Decorations

My new neighbors have Halloween decorations in their front yard.  My nearly new neighbors have Halloween decorations on their porch.  My been here a while neighbors have Halloween decorations in their front yard, and my been here longer than I have neighbors have Halloween decorations in their front yard. 

I figured it was time I got on the ball and put up a Halloween decoration in my front yard, too.  I chose this one. 

I had a tough time deciding between this one and the little stack of pumpkins, but settled on this one because I thought the kitty reminded me of Evil Incarnate.  

Nah, it's too cute to be her.  But I like it, and more importantly, I feel like I'm part of the neighborhood now.  The only thing is, it said not to use an extension cord, so I couldn't really put it where I want it, but that's OK.  I'll just have to remember not to trip over the power cord when I water my plant on the front porch. 

In knitting news, I finished the second hat from my Hobby Lobby yarn in the Painted Canyon colorway.  

It matched the first hat so closely, I had to get it back out just to prove to you I actually knit two hats, an didn't just show you the same photo twice. 

I've got one more hat already OTN before I cast on with more of my new yarn. 

And finally, I've decided to occasionally add a Meme Of The Day to my posts when I find one that catches my eye.  This one made me laugh way more than it should have. 

Believe me, we all could use a good laugh these days. 

And finally, that thing about Stalker working at that other plant may not be true.  One of the brazers has a friend that works there and the friend said he's not down there. Maybe he'll show up, or maybe it was all talk.  We'll see. 

Rebates

I use a lot of those rebate apps.  I know you know what I mean --  Ibotta, Fetch, and the like.  I'd have to say Ibotta is my favorite.  I've gotten enough back to buy not only my electronic piano, but a bed, dresser, and two nightstands for Cody and Brennan's room.  

Their room here at my house, I mean.  

On the flip side, there are a few I simply did not like.  Upside, for one.  What I didn't like about that was that it requires you to check in to the app while you're at the gas station.  That just didn't feel safe to me, so I dumped it. 

Another one I didn't like was called Receipt Hog.  In that one, you have to scan your receipts to get spins.  Then you go into the app and spin a slot machine to see if you win any coins, which can then be redeemed for a gift card or Paypal payout.  The problem with that one is, just like a regular slot machine, more often than not, you don't win anything.  I kept saying I was going to drop it, and this week, at long last, I did. 

It took six years, but I finally earned enough coins to redeem for a $40 Amazon card.  I cashed that puppy out and dropped the app post haste.  And I know you're waiting with baited breath to see just what it is I bought with my unexpected windfall.  

OK, I'll show you.  Covers for my Adirondack chairs.  

Don't envy me my exciting life.  

But look at it this way, now I can sit down in my chair without having to scrub bird poop off of it first.  I'm hoping it will keep the dew off, as well so I can sit out there in the mornings and enjoy my cup of coffee, and maybe even put a little fire in the fire pit -- if it ever cools off enough, that is. 

The other thing I bought was a solar powered house number light thingy.  

That's not my house number, by the way.  It came with stick on numbers so it can be customized.  

I'd wanted something like this for a while now.  I do have house numbers on one of the posts on my carport, but they don't really show up that well, and apparently some people can't translate the huge numbers on my mailbox to "This is that house." 

At least I have confidence that emergency services will be able to find me should the need arise. 

In work news, I heard this morning that Stalker got hired down at another local factory, the one The Warden went to.  Word is, after he got fired last week -- or whenever it was, time flies when you're having fun, you know-- he went down there and begged The Warden for a job, so The Warden hired him.  That right there just shows that The Warden has no business running a plant. 

Doesn't surprise me, though.  After all, The Warden literally made up a position so Stalker could keep his job after they wanted to get rid of him from the prototype shop.  Some of the other brazers don't think Stalker will last long down there, because they don't play.  They're going to make him work and he absolutely hates that.  He likes those jobs where he gets paid a lot of money to do very little.  

By the way, one of the other brazers said The Warden is being an absolute terror in his new job.  

On a similar note, the new boss finally showed his face in the plant and we have a name.  He doesn't have a blog nickname yet.  He'll have to earn that.  Inspector Gadget naively thinks he's going to suddenly give us the management support we so desperately need, but haven't gotten in ages. 

I'm not holding my breath on that one.  How many bosses have come and gone since I've been out there, and nothing ever gets better.  

I can't wait to retire.

And just so this post isn't a total waste of your time, I managed to get a not very good photo of the Harvest Moon.  

 Well, the cat just ran into the house growling like a tiger, so I guess I'd better go see what that's all about.  My guess is it's that tabby tom cat that sometimes hangs around. 

