Happy first of November!

Well, it's getting closer and closer to my favorite holiday....Thanksgiving!
That's when I make lots and lots of food, with pretty much no help from anyone. Although they tend to turn into vultures and fly around the kitchen, pacing and waiting for a moment when my back is turned so they can sneak a taste! I love making and eating the comfort food. I consider it a labor of love. I always end up having a kitchen window open and at least one of the ceiling fans going because of the heat and stuffiness. But the smells are so WONDerful!
Dilemna: My oldest brother wants us to go to his house for Thanksgiving. I always have it at home. A couple of years ago, I invited everyone to my house. My mother made all sorts of lame excuses as to why she couldn't come, including saying my youngest bro and I don't get along, and my oldest bro was upset that she didn't want him at her house anymore for Thanksgiving! Oh PULLEEEEZE! He's a big boy....he'd get over it! She said maybe we can do it another time. I decided I was done with trying to please my mother. Anything I cooked or baked, she wouldn't have eaten anyway! And it's been four years since she stepped foot in my house. That was only because she wanted to see the damage the fire had done! Before that, it had also been years since she'd stepped foot into my house! My husband thinks I'm being stupid, and so does my oldest son. Sure I would like to see my oldest bro and his kids. The rest, I could do without. I apparently am the black sheep of the family. (Or as my mother would say "odd".) I don't take orders from my oldest bro's wife. And she is very bossy. If I DO go, I'm bringing my knitting and parking my butt in one chair and not getting up cept to eat and use the restroom! Turnabout is fair play doncha think? That's all she ever did at my mother's house when we used to all gather there, whether it was a holiday or just visiting. Everyone tended to wait on her hand and foot! And there was NO reason for her to NOT be able to do for herself. Unless you consider her "porcelain nails" which she always used as an excuse not to open a can of pop for her kids, or tie a shoe for her kids, or do anything for anyone. She would just sit and crochet or read a book!
About a month ago, I accepted a friend request from my oldest bro's wife. I thought what the heck....I don't have to post on her wall or anything. Next thing I knew, she was asking me to add my mother to my friends list! Nope nope nope. No way in H E double hockey sticks!
I know that I will have people mad at me, including my husband, if I don't break down and agree to go. Hell he is just all about the eating! I am tempted to find a restaurant that serves Thanksgiving dinner, and go THERE instead! But then, we wouldn't have any leftovers to eat on for a week or two! And we definitely wouldn't have any if we went to my brother's house. What to do...what to do! But I do know this...I need to stick to my guns....no matter WHAT the decision! No chickening out.

Bad news was let out a couple of days ago. A large company will be laying off 90 of it's 137 employees right before Thanksgiving, for 45 days. One person I know of....her husband has worked there for over 30 years! And he will be laid off. Only salaried employees will be kept. This business is what has been keeping Chanute going. Not that it has a ton of employees, but that the pay for a job there is very very good! And the company has always helped with charity events and matching funds with this and that for the city.
It makes me mad that a person is doing the woe is me route, yet she has constantly overspent her husband's income from that company. And yet "well I need to get my hair cut and high lighted at the salon." I mean... geez...where are your priorities???
More later.........

Blah blah blah

It's homecoming tomorrow. I will force myself, sorta, to go to the football game tomorrow night. I do wanna see the kids play, yet I am sooo pooped and doubt I will snap out of it by tomorrow night. Lots going on this evening... LOTS! I will need to get paid triple in about an hour and a half. Simply because one person shouldn't have to subject themselves to so much and so much work! I would love to go to sleep right now. In fact my vision is kinda going blurry....probably because I just can't hold my eyes open for too much longer.
I am STILL getting maters...STILL canning....STILL not doing much else cept canning maters, (along with eating them!) Probably need to make a few jars of salsa this weekend too. I am running out of room to put it all! Right now I have at least a dozen quart jars full of maters sitting on the kitchen counter...with no place to go. It's driving me NUTS! But on the other hand....they sure do look pretty. Makes me feel proud....out of little bitty mater plants, green bean seeds and cuke seeds and a little tlc, we have gotten lots and lots of veggies that I have turned around and canned. We'll have plenty to eat in the winter. Lots of veggies and lots of meat. Been thinking about possibly not buying bread anymore and just baking it one a week. Never know... it just might be cheaper. Even if I bought a big sack of 100% whole grain wheat to make the bread. Been a long time since I've baked bread. Maybe a banana bread now and then, but not very often.
Never got strawberries from the 25 plants. Darn it! I have a feeling we have on e season strawberries. Which means hubby read that he was supposed to pluck off the first blooms to stimulate the root growth, then we will have lots of everbearing strawberries. Nope... no strawberries. So maybe next year? Maybe before the family reunion so I can make some jam and take a few small jars of it? I really am craving strawberries... without sugar too. Just fresh strawberries. Maybe a few on top of an angel food cake would be yummy. mmmm
Except for part of Saturday (craft fair in town) I will be peeling and chopping and canning again. When will it end?? I want to have a NORMAL weekend of just doing laundry, maybe going to my favorite shopping city for a day out. It will all be worth the long hours working on the veggies this winter... but it doesn't do a thing for me right now.

It's been quite awhile since I've posted. But...life sorta gets in the way sometimes.
I planted my mater plants a little late this year, and they didn't start turning until August. Now I have an over-abundance of them. I canned fiesta salsa weekend before last, canned maters last weekend, and I will probably do both canning maters and making/canning salsa this weekend. LOTS and LOTS of maters! Golden girls, Rutgers(found they are too "stemmy"), Jetstar, Celebrity(one of my faves), and Romas. And had four volunteer plants come up, making a total of 24 plants. I haven't had time to go through the garden for the past few days, but did so early this morning when it became daylight. I only picked a couple, but there are TONS to be picked! Gotta pick em early this evening and start peeling them. I make a mess if I peel them sitting down and watching tv, and it seems a lazy way of doing em, but my legs thank me for not standing in one spot the entire time I'm peeling. And I don't mind doing it so much. Guess I like to multitask too much. If I'm doing something monotonous, I have to have the tv going....a good movie or maybe a documentary on discovery channel.
Since the high school football game tonight is out of town, I will start directly on those maters when I get home. AND I need to pick okra to wash, slice and freeze too. YUMMY! OOH dang... forgot I need to get more cornmeal. So I can coat the okra slices with it and then freeze em. Don't know why, but everyone in my house loves fried okra. Go figure. ;o) Pickled okra is good too, but we just don't get enough okra at once to make a few jars. maybe today will be different when I pick them. I hope. And everyone else hopes....pickled okra is everyone's favorite way to eat it.
Well times have been hard for everyone....and my family as well. Husband was cut to 3 days a week from about January until July. And in July he got to work four days. After that, he has been back to 5 days a week. I was worried about getting my contract renewed, but it came...very late, but it came. Next year may be a whole lot different.
I bought my half a beef(cow, whatever you wanna call it), and we haven't used very much of it since we got it in mid July. But that's okay. Lots of comfort food to be made during the chilly fall months as well as the cold winter months. Beef and canned veggies fresh from the garden will be great then. We also have fresh taters and onions too, although we were disappointed that we didn't get more taters out of what was planted. Found that we can freeze taters...checked it out in my BIG Ball canning book. So I may be doing that. Slicing some, chopping some and freezing the whole lot of them. Wish I had done that with our broccoli. Time just got away from me, or I would've been cutting more of it. It is like okra...you have to keep checking it...EVERY day. Not just once a week. Otherwise, the broccoli starts blooming. Then it's no good. And as long as you keep cutting the crowns off, it will continue producing. And this was my mistake...not checking and cutting crowns off every day. Nothing like fresh steamed or stir fried broccoli... or just raw broccoli in a salad. Yummy.
Been knitting as much as I can. Craft fair is happening the 26th of this month and my fellow knitting ladies in our group are making things to be sold in a booth we will have. I'm still trying to finish a HUGE blanket for my son and daughter inlaw, that I started back around the first of May! I may end up just knitting a few more rows, then binding it off. It will be WAY too long if I knit as many rows in this particular session as the pattern calls for. But then, I used size 8 needles and I noticed the pattern calls for size 6. Anyway, I am sure the blanket will be very much appreciated. I had never given the couple a wedding gift, so this will hopefully make up for that. I so much wish those kids would move back here. But where they are at, there is plenty of adventure and hunting and fishing there. They are in their element.
Still being very cheap and very crabby. Just a bit lazy with the posting in here. AND the fact that I got hooked on facebook. Yes, I am embarrassed...yet it is a fun place to be. Twitter? NOPE! I don't have internet on my phone and don't plan on it any time soon. Yes it would be handy, but if I have internet on my laptop at work and at home, why have it on my cell? It would be nice if I was out of town...and waiting in a doc's office or something. But that is when I pull out my knitting or a book to read. (Usually it's knitting!)
Husband will be 50 in October. I don't like to celebrate my birthdays, but this is a major milestone for him. I've gotta decide what to do...and cheaply. For one, I want to find one of his goofiest pictures and get it put in the paper on that day. Since it will be on a Monday... and we don't have a Monday paper, it will have to be put in the Saturday before. Also I imagine he would love to have family there to help him celebrate. Maybe invite all of his relatives and a few friends over. OH MY that would be a mess! But would it be worth it? Probably. But I would also like to keep it a surprise too... and then everyone starts showing up! Would be great! Don't know if I should cook or what. Maybe make a big cooker of chili? That would be great! Yeah chili... I do have the ground beef for it! Just would need the beans, maters, onions and peppers! A chili supper! Yeah! Now how would I be able to cook that much chili without husband figuring things out? Well, sometimes I have made big batches of chili like that, and put part of it into the freezer. And I could also make milder chili, for those that can't take the heat, in a couple of stew pots. Oh that sounds like a plan!
Now that the old gears are cranking away... I need to start the ball rolling.

