Bad News And Better News

The bad news is, when I got up this morning, my finger -- the one that had gotten tangled up in the dogs' leashes -- was swollen and very stiff.

Here is my other hand for comparison. 

Both of my hands were a bit swollen from the heat, but you can still see the ring finger on my left hand is more swollen than the rest.

The good news is, for one, it was on my left hand, and I'm right handed.  The better news is, as the day went on, the swelling went down a bit and the stiffness eased enough that I was able to knit quite a bit on my new hat.

This is the hurricane hat pattern.  It's my other go-to pattern -- besides the plain stockinette, that is.  The yarn is some Red Heart my friend Peggy sent me. I think the colorway is Delft Blue, but I'm not 100% sure on that, since I tossed the ball band.

We had some weather come through this afternoon.  It wasn't as bad as they were predicting, at least not here it wasn't. 

Before it got here, I stepped outside and snapped a photo of the clouds.  Because I'm all weather geeky like that.  While I was out there, I also took this picture of my neighbor's oak tree. 

Those aren't leaves, y'all.  Those are pollen tassels.  That's why everything is yellow these days.  Then, I took this picture. 

These are the little flowers I was telling you about yesterday, the ones the bees were all over.  It's Creeping Charlie, sometimes called Ground Ivy.  It's all over the place behind the fence, and is tough to kill.  I hate to put poison on it anyway, because of the bees. 

Finally, yesterday at the vet, there was an assistant in the back doing something with a little dog.  She was just a talking to the dog, when all of the sudden, we heard her say, "Awww, you peed on my leg!"

All three of us -- me, the vet, and the veterinary assistant -- busted out laughing.  I wanted to say something smart, but couldn't stop laughing long enough. 

Vet Trip

Thanks to this long weekend, I finally got the dogs into the vet for their rabies and heartworm shots.  Pretty routine stuff.  As you can see, Rylea is handling it like an old pro, and Jesse is his usual nervous, neurotic self.

Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh here he comes!!!

In addition to the usual stuff, Jesse had a bubble thing come up on his lip recently that I wanted the vet to look at.  You can see it here circled in red.

The vet numbed Jesse's lip up and cut the thing off.  He said it was a tumor, and was most likely benign.  We discussed having it sent off and tested to see if it was malignant or not, but I decided not to.  The vet said chemotherapy for dogs is expensive, stressful, and will at best give them only 6-8 more months.  I said we're not going to put him through all that just for a few months.  I'll just keep an eye on him, and if something comes up down the road, we'll deal with it then. 

Jesse doesn't seem too bothered, but he wouldn't eat his supper.   If he doesn't eat his breakfast in the morning, I might run up to the dollar store on the corner and get him some canned food.  It'll be easier for him to eat if his lip is still sore.   

Once the vet trip was done, and I'd brought the dogs home, I said to myself, "Self, since you're already up and dressed, you might as well get the shopping done."  So I did, but it wasn't very exciting.  I wandered through the garden center to see what they had, and it wasn't much.  No Zinnias at all.  I've probably mentioned it before, but I'm having trouble getting excited about my flower beds this year.  I don't know what I'm going to do with them.  They usually end up being a mess of weeds anyway.

Speaking of weeds, I saw my next door neighbor, and told her Tomato Man had asked to plant tomatoes again.  She said, "He's got some gall, I tell you!"  Then she said he'd made her hoe them once last year.  I'd come home from work one day and saw that the weeds had been cut back.  I thought he'd done it, but no, he'd made the rickety old lady on the other side hoe them.  She only did it once.  She told him if she'd wanted to take care of tomatoes, she'd have planted them herself.  I told her he'd tried to get me to water them, but I wouldn't. 

The last major thing I did today was to mow.  I'm trying to get ahead of the weeds this year.  I still have to do behind the fence, but I think I'll raise the mower bed some, because I've seen bees on some of the wildflowers back there.  I'm not sure what it is.  It's a tiny blue flower that stays low to the ground.  Whatever it is, I'm going to leave it alone for a while.  It's supposed to rain tomorrow, so I may put off finishing up the mowing until Monday, since I can't go to the zoo after paying the vet bill. 

In knitting knews -- heh, see what I did there?-- I cast on a new hat last night. 

I probably shouldn't be showing you my Irish DNA, but there it is, and I'm not taking the picture over. 

Back to the hat.  I used the Chinese Waitress cast on again.  It may become my go-to cast on for hats.  It's way stretchy, even more than the Twisted German cast on, and gives a nice, neat edge.  Knitting is going kind of slow, though, because my finger got twisted in the dog's leash this morning, and is pretty sore.  I don't think it's broken.  It isn't swollen at all, and it bends just fine.  It's just really tender, like a bad bruise. 

It'll slow me down, but it won't stop me. 

Glory Hallelujah!

Glory hallelujah!  My stalker wasn't at work today!  It was so nice not to have to deal with his constant staring and harassment. I felt like I could actually get some work done.

Oh,  and remember how I told you he was standing over me, checking every single header I brazed yesterday?  Well, my friend told me after I left, he didn't check but probably two headers from the whole department the entire afternoon.  Tell me I wasn't being targeted now!  It's OK, though, because several of the brazers have thanked me for speaking up about that particular problem.  It won't do any good, because they're not interested in solving problems, but still...

Anyway, some of the other brazers have told me they can't stand him being over there, either.  They don't like him standing over them, and they're tired of his childish pranks.  He'll walk by and turn someone's gas off, or unplug a striker, and this one girl he keeps tying her tip to the hanger.  Then we have to stop working to fix what he messed up.  You know it's bad when even the lazy people are complaining!  "All he wants to do is play all day, and we're over here trying to work!"

The worst part is, he gets paid a whole lot more than we do, and all he does is annoy people and get in the way.

OK, moving right along...

I put out a request on Facebook for recommendations on a keyboard.  I'm still debating on getting one at all, but I want to have some information to consider while I decide.  I can't help but think about that perfectly good guitar just gathering dust in Cody's room.  Yes, it's mine.  About 20 years ago, I thought I wanted to learn to play the guitar.  After buying a book and spending a few months learning to play, I discovered I didn't have the passion for it I thought I did.  Once Cody started kindergarten, I don't think I've played it at all.

