin Hood?

And, what of her husband? Did he kill people who spoke out against him? Did she agree with this kind of political behavior? What if she truly believed she was helping the masses of poor people in Argentina? Did she go too far? She couldn't have done the things she did without the power of her husband and his regime. "Turn a blind eye, Evita. Turn a blind eye."

Mango Madness

I made myself sick this evening drinking too much of this mango lassi. Well, not this one, but one similar. Mine was more frothy and wasn't near as smooth. I had some at the Indian restaurant I dined at a couple of weeks ago, and I looked up the recipe. I purchased a jar of fresh mangos and plain yogurt. Very refreshing. I couldn't stop drinking it and about half an hour later - blech. Stomach ache. Too much of a good thing.

Pain and frustration

pain


Here is the little guy causing me most of my pain and frustration these days. I had to "disguise" him so that I am not breaking any copyright laws. Well really, I am, but maybe it can slip by.

He just freezes on my screen. I do have a legal copy, so I guess I can call support. You know us support people. We don't call unless we absolutely have to. For the most part, I think once we have worked on the problem for so long, we just cannot imagine starting at the beginning. That is mostly what would happen. You get a tech support person and they start asking you to do all the things you have already tried and you KNOW they won't work. You have to be on your best behavior because you don't want to tick off the support person. That could be a disaster.

I had a lot of co-workers giving me ideas to try. I shot each one down. Or, the little pain up there did. Out of five people offering five different possible fixes, not a one worked. (me fuming) And I can't find a lot about it on the web. Usually I can zero in on a problem pretty quickly with Google and narrow down the solution, but not this time.

The copy at the office works, so I guess I will just have to create all my PDF files there. Not a big problem, really. But, I can't leave it alone. I am a support person, after all. I have to find out the solution. Even if I have to wipe my system clean and re-load everything, I have to find out why this application is freezing on my computer. Not that I am going to do that anytime soon. Certainly not until after the holidays when I may have some time to do something crazy insane like that. And, it may fix a few other bugs along the way.

***************************************************************************

My sister told me that my brother figured out who sent the postcard. How hard could it be really? Only one person has the old family albums. Only three family members print out pictures from the computer.

We are gearing up for the holidays. My oldest sister has the Thanksgiving dinner and the Christmas day dinner. We all go our separate ways on Christmas eve. When my Mom was alive we used to get together at her house and open gifts that evening. She always said she was just too busy on Christmas morning to open gifts. Eight children, their spouses, and their children - it can be rather time consuming when it comes to an event such as that.

A neighbor has lit reindeer and a lit snowman on display already. I saw a couple more setups today. We are supposed to get some flurries tomorrow. Maybe I should pull my decorations out of the root cellar. I have been looking at cards when I go to the store. I like the ones with little cute critters on them, or ones with a silver star and a shiny blue background, or red ornaments with a gold tablecloth, or royal purple balls on a white tree - ahhh, I like them all! Okay, calm down. I must get here this week-end. They have such beautiful displays and the window of viewing is only a couple of weeks.

I did get the shovel out of the garage. I was putting my rakes away and I figured I may as well get it out. I think I need a new one this year. My back aches from raking, but I silently said "Get over it! The snow is coming and it is much heavier!"

Horse Puckey!

horse


Going back to May and posting a picture of a nice quiet horse in a nice quiet pasture. I need a bit of serenity in my life, right now. The 'after-work' work is driving me bananas. I am very close to throwing in the towel.

Part of the process is creating PDF files. My Adobe Pro won't run on my machine. I have been troubleshooting that problem. It runs fine at work on my 2000 machine, but not at home on my XP. The only thing I get so far from searching for this problem on Google is that it "could" be my RAID drive. Hogwash! For lack of a better word.

I'm tired and cranky. And if that Adobe guy jumping across his documents freezes on my screen one more time I am going to take his red tie and choke him with it.

Okay, I'm done. I feel better. Well, it may have been the three soft chewable rolaids. Have you tried them? It sure beats the chalky tablets. In fact, I kind of like them. French Vanilla and Wild Cherry.