Hot hot hot!

109 is the heat index temp. UGH! Don't wanna get outside at all!
Need to be hoeing my mater plants...aint gonna do that for awhile. Tomorrow will be more of the same. Heck when I got up this morning, it was already hot and sticky.
Got some fresh Alaskan king salmon from youngest son. He caught em Thursday, sent em UPS Friday during his lunch hour, and we got em Saturday morning..wrapped up tight with three ice packs that were still frozen!
Baked the salmon...oh man it was GOOD! Saved a little to make salmon dip. The rest we kept in the sealed bags and put it in the freezer to make later. Didn't want to have all that salmon at once!
Since it is so hot, and even though we have our a/c on, I don't wanna do ANYthing! Haven't even picked up my knitting needles once today!
Went to the dentist and got my teeth cleaned. Came home...then decided to go to the store and get cream cheese and parsley for the salmon dip. Didn't do even one load of laundry. Yet the day just sped by so fast! I'm afraid the rest of this summer will speed by too fast. Before I know it, school will start, and I will be going back to work, daughter will be going back to school, and we will have to get back into some sort of routine. Then, there will be no more Thursday night knitting guild meetings...not until school is out for the summer again! They will still have meetings, but daughter and I won't be able to attend on school nights. Too much going on.
Well...time to go see what we can have WITH our salmon dip!
Oh here's a few pix of the salmon and then baked salmon and then the supper plate.

Another gloomy day. It rained in the wee hours this morning.
Was going to do laundry and hang it out on the clothesline (drying clothes free via the sun!) But, it does look like it may rain again.
Been doing mostly knitting...knitting the modern log cabin blanket for my youngest son and his wife. I know he will appreciate it, and I'm sure she will too. I just hope that the finished project is perfect...without any flaws. Can't wait to send it off. But to whom should I send it? She is in college in Canada. He is in Alaska.
THEN I need to get my tons of dishcloths made. Don't know if I will make lots for the craft show this fall, or just keep making a bunch for the family reunion next year. I could possibly make some money at the craft show, but....I would love to make more for next year's reunion. There's always a chance that we may not be able to go next year...depending on whether we still have our jobs.
Need to get some cedar shavings for the bunny we have sorta adopted. I will be posting a found ad in the newspaper. But I have a feeling the bunny might've been dumped at the park. It is such a sweet little black bunny. I didn't wanna get attached, but right after I saw it....I was holding it. Why am I such a sucker?

What a very muggy day it's started out as! Makes me feel like I live in a tropical rainforest! Got laundry to hang outside to dry...I just hope the later the morning gets, the more likely the fog will be burned off and it won't be too humid. Gotta get clean laundry dry! And I prefer to dry it for free...via the sunshine!
Had a few storms roll through day before yesterday. Lots of wind, lots of hail and lots of rain! My mater plants look a little rough...some had little broken branches or whatever they are called. Yesterday they looked better and today they are looking better than yesterday. Most of them have blooms on them.
Gotta go through my books and put them somewhere. Got em stacked on my bedside table right now...pretty soon I wont be able to see the little lamp sitting there! Can't help myself...love to read. What an inexpensive pastime! Even less expensive if reading material is checked out through the public library, or going to the annual book sale there, or getting books the high school librarian is getting rid of. I know there are also books at garage and rummage sales. I just haven't been to any sales for a long time. Mostly because the price of gas outweighs the bargains from the sales. Costs lots of expensive gas to go here and yonder to the sales. So is it really cost effective? Not really....not unless I am hunting for something specific that I can't find anywhere else.
I still worry about keeping my job. But I am 70% sure that I will have my job for the next year. After that, who knows. Hubby is now starting to show his worry about his job. He's the main breadwinner here. So if he loses his job from more layoffs, I don't know what we will do. Of course my hubby is the type that WILL FIND WORK. He's talked about going thru truck driving school and then driving a truck. There are several different possibilities. He also thought about going to college and getting an associate's degree. But that doesn't help the money situation....even though the military would pay for his college classes.
Sure wish I could sew. I would end up making some of the kid's clothes...and mine. I do have a very basic sewing machine...very easy to operate. BUT, I was never taught how to sew. Knitting and crocheting...yes. Sewing...no.
Will be excited if our gardens do well. I will be putting up a lot of jams and veggies....Hubby said because times are getting harder...I may want to go ahead and start getting canning lids. I jave the jars, but no lids. I have the rings, but no lids. So I gotta get lids (flats). I may get a few smaller jelly jars, so I can give out jams as gifts...and maybe a few next year for the family reunion...if we can go. I hope so. I had so much fun this year....and there is always the chance that someone may end up not coming next year, because of serious illness or passing away. Gotta stay in touch with my hillbilly family. Love em all!
Family is the key word here. The harder times get, the more we depend on our family and friends and they us.
We try to live one day at a time, and not worry so much. (I am the world's worst (or is that best) worrier. Now hubby is worrying...which means things definitely will get worse. But I think we will be okay. Hubby says we have already cut back on things. But I know we can cut back more. It may be rough, but it will happen. Even my cutting out my homemade patchouli soap....which is my main luxury that nobody complains about. It's gotten more expensive, as the lady who makes it charges by the ounce now. And the last batch I bought has not lasted near as long. Maybe she is cutting back on some ingredients too. Who knows. But hubby said the kid and I will have plenty of time to go to the soap place and check it out and maybe buy some soap to replenish my supply. The woman lives in a big old stone schoolhouse! And they have a a small building where she makes the soap. She gives tours by appointment and you can watch her make soap and buy whatever your heart desires. My heart desires patchouli soap and ONLY patchouli soap. It stays with me all day and into the night. It isn't a strong scent either. But wherever I go, someone will mention they smell patchouli. And that's when I tell them it's my soap and where I buy it. I think the soap lady needs to give me a discount for so much advertising of her products.

