Tuckered

When Group Leader Fernando asked if I wanted to work yesterday, he said it was to clean up.  I thought he meant sweep a little and straighten up.  Wrong.

I can't remember the last time I worked so hard.  Sweeping and straightening was just the start.  We were climbing on top of stuff, scraping stuff off the floor, cleaning stuff I didn't even know was in there.  By the time I got home, I was so tired and sore, I could not move.

I did get home in time to watch the second half of Navy vs. Ohio State.  Yeah, Ohio State won, but Navy looked really good against them.  Things are looking up for December 13.  I don't like the new helmets, though.  The old ones looked better.

New:

Old:

But that's just me.

Once again, the powers that be scheduled Texas and LSU at the same time.  Sigh...I did watch both games, but it took some creative thinking.  

Texas is looking better than they have in a long time, even if it was against North Texas. 

LSU looks the same as ever.  They don't seem to remember that they are in a ball game until somewhere in the 4th quarter.  They came back from a 24-7 deficit to win 28-24.  My old heart can't take much more of this.

While all these ball games were going on, I decided that the loom had been left unwarped for far too long, so I chose this yarn.

It is Cherry Tree Hill Supersocke in Country Garden.  I quickly un-chose it, because when I was winding it into a ball, the yarn was broken in 4 spots.  There were a couple more spots where one ply was broken, but the yarn wasn't completely separate.  I could have still used it to warp with, but I just didn't feel like fooling with it.  Maybe someday, when I'm less tired.

Instead, I used this Sockittome Select in Old Rose for my next scarf.  

It's working out well, don't you think? 

This morning, I slept right through church.  Well, not quite, but I slept too late to get ready to go.  I really must have been tired.  So, I went to church on the computer, then spent the rest of the day watching Criminal Minds reruns on Netflix.

I have one more day off tomorrow for Labor Day, and I plan on doing the same thing.

All day long.

Friday

Guess who volunteered to work tomorrow? 

Yep, me.  Only half a day, cleaning up.  But hey, it's overtime, and I need all the overtime I can get.

So, tonight's post will be brief.  And consisting mostly of pictures. 

The Dallas Cowboys fan club has been restructured.  It's no longer True Blue.  It's Cowboys United now.  They sent me a few things when I renewed, but I still don't have a card.  I guess I'm going to have to contact them and ask about it. 

A drawstring bag

Vinyl decals

A license plate frame

And a car flag.

Chats On The Farmhouse Porch

Yay!  I'm posting Chat, and on the same day, no less.  So, let's get to it.

 1.  Please tell me something you have done recently that was really fun. 

Nothing, really.  We're just coming off of peak season at work, so all I've been doing is working.   The last fun thing I did was going to the Zoo, but that was way back in May. 

2.  Do you worry about any issues regarding food/food quality/food production? 

 No, not really.  A lot of it is hype and you'd be surprised at how much of it was started by competitors.  For example, the whole "red meat will kill you" fear frenzy was started by pork growers trying to boost sales of pork.  The same with the "cow's milk is bad for you" thing.  It was started by soy producers -- again trying to boost their own sales.  Even the current GMO hype was started by one person, who had not a shred of evidence to support his claims.  This stuff isn't new.  Back in the 70s, a fast food chain franchise owner started a rumor that a competitor nationally known fast food chain uses worm meat in its hamburgers.  When you really think about it, our food today is cleaner, safer, and healthier than anything our ancestors could have dreamed of. 

3.   Have you painted any of your walls with colors other than white, beige, or tan? 

 Not since I've been grown.  When I was a kid, my bedroom walls were blue.  Now, I live in a trailer house, and they come with wallpaper pre-installed.  I know you can paint it, but I've never bothered.

4.  What is your favorite way to have a hamburger? If you do not eat meat, what is your favorite sandwich? 

 With cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, onions, and mayonnaise (which I can't eat any more). 

5.  Please finish this sentence. If I could, I'd like to play_____________________. This could be a musical instrument, a part in a play- use your imagination:) 

I'd kind of like to play the piano, but I don't have the passion to pursue it.   I think it'd be fun to play a part in a movie or TV show, but I doubt I'd ever watch anything I was in.  I can't even stand to look at pictures of myself.  I'd hate to see myself on a big screen.  If I were younger, I think it'd be fun to be on one of those reality competition shows, like The Quest. 

Surprises!

Before we begin today's post, let's all take a moment of silence in remembrance of my favorite glass.