One Crazy Bird

crazy bird


My crazy bird. I zoomed in on her picture, flipped it around horizontally, created a negative and tinted it violet. Doesn't she look crazy? I have not given her very much attention (or him, I never got into what it really is). She and I talked a little bit tonight until she became irritated with me and began roughing me up a bit so I put her back into her cage. She doesn't like to stay up past nine o'clock. I was pushing it. My bad.

Squib

squib


Just what are they trying to say, here? I chose squib to describe it because I didn't think the word 'propaganda' was quite exact.

2nd Definition of squib:
A brief satirical or witty writing or speech, such as a lampoon.
A short, sometimes humorous piece in a newspaper or magazine, usually used as a filler.

Vidal Blanc

orange tree tops


I can still find some color contrast out there, but not for long. For one reason or another the song from The Mamas and the Papas keeps running through my head :

All the leaves are brown
And the sky is gray
I've been for a walk
On a winter's day
I'd be safe and warm
If I was in L.A.
California Dreaming....

I have never been to California. When my sister and I were in El Paso (she was in the Army), we talked about driving over to San Diego and sticking our big toe in the Pacific ocean just to say we touched it or something.

Today, I was not rushed like I have been. I treated myself to a nice, sit-down lunch here. I did not sample any of the wines, but I purchased a bottle recommended by the waitress. I am having a glass of Vidal Blanc, now. It is quite good. I am drinking it warm. I will chill it for my next glass, maybe tomorrow evening. I did have it with cheese (cheesecake). I think I ruined the taste. I am sure I did. I realize now that I should have picked up a wine stopper.

I am looking for gifts to give my sisters. Two sisters are wine drinkers, and two of us are beer drinkers. One drinks whiskey, vodka, rum and beer. My nephew is now engaged to a wine representative. Here is a description of that type of job. She is helping her future mother-in-law learn about the different types of wine. We are a bit ignorant on the subject to say the least.

Oooh. The wine list says 10% off of 12 bottles. If I get one bottle of each except the Vidal Blanc I can just about get one of each one except the one that is sold out and the fruit wines at the bottom. It doesn't say I have to limit myself to 12, I can get a bottle of each. That should make a nice collection to start with and then try them throughout the long winter months.

I still want to make our own wine here. Well, my glass is empty. :( Time for some fresh air.

One car ahead of you

deer


Well, the deer are out in full force. I picked my daughter up from a get together Saturday night and we stopped near our house to shoot some deer. It was very dark, so the photos aren't that great and they are a little grainy. But we (and they) were mesmerized.

I was driving yesterday and apparently wasn't going fast enough for somebody. He made a point to zoom around me and cut back right in front of me. I thought to myself "Gee, mister. In a hurry?" And, proceeded to forget him and returned to my dreamy drive of whatever I was thinking.

A few miles up the road we were stuck driving slowly behind a (oh, no) white van. Another white van! Yikes. A deer came from out of nowhere and hit the car (guy) that was in front of me. The deer was spun around, but she got up and bounded back from whence she came.

The guy in front of me came to a stop and must have been dazed. I waited for him to gather his senses to see if he was just going to sit in the roadway or pull to the side or continue on. He drove ahead a few feet and pulled over. I looked back at him in my rear view mirror. No damage to his car, he probably was just getting out to check it out and calm down. It could have been much worse.

A mile or so up the road, it dawned on me. If he hadn't shot around me, that could have been me that hit the deer! It was a sobering thought. So, the next time somebody cuts you off or becomes irritated at your driving too slow, smile and wave at them. Let them go.

Years ago when a driver zipped around me like that, with my daughter (then five) in the car, I looked over at her and we both had a kind of surprised look on our faces. I laughed and said "He must have the diarrhea!" Oh my God, she thought that was so funny. To this day when it happens we look at each other. "He must have the...." Mmmmhmmmm.

Which brings me back to a memory. During one of our day trips (I was always trying to bring some kind of educational vacation into my daughter's life), we went to Cosi in Columbus. I came upon an exhibit of a wrecked car in a cage. I read the story on the exhibit. I can't recall the details exactly, but in essence it read that there were four teenagers in the car. In the seconds of the accident, the passenger in the front seat reached down and pulled up on the hand brake.