I'm pretty sure he belongs to somebody.  He's too fat to be a stray. 

Today

Today was the day when the new Director of Operations was supposed to arrive at the plant.  I suppose he did, but he never came out onto the shop floor, so we still haven't met him.  Maybe he'll introduce himself sometime, though we haven't had anyone do that since C.E. Murrell -- three bosses ago.  

In somewhat better news, it rained off an on all day.  We only got about 1/10" which was barely enough to wet the dust, but it's better than nothing.  I was hoping the clouds would clear off in time for me to watch the Harvest Moon rise, but they didn't.  I checked a couple of times, but the clouds were so thick I couldn't even see a faint glow behind the clouds.  I came back inside and drank my traditional cup of hot chocolate anyway, even though it's 80 something degrees and the air conditioner is running.  

Maybe I can watch tomorrow, provided the weather cooperates. 

Not much else to talk about, so here's a photo of the hat progress. 

 

And finally, it would appear the bots have decided my blog is too boring and my hit count is back down to the normal 40 ish per day average.  I wish the blogging culture would come back, but people these days don't read.  They'd rather be spoon-fed a video instead.  

Oh well, I don't blog for the hits, but for the memories.  And I do appreciate the four of you who are actually real people.  

UPDATE:  I went out and checked one more time, and was able to see the moon through a break in the clouds!  The tradition lives on!

Birds!

And we have a finished hat.  

That was not without incident.  I'd knit the decrease rounds yesterday evening until had to switch to double pointed needles, then knit a couple more rounds before I went to bed.  When I got up this morning, the first thing I did after making coffee was to pick up the hat with the intention of completing it.  Only I couldn't find my fifth needle.  

Now, for those of you who aren't knitters, most sets of double pointed needles -- or DPNs as we say-- come with five.  You have stitches on four of the needles and use the fifth as your working needle.  Usually, when I put a project down before I've finished, I stick the fifth needle into the skein or cake of yarn so I don't lose it.  Now that the stage is set, let's get to the story. 

As I said above, I couldn't find my fifth needle.  I checked the skein.  I looked on the end table.  I checked the floor.  I even pulled the chair away from the wall and looked underneath it, and got down on my hands and knees, checking under the end tables while I had the chair out.  I stuffed my hands down between the chair cushions...no needle anywhere.  

I sat down flinging my hands in the air in frustration and said, "It's got to be right here somewhere."  

I reached over and picked up the Ziploc bag I keep my hat knitting notions in -- so they're easy to find in my big knitting bag -- and...there it was.  The missing fifth needle.  Why I'd put it in there, I do not know, but no matter.  I'd found it and hat finishing was carried out. 

Then I cast on a second with the same yarn.  

In other news, I'm finally starting to see birds at my bird bath.  You already know about the mockingbird, but these last couple of days, I've also seen some cardinals drinking from it.  I guess the winter birds will use it, so I'm glad of that.  

I also found out why my little bee pond keeps going dry.  I'd noticed that about a week ago -- it was going completely dry every single day, which had me totally bumfuzzled.  I get that there is going to be some evaporation, but surely it wasn't evaporating that fast.  So, yesterday I was looking out my back door, watching the birds on the feeder, when a movement in that planter caught my eye.  I looked over and saw a sparrow over there drinking from it.  I guess the bigger birds are keeping the smaller ones away from the big bird bath, so they're drinking from the bee pond.  

Probably after the basil dies back, I'll find a larger bowl and put it in there as well.  I'll keep the smaller one for the hornets, too.  All are welcome at this table.  We are all creatures of our God and King. 

Even fire ants.  

They're not welcome at my table, but they're still God's creatures.  

I said what I said.  Through gritted teeth and a clenched jaw, but I said it. 

Like The Wind

When I said I was going to knit by the wind, y'all thought I was joking, didn't ya?  I wasn't joking. 

I cast on this hat shortly after I posted yesterday, and got all the way to the crown decreases while watching football today. 

This is the  Painted Canyon colorway, and I Love the way it's knitting up.  I don't know if I'll buy more of it, though, because of how much white is in it.  The SCI asks us not to use white or pastels, because they're afraid the hats will get stained, and the sailor will end up disappointed.  In fact, I might not even send this one to them.  I might keep it to give as a Christmas gift.  I should have enough in the skein to do a second hat, so some lucky couple out there might just get a matching set. 

While we're on the subject, here is a progress photo of the other hat -- the one I'd been working on before I went to Hobby Lobby. 