A limited edition Dallas Cowboys glass with an American flag star.  I dropped it and shattered it all over my kitchen, including on the grilled cheese sandwich I'd made for supper.  Thinking that discretion is the better part of valor, I tossed said sandwich, scrubbed the skillet, and started over. 

The instant I saw the glass shatter, my first thought was, "I hope that's not a portent of the season to come."

Now the good news...

When I got home from work today, there was a package waiting for me in my mailbox.  And what was in said package?  Well, I'll tell you, but first you need the back story.

A while back...a long while back...I'd found a necklace for sale with the saying Who Is John Galt? on it.  I liked it.  I wanted it.  But I didn't want it enough to pay what they were asking for it.  I posted a picture of it on FB.

I have this friend, Kristine, who is really very crafty.  She popped up and said, "I can make you one of those."

Great!  I was looking forward to it.  Time went by.  More time went by.  Still more time went by.  I thought about the necklace every now and again, but figured Kristine was busy with her own life.  Yarn and pottery shop (which she has since sold), craft shows, comic cons, candle making...I didn't want to be a pest.

Today, out of the blue, the necklace arrived! 

Just for good measure, she threw in some of her Bilbo Baggins acorn button magnets.  I have the best friends in the world!!!!

Thank you, Kristine!!!!!

I kind of want to wear the necklace to work tomorrow, but I don't want to spend the entire day explaining who John Galt is.  Chances are very good that nobody who works in there has read Atlas Shrugged. 

By the way, Kristine's latest venture is making candles.  If they smell as good as she has been describing them on Facebook, I'm going to buy them all!  I'll let you know when she gets her ETSY (or whatever) shop open. 

A Scarf

It's going to be a short post tonight, because I think I'm going to try this here going to bed early thing and see how it works out. 

But first, my latest scarf off the loom.

The yarn is some Plymouth Encore I bought on clearance.  It's red and green plied together.  I was uncertain how it would look woven, but I think ti turned out pretty cool. 

And next, sock progress.

I'm past the gusset decreases and on to the foot. 

One of these days, I promise I'm going to get a life.  Then I'll have clever and interesting things to post about. 

Yeah, right...

A Humor Infusion

Yesterday the British Embassy posted this picture.

Personally, I think it's hilarious.  But here in the land of the perpetually offended, enough thin skinned, humorless fuddy duddies raised such a hallacious ruckus that the Embassy was forced to take the photo down and apologize.

Seriously?  Apologize? Come on, people, get a grip!

Sure, they burned the White House.  Everybody knows that.  They also know that we rebuilt it, bigger and better.  And they should know that, even though we lost D.C. for like, half a day, in the end we won the war. 

Sounds to me like some people need a humor infusion. 

So, the British Embassy fired the first shot, and I respond with this: 



And just so nobody forgets:

And all God's people said, "BOOYAH!!"

Balloons Over Grenada

This weekend was the third annual Balloons Over Grenada thing.  I didn't go out to the lake this time, but I did get to see the balloon races. 

They started in a field over by the church, and went right by the house. 

I didn't get pictures of all of them, but I did get a few. 

With my phone. 

"Hi there." 

"Gotta go.  I'm on my way to the lake." 

Chats On The Farmhouse Porch

1.  What are you most looking forward in the remaining months of 2014? 

Cooler weather, fall colors, crisp days and frosty mornings, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  

2.  Tell us about the last movie you saw, or book you read.

 The last book I read was God Less America, by Todd Starnes.   The last movie I watched was God's Not Dead.  Both are very good.

3.   Do you ever make smoothies or juice? 

 I used to make smoothies a lot when Cody was younger.  I haven't made one in a while, though.  One of our favorites was chocolate banana-- like a milk shake, but healthier.

4.   Who do you wish you could talk to right now? 

 My dad. 

5.   Please finish this sentence. "If I could spend a week in a lovely cabin in the mountains I would like to_______________________." 

spend the week fishing, walking in the woods, and knitting in front of the fireplace.  

WAY COOL!!!

For some reason, this has been a rough week at work.  Add to that a rough week after work.  Today was the first day this week that I was able to come straight home.   When I got home, look what was waiting for me in my front yard.

Way cool, huh?  It had killed a squirrel and was eating in right in my front yard. 

It's a red tailed hawk -- my favorite of the hawks.  I was able to get really close to it, but the pictures still turned out a bit blurry.  I was snapping them in a hurry on my phone, and the auto focus just wasn't acting right.  By the time I got inside to get my big camera, it had flown away.