What a past few days!
I was GOING to finish hoeing around the mater plants yesterday morning. HAH! Then decided to do it after the sun was off the mater garden, in the evening. HAH! Oldest kid and husband mowed the yard (has an extra lot too), yesterday morning. I think someone needs to weedeat though. I aint gonna do it! The mater plants are looking really good. But two plants look like they've been nibbled on. My cats must not be doing their job...scaring away the rabbits or whatever is nibbling on the mater plants! Maybe the cats are eating too well...so they are less likely to hunt for their prey.
Hubby FINALLY fixed the outside faucet leak. Much to the chagrin of Sam, our half siamese cat. The faucet has been dripping for several years, and this year it has been more of a slight trickle. We've kept an old pan under it so the cats can at least benefit.....get a drink. Sam won't drink from the pan though. He likes sticking his head under the leak and licking the water as it drops out of the faucet. He likes it fresh and cold....not after it's been sitting in the pan and has been heated by the sun. Cant say as I blame him. Now he will just have to come in the house whenever he wants a cool drink.
We've been getting nice turnips lately. I think some have been left in the ground a bit too long, but they aren't bad. I prefer eating them raw with a shaker of salt, but I've cooked em a couple of times. Hubby said I need to cook a bunch of em, before they go bad. (He pulled up several yesterday.)
Oh how I love eating fresh garden vegetables! In another month, we will start getting maters! YAY! We've also been getting a little bit of broccoli. YUM! Green beans have blooms all over them. I weeded them day before yesterday. I wanna make sure that when I pick beans, that there are no creepy crawlies hiding in the weeds waiting to scare the crapola outta me!
Hubby has the mater cages out along with posts. Now if I can just finish hoeing, he will put them up. But, we do need at least enough mulch to put under the mater plants before he puts the cages around em. I can hoe and/or till the weeds around the plants, but not very close, after the cages are set. Which is why we need mulch....to keep the weeds down close to the plants. Make sense? We were wanting straw, but nobody seems to have any. The wire used to bale straw is getting expensive I guess...right along with everything else!
Hubby decided he wasn't going to set up our swimming pool this year. Said the pump went out, but even if it didn't....he didn't want to mess with it this year. Well, I am the one that usually has to put the chemicals in it, and all three of us are always constantly cleaning the stuff out of it. But it would be nice to be one with the sun. I mean....if you can't beat the heat....get out in it! And at least take a dip now and then in the pool. Water....it's a good thing. But it also costs to fill a pool the size we have. I don't remember how many gallons it holds, but it's a heckuvalot!
Been cutting back alot more on stuff. Hubby is thinking about losing the cellphones and going back to having a landline phone. The cellphones sure are handy though. And since he has to travel to another town to work, it's great to have during bad weather. Just never know when an accident might happen, or he can't get back home because he's stuck or the snow is really bad. It's also handy for when daughter gets to drive on her own. So if she has any problems she can call us. AND when she goes to school tournaments and field trips....she can call to let us know when she gets back and needs a ride home. I didn't realize just how much we depend on those things, since we got them! I think instead of getting rid of the phones, we may get rid of cable tv. There's no premium channels....just basic channels. But, if we get rid of cable tv, we may have to go to dial up internet. UGH! After being used to cable internet for so long, it would be a BIG pain in the butt to go to dial up....it's so pokey and you get knocked off all the time! AND if we went to dial up, we would also have to have landline phone to HAVE dial up internet! Oh there are lots of things we can cut back on besides those things. For now anyway.
We were thinking of getting the daughter a safe but cheap old clunker to drive. Of course, WE would expect her to take the school bus home, since drop off is only a block and a half away from home. Then she could drive to work in bad weather, walk when the weather was good. And if she had to go back to school for activities, she could go without waiting for one of us to take her. It would all be good. If the school was in the same location as the old school, she could ride a bike or walk. It's about a mile from our house, or WAS. It was torn down recently.
Considering not renewing our subscription to the newspaper. We can always go to the public library. Of course that would be a pain, because then we would have to go there every day that there is a newspaper....Tuesday through Saturday. At my workplace there is always a paper in the lounge. But who has time to read it with only about 20 minutes to eat?
We do have a half of beef ordered from the meat locker. Don't know when it will be ready. But I consider it a good investment. So if we end up losing our jobs...either one of us or both of us....we will have meat, and we will have veggies that I will be canning/freezing.
It's funny how much most people take for granted. That there will always be money to buy food, eat out whenever the fancy hits them, money for gas in the car and lawn mower.
I have a feeling things are gonna get worse, before they get better. I have heard, however, that people are starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel....the end of so much unemployment and stupidly high prices on everything. I think that prices will always be high, and they will continue to be high. Even after the economy is back on it's feet.

It's been awhile....

School is out, and now it's time to relax, and do things that I wanna do.
Husband and I have planted 20 tomato plants in the big flower bed. I guess you could say it's an EX flower bed now. Hopefully we will have lots of tomatoes. I noticed yesterday that a roma plant already has blooms. They are usually the first of the plants to bear fruit.
Planted my pepper plants yesterday. After the heavy rain we had last night, I hope they did okay. They were still fairly small plants....had 16 of those.
Had a family reunion on my dad's side over Memorial Day weekend. We had been saving for a few months so we could go. It was very enjoyable, except for the fact that I can't sleep anywhere but my own bed at home. Lots of family I hadn't seen in many years. The raffle was great too. I brought almost all of my dishcloths that I had made over the past year. I put them in bundles of two. Everyone got my dishcloths! Guess what I will be making for next year!!! DISHCLOTHS! And if I can get this log cabin blanket finished for my younger son and his wife, I may make another one to put in the reunion raffle....or at least something similar....a blanket of some kind. The raffle money goes into the next year's reunion for food/supplies and the renting of the building. Lots of singing and guitar picking happened. Lots of hugs and lots of stories to tell. One aunt couldn't make it...but then, she lived the farthest away. Husband and kid enjoyed the short vacation as well. I definitely ate too much and stuff that I shouldn't have ate at all! But we hadn't been on vacation in many years. It was time for one. And I'm glad we went. We saved up some of the money by my emptying the change out of my purse and hanging onto it. Any change was put into a container. This year I am starting earlier on saving up, so we will have more moola for next year's reunion. If things get harder to where we can't go, I will just continue to save the change until we can! I have found that the relatives love ANYthing homemade. So I may have to make some strawberry jam, pickles and salsa to take with us the next year that we go to the reunion...along with my dishcloths and blanket. I'm already excited for the next year! WOOHOO! My dad's family made us feel so welcome...all are a bunch of hillbillies and will give the shirts off their backs if they knew someone needed them.
On another note...hubby is working only three days a week this month. And the last week all employees are on a forced vacation...whether they have any paid vacation time or not. Also, a machine broke down yesterday, so hubby is off work today. So this week he has only worked two days. He took a vacation day today, so he will get paid for it. Thank goodness!
It will probably be another month or so before I know whether I will have my contract renewed or not. I am hoping I do have it renewed. If not, I may have another job in the wings. Only thing is, the other job would be through the whole year. Not just 9 months with most of the summer off. Well, we all have to do what we gotta do. And my daughter is getting older now. Two more years of high school. Doesn't seem possible that my baby girl is growing up so fast!
The weather here has cooled down considerably. The house was so hot and humid, even with the attic fan going. Hubby and I stayed outside pretty much, until it started to rain. The wind came up and the temperature dropped fast. It did feel good, that's for sure. It only got up into the lower 80s yesterday, but the humidity made it very unbearable. It's still cook this morning....61 degrees and windy. I can handle that. Only to be up around 70 today. Fine with me!

Well, there's a 90% chance that I will NOT have my job very soon. I have been dreading this for quite some time. But now it is something that is inevitable, and I have to accept this and go on.
The more I learn about people, the more I want to be a hermit. Not completely shutting out all of my friends and family, but to just stay out of the public eye. If I could send someone else to the grocery store, to do my shopping, I would be VERY happy. I could also possibly save money that way. I've heard of people doing this.....having a friend or family member do their grocery shopping for them. That way I would not be over spending by seeing things that I MIGHT need or want and buying more stuff. I am considering putting my handknitted dishcloths on eBay. But just at the considering stage right now. I want to take several to raffle off at the family reunion coming up in a few weeks. I noticed that most of those dishcloths on eBay were all the very very simple dishcloths, and most in solid colors. I have several different kinds in multicolors and with different designs and shapes. I'm sure I would get a little more out of the cloths than what is being asked for the very very simple/easy ones. I haven't seen ANY of my styles on eBay. So maybe I could actually sell a few? Maybe.
It isn't raining right now! Maybe I just jinxed it by mentioning it! My garden plot is a swamp still. So it's gonna take a week or so before it has dried up enough to plant my mater plants. But at least I know there will be no chance of frost!
Today is for getting caught up on the rest of the laundry, knitting more, making sure my one pair of dress slacks is decent and ready to wear, along with a dress blouse, and daughter's clothes are ready to wear, for tonight's honors awards ceremony at the high school. Yes, she is getting at least one award, as we got the letter notification in the mail.
A very dear friend is wanting to start walking in the evenings. So I need to figure out what evenings would be best. When school is out for the summer, I will have more options. Wednesdays and Thursdays would be out, but the other days would be good. I prefer walking early in the morning, to sorta get jumpstarted on the day. But my friend wouldn't be able to do that. So evenings it will be. Can't wait to get started on that. I know I will feel SO much better! And to have that bonding with my friend. It's just been way too long since we've gotten together to do anything. And we both need the exercise. Exercising also clears the head, and is just plain good for mental health. So that's what we will do!