Then there is Cody's violin.  A few years ago, he decided he wanted to take it up after watching some Vivaldi videos on YouTube.  That year, we all gave him money for Christmas so he could get one.  He bought the violin, but hasn't really done anything with it.  About a year ago, I thought I'd give it a whirl.  That lasted all of two days.

I'm thinking it might be different with the piano.  I'd taken lessons for a year when I was a kid, and really enjoyed playing.  However, my mother got mad at me, because I kept forgetting what day my lessons were on. I'd walk home from school, while she'd be sitting in the car behind the school,  waiting to take me to my piano lesson.

I think she thought I was being stubborn and defiant, but I wasn't.  My mind was just elsewhere. 

Even after she stopped my lessons, I'd still play from time to time, all the way up until I left for college.  I haven't played in years, but when I started watching Piano Guys videos a few years ago, I kind of was inspired to try again.

Well, I'll have quite a while to think about it, because it'll take me a bit of a minute to save up enough to get a decent keyboard anyway.  Especially since I want a full size 88 key model that will transfer easily to a regular piano.

One last thing, be careful out there, guys.  The pollening has begun.

Well, Dang It!

It's official.  They put the announcement up yesterday.  We are having Friday and Monday off so they can update the computer system.

It's going to be a mess at work until this is all done, because we have to have everything out of the computer before they can do the update.  That means all orders in the schedule must be complete, and all component orders must be out of the system, as well.  I'm figuring tomorrow, they're either going to send us home early, or work us absolutely to death.  I told my coworker if I'd known ahead of time, that they were going to do this, I'd have put my half day of vacation in tomorrow instead of today.  But they don't want to tell you anything until the last minute. 

So, I had a half day of vacation for today.  I left at lunch, then my friend messaged me and said New Supervisor is quitting already.  Dang!  Every time we get a good one, ADP runs him off. I don't blame him, though.  I wish I could quit, too.  One day, though, and maybe sooner than later. 

I think Brazing Boss is trying to get me fired anyway, because I spoke up at a brazing meeting yesterday, and he apparently didn't like what I had to say.  Today he sent Stalker to stand over me all morning.  He stood right behind my stand, and every time I brazed a header and put it into my bin, he'd run over and snatch it up.  He'd then examine it -- as if under a microscope -- hoping to find something he could write me up for.  He was trying to intimidate me, but I don't intimidate that easily.

Let's move on to more pleasant topics.

I finally made it in to Tractor Supply and picked up two bags of deer corn -- two, so I won't have to g back for a couple of weeks.  While I was wandering around the store, I found the baby chicks.  I was so tempted to get some, but I've got too many mouths to feed as it is.  Maybe one day, but now isn't the time.

After that, I came home, and you would be proud of me.  I made a phone call.  I scheduled the dogs for their heartworm and rabies shots.  I spent the rest of the afternoon doing things around the house, like washing dishes, but you don't want to hear about that, do you?   

The only exciting thing I did was to finally finish this hat.

I started the camo strip sooner this time, so I think it balances better.

I guess that's about it for today.  I'll just leave you with one more of my National Geographic songs. 



Oh, one last thing before I go, I'm sorely tempted to buy myself an electronic keyboard and learn to play the piano.  I took lessons for a year as a kind, but haven't really fooled with it since.  Watching old Piano Guys videos made me want to take it up again, but I don't really have room for a full size piano. 

The only thing is, I'm not so sure I'll stick with it enough to make such an investment worth it.  Eh.  I'll have to consider it a bit more before making a decision.

Can You Believe It?

There I was, sitting in my chair, watching a DVRed episode of Survivor when my doorbell rang.  I must admit, my first thought was, "Ugh, I hope it's not more Jehovah's Witnesses" as I went to answer.  It wasn't JWs.  It was worse.

It was Tomato Man.

Now, for those of you new to the blog, or those of you who have memories like mine, the story of The Tomato Man is as follows.  One day last spring, the man who owns the house next door -- he doesn't live there, he owns it and rents it out-- came to me and asked if he could grow tomatoes in a little corner of my yard.  I gladly gave my permission, on the condition that he take care of them.

I was very specific about that.  "You gonna take care of them?"  "Oh, yes, ma'am.  I'll take care of them."  Just so we were clear about it.

A few weeks later, he tilled up the land and planted a couple dozen tomato plants and some cantaloupe.  A week or two after he'd planted his tomatoes, he came to my door and asked, "Do my tomato plants look a little dry to you?"  I replied that I didn't know, and he looked startled, "You mean you haven't been out there to check on them?"  I told him no, and he asked me if I would go out and water them a couple of times a week.

I said, "The deal was that you take care of them."

Well, to make a long story short, he abandoned the tomato patch, and it ended up being a clogged up mess of weeds

that didn't produce any edible tomatoes,

and took me three days to clean up that fall.  I had to get out and with my gardening shears and clippers and cut the worst of it down to remove the tomato cages.

Then I had to use the weedeater to knock the rest of it down enough that I could mow that spot.

Now that you have the back story, let me get back to today.  Tomato Man shows back up at my door and asks if he can plant tomatoes there again this year.  Can you believe that?  He didn't take care of them last year, and wants to plant more!  I told him no.  I also told him to get his tomato cages out of my yard, and he wants to act all mad at me.  To that I say, you can get glad in the same britches you got mad in.

Then he told me I needed to get my plot surveyed so he'll know where the property lines are.  Um, also no.  If you want to know, you can get someone out here to survey it.

I've been told he's lazy, and pretty much worthless as a human being who takes advantage of nice people.  Guess what?  I'm not a nice person.  He burned me once.  It won't happen again.

One of my friends used to rent his house.  You know, the one next door.  She told me they wanted to buy it from him, but he had a long list of things he wanted them to fix at their own expense before he'd sell it to them.  Um, again, no.  They bought a different house.

He sulked off back to his car and drove away without a backward glance.  Hopefully, that will be the end of my dealings with Tomato Man.

Now for some bad news.  Wal-mart no longer carries any kind of weight management dog food at our local store. They've also stopped carrying deer corn for the season.  I guess I'm going to have to make a trip down to Tractor Supply.  Which isn't that big a deal, as it's just down the road a piece from Wal-mart.