The yarn is Red Heart in the Icelandic colorway, and the needles are my new interchangeable set I bought a few weeks ago.  By the way, I'd started off using one of the stitch markers that was included with the set, 

but I found it to be too stiff.  Maybe I just need to get used to these kinds of markers, but not right now.  At the end of the round, I switched it out for my loop of scrap yarn, which is what I'm accustomed to. 

As far as football goes, Air Force gave Navy a run for their money, but in the end the Midshipmen sang second in the first leg of the Commander in Chief trophy.  I had to laugh at the commentators, because they kept talking about the CIC being as important as this or that-- like when Navy beat Oklahoma in the Armed Forces Bowl.  I said, "No, the CIC is the only thing!"  Maybe it's just me, but I'd rather win the CIC than even a Natty.  

In the other game I watched, Texas apparently left their O-Line in Austin, because Arch spent the entire game running for his life.  They said he did a lot of growing up in that game, but they still lost-- and to Florida of all people.  Eh, Florida isn't as bad as their record indicates.  They completely outplayed LSU and would have won that game if they hadn't thrown 5 interceptions. 

OK, moving right along...

I know, I know.  I can hear you now.  

"Ugh, Becky!  Why do you keep showing us that pile of dirt?"

To that I say, take a good look, because this just might be the last time you see it without at least one raised bed in place.  I got out this morning and knocked some of the high spots down and filled in some of the low spots.  It's never going to be perfectly level, but I don't want standing water anywhere.  They're predicting a 40% chance of rain tomorrow night and into Monday, so maybe we'll get some, and maybe it'll get a good wetting down and I can see if there are any trouble spots left.  If not, I might just have to put the sprinkler on it and give it a good soaking that way. 

Speaking of trouble spots, look what I found growing while I was working in my garden spot:  

Those are spider lily bulbs -- the ones the landscammer was supposed to dig up.  This is not the first time, either.  I also dug up a bunch when I was running the roto tiller, along with some day lily bulbs -- all of which he was supposed to dig up.  

I'm beginning to think I should have just done it all myself.  It probably would have been less work, and my yard wouldn't be a wreck right now. 

Oh, well, no use crying over spilled milk.  The only thing to do now is clean it up and start over.  Well, not now, because it's already dark out.  Now, I'm going to finish that hat -- and this football game. 

Mississippi State vs. Texas A&M, in case you're wondering. 

Laters. 

My Big Adventure

Well, my biggish adventure, I guess.  If going to Batesville could be considered that.   I'd been looking forward to it all week, and today was finally the day.  

I hit the road bright and early this morning right after breakfast and headed north.  The road trip passed without incident and my first stop was Walmart.  I debated on even going there, but decided to check and see if they had some of the things my local store doesn't carry any more. 

They didn't, so I went to the garden center to get some of the garden soil that is on clearance, only it isn't on clearance at the Batesville store.  Just at the local one.  Weird. I passed on paying full price, then headed to Lowe's.

Except that I somehow got stuck in the wrong lane and ended up back on the highway.  No problem, I'd planned on going to the Mounds anyway, so I made that my second stop instead of my last.  I was very excited to see that the pavilion is finished, 

but the museum wasn't open yet.  

I got close enough to peek through the windows and there wasn't even anything inside yet.  I hope they get it fixed up soon.  I'd love to know more about the history of the area.  For example, there is a sign on one of the trails that says South Village.  

OK, but what is it?  What did they find there that made them think there had been a village in that spot?  Pottery shards?  Remnants of fires?  Shelters?  What else?  What did they know about the people who lived there back in the day?  All they have now is that one little sign by the parking lot, but it doesn't say much. 

Anyway, I was only mildly disappointed, but had a nice walk around the trails, stopping only briefly to take a photo of the Tallahatchie River.  

By that time, I had already worked up a pretty good sweat, so I headed back to the car and back to Batesville I went.  I stopped by Lowe's to use their facilities and look at dishwashers.  I've been wanting a new one ever since I moved into this house, and a couple of years ago the hose that goes to the top rack came loose so it's not useable.  The motor still works, but from everything I've read, it would cost nearly as much to get it reattached as it would to buy a new one.  But since it's just me, I didn't see the need.   I only use a few dishes and it's no trouble at all to wash them by hand.  Still, it would be nice to have a working dishwasher again -- especially one that the previous owner's grandkids didn't pick all of the icons off so I actually know what the buttons do.  

I found a couple that I liked, but didn't buy them.  I'm thinking I might order one off the website so I can make sure they'll deliver it on a day I can be home.  