Well, I've been very cheap, VERY crabby and SUPER CRAZY lately!
Most of the week has been rainy. And there is flooding in some places. Boy am I glad we didn't plant my mater plants like hubby wanted to! We had some big ol toad stranglers, and that rain was really pelting too! Musta rained a tiny bit overnight, cause the cement patio is soaked. Supposed to have more rain today and tonight. Supposed to rain the rest of this week and through the middle of next week. How wonderful!
Even though the company hubby works for said he would be working five days a week all throughout April, he has only worked three days this week, and has the rest of the week and weekend off! And rumor has it that there are going to be more layoffs. If he's gonna get laid off....why they just do it and get it over with...I hate playing the waiting game! At least if they did lay him off right away, we could regroup, rebudget, look for another job or two, and go on with our lives. As it is right now, I have had many emails from the BIG BOSS, telling me and co-workers, that the budget is going to be sliced, diced and put on ice! And it's gonna get worse! If I still have my job this next fall, I'm liable to not have it full time, and I might not have a job the following year! Everything is up in the air. And it is stressing out my co-workers, my husband, AND myself! What does the future hold for us? We haven't the foggiest idea!
I just have to do the best I can do at my job, which I think I really have! And I need to continue...and try to put in my mind that I WILL be working until I retire. I WILL have the job that I have now! I may end up taking a second job during the summer. Who knows? I have really relished having a couple of months off during the summer. But getting a summer job may be a HAVE TO thing.
My kid MAY be getting a job very soon. She put her application in at the public library for a very part time job as a library page. Ten hours a week to start. But it would be a PAYING job. Not a volunteering job as she has done in the past. I think it would do her alot of good. Not only money wise, but it would be just a couple of hours a day, and during school year, it wouldn't take away from her studies/school work.
On to better things. My pepper plants are doing fine. Just aren't big enough to transplant into the garden yet. (And the fact that the garden is a SWAMP right now!) My rosebushes are all in front of the enclosed porch now. Just can't wait for them to all start budding and blooming out! And it will look even better because of the new siding on our house! I sure wouldn't want anyone to see the junk in our back yard though. Hubby has old tires and old windows and just PLAIN OL JUNK everywhere. Even when the town had a free city wide junk pickup a couple of weeks ago, hubby didn't want them to haul any of HIS junk OFF! (maybe I shoulda taken all the stuff to the curb without his knowledge! he wouldn't have missed any of it!) Oh... I took clippings of a couple of burning bushes, rolled the cut ends in root starter, and put them in some homemade peat pots (toilet paper rolls) and filled them with miraclegro potting soil. They seem to be doing fine so far. They've been in my peat pots for a week now. And no signs of drooping....yet. If they do well, I will be planting them in the front yard along side the three I already have (firemen trampled the others when we had a house fire!) this fall and they hopefully will do fantastic! Cheaper than ordering more burning bushes to plant! Will look kinda funky with three of the bushes and then little sprigs, but I will do what I can to keep people from trampling them again. Maybe put a barbwire fence around them?
Today is my 12 hr day at work. UGH! But I gotta keep my eyez on the prize! After today comes Friday. And after that, THREE DAYS OFF! Still need to get a form filled out to take my two personal days. If I don't use them before the end of May, I lose em! I have NEVER taken a day off for being sick or otherwise! And I have a yuckky cold right now! But I'm still pluggin away! Thing is...the more responsibilities the bosses give me....more of those duties pile up and are still waiting for me when I come back from taking time off! Nobody else does them! It's that way every week on Mondays anyway! They all send me dozens of emails. Then come Tuesday morning, I have all of Monday's work today, along with Tuesday's! But I've kinda gotten used to that. Boss loves the fact that I'm right next door to him now. So he dumps more work, work that he has normally always done, in my lap! I want him and others to think I'm indispensable! Guess I need to take those personal days. Would make them appreciate me more???
Well...gotta get around and get ready for work.

Yes, it's been awhile. Have had personal issues to deal with lately, so have been focusing elsewhere..or just not focusing on anything!
I checked my little homemade peatpots, and I see a few little bell pepper seedlings sprouting up out of the potting soil! I'm happy! Now if the rest will just follow!
The neighbor that did the siding on our house has left his trailor and materials on the patio and in the yard for a few weeks now. We really need that stuff gone, so we have more room to plant. Of course, right now it is muddy, and he would just be making a huge muddy pit if he tried to move the trailor and stuff. Hubby bought a couple of metal frames from a neighbor...to use as a strawberry patch. He then went and got a bunch of horse and cow manure and piled it into the frames. So now I have a raised strawberry patch, but no strawberry plants as of yet. Can't wait though...then freeze strawberries and use some to make jams. Yummy!
We had snow Saturday....in fact we had lots and lots of rain, then it started freezing....then sleet, then snow. Next day, it was almost completely melted! It's never boring weather in Kansas! I haven't taken time out to check my rosebushes I planted in front of the house.....to make sure they are okay since the snow. I am HOPING they survived well.
Nothing else to report for now.

Another day--another fifty cents!

I joined a freecycle group on yahoo. If a person needs something or wants to give away something....anything....for free...they post it on that messageboard. No trading, no bartering....everything has to be free....no strings attached.
I have some bikes I would like to get rid of. Then again....I thought about maybe fixing up my old mountain bike and giving it a whirl. Saves on gas, and good exercise. It's been way too long since I've used it. And it just sits out there. Needs a new seat, since the weather has gotten to the original one. I'd even put a basket on it if I end up keeping the bike. Hey... I'm at the stage in my life where I don't care if I look like a dorky old lady riding a bike with a basket on the front....I AM a dorky old lady! Too bad the kid doesn't know how to ride a bike...we could go toodling around town together. Yes...my baby doesn't know how to ride a bike! We've tried teaching her many times. She has a tiny bike and a 20" bike and neither have been really used. Yet, she can rollerblade! Now THAT I can't do! She hasn't rollerbladed for a few years either. Guess other interests took over.
We are on spring break as of yesterday. I won't go back to work until a week from this coming Tuesday. YAY! It's been cold and windy, but will be in 50s today, then will warm up maybe Tuesday...rest of next week should be very nice...We have had such bad luck with weather on spring breaks. Rainy, cold, dreary and sometimes snowy. Gotta get the ground all dried up, so I am ready to till and then plant. Went to the store yesterday and didn't see rosebushes and strawberry plants yet. Darn it! I know it's only March 14th...but I am chompin at the bit to get started on planting....and hopefully harvesting lots of goodies.
Got a project during break. Cleaning out the front enclosed porch. Lots of junk in there. Then I will get plants and pot them and put them on the ledges all around inside the porch. I want to get rid of so many things. Lots of stuff belongs to husband and to oldest son. Some things can be stored in the attic. I dread the mini fridge, as oldest son didn't clean it out and it has food still in it...from back in AUGUST! I would have him clean it out....since we had loaned it to him temporarily. And he had used it last. But haven't seen him in over a week. May not see him for quite a long time. *sigh* He is 31 years old now, after all. Turned 31 a week ago Sunday. Boy do I feel old. Sometimes a person can be in their 30s, and still not be a responsible adult. I know what I'm talking about. I was always an independent person. I HATED to have to depend on someone else. When I started dating my future second hubby, it was very hard for me to let him do things for and take care of me! It IS good to be independent and self-sufficient though. A person never knows when something could happen. If something happened to hubby and he was laid up, or he passed away, sure I would be upset, but I would keep on keeping on. Doing for myself and for him and our kid.
As it is right now, the company he works for is laying off another 100 people the 20th of this month! And it doesn't look good where I work either. I won't know until possibly July if I still have my job come August! That doesn't give me much time to be looking elsewhere...if I do lose my job.
Still saving money though. Rat-holing it for sure. Not investing it...just saving it.
Haven't been knitting for a while now. Need to get back into it. Heck, our family reunion is not that far off! Gotta knit up some stuff for the reunion raffle!
Got all kinds of ideas and plans for things I really need to get a jump on. Just gotta wait on some outside things...weather and all.
Well....that's all for now....my boring life!