And finally, my stalker was back to his old tricks today.  Staring at me.  All day.  Stalking up and down the aisle behind me -- as if he were trying to either catch my attention or intimidate me.  He didn't do either.  I told my friend the other day, it's gotten to the point I'm almost afraid to even look up any more.  He's the kind who takes incidental eye contact as equivalent to a marriage proposal.  Actually, there are a few men out there who take incidental eye contact as equivalent to a marriage proposal.  I hate being rude, but that's the only way to deal with people like that.  Anyway, I just ignored him, and spent the day daydreaming about Port Isaac's Fisherman's Friends.

And by daydreaming about Port Isaac's Fisherman's Friends, I mean watching their videos in my head.  I can do that you know.  The song of choice for today was this one.



By the way, one of those men is definitely an introvert.  I told you, we Innies have a nose for our own. I'm debating about whether I should make him my new imaginary boyfriend, or just keep him in the imaginary friend zone.


I'll let you know how it goes.

Almost Lost My Job

Well, folks, I almost lost my job today.  And the way that happened is as follows:

I got to work bright and early -- well, not so bright, as the sun wasn't up yet -- and began my day.  I walked over to the computer to print out the day's schedule, and while I was there, clicked through to the company home page, because I like to see who has a birthday that day.  Today just happens to be New Supervisor's birthday.  Hmmm, I thought.  I ought to make him a card or something.

I got a piece of paper out of the printer and had Group Leader (because she has nice handwriting) write Happy Birthday [New Supervisor] on it.  Then I got all the sub-brazers and parts stagers to sign it, and I taped it up on the stanchion.  Then we waited.

At the moment, New Supervisor is working a split shift.  He comes in at noon, and stays until 10:00 PM, so I knew it would be a bit of a minute before he got there.   

While we were waiting for time to pass, my Stalker -- you know, the guy I mentioned yesterday who stares at me all day, the one who stares so much he makes the person standing next to me feel uncomfortable -- came over and said, "You ought to write [something nasty and extremely inappropriate] on there." 

I said, "No!  I'm not writing that stupid mess on there."  Stalker said, "Well, that's what me and [So-and-So] and them call him."   I replied, "This sign isn't from you and [So-and-So] and them.  It's from us, and I'm not writing it on there." 

Sometime later, I had to step away from my stand for a moment.  When I came back, Coworker said, "He wrote it on there.  I told him not to, but he did it anyway."

I.  Was.  Livid. 

I very nearly went into full on Berserker mode.  That's the point where I nearly lost my job.  It's been a long, long time since I wanted to beat the crap out of someone so badly.  Here I was, wanting to make a nice, thoughtful, classy gesture, he has to go writing that nasty mess on it. Then, to make matters worse, Stalker tries to play the victim, and acts like he can't understand why we all got so mad over it. 

I let him know in no uncertain terms we did not appreciate him doing that.  I said, "Two different people told you not to write that on there.  Why on earth would you think it was OK do to it anyway?" 

Later on, he came over an apologized, saying, "I'm sorry I hurt your feelings." 

I said, "It's not about my feelings!  Here I am trying to do something nice and thoughtful for someone, and you had to go and ruin it!"  He said, "Well, that's what me and [other workers] call him."  I replied, "Then you should have made your own sign and got [other workers] to sign it.  This one was from us, and you had no right to write anything on it, much less that!" 

I went over and fixed the sign by drawing flowers with a marker over the nasty thing Stalker had written, but I was still furious.  One of the tap fitting brazers came over and said, "Who drew flowers on it?"  I told her I had, and my coworker who stands right next to me explained why.  Tap Fitter gave me an "are you serious?" look, then shook her said and said, "He's just jealous." 

Coworker and I looked at each other and said, "See?  We called it.  Even other people are noticing, not just us."  Stalker has been jealous of New Supervisor ever since he got there, because we actually like New Supervisor.  Nobody really likes Stalker.  Probably because he's such a sphincter. 

Finally, New Supervisor comes in -- and walks right past the sign twice.  I even called him over to explain a certain equipment failure we were experiencing, so he was standing right in front of the sign, but still didn't see it.  We were hoping he'd notice on his own, but in the end, somebody had to point it out to him.  He turned so red, I almost felt bad about doing it.  But he took a picture, so I think he appreciated the gesture. 

After it was all said and done, I said to my coworker, "Well, if there's anything good to come out of this, at least [Stalker] stopped staring at me -- well, for now anyway." 

It didn't last long.  By the end of the day, he was right back into full on stalker mode. 

Ugh, and I've still got one more day to get through. 

Thor's Day Once Again

Yes, it appears Loki has returned to wreak his usual Thor's Day havoc on the plant.   I won't go into all the gory details, but it was rough.  It just beats the heck out of me why they can't find someone who can get the tubing department organized.  It's absolutely ridiculous that they wait until the line goes down before starting to work on the parts I need to braze their order up. 

Then, add to that an equipment malfunction that had us down nearly an hour and you've got one tuckered brazer here.  But at least I know I can still braze like the wind when I need to, as the line exceeded it's production schedule, even with all the problems. 

One of my coworkers decided she was going to play a little game today.  She was going to keep track of how many times she caught another coworker staring at me.  I told her it'd be once -- but for ten hours straight.  She said she was still going to count, so every time she looked up and saw him staring, she'd say "One" or whatever the next number was.  She lost track somewhere in the 40s.  She said, "And that's just when I was looking!"  I told her it's like killing cockroaches.  For every one you kill, there are a hundred still in the walls. 

She said it was getting on her nerves seeing him always looking at me.  I said, "How do you think I feel?"  But what can be done about it? 

She told me yesterday, the guy had tied another brazer's tip to its hanger while she was in the bathroom.  Some time after that, I went to the bathroom, and he came over to do the same thing to mine.  She told him, "[Coworker], do you want your [behind] whipped?"  He said, "I'd better leave that one alone." 

After my rough day at work, I came home to find a pick me up in the form of a letter from a dear friend.  It really brightened my day.  That reminds me, I'm thinking of investing in a wax stamp with the shape of Texas on it.  So far, I haven't found one, so I'm going to have to look into getting one custom made, with Texas and one with the Navy Seal on it.  Not SEALs as in special forces, but the emblem seal type of thing.  Then, I think I'll be done collecting them.