A quick trip through their garden center, and finally I was off to Hobby Lobby!  It was the only store that was open in that new shopping center, and it was pretty crowded.  The good news is, everything was on sale for the grand opening.  I was so tempted, but I was good in the end.  I only bought a new Thanksgiving platter, 

which is plastic, so I can't break it.  Probably.  Maybe...

Heh, when I went to the dentist, I was showing her photos in my phone of some of the hats I'd knit and ran across the one where I'd tried to cut my arm off with the chainsaw.  She laughed and said, "You sound just like me!"  The point is, never underestimate how clumsy I can be. 

I also bought five skeins of yarn for charity hats, and that was all.  

In case you can't read the labels, they are from left to right:  Kaleidoscope, Green/Turquoise/Red, 

Sunset, Plums, and Painted Canyon.  I can't wait to cast on with them!  I think Kaleidoscope will be first.  Or Painted Canyon.  Or maybe I'll find some extra needles and cast on both. 

The only other thing I did today was to get out and scrap some of that red clay garbage off of my spider lilies.  I'd noticed that in some spots, it was so thick that the leaves were struggling to break through. 

 I think that -- combined with an extremely dry summer -- may be why they did so poorly this year.  So, I got the clay scraped back to what appears to be regular dirt, so maybe they'll come on here in a bit.  I probably ought to water them a bit, too, since we've hardly gotten any rain here lately.   They're pretty tough, though so they'll be OK in the end. 

And if not, I can always thin some of the bulbs from the back end of the yard and transplant them.  They probably need it anyway. 

But for now, I've got to get off of here and knit like the wind!

Weekend Mode

The plant had a good day today.  A really good day -- as far as production goes, I mean.  

At the end of shift, group leaders and supervisors all over were getting onto the intercom and giving shoutouts to their departments.  Congratulations.  Great Job.  All except for one....

Someone turned around and told Inspector Gadget that we deserved a shout out, too, but he said no.  "That's unprofessional," he sneeringly informed us.  

Oh, come on!  We tried to persuade him.  We ran 2760 headers today -- 660 more than our daily goal.  That deserves some recognition.   Nope, he insisted.  It's unprofessional.  

"It's not unprofessional to recognize your employees when they do an outstanding job!"  I told him, but still he refused us any sort of accolade.  

And he wonders why no one respects him...

After work, I had to go to the dentist for my 6 month cleaning and check up, and for once, I had a good report.  I'd have gotten out of there faster, but the hygienist and I only see each other twice a year.  We had a lot of catching up to do.  She's about to become a first time grandma, and I showed her the hat and sweater set I'd made for my nephew's baby.  

She mentioned that she wanted to learn to knit, and I gave her some tips -- she's envious of my upcoming trip to Hobby Lobby, and I said that when she makes it up there, she could ask and see if they have knitting classes.  Long story slightly less long, we finally stopped yapping long enough to finish the appointment, and I decided since I was in town already, I might as well go by Walmart and get my shopping done. 

That chore completed, I came home and told the cat "Weekend mode has been activated!"  and I promptly sat down in front of the TV and cast on a hat using my new interchangeable needle set. 

Some weekend, huh?  

OK, the needles are really nice and knit very smoothly.  The only problem I have with them is that the shortest cable is about 6" longer than the Knit Picks fixed circular needles I'm accustomed to knitting hats with.  I think it'll be OK.  It'll just take some getting used to. 

Meanwhile, here is a progress photo of my Demeter sock yarn hat. 

 But now, I'm going to bed, because I've got a busy day tomorrow.  

I'm going to Hobby Lobby!!!

Respect

Well, here it is, October 1 and haven't gotten anything done off of my to do list.  Except for getting the scrap metal picked up, that is, and I did call a plumber and a tree guy, neither of whom called me back.

I've been trying since then to work up the gumption to call another plumber and another tree guy.   And someone to break up that old slab where the dog kennel was.  Of course, it doesn't help that we're in the just kidding here's some more summer season of the year, and it's back up into the 90s outside.  

Right now, I'm so ready for fall and cooler weather, I don't even want to be out in it.  The heat, I mean.  Which means, the yard.  I did get out and piddle a little bit this afternoon, but didn't stay out long.  I didn't want my hair to get all sweaty. 

Apropos of nothing, I got onto FB this morning while I was eating my breakfast and the first thing I saw was a post from one of my friends.  Then I had to  scroll through twenty three -- twenty three-- ads to get to another post from a friend, or even a page I liked.  This is why FB is a dying platform.  It used to be fun, but I hardly ever post there any more except links to the blog.  

So, I piddled in the yard a bit, then came inside and finished the latest charity hat. 

 The next one I cast on will be with my new needles, because I've had the things for...I don't even know how long, and I haven't used them yet.  I really need to.  I paid too much for them to sit around collecting dust. 