This simple act resulted in the back of the car hitting a tree and killing the two in the back, letting the two up front live. If the passenger had not applied the brake, the opposite would have happened. Or the other way around, I don't recall the exact details. And, I don't have any idea how they figured this out, but they are a respected science center and certainly know more than I about these things.

And the story said, "So is our destiny fate or pre-determined?" Or, something similar. It got me to thinking. And, I came to the conclusion (for me, anyway) it is fate. Why? How did I come to this conclusion? Because if our fate is pre-determined, then why do people run and hide from a sniper? Why not just walk calmly out in the open saying to yourself "Hey, if it's my time to go , it's my time to go." Yeah. You can find me in the bushes.

Postcards from the edge

postcard


I made a postcard with my brother's pictures on it from the family album. I put in a couple of little cute pics from when he was about seven and one when he was about ten. Then a much older one of thirty-something. I made a small collage and printed them as a postcard. I went to my home office today and thought it would be perfect to mail it from an out-of-town post office and not sign my name to it. Just a smiley face on the back.

So, to do that I had to figure out the closest post office to my home office.

My inside voice said, 'Well, you know it is just 500 feet from that place.'

Me: "That place?"

My inside voice, 'Come on. You know where. That place.'

Me: "Oh! That place. Well, I can handle it if you can."

So I drove on to the post office. Mailed the post card and bought a few extra post card stamps in case I want to torture any other family with a postcard. (evil little laugh).

I got back in my car. I was trying very hard to ignore my inside voice. 'You're going to be driving right past it. You are already starting to get shaky.'

Me: Big sigh."Okay, I can do this."

I drove onto the highway. Just about 500 feet.

My inside voice: 'Oh, yeah! They made it into a dollar store. Go ahead and stop. Look around. You can always pick up something at the dollar store.'

It was kind of ironic that it was now a dollar store. Twenty-five years ago it was an Ace Hardware/Automotive store. One of the busiest places you could ever find on a Saturday morning. You could always find me there every Saturday morning, too. Sometimes hung over, sometimes bright-eyed and bushy tailed.

I slowly inched my car into the parking lot.

Inside voice: 'Go on. Park over there. Where you parked for over three years.'

My car wouldn't go that far. It stopped in a little space out front. My palms were beginning to sweat.

I gathered my purse and tried to gather my senses. I looked at the building. It had such a strange effect on me. They had split it in to two separate businesses. One side was completely closed. Of course it is going to look smaller to me, now. My very first office job one month out of high school. This is where I went instead of college.

My first loves were a part of this building. Maybe this is the way some people feel about their high schools. Maybe I was a late bloomer. High Schools have reunions, you can go back and see the people that had such an impact on you. Thank God work doesn't do that. I could barely get out of the car and it had been twenty-five years.

I walked up to the door looking for anything that would trigger my memory. They came flooding back. I opened those double doors almost every morning. Entering the first time and locking them behind me so that I could set the business up. I was usually the first one there. Setting up the cash registers, counting the money. Getting the lights turned on. Then about an hour later, opening the doors for business. Greeting the cashiers and my boss (the owner) and the Automotive manager.

I remember our alarm systems. Setting them, accidentally triggering them. Sneaking in one night to use the bathroom and making sure I turned the alarm off and back on before I left. Naughty. Just once! Then to find out months later that my boss received a monthly record of all the times the alarm had been set and disarmed. He never said a word to me.

Well, I doubt that I would see the usual flow of men that I used to in the building, now. I looked around and saw little old ladies and other assorted women shopping amongst the air fresheners and cleaning supplies. No smell of auto grease and oil, no rubber smell of tires, no grease monkeys coming in wearing their worn out jeans, scuffed-up boots and ballcaps.

The dollar store was packed with cheap plastic Christmas decorations and wrapping paper and towels and kitchenware. So much stuff in that little store. I don't even think I saw what was in the first two aisles, as I was so nervous. Waiting for somebody familiar to walk around the corner. My feet felt as though I was walking in knee-high wet sand. I seriously thought a sales lady was going to ask me if I was alright. I felt weak and a bit nauseous.