No, I won't.  There are still too many Christmas designs on Amazon that I like and want to get.

I apologize for the relative dullness of this post.  I'm so tired my eyes are burning.  Or that may just be the pollen.  Either way, I'm going to go make myself a cup of chamomile tea and read my letter.  In bed.

Goodnight.

More Overtime!

They put up the announcement this afternoon.  Yep, we're working Friday and Saturday this weekend.   I was kind of surprised at how many of my coworkers were saying, "Saturday?  We're working Saturday?  Why are we working Saturday?"  like they've never worked at ADP before.

Funny thing is, as soon as they posted the notice on the bulletin board, my first thought was, "Oh, boy, I want to tell Edna!"  Or Edner, as she's sometimes known.  As I was gleefully skipping down the aisle to deliver the bad news, the thought occurred to me, "I must have a death wish or something!"  Edna does not like working overtime.  At all.

Rumor going around the plant is that they're going to shut down for two days next weekend to update the computer systems.  I haven't seen it in writing yet, though.  Every couple of years, the plant does a survey thing, and lack of communication is always one of the biggest faults listed.  They don't seem to get what we're saying when we score that so low.  THIS IS WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT!  Why act like it's such a big secret?  Why not just go ahead and post it?

The plant half a mile up the road lets their people know things months in advance.  Ours keeps us in the dark until the last minute.  They have gotten better about posting the weekend schedule.  Last year, there were a couple of weeks they didn't put it up until 3:45 Thursday afternoon.  So far, this year, they've gotten it up by 1-ish or so on Wednesdays.

I might be fired by next weekend, anyway, because of the answers I put on my safety survey.  I know they're supposed to be anonymous, but they always know who writes what.  Still, there really isn't anything they can do, because then that would be retaliation for one, and two, they're supposed to be anonymous.

They don't ask your name, but they do ask what department you work in, and there is a space to put your department number (if applicable).  My department doesn't have a number, so I put NCC-1701E.

I seriously doubt the safety person will get that.  She doesn't seem the geeky type.  For those of you out there who also don't get it, here's a hint:

What can I say?  I gotta be me.


Your PSA for the day:

It is never a good idea to walk around your work place loudly singing "A d*** good flogging wouldn't do us any harm"  no matter much you think some of your coworkers could use a d*** good flogging. 




Do you want some gum?*

*Inside joke I may explain later -- or I may not.

Apparently

Judging by the reactions of some of my coworkers, the phrase useless as a milk bucket under a bull isn't widely used around these parts.  I guess it's one of my Texasisms I brought with me.

Also, apparently Jehovah's Witnesses don't like it when you bring science into the discussion.  I'd read a book years ago about how to share the gospel with JWs, because you can't witness the same way you would with any other non-Christian.  That's the problem with pseudo Christian cults.  They they think they believe in the same Jesus we do, but they don't.

So, I was standing there, half listening and thinking I ought to say something, (and kind of wishing she'd just shut up so I could go to bed), trying to dredge up some of that information from that book I'd read, when something she said caught my attention. She'd said how God intended the world to be perfect when he created it, and Adam and Eve's sin messed that up. I said, "Yes, that's why Jesus died for our redemption."

She said something along the lines of (and I'm paraphrasing here, because I don't remember her exact words) God had to think up a plan after Adam and Eve sinned, so he came up with the idea of sending his son to die for our atonement.

"Wait a minute," I interrupted.  "You don't believe God is omniscient?"

She got that deer in the headlights look and said, "Omniscient?"

"Yeah, don't you believe God is omniscient and omnipotent?  You don't believe God knew we would fall to sin?"  She asked me if I believe that.  I said, "Yeah, I do.  I do believe he knew.  It even says in the book of Revelation that Jesus was 'slain from the foundation of the world. Now why would he put this plan into place from the foundation of the world if he didn't know. .'"  (Again, paraphrasing for lack of memory and the sake of brevity.)

She said God chose a state of not knowing.  I replied, "Well, if he chose to not know, then he must have known something would happen."

She said, "So you believe God knows the future?"

"Yeah!  God exists outside of time and space, and so he isn't subjected to a linear progression of time the way we are."  She didn't like that at all.

The conversation continued, and we eventually got to discussing the Trinity -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the three in one.  She somewhat condescendingly said that she often met many people who believe in the Trinity.  I replied that Jesus even said so -- he said I and my Father are one.  (John 10:30).

She countered with, "You know in the Bible where it says a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?  Do believe they become one person?"

I said, "Well, no, of course they don't meld into the same body."  She got a look of triumph on her face and said, "Right!"  Until I replied, "But God is not bound by the same laws of physics that we humans are!"

Her look of triumph quickly faded, and I have a feeling she had to repent a few unwholesome words that popped into her head.  The conversation ended soon after that.  She thanked me for coming to the door and I wished her luck and Jesus just shook his head and said, "Oh, sweet child of mine..."

JWs go through extensive training, and are taught how to counter all the arguments true Christians will give them.  All the normal ones that is.

And that poor girl had to run into me...

Weirdos

I don't know why, but I always seem to attract the weirdos.  Take today at work, for example...

It was along about 1:00 PM, and the temp supervisor was leading a line of new hires through the plant.  I don't know where they take them.  Somewhere back in the warehouse to begin their training.

I'd been over at the computer at the time, and when I turned to go back to my brazing stand, I noticed them walking by.  The last guy in the line was looking at me.  I didn't think too much about it.  They look at us, and we look at them.  No big deal.  I got back to my stand and looked back over at the line.  This time, I was looking for people who'd worked here before, so we could say, "Oh, look!  So-and-so's back!"  Again, no big deal.  We do it all the time.  I didn't see anyone I recognized, but just as I was about to go back to work, a red knit hat caught my eye.

I did a double take, because it wasn't just a plain stockinette hat.  I studied it for a moment, thinking it might be a pattern I could reverse engineer for my charity knitting.  Out of my peripheral vision, I could see the guy who'd been looking at me before still looking.  Only this time, he was practically glaring at me.  I glanced over, wondering who he was, then went back to studying the hat.