And finally, before I go, let's talk a little bit about respect.  

Respect is something that must be earned, not demanded of others -- especially not from those to whom you show no respect.   It has to go both ways.

So if you insist on talking to your employees like they're children, and treating them like they're stupid, and nit-picking through their work like you don't think they know how to do their jobs, then you have no right to expect anyone to respect you.  

Treat your employees like you think they are worthy of respect, and you may just find you'll earn the respect you so desperately crave. 

Best Day Ever!!

 I got to work not so bright, but not as early as usual — they have us coming in at 6:00 for the time being— went through the indignity of having the security guard check my cottage cheese then picked up my other bag, and proceeded on into the plant…

Where I was met by a fellow employee who said, “Did you hear your stalker got fired?”

“What?” I exclaimed standing there in a state of disbelief, not sure I heard her correctly. 

She called his name and said, “Isn’t he your stalker? He got fired yesterday.” He and three others, she said.  I'll get to them in a minute.

Giving a loud whoop of joy, I hurried to the sub brazing area, and called to another coworker, "Is it true??”

She laughed and assured me it was and this is the best day of my life!  Well, of my work life at the plant, I mean.

And now we are so happy, we do the dance of joy!!

via GIFER

I'm telling you, it was so nice to work without feeling like I had to keep looking over my shoulder, and knowing that now that he's no longer an employee, I'll actually be allowed to defend myself against him should the need arise.  That, to me, was the most frustrating part -- knowing that I could have put a stop to his harassment years ago, but it would have cost me my job, not him.  It wasn't just me, either.  Since he got hired, there has been a steady stream of women going up to HR to complain about him.  

Probably the worst thing I'd heard of him doing, and I heard this from multiple women, was that when he was the brazing trainer, he'd threaten to fail them unless they gave him a little something something first. Then there was how he'd stand right behind women and rub his front against their backs...and film black women's behinds...the way he'd stick his leg way up in the air and wave his junk at people (that one you'd have to see to believe)....I could go on, but you get the idea.

All of that is over now.  Still, there is a part of me that can't completely relax, knowing that he'd been fired once before and his ...um...special friend, yeah, let's call him that ...his special friend in the front office made them give him his job back -- then got rid of the HR director who dared fire his buddy.  Even though that special friend is no longer working there, I can somehow see him calling them up and demanding they give Stalker his job back.  But maybe not...I'll get to that in a minute. 

As I mentioned earlier, there were three others fired as well.  Junior is one of them, and quite frankly, that's a relief, too.  He was more interested in playing childish pranks than in running the plant.  Not only that, I was getting mighty tired of hearing about how they do things in Japan.  

 The third guy worked back in quality, and though he did have a shop floor nickname, I had taken to just calling him Nasty Man.  He got this nickname because every time there is food involved -- like the anniversary dinners, the veteran's dinner, or a leadership conference -- he shows up and eats.  Once he's done eating, he'll pull out his napkin and blow his nose...sitting there at the table, with people around him still eating.  That's just nasty. 

The fourth guy was a front office employee, and I never had any problem with him, but didn't really deal with him much.  

Now, the story on the shop floor is that they are trying to cut overhead, and had offered all four of them different positions which came with a significant reduction in pay, and all four refused, preferring to be dismissed rather than take a pay cut.  If that is the case, nobody can really demand that Stalker be given his job back, what with him choosing to leave.  

I'm not completely sold on that theory, though.  I think if they had given them that choice, at least one of them would have taken it.  I can't see all four refusing a pay cut.  One or two, maybe, but not all four.  I'm thinking they were looking for an excuse to get rid of them, so they just let them all go. 

I wonder if the new boss had something to do with it.  I know he's not there yet, but he'd still have access to plant information.  Maybe he sees what we've been saying for years, that the plant is top heavy with management.  

Seriously, it ran so much more smoothly out there when we had one production manager, not four, and one supervisor per shift, not seven or eight.  I can see them needing two supervisors per shift with the way they have it set up now, one for production and one for components, but we sure don't need as many as we have. 

Speaking of, some of us were talking this morning and someone who shall remain nameless mentioned that Inspector Gadget needs to follow those other four right out the door.  When they keep moving someone from job to job to job to job because he can't do any of them, it's time to either put him on a machine or put him out the door. 

And there you have it.  That was my exciting news for today.  I need to go start trying to calm myself down now, or I'll never get to sleep tonight.  I think I'll start with a hot shower, followed by the newest episode of Halloween Wars and some knitting.  That ought to do it.  

Laters...