Probably because I let the dogs out. And yes, I know it's probably a she, given the size of her.  But I'm not for sure.

Look what else is cool:

One of my bluebonnets is blooming again!

Another one is budding again, but four of the six I had have died back.  I did manage to collect some seed pods from their first blooming.  I might try planting them in my wildflower beds next year.

Well, Cody is heading back to college tomorrow, for his third year.  Hardly seems possible.

Where does the time go?

Today

Today has been a much better day. I knew it would be when I made it to work with both my coffee and my glasses.  

I knew it was going to be a really good day when...well, you see, Group Leader Fernando has gotten into this thing where he gives me the Stink Eye.  He's just being silly, but it is pretty funny.  Today, he was walking down the aisle when he started giving me the Stink Eye.  He kept on walking, giving me the Stink Eye over his shoulder as he continued down the aisle.

Where he ran smack into a buggy full of sheet metal parts.

I laughed so hard I nearly choked on the Nutri-Grain apple cinnamon cereal bar I was eating.  To add insult to injury, Supervisor Calvin saw it too, and he had to come over and rub it in a little.  That'll teach him. 

The rest of the day went off without a hitch, unlike yesterday.  Oh, yesterday was exciting.  Demarius' gas miser broke and flames went shooting all the way up to the ceiling.  OK, OK, not quite up to the ceiling, but they were big enough.  Jeff hit the emergency shut off button, then hit the flames with the fire extinguisher, and that was the excitement for yesterday. 

I mean, besides me being blind and cranky all day. 

One day this week, I'm going to be able to come straight home from work and not do anything.  Today was not that day. 

You see, I have these crazy dogs, and they seem to think I am supposed to feed them every single day. After work, I had to run into town -- again -- and get some more dog food.  Them dogs better appreciate me. 

Finally, so this post isn't a total waste of space, I got a surprise Saturday when I was cleaning out Scarlett's tank.

She'd laid eggs!  Of course, they weren't fertile, since she's never been with a male.  This is the second time she's done that.  Sometimes I wish I had the setup and time and all to breed her, but I don't. 

It would be cool, though.  Baby snakes are so cute. 

One Of Those Days

It all started when I got to work and realized I'd forgotten my brazing glasses.*  I had to wear my safety glasses with the clip on flip down lenses, which I don't like because they hurt my nose.

I got out of my Jimmy, and got my tool bag out of the back seat.  That's when I realized I'd left my coffee in the cup holder in the front.  I opened the front door, reached for my coffee, and horror of horrors, the cup holder was empty.  I'd left my coffee on my kitchen cabinet.   At home.

The day had just started, and I was already ready to throw in the towel.

And what was the cause of this discombobulation?

I had a package to mail.  Not just any package.  A very special package.

My cousin Jennifer's husband is in the Army.  Ever since I bought my Shields of Strength a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't stop thinking about them.  They needed some Shields of Strength, too.  

I was so concerned about not forgetting the package -- because I have to go straight to the post office straight from work, or I won't go -- that I forgot everything else.   That package was pretty important. 

This is Billy's, 'cause he's the one in the Army.

It has part of Joshua 1:9 on the back. 

This is Jennifer's, 'cause she's the one married to the guy in the Army.

And hers has this verse on the back; appropriate for a military wife, because they have to be strong through so much. 

They didn't have an "Army Daughter" tag, so I got this one for Alexa.  It's kind of hard to read, but it says, "In honor of an American hero."  Every little girl's daddy should be her hero.  Alexa's really is.

This is her verse: 

And for the little boy, Brody, a little shield. 

His verse shows where our strength really comes from.

Yeah, they needed those. 

While I was shopping, I threw these two coins into the cart, as well. 

The Navy coin had Joshua 1:9 on the back, which is good, but I really, really wanted this verse that's on the back of the Army coin:

 

I know, I know.  I wasn't in the Army, but I figure enough of my family members were that I can carry this coin in honor of them.  And I did go.  Just not in the Army. 

So, at long last, the work day ended.  I went to the post office, where I was pleasantly surprised at how cheap it was to send a package to Hawaii, and finally made it home. Where my coffee was waiting for me. 

Right on the counter where I'd left it.