It did get better, though. I began to breathe easier. Once I realized that no old boyfriend was going to come sauntering around the end of an aisle. I moved back to the far corner of the store. Way back. They had it blocked off with a big wall but this was where I would go to my office. My very own office from eighteen to twenty-one. I looked at the wall. It was full of cheap but colorful plastic flowers you put on gravesites. How appropriate. A memory bouquet. Three Dog Night drifted into my head.

"I've got pieces of April
I keep my memory bouquet"

I swallowed hard. I circled the store a couple more times walking aimlessly. Looking for anything that would tell the world 'I was here.' But, there was nothing. I looked at the floor and tried to remember if it was the same tile. The building had begun to split. They had built that section on right when I started working there. And now, it was beginning to split away from the original building. As if breaking away was hard even for the concrete.

I still keep in touch with one of my very best friends from that era. She and I met working there and remained friends over the past 25 years. I need to call her. Such good, good times.

I finally made it to the check-out counter. My purchase was placed in a cheap barely-there plastic bag. I handed over my money and received my change. I headed for the door. What had I bought? Oh, a box of trash bags. How appropriate. I got into my car and slowly drove away with a lump in my throat. Where were they now? Those crazy, crazy people.

Down on the farm

white farm


Down on the farm in Harrison county, Ohio.

My sister was sitting at my house and overheard a telephone conversation between my daughter's boyfriend and his dad. The boyfriend is thirteen and getting his very first paycheck, that I know of. He was part of the Halloween stalker thrill. He was asking his dad to drive him to the place so he could pick up his paycheck. My sister said she heard him say "I'll pay you five dollars to take me up there." A pause and then he said, "Okay, six dollars." It is probably twenty miles there.

The boy will be fourteen in December. I found it kind of harsh that the father would charge his son gas money to do this. The boy rode with friends to the work and back. His parents never took him, not once.

My gut reaction was 'Holy cow! Give the kid a break!' My sister and I were going to a party, so I didn't offer to take him. I guess some could say that the parents are making him more responsible. I don't know. Maybe they are mad this week-end and it is just a one time incident. He does call them to pick him up at our house once and a while. Sometimes they do. He didn't seem phased by it, so why should I.

I just dropped my daughter off at the mall to meet him and his friend. We saw them walking. My daughter didn't want me to pick them up. She said just drop her off at the main doors and she would meet them. I do love the cell phone, she can call me when she needs me.

My daughter's friend from yesterday's post did not stay over last night. They are not fighting, just taking different paths at this time. Her friend seems to want a different lifestyle than my daughter, and my daughter is okay with that. The friend calls herself "emo". Then there are the "posers". There - now you have some teenage lingo under your belt. Whoo-Hoo!

Fade away

fading


I am sad when a friendship fades awayyy ...

Edit: I should tell you that is my daughter and her good friend pictured above. My daughter is on the left. Don't be alarmed by the eye make-up on her friend. That is "cool" to wear make-up like that these days. Okay. I also found out that they are still very good friends. Big sigh of relief. Seems that the friend had a boyfriend for two weeks that smokes. My daughter hates smoke (like me). So, they kind of went their separate ways for a while. Now, the friend is not seeing this boy anymore and she is back to hanging with my daughter and her regular crowd. She should be back "home" this evening and I will see her familiar face lounging in my living room again by tomorrow morning. I'll tell her my usual "It's about time you came home! I don't know who you think you are young lady, but around here we don't just wander off and not let anybody know where we are or who we are with!" She will smile and say "Sorry, Mom!" And, I'll beat her with a wet noodle. All will be back to normal.

One Last Hurrah

orange tree


Friends want to get together this Saturday night at the camper on the lake. Where I get the beautiful sunset pictures on the lake. One last hurrah before they close the camper up for the winter.

I keep forgetting to watch the weather channel for the week-end. I don't know if it is going to be sunny or rainy on Saturday. Warm or cold. I just turned the weather channel on. They are doing the weather in Europe. Great. Okay, try www.weather.com and type in my zip code. Yuck! Never mind. Rain and a high of 66, low of 55. Blah!