It passed out of my line of sight, and I went back to work.  The whole time, this other guy was lagging behind the other newbs, glaring at me.  He got all bowed up and actually started walking towards me at one point.  After they'd all gone on, one of my coworkers said, "That last guy was looking at you like you owe him some money!"  I know, right.  What was his problem?  I don't even know him.  Like I said, I always seem to attract the weirdos. 

The good news is, I won't have to deal with him any more.  As I was leaving work, I saw him with the group who will be working on B shift.  And please don't suggest I turn him in to HR.  Our HR department is about as useless as a milk bucket under a bull.  I've had a whole lot worse happen to me out there, but "Well, he said he didn't do it, so I'm closing the case." Yeah, we're pretty much on our own out there. 

Now on to better things.  My red Christmas cactus is blooming again.

When I was mowing yesterday, look!  I got some sun.

Oh, THERE'S my Irish DNA! 

Finally, I just had a Jehovah's Witness come to the door.  We discussed theology for a moment.  She thanked me for listening, and I wished her luck. 

And Jesus did a divine face palm at his wayward child...

Thor's Week

Long time readers may remember me posting about Thor's Day Mayhem at work.  For a while there, every Thursday -- or Thor's Day in the old way -- everything at the plant seemed to go wrong, and work was absolute chaos.  So it was this week, except it was the whole week long.  Everything that could go wrong, did.

As if that weren't stressful enough, I had Boss Man standing over one shoulder wanting to know why the line was down waiting on headers (it was because their sub-brazer was down waiting on parts), and Brazing Boss standing over the other shoulder telling me to "slow down, don't worry about production, just be careful to keep your leak rate down."

He actually told us that in a meeting once.  "I know when the line gets right on you, it's tempting to crank that torch up full blast and braze fast, but you can't do that.  You have to keep on working slow."

I hate to break it to you, Honeybunch, but that ain't going to happen.  Production signs my paycheck, therefore production takes priority.  If you would actually solve the problems we deal with, our leak rate would go down, even though we're brazing fast.  But, that takes time and effort, and it's just easier to scream at the brazers. 

Anyway, I think Friday afternoon I set a new personal best record.  I brazed 50 headers in just over 30 minutes.  I was flying, I tell ya.  It's taken me most of the weekend just to be able to move my arms again.

Then I had to get out and mow...Yay, my favorite thing!  *Insert look of disgust here*  I said I was going to hire my yard work out this year, but I just don't think it's in the budget right now.  So, out to mow I go.

Since the threat of severe weather has passed -- at least for a few days at least -- Old Glory is finally back in her proper spot.

Then I had to move my hummingbird feeder to the other hook, because the flag kept getting caught on the perches and spilling all the nectar.

I haven't seen any birds yet, but they'll be along soon enough.

In knitting news, I'm about sick of this here hat.

It's taken forever to knit, and now I'm on the decreases, and I can't get them to work out right.  They're breaking up my nice little swirly pattern.  Again, I'm not using a pattern.  Just making it up as I go.  I got so frustrated, that I set it aside and cast on a new one.

It's going to be orange (obviously) with a camo stripe.  The thing about this one is, someone posted on FB a video about how to do a Chinese Waitress cast on.  I thought I'd try it out.  At first, I was like, "Oooh, I don't like this."  But by the time I was done, I'd gotten the hang of it, and was able to do it pretty quickly.  It makes a nice stretchy cast on, but doesn't make your ribbing spread out like a knit on cast on does.  Plus, you start at the end of the yarn, so you don't have to figure out how much yarn to use, as in the Twisted German cast on.  For those of you who are interested, here is the video I used:



The only thing I did differently was to use a third needle to bind off the stitches.   It seemed to work better for me -- being as this was my first time trying it.

Lookit!  I got a new shirt.

And a new hat.

Lastly, since I still haven't gotten my software for my record player installed, I decided to try something different-- just as a temporary measure.  See, one of my records started skipping in a spot where I was sure it hadn't skipped before, and I began to get nervous that I was going to ruin them.

So, I did what any red blooded American would do.  I improvised.  I got my camera out and recorded some of my favorite songs as the record was playing.   This is just me, holding the camera, so if you're subject to motion sickness, I'd advise you not to watch the video.  Just listen.

No, it's not the best recording -- static, pops, and white noise, but it'll do for now.  This one is probably my favorite song out of all the songs on all the National Geographic albums. 



What I like about these versions of things is that they are simple, yet heartfelt.  I know several recording artists have done this song, but they all put too much stylin' in them. 

Straightforward and simple.  That's how I roll. 

What Kind Of A Day

I knew what kind of a day it was going to be the minute I woke up...no, scratch that.

I knew what kind of a day it was going to be the minute I rolled over for the umpteenth time and saw the clock said 11:00 PM, and I was still awake.  Now, to some of you, this might not be a big deal, but hon, when you have to get up at 3:00 AM, it's drastic.  And when that alarm did go off, my first thought was, "At least I got a little sleep."

I got up and dragged my weary body into work, where I wasn't sure I was going to make it for a while.  "I'll feel better after I eat lunch," I thought.  Then Supervisor came around and said, "Safety meeting at 11:00."  Eleven o'clock?  That's lunch time!

He walked on and my coworker and I went to our group leader and asked her why they would have a meeting during our only break.  She said it was supposed to be at 10:50.  Oh.  But that's not much better.  So, they get us all herded into the break room at ten minutes till lunch, get all the papers and pencils passed out, and I looked at my clock and said to the safety guy, "You've got 9 minutes."

He thought I was joking.

I wasn't.

I don't think I've ever heard a safety brief given quite that quickly before.  The rest of the work day passed without incident, and I came home to some surprises waiting for me.  OK, not really surprises, because I ordered it all, but that's not nearly as much fun.   Since we're going to be getting some overtime now, I went ahead and ordered one more of those National Geographic records.

I've got two more, and the collection will be complete.  The last two, I didn't really like, so I'm kind of wishy washy about ordering them at all.   I mean, I want them to have the collection, but do I really want them?  I don't know...I'll figure it out later.

I had a little bit of a balance left on my Amazon account, so I also ordered a record cleaning kit, because the records I've been getting are used, and some are quite dusty.