It’s Open!!

It's open!  The Hobby Lobby in Batesville is finally open!  

I know what I'm going to be doing this weekend.  

via GIFER

It'll be so nice to have an honest to goodness craft store nearby without having to drive 100 miles to go to Jackson or Memphis.  

You know what else was nice?  Inspector Gadget wasn't there today, and things ran so smoothly.  You know it's bad when the department runs better when the supervisor isn't there.   On a similar note, this popped up in my Facebook feed.  

Cody says we need to give him some grace, but it's been four years.  How much grace should he get?  To be honest, I'd be willing to extend him much more grace if it weren't for those temper tantrums he pitches in the press conferences.  

Speaking of grace, I do think we should extend some to Matt Eberflus.  I mean, he'd built his entire defense around Micah Parsons, then Jerry trades his cornerstone a week before the season starts.  Now he has to build a whole new defense at the drop of a hat. 

OK, there is a bit of speculation there on my part, but that's about how it seems. 

I had more to talk about, but I ...mostly...stayed up to watch the ball game last night and I'm a bit tuckered.  The serious talk will have to wait for another post.  I'll just leave you with this blast from the past.  

 Anybody else remember making these?  I'm going to go get some paper and try one!

I Did It

I finally did it.  I've been putting it off for a couple of weeks now, but yesterday evening, I finally did it after I'd done everything I could think of to put it off...

I finished this hat...

(The yarn is Forbidden Fiber Co in the colorway Toasted Marshmallow.)

I knit a few rounds on the latest charity hat...

(The yarn is Red Heart in the Neon Stripe colorway.)

I even got a new hank of yarn out of the closet and caked it up...

The yarn is Euphoria Knits, which I picked up at Fiber Fun In The 'Sip a few years ago.  I'll just let you figure out what this colorway is:  

But finally, I could ignore it no more.  The Demeter collection, which I also bought at FFITS, was calling my name, and it had gotten rather loud these last few days. 

Before I could stop myself again, I grabbed the pack, ripped it open, and pulled out the darkest color.   I quickly caked it up and cast on a new hat. 

The yarn is Jem Lux Fibers, the Demeter collection, and this colorway is called Heart of Demeter. 

Once I'd done that and knit a few rounds, I could almost hear the yarn breathing a sigh of relief, and everything around it relaxed a bit.  A lot, actually.  So much so that this morning, I took the yarn outside and knit in my chair while listening to the sounds of the birds singing and the breeze blowing. 

Oh, and look who came back.

He kept a pretty close eye on me, but I was able to sneak a photo before he flew away.  

Speaking of, I took up the hummingbird feeder that was in the back yard and brought it inside.  I'll wash it really well then store it away until spring.  I've left the one in the front yard for now, but I believe the heaviest wave of migration is past me.  Since the hummingbirds have gone south, I'll hang a suet feeder on that shepherd's hook for the time being. 

Before I forget again, my new neighbors have Halloween decorations out, and they're so cute.  I want to walk over and take pictures of them, but feel like that would be weird.  I hope they decorate for Christmas, too.  I'd love to decorate, but I don't have sense enough to make it look nice.  I don't want it to look like Christmas threw up in my yard, so I usually just stick with a wreath on the door and a string of lights across the front of the house.  

On a similar note, did you know Santa has started a podcast?  Yep, you can find it here:  Santa Has A Podcast. 

And another thing I keep forgetting to tell you is that we're getting a new Big Man Up Front.  Group Leader Shark said he'd be here in two weeks, but it was a week ago that she told us that, so I'm thinking next week sometime.  This will be the fifth plant manager we've had since Chris Taylor resigned in 2018.  You know there is something seriously wrong within the company when you go through that many in such a short time. 

No word on the new HR director, though, and to be honest, I've lost track of how many of those we've gone through in the last 10 years.  At least seven...and I feel like I'm forgetting someone.  Oh, well...

Me, I'm just trying to hang in there until I can retire...

LOOKIT!!

Do you see what I see?????

Do you see it?  Yes!  That there is a bird on my bird bath!!  OK, he was drinking instead of bathing, but still, it's a bird!  On my birdbath!!  A mockingbird to be specific.  But, but, but that's not the point.  The point is there is a bird on my birdbath!  Maybe they're starting to find it.  

Does this mean I'm officially old now?  

By the way, one of my projects this fall is going to be to dig up those shepherd's hooks and straighten them up a bit.  I plan on using some of that red clay to fill the holes in this time, so maybe they'll stay upright better.  

My other projects for today were to move the compost bin and tumbler off of the slab that used to be the old dog kennel. 