Now, it used to be when I was twenty-something, I could sit around a camp fire. Rain or not with a beer in hand and smile. But at forty-something, I think I'll pass. I may go to visit for an hour or two, but when that sun goes down, there I go. Even if we pump 70's music I am not sure I am going to sit outside in the rain. Or on the porch where the dampness seeps in my bones.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have to make a mental note to change the batteries in my smoke alarms tomorrow! My brother is a fireman and that was my first housewarming gift. I had already purchased a carbon monoxide detector. I have a fire place in the basement.


I caught a show on Nova Tuesday night. Where 1800 people were killed by CO2 poisoning. The show was about a volcano and the lakes near it. Lake Nyos released the deadly gas in a cloud so thick and big it covered a nearby town, killing every living being in it's path. I had no idea. It makes me wonder what I was doing in August of 1986. I was living in Virginia. I probably didn't watch the news very much, but I do remember when Reagan issued an attack against Gaddafi in April of that same year, so I wasn't exactly under a rock.

I do recall living in a small one-bedroom apartment. I was office manager at a lumber company. My boyfriend and I would get company all during the summer from both sides of the family, being that we lived forty minutes from Virginia Beach. That was the only time I went to the ocean, is when relatives would come to visit. I shunned the sun. It was a bit too hot for me. We were more into the night life, anyway.

I am not a beach person. I like the trees and fresh water lakes. Mountains and camp fires.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I recorded Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds onto my pc. I have filled up the 400 gig hard drive. I have to find some stuff to delete, or open that other half back up and stop mirroring. I can't believe I would fill it up so fast. Oh, well. I don't like Psycho . I do like Rear Window. I don't think I would have liked the man Alfred Hitchcock. He sounds like he was a real pain in the arse.

I just checked. My largest movie is The Perfect Storm coming in at 4.35GB. Most of them are compressed, I don't know what happened with this one. Some are compressed to 1.8GB and 2.8GB. Some are going to go because I don't even like them. (Such as The Perfect Storm). The Birds, I recorded off of my cable. It is a whopping 4.18GB. I noticed that it filled up the dvd. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to finalize it, but it did. I like to watch them and freeze frame them in certain parts. Like I have time to do that anymore. It was fun for a while, but now I just copy them onto the hard drive and most likely never look at them again. Sigh. Why must I hoard stuff?

At the top of the hill

autumn fencepost


I skipped lunch today. This is one of the reasons why. I stopped on top of a hill of an old dirt road. Some guy in a jeep went past me back and forth. I guess he was wondering what I was doing. Maybe he finally saw my camera, I don't know.

In a community close by some Amish children told their parents about a guy pointing something at them from a car. They called the police. When the sheriff caught up to the guy they found out he was taking pictures for a calendar. They let him go.

That will probably be me someday. I'm pretty harmless. I don't want to make a calendar or make any money off of the pics. I like money as much as the next person, I just don't have the drive to do it. I like to look and share.

After a day of this my eyes feel as though they have been bathed in visine. Bliss.

Autumn Gold

autumn gold


The day started out with some sun. It became darker and cloudier and by the time I headed home it was pouring rain. Glad I mowed yesterday.

I caught some gold on the hillside before the rains came. I framed them in gold.

I ended up with seven trick or treaters. That beat last year's two candy goblins. I dressed for the kiddies. I read where the kids like it when the person handing out the candy also dresses for the occasion. Why not?

I watched some suspenseful Hitchcock yesterday. The Birds and Psycho. Black and white. Recorded them. My daughter and her boyfriend are watching Psycho.

My sister wants to get some of the family and go here this week-end. We celebrated my fortieth there. It was fun, but not my cup of tea. I had a migraine and spent most of the evening in the non-smoking room which is small and away from the big Speakeasy. I would go if I had more time to plan, more money to spend and if my daughter were just a couple of years older.

Here we will picture it in Autumn brass:

autumn brass


How about a wooden gold?

wooden gold