*The back story:  I'm telling it down here because it interrupted the flow of the narrative.  I work as a brazer.  That means I use a propylene torch and silver alloy brazing rod to join copper components together.  The flame is very bright, and you can't look at it with your naked eye.  Therefore, we have to wear glasses with very dark flip down lenses on them.  Back in the day, the plant would buy us brazing glasses with our prescription lenses in them, but they don't do that any more.  I have to wear the larger size, very boxy brazing glasses over my regular prescription glasses.  The new glasses I got a few weeks ago are larger than my old glasses, and the brazing glasses don't fit over them very well.  I wear them at home, and take the old ones to work.  This morning, after I'd gotten to work, I realized I had the wrong sized glasses on. 

A Blah Day

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know you come here looking for a long and interesting post.  It ain't happening today.  Today was a very blah day.  So, here are some pictures:

'Merica sock progress:

I'm past the heel turn and working on the gusset decreases. 

Scarf Progress:

The yarn is some Plymouth Encore that I bought on clearance from the now closed Hank Of Yarn.  I was a bit worried how it would work if I used it for both the warp and the weft, but I think it's turning out pretty funky. 

I've never been a fan of tattoos.  It's not the idea of body art that puts me off.  It's the idea of a lifetime commitment.  The same reason I've chosen not to marry.  I don't do lifetime commitments.  Anyway, I found this henna kit at Wal-mart and decided to give it a whirl. 

Henna is a dye that will wear off in a week or two.  I haven't done it yet, though.  I have to be in the henna mood.  I've seen some indigo on Amazon.  I'd like to get some of that and do some Celtic designs.  Getting in touch with the other side of my heritage.  The non-Viking side. 

And finally, the third in my series of snake protraits.  This is Scarlett, a bloodred corn snake. 

 

 

She was very difficult to get a picture of.  She wouldn't be still. 

And don't even think about asking her to smile. 

Happy Birthday, Aunt Martha

Today is my Aunt Martha's birthday.

It's the first one since we lost her in January, and that makes it just a bit difficult.   I've been somewhat nostalgic all week, thinking of how special she was.  She was my Dad's oldest sister, and when we were growing up, they lived on the street behind us. Between our street and theirs was some woods. My dad and my uncle had cut a trail through the woods so we kids could run back and forth without having to get out on the highway. 

Which wasn't really a highway, but for some reason people called it that. 

One of my favorite things to do with Aunt Martha was to help her with ceramics.  She never got mad at me, even when I messed things up.  "It's OK," she would say.  "We'll just put it back into the pot to melt it down and pour it again." 

Then there was the summer we were working on Nativity sets.  "Working on these makes me feel like I need to be listening to Christmas music,"  I said to her." 

"Well, then, let's just put some on!"  My Auntie said, and she did, even though it was August.  So, all of you who get on me about listening to Christmas music in summer time, it's her fault. 

My first really clear memory of Aunt Martha was when I was the flower girl in my cousin Kathy's wedding.  Kathy is my other aunt, Aunt Bonnie's, oldest daughter.  I was the flower girl and my brother was the ring bearer.  I was 4, and Russell was 6.   We'd had the rehearsal and everything went well.

I do remember someone telling me that in the real wedding, I'd have rose petals in my little basket to spread down the aisle, but for today we'd just pretend.  So, I walked down the aisle pretending to drop the rose petals.  I mean literally.  I was reaching into the basket just as if the petals were really there. 

The next day, during the real wedding, I was walking down the aisle dropping my little rose petals.  As I neared the front of the church, I saw Aunt Martha wildly gesturing and pointing.  I thought -- as young as I was-- I thought, "She must think I don't know where to go."  But I did. 

Many, many years later, as I was preparing for my own wedding, I recalled that memory for Aunt Martha and Aunt Bonnie.  We all had a good laugh about it. 

There is so much more I could tell you about her.  She was such a sweet lady. 

I miss her terribly. 

Chats On The Farmhouse Porch

 

Today's chat:

1.  Are you still enjoying (or not) summer, or are you geared for fall? 

 No, I am not enjoying summer!  I am so ready for fall, I did the dance of joy when I saw they were putting out fall decorations in Wal-Mart. 

2.  What's the one room in your home that you'd like to make a big change to?

 I'd have to say Cody's bedroom.  I really, really need to get it cleaned out. 

3.  Do you ever send "snail mail"? 

 Only if I'm sending packages.  Otherwise, it's e-mail or texts. 

4.  Do you dream? Often? Do you have nightmares? 

 Yes, I pretty much dream every night, even though I don't always remember my dreams.  I used to have nightmares all the time.  They were a pretty popular blog topic at one time.  Since Jesse has started sleeping in the bedroom with me, I don't have them as much.  It's been a long time since I've had a truly frightening dream. 