I want to try to get someone out to break it up, pull up the remnants of the fence posts, and haul it all off.  

I feel like I almost got a bit of a bait and switch with the fencing company I hired, because I'd researched them and saw heavy equipment on their website and FB pages.  Even when the man came out to measure and give me the quote, I told him I wanted this all removed, and he said, "Yes, Ma'am."  I took that to mean he was going to do it.  It wasn't until after he'd put in the new fence that he told me he didn't have access to the equipment so he couldn't remove it.  Apparently, the company had sub-contracted my job to someone else.  

Why can't people just be honest?  If he'd said so up front, I could have gotten someone to pull all of that up before he put the new fence in.  Anyway, I'm going to try to work up the gumption to post that in one of the local groups and see if I can get someone out here to do that job, and also to pull up the short bit of fence between the house and the shed.  

The other project was to get my flag holder replaced.  I'd noticed a few weeks ago that the old one had cracked -  it was plastic and had just worn out.   The next time I'd gone to the store, I sprang for one of the aluminum ones, and this morning, I finally got around to replacing it. 

I'll need to find someone with man muscles to get that bottom screw all the way in, but it's pretty sturdy even with it hanging out half an inch.  Nevertheless, Old Glory is back in her rightful place, 

and I have a spare hanger, just in case.   I'd had a Texas flag hanging there in the past, but until I can find one that doesn't fade after a month, I'll leave it empty for now. 

Whelp, I have to get off of here because Navy and LSU  play at the same time, and I'm going to need my computer to watch one of those games.

Laters. 

Relaxing

Well, I made progress on both of my hats, but that's about all I did today. 

I take these long weekends every year, and have such a hard time relaxing on my days off because I always feel like I should be accomplishing something.  I have so much I need to be doing, and yet none of it is getting done.  I know some of you are thinking, "You deserve a day to do whatever you want," but I can't enjoy the day with so much hanging over my head.  

OK, now I've had my minute of moaning, let's get on with the rest of the post.  

I got out yesterday evening and mowed the entire yard -- front and back -- for what I hope will be the last time of the year.  I may need to knock it down one more time before it's all over, but growth should be slowing down here soon.  

This morning, I got out and did the weedeating, then sifted some rocks out of my dirt and finished filling in two of the ruts in the front yard. 

Since I was already drenched in sweat -- it wasn't that hot, but the humidity was so dagone high, I was ... um... condensating -- I got my dirt rake out and shuffled the dirt around in my garden spot a bit. 

It's almost ready to start putting the raised beds in, but it still seems just a bit high in the middle, so I'm going to work with it a bit more before I do. 

The most amazing day, it didn't even get out of the 80s, and I was able to sit outside in my chair and read a bit once I was done working.  It was warm, but there was just enough of a breeze to keep it from being too hot. 

I'd thought about driving up to Batesville and going to the Walmart up there, but I didn't.  I may go tomorrow morning, since none of the ball games I want to watch start until 2:30 -- and yes, Texas, LSU, and Navy all play at the same time again.  

I swan someone is out to sabotage me. 

Anyway, the reason I want to drive up there is that our Walmart has gotten so bad ever since Jim Legge died, I can't find anything I normally buy.  The protein bars I get, the sugar free candy I like, even the water flavor drops I prefer, they don't have them any more.  Maybe they will have them up in the Batesville store.  Or maybe not, and I'll have to swap brands once again. 

I'm getting mighty tired of doing that. 

And finally, I'm still holding my Robert Redford movie marathon.  Well, I guess it's not a marathon since I'm not watching all of his movies -- just the ones I liked.  I watched Jeremiah Johnson and The Horse Whisperer last weekend, and today I found The Electric Horseman on a streaming website and watched it.  I still haven't dragged out my extension cord to see if my VCR still works, though, so The Sting will have to wait. 

Not only that, it'll have to wait because I'm watching The Last Of The Mohicans right now.  The one with Daniel Day Lewis.  I haven't seen it in ages, so I'm going to get off of here and pay attention to it.  As much as one can pay attention while knitting.  

At least hats are pretty mindless. 

An Unexpected Hour...And A Half

There I was at work, not working away because once again, we didn't have any work, when I turned to my coworker and said, "You know, if he tried to send me home early, I wouldn't argue with him."  He being Inspector Gadget, of course. 

Sure enough, about 30 minutes later, Inspector Gadget came around and asked people if they wanted to go home, and is not my custom, I immediately accepted.  I may regret it on payday, but it was worth it today. 

That was about 12:30, so what did I do with my extra hour and a half?  I'll tell you.  I worked in the yard a bit, sifting some more dirt and almost got this 4" deep tire track filled in. 