I haven't tried it yet.  I probably will over the weekend. 

Oh, by the way, we are working this Friday as well.  Rumor going around was that we were going to be working Saturday, too, but that turned out not to be true.  However, scuttlebutt is we'll be working 6 days by this time next month.  We shall see.  I'm not going to complain about it.  The more hours I work, the faster I get my debts paid off, and the faster I can get my house fixed up.

It feels kind of weird not having a major home renovation project going on this year.    And, yes, I do realize my idea of major might be some of y'all's idea of minor, but to me anything in excess of $1K is major.  The next major thing I want to do is get new floors, and that will cost a pretty penny.  In a future post, I'm going to show you pictures of what I have, and what I want.  I think this year, I've got some broken windows I want to get replaced, but that's about it.  Unfortunately, that requires a phone call.  Which is why the windows are still broken.  Hmmmm, maybe I can send a FB message...

Moving right along, the last thing I got in the mail today was a new wax stamp, this one with my initial on it.

OK, that wasn't the last thing, but I didn't really think you'd want to see my new door mat.  It's just plain black, and smells like it was made from recycled car tires or something.  I put it outside my French Doors, and have already broken it in.

Finally, we are under another severe weather alert for tonight.  Thunderstorms, possibly with hail and tornadoes.  Now, don't start getting all freaked out about it.  This is typical springtime weather for the South.  It's been this way since long before I moved here.  Plus, I'm in a brick house now, and feel so much safer than when I lived in a trailer house.  Of course, I always had the cousins' house to retreat to if needs be, but still.

For those of you not from The South, our seasons are as follows:

Being as I grew up on the Gulf Coast, I'd add hurricane season in there, too.  Someone once asked me why there was no fishing season listed.  Because in the South, fishing isn't a season.

It's a way of life.

A Bit Of Rambling Nonsense

Before I dive into tonight's post, I have a little bit of housekeeping to do.  If you come here through Instagram, be patient with me, as I've only recently begun to share my posts on that site.  Sometimes I forget.  I did so last night.  Please, once you've finished this post, you can go to the blog's main page (on the computer, click the title; not sure how to do it on a phone or tablet) and read yesterday's post as well.

Now that that's taken care of, I have completely forgotten what I was going to blog about tonight.  Ah the joys of arising at 3:00 AM.  So, I'll tell you this instead.

One day last week, I was picking with the head of the brazing training department.  He walked by and said, "Hi."  I replied, "You're not my friend!" And just walked on.  I didn't think much more about it, until today, when one of the brazing trainers came to me and said, "So, you're not my boss's friend."  "Oh, he told you?"  "He said, 'You know what she said to me?'"  We had a good chuckle about it.

Later, the brazing boss came around and I called him over.  I said, "I heard you were upset that you're not my friend.  I'm touched that it means so much to you.  You're still not my friend, but I'm touched."

He laughed and replied, "I wouldn't expect any less from you, Becky!"

Not sure why I told you that, but there it is.  It's also another reason why I'm probably not married.  Aside from the whole not wanting to be thing...

After work, I was sitting in my car in the parking lot waiting for "the crazies" to clear out when a coworker came up and asked me to roll down my window.  She wanted to ask me some advice about a problem she was having with another coworker.  No, I'm not going to break her confidence and share.  I only tell you this to wonder, why do they ask me?  I'm not exactly known for my interpersonal relationship skills -- see example above -- so I have no idea why would they think I would know how to handle something like this.

Ask me about history, or science, or the weather, or geeky sci-fi TV shows, but not about people.  That is a topic about which I know nothing.

I advised her as best I could, then I guess she just needed a listening ear, because it was nearly 4:30 before I left the plant.

I've rambled and roamed all over this blog post, and still can't remember what I was going to tell you, so I'll just leave you with this.  One of the groups of shanty men I follow recently released this new song.  It is one of those Where Has This Song Been All My Life moments.



By the way, can you tell which of the group is the introvert?  Because I can.  We innies have a nose for our own. 

Even the ones halfway around the world. 

Ought To Blog

This is one of those days when I feel like I ought to blog, but don't really have anything to say.  Not much blog fodder at work since they moved the sub brazers off the lines.  It makes my life a whole lot easier, but doesn't give me much to write about.  Except...

Remember a week or so ago when I was talking about our protective equipment?  I said if they wanted us to wear it, they ought not be so stingy with it.  Well, my friend got new prescription glasses, so she went up to the first aid room to get the clip on brazing glasses they have for people who wear regular glasses. 

Why they don't put brazing glasses in the machine is beyond me, but they don't.  You have to get them from the girl in the first aid room, and let me tell you...you might as well ask her to cut out one of her own lungs and hand it over as ask for a pair of brazing glasses. 

My friend came back and told me what she had to go through to get hers, and I said, "Yeah, that's why I just buy my own online."  I found a source and it's the exact same glasses they give us.  To me, it's worth paying for them just to avoid all the drama.

Speaking of drama, I got some new yarn.  I hadn't been planning on buying any, but this online shop owner had been surrounded and attacked by these SJW cyber bullies.  One of them owns a brick and mortar store, and actually returned all her inventory, because she didn't want to be associated with her.  Unearned moral superiority, that awesome hunk of pure awesomeness who used to be my imaginary boyfriend until he got married to someone who is not me Bill Whittle calls it.

Since then, decent people have rallied around her, and she can't keep her shop stocked.  I managed to snag this pair of hanks just in the nick of time. 

She's got lots of pretty colors, if you can get them in time.  She updates on Saturdays, and usually sells out within a few hours.  Honestly, I probably won't buy from her again.  Her yarn is nice and all, but kind of on the expensive side.  I just ordered this once to support her. 

 Speaking of imaginary boyfriends, it's been quite some time since I've had one.  That's how you know your life is sad -- when you don't even have time for an imaginary relationship -- much less a real one. 

And with that, I think it's time to get ready for bed. 

Good night.

Springtime In The South

As it happens, I didn't have to wait long at all to use my new NOAA weather radio.  I woke up to find this little gem:

I've got to figure out how to boost the antenna, though.  I could hear the NOAA channel, but there was a lot of static, which was a bit annoying.  The important thing was, I could hear the warning tone quite clearly.