First day of March

Well, I was told a week in advance, but my youngest son got married yesterday, on a mountain top, in Alaska. Yep, guess I'm a dreaded mother-law now. I figured he would call me, like he usually does when something happens, be it good or bad, or just because he wanted to touch base. But he didn't. That's okay. He has other things on his mind besides calling his mommy.
Husband and I judged a forensics tournament at our local high school. I really enjoyed it. But what a way to waste a Saturday...when I could've been reading and napping and doing laundry! I have decided that if they ask, I will volunteer my services again for forensics...but not for debate! I did that last semester and it was boring and a lot more technical. Yesterday I also got to judge in the finals. The kids were all very good. But, I had to rank them according to just how well they performed compared to each other.
It snowed all day, until we got home. The north wind was really blowing so it looked like the snow was coming down sideways. No accumulation though. And now it's 16 degrees! Brrrr! Looked at the forecast for this new week, and we will have some more warm days! back up in 70s! I think that's why the snow didn't stick...because the ground was too warm...we've had several warm days this winter.
I'm worried about my job, because of budget cuts. Big district wide meeting Tuesday, and it will be about budget cuts and what to expect. It's not a mandatory meeting, but I feel I need to be there to find out what's going on....to be in the know. Better to be prepared and braced for it in case I lose my job. Hubby worked only three day last week. So who knows what will happen with his job as well!
Hubby did get his big garden plot cleared and tilled this past week. I wish I had tilled mine with my handy dandy baby tiller. But I need to dig up and transplant my rose bushes and do something with the unwelcome lilac bush that he planted in one of my flower beds. AND need to transplant yucca plants and a few dwarf burning bushes. So I need to do that in another month or two. But I really need to be at least clearing the bed and planning on making another one or two and all will be for veggies. Yup....no flowers...just food. Gonna be harder this year I'm afraid. Even canned veggies are expensive now. Went to the store a few days ago and even the cheaper brands were almost a buck a can! And that's for green beans and corn and peas! Your basic canned veggies! I'm not planting corn...hubby might, but that takes up a lot of space. Maybe carrots. What I'm thinking is...carrots, onions, peppers, maters, cukes and MAYbe a few other things. Hubby bought seed taters to plant. He also ordered okra seeds. mmm okra. But thing is, I cannot eat fried okra. BUT, I can stir fry it in a pam-sprayed pan. Or put it in a veggie soup. mmmmm! Something I wouldn't mind trying to grow, is garlic. I mean, you plant a clove of it...how hard is that?
I had some that I hadn't used in cooking for awhile. I looked at it and it had started sprouting....like onions do if you don't use them soon after buying.
I think I would like that....garlic. LOVE using garlic! Might think about planting some herbs too. Never used fresh herbs before. Always from a can or plastic container in the spice section at the grocery store. If using fresh from the garden herbs is anything like having fresh out of the garden maters, BIG difference compared to storebought greenhouse stuff. Garden stuff has so much more flavor. Those sickly, pinkish things they label TOMATOES....well the texture AND the taste are NOT that of maters!
Now, things I should do today....laundry and knitting. I haven't knitted for awhile. And if I'm to keep my word to an aunt, I will have lots of dishcloths/washcloths to put in the raffle at the family reunion the last of May! Been saving all the change I have, and got hubby started with the saving too. That money will be used for gas to get there and back, and a motel room and any meals or other inexpensive things we may do while there. A few women get together and do all of the cooking. The raffle money from the year before pays for the groceries and the rent of the building for the whole weekend where we all gather. That means I will have to make sure I have some moola to buy chances on all of the beautiful things that each family makes. Can't wait! The downside....hubby will be driving. Scared to death of his driving! He's always come home without incident when he's driven places, but I'm just a WRECK when he's driving. Tends to think he's driving down a country road, when he's actually on a highway.....drives down the center of the road! Then he might be looking at a house or a pasture of cows and start driving off the road towards said house or cows! Yes, he's driven us into a ditch before, but somehow he's gotten us out of it. Scared the doo-doo outta ME! Ever since, if we go out of town and HE'S driving, I have my foot ready to stomp on the invisible brakes on the passenger side, and I am in a death grip with the arm rest and the "OH CRAP" handle. Our half breed weinie dog, Winnie, will travel with us. I'm sure our cats will fend for themselves just fine, although I will feel guilty for leaving them for a couple of days without food. They are good mousers though. And have caught rabbits and birds too. Just don't like the thought of them going through someone's garbage cans. And putting out enough cat food to last them for the weekend...well, we have a lot of stray tomcats that eat anything that is set outside. Heck, it's free meals for them! And that's not to mention the birds that love to swoop down and grab cat food too! We will figure out something. Gotta get back into contact with my dad's side of the family. There are some that I'm not as familiar with, but others that I have always been close to, but haven't seen in many years.
Oh...so many things on my mind...too early to be thinking yet. Couldn't sleep, so got up at 3am. Let the cats and dog out to do their bizness, and fixed my one cup of coffee allowed for the day. Since it will be a cold day, staying home and inside will be the order of the day. Except when I have to pick up daughter and a friend from play practice at the high school. Otherwise, I will be in hibernation....at least for the day. This Friday, no school. It will be the end of the third quarter. So my baby girl and I will enjoy the free day. It will be almost 80 degrees that day! But I'm sure we will still have lots more cold days before this season is all said and done.
Well, that's all I have to say for now.....well actually I could say more, but my fingers are tired now. heh!

Not much to say?

Really don't have much to say...well I actually might, but just gathering my thoughts in my head right now.
Well, most tv stations converted to digital cable, even though Obama gave everyone til June 17th....to give the dummies that have had a year to get their converter boxes a few more months. Give an inch, they will want a mile.
That's pretty much the thing with a lot of people. You give them something, and they want more. You help them with something, and they want more help. Sometimes that can be considered a compliment...other times it is just that they don't want to do for themselves....laziness. Yes, some people would call me narrow-minded. Actually I'm very open-minded about a lot of things. But when I'm a taxpayer, and some of my hard earned money is going to people who refuse to get off their butts and GO TO WORK...well...I definitely do not respect them, and I do get pissed. I understand the handicapped and elderly needing help. I don't have a problem with that. But even in these hard times, there will always be a job. It may not be what you are used to doing, but it's a wage...be it ditch digging, dish washing, babysitting, trash collector, you name it...it's income! It may not be much, but it's income! I'd rather help someone who is trying to help themselves, instead of just forking money over to someone who just likes to sit and say "woe is me" and doesn't do anything about it.
Gosh, guess I did have something to say.
So far, husband's job is still safe. Next month, who knows. I am still worried about MY job as well. Nothing I can do but keep on keeping on. Get up every day, and go to work....do my job as well as I can....prove myself. But then, I've always done that. Today is going to be a very busy day, and one of my two twelve hour days. Busy busy busy. A big difference from my lazy three days off. I really didn't do much....and yes I do feel guilty.

HoHum

I feel so silly after going to the doctor's office. What I'm doing for my knee is exactly what he wants me to do. I got a prescription for another ailment. I admitted that I put off going to him for different things. He then looked at my file and said "you are over due for a pap test, mammogram, and you are 50 (actually I'm a couple years over 50), so you need your first colonoscopy. Also we need to check your cholesterol and do a glucose test to check for diabetes." Diabetes runs in my family. And I'm borderline as it is. It's been a few years since I was last checked for that. Anyway, I said blood tests yep...fine....next Monday, but the rest....well..lets put that off until I get my other stuff taken care of...the stuff I was there for in the first place. He said okay. Here he was ready to set up appointments for all that other stuff for me. UGH UGH UGH. How much torture do I NEED? Spread my legs in stirrups so he can poke around in my nether region....then get my boobs mashed (which aint that bad), and then have a scope stuck up my butt? Men don't go through NEAR as much as us women. I think MEN invented all these torturous things! Getting old sure does suck. Did I say that in the other post? Well.... I mean it....dammit!