I've got about a foot or so to go, and this one will be done.   That will make it so much easier to mow, which I will need to do at least once more this year before it's all said and done.  And look at this, the first track is just about covered over with grass. 

I'm thinking maybe next year, I can try again with another landscaper.  Hopefully, I can find one who will 1) actually show up, and 2) knows what he's doing.  I would so love to have a nice front yard some day.  

Anyway, I worked until my hair started getting sweaty, then came inside and watched TV for the rest of the day.  I sometimes feel like my hair runs my life.  It's so long and so thick, I can't wash it every day or it will never dry.  So, on non-hair washing days, I have to be careful not to get it too sweaty, and on hair washing days, I can't really do a lot, because I have to wash it early enough that it at least somewhat dried before I go to bed.  I'm seriously thinking about getting it all chopped off.  

That would be weird, too, at least to me.  Except for a few years in Jr High and when I was in the Navy, I've always had long hair.  I'm over that, now.  The only thing about having short hair is that you have to keep up with keeping it trimmed.  That requires appointments, and those require phone calls, and we all know how I feel about those. 

Here's a bit of good news, it looks like some of my bluebonnet seeds are germinating!  

I wasn't too sure if any of them were still viable, since they'd been in the freezer so long, but it looks like I might get at least some of them to grow.  Now, if they survive the winter and actually bloom, that will be another thing, but where there's life, there's hope.  

Speaking of growing, my chrysanthemum is full of blooms.  

What I did not do -- and this should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me -- is to make any of the phone calls I needed to. 

Yeah, yeah, I know....

I really need to at least get the tree guy out here.  The local storm chaser said that because we haven't had any hurricanes in the gulf this year to draw off the heat, the water is much warmer than normal, so he's expect fall tornado season to be particularly sporty this year.  Yippee...

Finished Object

I got to work bright and early this morning, and one of my coworkers who is also a Cowboys fan walks up to me and says, "Please pray for my Cowboys!"  

I laughed and said, ".....there really aren't any words...."  

We chatted a minute more, and I asked him, "Do you think Jadeveon Clowney will make a difference?"  On the defense, for those of you who don't follow football.  My coworker didn't even know they'd signed him, so I said, "Yep, Jerry signed him last Monday."  

My coworker said, "Isn't he a bit past his prime?"  And I replied, "You know who wasn't past his prime?  MICAH PARSONS!"  And with that mic drop, I walked on to my work area and began my day. 

On a similar note, it would seem that we are down a security guard.  We'd always had the one at the gate, but for this last year, HRH* had hired one to drive around the parking lot all day.  Now, our parking lot isn't much bigger than a couple of football fields, so we were wondering why we needed someone to patrol it, but there he was.  He'd drive around all day long, then drive over to the distribution center and drive around there for a while...

I noticed last week I hadn't seen him all week, so I guess his contract ran out and they declined to renew it.  I asked a couple of the other brazers if they'd seen him and they hadn't either.  One of them told me, "They said she was wasting a lot of money"  -- meaning HRH.  I don't know, but I wonder if that's why the fired her.  I replied, "Just because she's afraid of her own shadow doesn't mean the rest of us have to live that way, too."  

I expect the ones checking lunch boxes will be the next to go once their contract expires.  

In knitting news, I finished this hat while I was watching Charlie Kirk's memorial yesterday. 

Then, instead of casting on a new one, I picked this WIP up and worked on it some more. 

Once the service was over, I switched over to Prime and watched a documentary on Flat Earthers while casting on a new charity hat. 

It's called Behind The Curve.  The documentary, not the hat.  The hat is Neon Stripe.  Be that as it may, I found the documentary to be quite interesting -- especially the experiments they did to try to prove the earth is flat, but kept proving it wasn't instead.  

My question is why?  I mean, why would every government on the face of the earth since the ancient Greeks and Phoenicians make up a lie that the earth is a globe if it isn't?  How would they possibly benefit from that?  What's in it for them that would make all that time and expense worth it?  

Speaking of conspiracy theories, have you heard the latest?  Apparently, Melania Trump is really Princess Diana.  Seriously, where do they come up with this stuff?  

Moving right along, we finally got some rain last night, which made the arrival of my new boots quite timely indeed. 

They're really comfortable, and sparkly.  Alas, too sparkly, because I don't want to get them muddy.  Eh, I will eventually.  By the way, if you're into such things, this is how many ant bites I got on my feet over the weekend. 

I really, really don't like fire ants.  Have I ever mentioned that? 

 *HRH -- The human resource director from Hell.