As if two very nervous dogs weren't warning enough...

There were a couple of tornadoes that touched down, but they weren't where I live.  I was going to say they weren't anywhere near where I live, but I realized that wasn't quite true.  One was about 100 miles to the North of me, but it was headed the other way.  The worst we got here was some strong winds and heavy rains.



After I posted that, I actually had some people telling me I needed to move.  Really?  For one thing, that's not even that bad.  It's just some wind and rain.  Now, when you get a storm that the lightning strikes so hard and so fast it looks like a strobe light in a disco...that's a storm.   Quite frankly, I'm a bit surprised at these people's alarm.  This is typical springtime weather here in the South.  The same thing happened last year, and the year before...and will happen again next year, and the year after.

Secondly, where on Earth are you going to move that doesn't have weather?  There is always going to be something.  Storms.  Blizzards.  Wildfires.  Mudslides.  Hurricanes.  It's all part of living on this good Earth.

Besides, I kind of geek out over this stuff.

After the worst had passed, and all warnings had been cancelled, I settled down to watch Lone Star Law and knit a bit.

I'm knitting that same pattern as I did on the yellow hat I finished last week, but I did not do the provisional cast on this time, nor did I do the few rows of plain stockinette, either.   Again, no pattern.  I'm just making it up as I go.

I guess that's about it, unless you want to hear about me washing dishes to the dulcet tones of the NOAA channel's robot voice.

Oh, I can show you this:

It's another gem YouTube's autoplay sent me.  I have no idea what they're saying, and I don't understand a word of Irish, but it's an awesome song. 

I've been enamored of my Scottish heritage for quite some time, but this makes me want to explore more of my Irish side. 

Overtime!

I finally got some!  Overtime, that is.  Yep, we worked today.  A full 12 hour shift.  I'm not going to complain, though.  My bank account was starting to seriously squeak. 

I did a very silly thing last night.  I even told myself it was silly, but I did it anyway.  What was it?  Well, I'll tell you.  I kept waking up to check the time, because I was worried I'd sleep through the alarm.  Silly, huh?  It's the exact same alarm I wake up to every single other morning of the week.  Why on earth would I sleep through it today?  But still, I must have woken up 5 times -- just to look at the clock.   

As a result I'm quite ready for bed, so this will be brief. 

First things first, though.  After work, I had to run into town to pay a bill, so I decided to go ahead and get my shopping done while I was there.  Since going into town isn't exactly my favorite thing to do, you know.

Plus it's supposed to be raining all day tomorrow.  The good news is, they downgraded the storm threat from tornadoes and hail to just strong thunderstorms.  Of course, tornadoes and hail are always a possibility.  It's just not as much of one now.

In the light of the upcoming storms,  and what with the devastation of the last two weekends, I used some of my Amazon gift card money and bought a weather radio.

This is one of those all purpose camping/emergency deals.  It has a thing to plug it in, plus two different kinds of batteries (AAA and lithium ion), and the lithium ion can be charged either by a hand crank or plugging it in, and it's got a solar panel to help maintain the charge -- I guess for when your arm gets tired of hand cranking it.  It also has a place to charge a cell phone, a light, and an SOS signal with strobe light. And, of course, it has AM/FM/WB radio bands.  The only drawback to this one is that the radio has to be on and set to a station to get alerts.  It's not something I can just forget about until a tornado warning is issued, then it'll sound a siren that'll wake the dead. 

Eh, it'll do for now.  Maybe later, I'll upgrade to one of the fancier, and thus more expensive, models.  The older I've gotten, the more I follow the weather -- especially storm systems.  What can I say?  I am my father's daughter after all.

By the way, word around the plant is we'll be working Fridays for a while now.  We're starting to get orders in -- I imagine it's in anticipation of all that snow finally melting.  Some day.  Also, I heard more than 7000 units got ruined in the flooding a couple of weeks ago, and we have to rebuild those. 

It's like we're heading into the busy season already behind...

Finally, since Google + will be shutting down in a few weeks, I've already stopped publishing blog links to the site, and have noticed a significant drop in hits the last two days.  I didn't realize I got so much traffic from there.  But apparently, I do. 

Or maybe I just got boring. 

Y'all are tired of sea shanties, aren't you?  That's it, isn't it? 

*Peeps around furtively, then bursts into song.  Loudly*

Oh, the boatmen dance, the boatmen sing, the boatmen do most anything,
When the boatmen get on shore, spends his money and he works for more

March 6

These are the men who fell on that day in 1836.

Don't just scroll past the list.  Read the names.  Each one of them is attached to a soul --  a soul who felt freedom was worth dying for.  A soul who stood strong against overwhelming odds, and sold his life dearly for Texas.

Read the names.

And remember.