Nothin much going on....

Kid has scholar's bowl tourney out of town this afternoon and evening, so won't see her til around 8 or 9 tonight when she calls for me to pick her up at the high school. Husband is going to work a few extra hours as well. (yay we need that extra moolah). I have a doctor's appt. in about an hour....and I don't wanna go, but gotta go. Since I haven't done laundry this past weekend, I have plenty of time to do it now....which I am doing at this very moment.
Went to walmart yesterday for a few things. Checked to see if they had veggie seeds in yet. NOPE! I was wanting to get a head start on getting seeds started. Especially while I'm in the mood! Daughter picked up a ton of acorns that had dropped from the big old oak tree...from our ex-flower beds. Don't want baby oak trees growing up through the ground where we will be planting our veggies. Buying and starting from seeds indoors is cheaper than buying mater plants...so much better. Same with pepper plants. Hmmm maybe even a little broccoli would be good. YUMMY! And of course maybe cukes. Last year I had quite a few cukes, but they never seemed to be ready to pick all at the same time. So I never had enough to pickle! I would like just a couple of plants for having fresh veggies/salads to eat. No canning of those. Although if I found some good recipes....ah maters, peppers and onions are the most important. I know daughter and hubby would LOVE to have pickled okra. eh...we will see bout that. Do need green beans. Never have gotten to can those yet. And would be good time to learn how to use my pressure cooker that sits in the cupboard, never been used.
Have this feeling I may be waiting a spell at the doc's office. So will take knitting with me. Have always taken my knitting to places where I have a tendency to wait. Dentist office....yup....medical clinic waiting on others....yup yup...sitting in the car while daughter has piano lesson...yup yup yup!
Well, since I don't go to the doc often at all...better dig out my insurance card....don't need to be standing there tryin to find it while at the clinic.
Need to shower and put some clothes on. Yep... gotta do that once in awhile too. hah!
All of a sudden I look around and see things I need to do....because I don't wanna go to the appt. Funny...those things I need to do....never bothered me much before...now that I have to go to the doctor's appt. UGH!

Beautiful day today

It's 64 degrees right now and not a cloud in the sky. Husband was gone most of the morning. Then came home and started measuring. He then went and got prices on windows for our enclosed porch. YAY... we are gonna replace the old windows. Some don't really even fit...and they are very old windows. Then I started counting the money I had saved. His eyes bout popped out of his head. Then I said oops here's some more. He just shook his head in disbelief. And I've been doing grocery shopping and every time the kid needs money for school lunches or piano lessons or tournaments, I dole it out. Hubby uses the credit card to get gas. I don't do that. I pay in cash. It's all good! Anyway, he asked me if I wanted him to go ahead and order the windows...it would take 7 to 10 days for them to get in. I told him the guy that's doing our siding may not be working on the house for awhile anyway. Today would've been nice day for him and his workers to finish if they could. But I imagine he had other plans for the weekend.
Am wondering if walmart has seed packets in yet. I wanna get started on planting seeds. Tomorrow is first of February, and that is what day I figured I would start planting in my own little homemade peatpots. Amazing what a warm sunshiney day does to a person's attitude. There's a strong breeze, but nice and warm....warm to me anyway. Thinkin bout goin to walmart. eh... I try not to go there often....because I don't want to spend money.
Kid is going to pick up the acorns all over the old flower bed. I don't need more baby oaks growing..especially where I'm going to plant veggies!
Monday will sorta be a good day and sorta not. I will be fretting about going to see the doctor. I need to start taking some medicine again, so need to see him first. And then, if I don't chicken out, will tell him about my bad knee. I'm just not the type to go to the doctor for every little thing. Yes that is why we pay insurance. But I just hate having to pay a doctor bill. Insurance pays only so much. And then they wanna argue that it is pre-existing. UGH! I know I need to walk more. But with my knee in the shape it's in....it would be a bit hard on me. Taking glucosamine and chondroitin should help a little.
Enough wallowing in self pity. Still worried about my job and keeping it. Budget cuts will be very hard on a lot of people, so I may not have a job come August. I will know possibly between April and June. Who knows what will happen with hubby's job as well. Everyone has problems. And right now....just keeping our heads above water is all we can do. So far so good.
Youngest son has a volcano about to erupt any moment now....about 100 miles from his home, but it is very powerful and will be explosive. His city will get a lot of the ash....he said he went to a volcano party at friends' house last night. Silly boy. If he gets a job he just interviewed for, there won't be many people around. He will be in the middle of nowhere. But he's always said he wanted to be away from all the hustle and bustle and crime. Just live in the wilderness. Sometimes I feel that would be great. You would take anything for granted. Everything you used and needed, you had to work very hard for....maybe even MAKE stuff to use. Warmth...you'd have to cut firewood...also to cook with. Go to a town somewhere to stock up on nonperishables.....once in a while. Not like going to walmart whenever the mood hits or whenever needing one ingredient for something. It would have to be well thought and planned out...maybe once a month go to a store somewhere to get what's needed....not what is wanted.
Need to get some knitting done....been too long since I've finished some squares and some dishcloths. Need to get some different ones made for the reunion coming up in 4 months or so. That is something to look forward to. ..besides the end of school and start of summer vacation. :o)
Right now....I have hope. I just need to remember that there is hope....for the state of this country, financially and politically (they go hand in hand), and that we can get through all this crap. No matter how bleak things look....

No school today!

I'm glad....because I am a little under the weather. Haven't gotten out of my nightgown and robe. Reason schools are closed? Freezing rain last night, turned to sleet ....try driving in the stuff. Then later it started snowing. It still is snowing, but for as long as it has been doing so...there isn't that much accumulation on the ground. Who knows...maybe no school tomorrow too? It'w was to get up in the mid 30s tomorrow. Now the forecast is that it might get up near 30. So this stuff isn't going away any time soon. I don't really care. We have stuff in our cupboards, enuff tp, critter food ....we will manage if we were snowed in for a couple of weeks! Although the thought of not being able to get out....even if we don't need to....eh....we'd do fine. I have plenty of books to read....so does the kid. And LOTS of YARN to knit. Plenty of wood to keep the stove stoked and burning.
Tonight's supper....hamburger helper. Yeah... I don't like it much, but when it's on sale....grab it. If I'm lucky, there will be some leftover that I can take to work for lunch tomorrow...if we have school that is. Things could be worse...like no electricity, which would mean cable would be out too, which would mean no internet and no tv. We'd still get by.
Youngest son had a job interview to become an environmental coordinator. Something he can use his degree for. He would be out in the middle of nowhere...I just hope that if he gets it, he will get paid well. Good luck Grizzly!