5.  Tell me something that makes you happy. Please. 

Peak season being over and having Saturdays off once again makes me happy.  I was just thinking this morning how nice it was to be able to get the laundry done before 10:00 PM.  

Upheaval

I'm telling you, I did not want to go back to work today.  That's why I don't really like to take days off.  I never want to go back.  The longer I'm off, the less I want to go back.  But I've got to use my vacation days up before I lose them, so expect a few more days off.  

This time of year is what I like to refer to as Upheaval Time at work.  That's when they lay off the temps, shut down the temp line, and move people around and all. 

I do not like upheavals.  I don't like change at all. 

Well, we had a pretty good upheaval this year.  Our production superintendent Jonathan resigned.  He said he had to leave for family reasons.  He didn't go into detail, so I don't really know what is going on with his family. 

Needless to say, there is always a bit of trepidation when we are facing a new production superintendent.  You never know what you're going to end up with.  Is he going to be a good boss or a bad boss?  Will he be a good leader or a screaming maniac? 

We've had both kinds out there. 

Scuttlebutt has it that the job is going to be given to someone who already works there.  That's just water cooler talk, though.  We'll have to just wait and see.

Scuttlebutt:  that's water cooler talk for you non Navy folks. 

Short post today, but I hope to get caught up this weekend.  I actually have mentally composed posts, but it just seems too tedious to sit down and type them all out.  Maybe I need to go back to writing them out in longhand first.

That seemed to work well.

Three Years Ago Today

Three years ago today, I went down to the local pet store adoption drive, just to see what they had. I came home with this sad looking little feller.

Today, he is happy, healthy, and the delight of my life. 

"I'm so glad you found me, Mom." 

I took him in to the vet for his annual checkup and shots.  When we were leaving, this couple pulled into the parking spot next to us.  The man motioned for me to roll down my window, and when I did, he asked me, "What kind of dog is that?"

I said, "I have no idea.  He came from the pound." 

By that time, his wife had come around the car, and she said, "He could be an exact clone of my daughter's dog.  She is half chow, half lab."  Then she began describing Jesse exactly.  Then she asked, "Does one ear stay up and one ear go down?" 

Yep, that's my Jesse.  I think we may have found his sister.

I spent the rest of the day puttering around the house.  Surprisingly, the dogs let me sleep until 7:30.  I didn't get half of the things on my incredibly long list of things to do done, but I did get the dreaded carpet shampooed.  So, that's taken care of, until the next time someone urfs.

I got the Christmas tree almost finished. 

I still have to backstitch three big snowflakes, and about a hundred French knots. French Knots are the bane of my existence. 

And I got a few more rounds of my 'Merica socks done.

It's a very patriotic yarn, don't you think?

A Day Off

A few days ago, I realized that here it was August already, and I had only taken two days off of work all year.   I have 18 vacation days left, and we can't carry them over.  I'd hesitated to take them, just in case they cut us back to 4 day weeks again this year. 

But then, I realized I needed to take a day. I was tired.  Things weren't going well at work.  I was stressed.  I just needed a break.  So, I scheduled a day for tomorrow. 

Tonight, I'm sitting here thinking of a long list of things I need to get done, but what I'll actually end up doing is sitting in front of the TV all day thinking about the long list of things I need to be doing instead of sitting in front of the TV all day. 

Yeah.

Moving right along...

I haven't warped the loom since I finished the pink and white scarf Saturday night.  Interesting thing about that scarf.  We had a little birthday dinner for Dennise Sunday, and as soon as I walked in, Mike was asking me to make something for a cancer charity auction.  I said, "I have just the thing."  It didn't have the pink ribbon he wanted, but it was the right colors. 

Almost.  That's where the pink scarf went. 

Since then, I decided I need to finish up some other projects that have been languishing.  I finished this hat.

The yarn is King Cole Splash.  I'd cast on 120 stitches with size 7 needles.  I don't know what I was thinking.  It made a rather large hat.  Well, it'll be good for someone who doesn't want to squash her hair.  Or someone with a gigantic head.  People do come in all shapes and sizes. 

I worked a bit more on this sock.  I'd cast it on early in July, but it had been languishing since I got the loom.

I have no idea what the yarn is, because I lost the ball band years ago.  It is a cotton blend, and the pattern is just a plain vanilla sock. 

Well, I'd better get to bed.  I don't know why I always think I can stay up late before a day off.  I end up waking up at the same time anyway.