Name	Birth Place
Abamillo, Juan	San Antonio, Texas, USA
Allen, R	Unknown
Andross, Miles DeForest	unknown
Autry, Micajah	North Carolina, USA,
Badillo, Juan A	San Antonio, Texas, USA
Bailey, Peter James	Kentucky, USA
Baker, Isaac G	Arkansas, USA
Baker, William Charles M	Kentucky, USA
Ballentine, John J	unknown
Ballentine, Robert W	Scotland
Baugh, John J	Virginia, USA
Bayliss, Joseph	Tennessee, USA
Blair, John	Tennessee, USA
Blair, Samuel B	Tennessee, USA
Blazeby, William	England
Bonham, James Butler	South Carolina, USA
Bourne, Daniel	England
Bowie, James	Tennessee, USA
Bowman, Jesse B	unknown
Brown, George	England
Brown, James	Pennsylvania, USA
Brown, Robert	unknown
Buchanan, James	Alabama, USA
Burns, Samuel E	Ireland
Butler, George D	Missouri, USA
Campbell, Robert	Tennessee, USA
Cane, John	Pennsylvania, USA
Carey, William R	Maryland, USA
Clark, Charles Henry	Missouri, USA
Clark, M
Cloud, Daniel William	Kentucky, USA
Cochran, Robert E	New Jersey, USA
Cottle, George Washington	Tennessee, USA
Courtman, Henry	Germany
Crawford, Lemuel	South Carolina, USA
Crockett, David	Tennessee, USA
Crossman , Robert	Massachusetts, USA
Cummings, David P	Pennsylvania, USA
Cunningham, Robert	New York, USA
Darst, Jacob C	Kentucky, USA
Davis, John	Kentucky, USA
Day, Freeman H
Day, Jerry C	Missouri, USA
Daymon, Squire	Tennessee, USA
Dearduff, William	Tennessee, USA
Dennison, Stephen	England
Despallier, Charles	Louisiana, USA
Dickinson, Almaron	Tennessee, USA
Dillard, John H	Tennessee, USA
Dimpkins, James R	Tennessee, USA
Duel, Lewis	New York, USA
Duvalt, Andrew	Ireland
Espalier, Carlos	San Antonio, Texas, USA
Esparza, Gregorio	San Antonio, Texas, USA
Evans, Robert	Ireland
Evans, Samuel B	Kentucky, USA
Ewing, James I	Tennessee, USA
Fishbaugh, William	Alabama, USA
Flanders, John	Massachusetts, USA
Floyd, Dolphin Ward	North Carolina, USA
Forsyth, John Hubbard	New York, USA
Fuentes, Antonio	San Antonio, Texas, USA
Fuqua, Galva	Gonzales, Texas, USA
Furtleroy, William H	Kentucky, USA
Garnett, William	Tennessee, USA
Garrand, James W	Louisiana, USA
Garrett, James Girard	Tennessee, USA
Garvin, John E	unknown
Gaston, John E	Kentucky, USA
George, James	unknown
Goodrich, John Calvin	Tennessee, USA
Grimes, Albert Calvin	Georgia, USA
Guerrero, Jose Maria	Laredo, Texas, USA
Gwynne, James C	England
Hannum, James	unknown
Harris, John	Kentucky, USA
Harrison, Andrew Jackson	unknown
Harrison, William B	Ohio, USA
Haskell, Charles M	Tennessee, USA
Hawkins, Joseph B	Ireland
Hays, John M	Tennessee, USA
Herndon, Patrick Henry	Virginia, USA
Hersee, William D	New York, USA
Holland, Tapley	unknown
Holloway, Samuel	Pennsylvania, USA
Howell, William D	Massachusetts, USA
Jackson, Thomas	Kentucky, USA
Jackson, William Daniel	Ireland
Jameson, Green B	Kentucky, USA
Jennings, Gordon C	Connecticut, USA
Johnson, Lewis	Wales
Johnson, William	Pennsylvania, USA
Jones, John	New York, USA
Kellog, Johnnie	unknown
Kenney, James	Virginia, USA
Kent, Andrew	Kentucky, USA
Kerr, Joseph	Louisiana, USA
Kimbell, George C	New York, USA
King, William P	unknown
Lewis, William Irvine	Virginia, USA
Lightfoot, William J	Virginia, USA
Lindley, Jonathan L	Illinois, USA
Linn, William	Massachusetts, USA
Losoya, Toribio D	San Antonio, Texas, USA
Main, George Washington	Virginia, USA
Malone, William T	Georgia, USA
Marshall, William T	Tennessee, USA
Martin, Albert	Tennessee, USA
McCafferty, Edward	unknown
McCoy, Jesse	unknown
McDowell, William	Pennsylvania, USA
McGee, James	Ireland
McGregor, John	Scotland
McKinney, Robert	Ireland
Melton, Eliel	Georgia, USA
Miller, Thomas R	Virginia, USA
Mills, William	Tennessee, USA
Millsaps, Isaac	Mississippi, USA
Mitchell, Edwin T	Georgia, USA
Mitchell, Napoleon B	unknown
Mitchusson, Edward F	Virginia, USA
Moore, Robert B	Virginia, USA
Moore, Willis	Mississippi, USA
Musselman, Robert	Ohio, USA
Nava, Andres	San Antonio, Texas, USA
Neggan, George	South Carolina, USA
Nelson, Andrew M	Tennessee, USA
Nelson, Edward	South Carolina, USA
Nelson, George	South Carolina, USA
Northcross, James	Virginia, USA
Nowlan, James	Ireland
Pagan, George	Mississippi, USA
Parker, Christopher	Mississippi, USA
Parks, William	unknown
Perry, Richardson	Texas, USA
Pollard, Amos	Massachusetts, USA
Reynolds, John Purdy	Pennsylvania, USA
Roberts, Thomas H	unknown
Robertson, James	Tennessee, USA
Robinson, Isaac	Scotland
Rose, James M	Virginia, USA
Rusk, Jackson J	Ireland
Rutherford, Joseph	Kentucky, USA
Ryan, Isaac	Louisiana, USA
Scurlock, Mial	North Carolina, USA
Sewell, Marcus L	England
Shield, Manson	Georgia, USA
Simmons, Cleveland Kinlock	South Carolina, USA
Smith, Andrew H	Tennessee, USA
Smith, Charles S	Maryland, USA
Smith, Joshua G	North Carolina, USA
Smith, William H	unknown
Starr, Richard	England
Stewart, James E	England
Stockton, Richard L	Virginia, USA
Summerlin, A	Tennessee, USA
Summers, William E	Tennessee, USA
Sutherland, William D	Alabama, USA
Taylor, Edward	unknown
Taylor, George	unknown
Taylor, James	unknown
Taylor, William	Tennessee, USA
Thomas, B
Thomas, Henry	Germany
Thompson, Jesse G	Arkansas, USA
Thompson, John W	North Carolina, USA
Thruston, John M	Pennsylvania, USA
Trammel, Burke	Ireland
Travis, William Barret	South Carolina, USA
Tumlinson, George W	Missouri, USA
Tylee, James	New York, USA
Unknown, John (Negro)	unknown
Walker, Asa	unknown
Walker, Jacob	unknown
Ward, William B	Ireland
Warnell, Henry	Arkansas, USA
Washington, Joseph G	Tennessee, USA
Waters, Thomas	England
Wells, William	Georgia, USA
White, Isaac	Kentucky, USA
White, Robert	unknown
Williamson, Hiram J	Pennsylvania, USA
Wills, William	unknown
Wilson, David L	Scotland
Wilson, John	Pennsylvania, USA
Wolfe, Anthony	England
Wright, Claiborne	North Carolina, USA
Zanco, Charles