Dreary Monday

Supposed to get bad weather today.....starting around noon. Sleet and snow. Gonna be fun. But I tell ya this...it's free entertainment....looking out the windows at the pretty snow falling. Even watching the yucky sleet comin down is something to do. Kinda mesmerizing....hypnotic.
Gotta make a doctor's appointment today. Thinking NEXT Monday would be a good time. Yes.. putting it off, but if I get the appt made, I am less likely to chicken out. I'll just fret about it until it's over with. Anyone else is hurt or sick, I don't hesitate on getting them in to see the doc. Me...nope. Funny thing is...what do we pay insurance for anyway? It pays for part of any medical care needed....even if it is just a simple checkup. But I tend to dwell on things...worry....and that's not a good thing either. I mean, it's good to worry about things...it shows you care and that you have feelings and are sensitive. But constantly worrying and dwelling...not a good thing.
Not much sleep again. Need to go back to bed for an hour or so...read and relax and possibly doze of for a bit. Then have lots of stuff today, including running errands around town. I'd rather do nothing.....wouldn't we all.
Seems veggie prices are on the rise because of the drought in California. All the more reason to start from seed indoors...cheaper....cheaper even if you buy the plants at a store then put them in the ground. But I'm all for the cheapest route of all..buying seed and planting in my toilet paper roll halves and letting them grow indoors where it's warm....then transplanting outside when the time comes. We will do what we need to do....to have our veggies.
Would break my heart if we didn't have school tomorrow because of dangerous weather conditions. Really sad. haha

hmmm

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/02/06/little-steps-100-great-tips-for-saving-money-for-those-just-getting-started/
Most of these make a lot of sense.
Another one... http://www.doughroller.net/2007/11/06/51-painless-money-saving-tips/

Inauguration and stuff

This is my MONDAY, even though it's Tuesday. And a 12 hr day to boot! The program for data entry has been down since Friday night, and we don't know when it will come back up, but hopefully some time today. I have lots to put in. Otherwise, it should be a fairly light work load today.
Boss sent everyone an email with a link so we can watch the inauguration live online. Then the head tech guy said not to use that link, that it is only for a small group. But he promised he would send out a link so we could get a live feed. That would be nice. It starts at 11:30am, and I won't be in my room until a half hour later. And since I don't have a smartboard, nobody else in my room will be able to watch it but me. Oh well....I'm sure it will be rebroadcast many times. It does make me feel hopeful though. A black man as president. At this point though, ANYONE taking over the reins would be a good thing. This man Obama has a lot of crap to deal with, left over from the bastard that WAS running the country (running it into the ground that is!) Obama has a long row to hoe, but maybe he can do something to help us all. Can't wait to see some sort of improvements. So much despair right now.....anything will be a breath of fresh air. And it's not just our country, it's the whole world. Bush had a lot to do with it. And guess what folks? We will be paying him the same amount of money while he's in retirement, doing nothing, as when he was president! Thanks for screwing up our country, oh and by the way, your check will be direct deposited in your account by the first of every month! Somethin just aint right about that. I think that even if a person is no longer president, if they are collecting retirement from us taxpayers, they should still be working for us in some capacity! It just aint right!

Dedicated to Kent Riggs

Kent died December 29th, 2008. He suffered from cancer for approximately 18 months. He was a great guy....crazy sense of humor. He left behind an elderly father, a sister and a niece. He was loved by his friends and co-workers. And there were MANY friends!
Kent will be sorely missed.

More Rumors

Last night husband told me that more rumors are flying at his workplace. Now it's being said that over half of the workers will be let go, and there will only be 250 workers that will be in the plant. There have been rumors before, and most have ended up true. So we need to save whatever we can, because it's gonna be a bumpy road ahead. I am hoping the rumors are just that....rumors.
Funny, all this crap going on...and I had a wonderful dream! I would say it was more of a greedy dream. But when a person doesn't have much, these kind of dreams keep us going: hubby and I were walking through a gorgeous big old house. A realtor was showing it to us. I loved everything about the house. The top floor seemed to have been made for a rec room or something. Another room was all carpeted with a bar, and even a flat screen tv that came up out of the floor at the touch of a button. I told hubby that we just couldn't afford it. He said if I wanted it, we would get it. OMG I was so elated. Then that was the end of the dream. But when I woke up...I kept mulling this dream over and over in my mind. But really...what do we all really need? We don't need fancy stuff. I could live in a one room cabin and be fine. With no conveniences. Give me a potbellied stove and wood....and other basics. I'd be fine. I'm scared to death of guns and don't like loud noises. But, if need be, I would learn to hunt. I don't like killing things unless they are bugs or fish. But I would have to get over it, wouldn't I!
Sad thing with all this economic woe is that prices are still going UP on groceries and other necessities! WHY? I noticed in the past couple of weeks that gas is on it's way back up. It was at one time 1.54 and now it is 1.84! Are we going back up to over $4.00 a gallon again?
I try to do run several errands during the same trip. Saves time and gas. BigMouth, the woman who lives across the alley, is constantly coming and going. Can she really afford to do that? I mean...she has no room to complain about gas, if she won't cut down on her trips. Her husband carpools with my husband. He's in the same boat....he might end up laid off permanently. I doubt she makes more than I do, at her workplace. And they have two boys. So how do they afford it? Maybe they cut back on something else? He smokes, and drinks quite a bit. My hubby and I don't smoke, and drink very little. I don't understand things sometimes. Guess I'm not supposed to...it's just the control freak in me.
It has gotten up to 53 degrees now...at 3 in the afternoon. I haven't gotten out of the house cept to let the dog/cats out and back in.
Middle kid called me from Alaska. Said Juneau had an avalanche last year which left everyone there without power for quite awhile. Another avalanche had just happened. People are using diesel powered generators. But diesel is so expensive. The town has pretty much closed down for now. I'm sure people will survive it, but the sick and elderly might have a rougher go of things.
We talked about how hard things are. He said we need to get a cow for milk and some chickens and ducks. We would do just fine. I told him we would need to be on a farm. He said he thinks I would do great on a farm. I think so too, cept for the snake population. Can't stand those things. Some people want to live on a farm just for the novelty of it. They can't or won't take care of the livestock. I would LOVE having ducks and chickens. We used to have ducks, thanks to that son. He ordered a male and a female rouen ducklings. Later he rescued a duck that one kid had bought for the novelty...it was a mallard. We ended up with a whole flock of ducks eventually. I have learned a lot about ducks. Their eggs are great, but u boil them....don't expect to be able to peel them. The membrane between the yolk and shell is much tougher. You try to peel it and it just falls apart....the membrane adhears to the shell. They are good for frying or for baking with. But we had to candle them if we thought they had laid there for more than a day. Don't want any unborn ducklings to come falling out. And the ducklings after they are born...so cute. But the adult drakes will go on a killing spree of the ducklings. They peck the babies in the neck til they die. Our cats had no problem with the babies or the adults. But people would walk by and tell us there were cats in our yard, and they were afraid the cats would get at the ducks. I always said "no....those cats sleep with the ducks! They all live here together!" And they would. The ducks could hold their own. The drakes and hens could flog any stray animals coming into our yard. They didn't bother our cats, but if strange cats came into the yard, the ducks would be after them.
When my maternal gramma had chickens, and I was a little kid, I loves spending weekends and summers there. I would go out and collect eggs several times a day. And I loves throwing table scraps out to the chickens. They would all come running to the fence. It was hilarious. Aah the good ol' days.

TGIF

It's Friday once again! Homecoming at the high school and it's also spirit week, which means today is class competition day. Daughter's grade has to wear anything yellow. She ordered a tshirt, but I don't know what else she could wear that's yellow. It's going to be wild and crazy today....I just know it. Very entertaining to say the least. The kid also volunteered to work concessions during I THINK at least two basketball games today. If there are three, she will be there for all three.....she will be one tired puppy. But she really enjoys doing it. I'm proud of her. She volunteered her time last summer at the public library for children's puppet shows. She loved that. The year before, she would help with grade schoolers at the youth center. She helped cook breakfast and lunch for them and also helped with nutrition classes. She's always been the baby of the family, so I'm sure it was nice for her to be the one in charge and taking care of the younger ones. She has also helped teach knitting at "kids college" and also the knitting class at the public library. Been awhile since either of us have been there, what with all of her homework and after school activities....
Heat wave goin on here! 13 degrees! Was about 7 degrees around 8pm last night. Windchill is zero, which is warmer than it was yesterday morning. brrr! In spite of the cold, the economic situation and some personal things going on, I consider myself pretty lucky. Got a decent home and if the electricity were to go out right now, we have plenty of wood and a woodstove for heat. We can cook on it too, if need be. BUT, lol, don't EVER use a broom to sweep off the top of a woodstove while it is burning wood! Husband did that yesterday when he got home from work. I think he set some of the wood on top of the stove while he was putting some IN the stove. So he thought he'd sweep it off with the kitchen broom. BAD idea! The plastic from the bristles started melting on top of the stove and made a black tarry mess! If it had been a straw broom, it probably would've caught fire! I had to laugh at husband for not thinking at the time, and said sarcastically " well, it's a good thing you didn't think the stove needed to be thoroughly cleaned, and throw a bunch of gasoline on it!" He said he would if I thought it would help. I told him no, not unless I got everything out of the house first...especially my family pictures. Of course he would never do something like that. What is it about males and fire anyway? I mean I love a nice fire to look at. It's hypnotic. But guys seem to want to set everything on fire! Husband tends to get the wood stove TOO stoked and sometimes it gets stifling hot. Then I feel like I died and went to hell! He almost set the house on fire one day last year. I came home from work and the grass was burnt clear up to the patio and part of the neighbor's back yard was burnt too. It had burned right up to husband's truck and in places had gone clear up to the alley! When I asked him about it, he said he had cleaned the ashes and coals out of the wood stove and dumped them out in the yard, thinking since the ground was damp, that it wouldn't hurt anything. WRONG! He said he didn't notice that the grass had burned (the grass was dead and all dried up) all over, until hours after he'd dumped the coals. And that it must've burned itself out. OMG! I asked him if the fire dept came by, and he said no. He could've been fined for that! He didn't seem too worried. Was calm and cool as a cucumber about it. I told him I didn't wanna have another house fire! And this time, it would've included the icky little rental house next door! He would've been fined BIG TIME for THAT! Men!
Well, off to get ready for work. Should be a very VERY mild day today work-wise. Then again, the boss may have lots of things for me to do besides my regular duties! We will see.

Waiting for a shoe to drop

Well, when I first got to work, I had plenty to do. But since then, it has calmed down....so much so that I'm just waiting for something to happen...and not necessarily a good thing. Things are slow right now, but may pick up later on. This is my long day (12 hrs). One of my kids texted me about something...so I guess the shoe has dropped. Something else for me to worry about, along with my own aches and pains. I try to shrug things off that I have no control over (BIG CONTROL FREAK HERE!), but I still care and worry about so many things. I wouldn't want people to treat me differently...ie keeping things from me. That would make things worse when I found out.
On to other things....an official layoff of employees where my husband works, was put in our local paper this morning. I'm sure there will be more layoffs in the future, but right now husband is working...albeit 32 hours instead of the normal 40.
People just want to live in denial...that layoffs won't happen to them. Then all of a sudden it bites em on their butts...they didn't see it coming, and they weren't prepared. Oh, nobody is completely prepared for losing their job or getting laid off, whether it is temporary or permanent. But when things are said about stock markets dropping drastically, banks needing bailed out, the BIG THREE wanting us to bail them out....well...we know the future looks a tad bit bleak. Then there are the "always cheerful" people who say "count your blessings!" Yeah I'm happy we have our health, food, clothing, a home....but with all the crap that is going on....it doesn't make ya wanna do a jig (unless you've been imbibing in the devil's drink!)
We need to stand up, help each other, and do what needs to be done to save money and make all this crap hurt just a little less.
I remember hearing about the "victory gardens" that everyone planted during WWII. Why can't we do that now? Lots of people still garden just to be growing things and because there's nothing like eating fresh homegrown produce. But there are people that sit around and boohoo, when they could be working the soil up and making a compost pile from table scraps...so they can eat! And it's good therapy. Yeah you may have to do a little weeding/hoeing/tending the garden, but oh how much money you will save! I don't have a compost pile right now. But when I have veggie scraps, I throw it out in the garden spot and let it deteriorate into the ground. It will help my garden out when I till it all up. Sure, it looks funny when a person walks up to the back door and sees tater peelins and onion peelins and ends of celery stalks, but so what! I want to put egg shells out there too, but my cats and dog would be out there munching on them.
We are the masters of our own destiny. We can sit around and complain, bitch and moan about what is going on, or we can do whatever we can to make things a bit easier on ourselves.
Bartering and trading....things people used to do. There are those that still do it. No money is exchanged. Maybe a neighbor wants a garden, so I will till it up for them, and in exchange maybe they will give me some firewood. See how it works? A friend needs a hair permanent, but can't afford to go to a beauty shop. I will give her one in exchange for some of the mess of fish her family caught out of their pond. No money exchanged. Maybe I will knit or crochet an afghan that someone wants, in exchange for some service I might need. Okay, I know what some people will think...."so I have to do somethin to get somethin". Not necessarily. Maybe you just need to be neighborly. If you can do something for someone, without expecting something in return...hey that's GREAT! Or if you need something, but don't know of anyway to repay someone.....maybe they will just do whatever you need, for free. Say someone is selling fresh farm eggs. They never sell all of them before they have another bunch. They would just end up tossing them eventually. Why not ask for those eggs to throw in a compost pile? Or if you need eggs and you KNOW they are still good....ask if you can take them off the person's hands. Maybe they will cut you a good deal. It's all good! If people would just not be uppity, and help others....it will come back to them ten-fold. And even if it didn't come back you....so what? You've helped someone out!

Monday Monday

Peace and quiet. Took the kid to school. Husband left earlier this morning for work. I love Mondays by myself. Although, since it is only the three of us (along with two cats and a dog), it tends to be fairly quiet and peaceful anyway.
Still in nightgown and robe. Thinking about going back to bed and finishing up the book I'm reading...Edgar Sawtelle. Very good book. After reading a good book, I feel let down. The book and adventure is over. Now what? Then I get another book. And it's hard to get into a new one at times. I want the book I finish to go on and on....neverending. It is such a cheap and fantastic escape....getting really into a book. People who don't like to read, I don't understand. If life is getting you down or you are bored, crack open a good book and dig in. You won't be disappointed. The cost of a good book is much cheaper than say....going to a shopping mall, or traveling out of state to see the sites. In a book, you can be wherever it takes you. If you'd rather not spend money on a book, go to the public library! They have tons of excitement there, just waiting for you.
My husband and daughter don't eat roast leftovers but maybe once. So I took a roast and turned it into beef stew. Simmered it with onions and celery, then a few hours later I threw in taters and carrots and half a bag of frozen chopped broccoli. It was great! Husband took some with him to work for lunch. I will have it for lunch today and will take some for lunch tomorrow as well. Stew goes a lot further than just roast. Everyone wants to have a big slice or two of roast, and a few veggies on the side. This way, you get small doses of roast with veggies along with the soup broth full of spices and yummyness.
Tomorrow will be my real Monday. A nice long twelve hour shift. Oh, once I get there it's not so bad. It's the time leading up to it that bothers me. I don't enjoy my Monday evenings. I sit and wonder what will be in store for me when I get to work. Then I start fretting. Then I get crabby. Then husband and daughter think I'm crazy. See where this is leading?
The kid has a scholars bowl tournament this afternoon out of town. So I won't see her until I pick her up at the high school later on this evening. She's always a busy bee. But when she has nothing going on....she does know how to relax. She gets on the computer and plays games or chats with friends (along with texting said friends at the same time), reading, watching tv and knitting. Hmmm monkey see-monkey do?
Doom and Gloom--People are getting laid off from their jobs or are being let go because of businesses being shut down...everywhere! My little burg isn't safe from this either. People are tightening their belts and pursestrings even more. With that going on, the restaurants and fast food places will suffer.....along with stores. Grocery stores might suffer a little, as people will be buying more basics than fancy expensive stuff. But we all have to have food to survive. As a divorced mom of two little boys (without child support...the courts didn't follow through with forcing the ordered child support), we existed on bologna and cheese and hotdogs and peanut butter among other cheap and simple foods. It irritated me to no end when I would be behind someone who had slapped on the counter big ol steaks and potroasts and junkfood....then they'd whip out the foodstamps. Made my blood boil. Welfare is for people who are down on their luck (like divorced moms), and people who lost their jobs from downsizing, people on a fixed income such as social security, people with terminal illness and neverending medical bills and such. And it is supposed to be a temporary thing, until the people can get back on their feet. But some don't wanna get on their feet and back into the workforce. It's much easier to kick back and let the taxpayers take care of them. The system is really messed up IMO.
What can we do about it? Just something to ponder.

Start of Something New

Hello.
I have started a new blog. It's for anyone who wants to read about my life....being cheap, crabby and crazy. It also will include cheap and easy ways to save money, and the crabby part...well...that's my rantings. And if anyone else wants to let it out, they can too, by commenting. The crazy part....well that is just the norm. To some, (okay most), it might be a bit boring and might put you to sleep. But it's my life, such as it is.
I will add more later, so be forewarned.