Tuesday, November 30, 2021
The Waltons: The Homecoming Review, And Other Stuff
Monday, November 29, 2021
Bummer Of A Day
This is Jay.
We went to school together. I took this photo from our high school yearbook. I didn't know him really well, as we ran in different circles, but he was a good guy.
I found out this morning he died of COVID.
Sunday, November 28, 2021
Happy Hanukkah And Other Stuff
Friday, November 26, 2021
Our Thanksgiving
And with that, Thanksgiving 2021 is in the books.
Cody and Brennan came down Wednesday evening, with the plan to cook gumbo for Thanksgiving dinner. Only Cody forgot all his gumbo ingredients in his apartment, so they had to run into Walmart -- which didn't have what he wanted, so they just bought chicken and sausage. I'd already bought shrimp, so we were good to go.
I still fixed the traditional Thanksgiving fare, as well, and so we all had plenty to eat. They did eat the turkey, so I guess they've decided not to be strict vegetarians after all.
Anyway, here is the obligatory photo of our food,
which I didn't realize Cody was being a goof until just now.
After dinner, the kids put up the Christmas tree, and I'm telling you it goes so much faster with people around to help.
Normally, it would take me all day to get the tree up, but they knocked it out in just a few minutes. Just to be on the safe side, we didn't hang any breakable ornaments, because I didn't know how the cat would react to all the dangly things. Turns out, we needn't have worried. Other than sniffing the skirt a bit, she hasn't shown any interest whatsoever in the tree.
Even without the glass and ceramic ornaments, we had plenty to make a really nice tree.
Tuesday, November 23, 2021
What Was I Thinking?
No, seriously. What was I thinking scheduling an eye appointment right in the middle of Thanksgiving week?
I don't think I was thinking, but be that as it may, my eye appointment is done for another two years. I got a really cool, funky pair of frames, but you'll have to wait to see them. I told the girl working there, "I like these. They're funky. I'm a little too old for funky, but I do like these." She agreed with me -- and it seemed genuine, not like she was just trying to make me feel better. So, those are the ones I got. It'll take about a week for them to get here.
I also got a new pair of safety glasses for work, but those aren't as interesting. She pulled out the frames for me to look at, and I picked up a pair and said, 'These look just like the ones I have now." I don't know if they are, but they're the ones I got.
Once that was done, I came home and began frantically cooking and cleaning.
OK, I'm an introvert, and as such, I'm a serious over-thinker. Yesterday, I got so worried that I would forget to go to the store after my eye appointment, I went a day early. (I was actually going to blog about it, but decided it was just a bit too dull, even for my blog.) Turns out, it's a good thing I did, because Cody really threw me for a loop by deciding to come in tomorrow evening instead of Thursday morning. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad they're coming, but I'd planned on doing a lot of housecleaning tomorrow that I'm now having to do today.
I've got the bedroom as clean as it's going to get, but still need to give the bathroom another once-over before they get here, which will be around 7-ish. I get off at 2:00, so I should have plenty of time.
I can do my cooking while they're here, but want to get the house clean before they come. Let me tell you, though, I'm so glad I found that sweet potato pie filling in the freezer. That's one less thing I have to worry about. I went ahead and baked that pie today, and also started the strawberry jello salad. I checked my turkey, and it's mostly thawed out. I'd put the dry brine on it yesterday, so we're good to go there. Tomorrow, I'll finish the jello salad, make cranberry sauce, and make a pumpkin pie. The rest I can save for Thursday morning.
How's your Thanksgiving prep going?
In other news, my new phone is here, but I haven't activated it yet. When I went to the store yesterday, I was going to buy a case for it. Wouldn't you know it, they had cases for every single style of phone except the one I got. When I got home, I got online and ordered one from Amazon, but it won't get here until tomorrow. As soon as I get it, I'll break out the new phone and get going with it.
Well, I guess that's all I have for tonight. I'll try to check in tomorrow, but if I don't, Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
P.S. It just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it:
Sunday, November 21, 2021
I Am Finished
Yesterday morning, I woke up to the first frost of the season.
I walked around the yard a bit, taking some photos and taking stock of what survived and what didn't. My lantanas and zinnias are pretty much shot for the year, as are the canna lilies. I was kind of hoping the frost would kill the weeds in my little bluebonnet bed, but it appears they're hardier than I thought. I'm sure they'll die off eventually, but in the meantime, I'm keeping them cleared away around my one lonely bluebonnet I have in that bed.
It's looking pretty strong, and I hope to have some good blooms come spring.
It was a beautiful day outside, but never quite warmed up enough to keep the doors open. Still, it was a good day to sit in front of the fire, knitting and watching football. Which is exactly what I did.
In between bouts of frantic house cleaning, that is. Cody texted me and asked if it was OK for them to come down Wednesday and spend the night, then go home Thursday evening, because they both have to work Friday. Of course I said, "Of Course!" That means I have to clean up Cody's bedroom now, but that won't be too much of a problem. I just have to stuff all my Christmas wrapping paper back into the closet and vacuum. Other than that, I'm finished with the annual holiday house cleaning, other than normal house cleaning stuff like sweeping, dusting, etc., that is. Today, I got into the kitchen and cleaned my counters off really well.
Friday, November 19, 2021
The Eclipse And Other Stuff
You would know it, the one night insomnia would have actually been a boon, I didn't have it. I didn't even take my melatonin before bed, but I fell right to sleep anyway. Good thing I set my alarm. I hadn't planned on watching the entire nearly 4 hour eclipse. I was thinking I'd go out and check it from time to time, then come back in and lay down for a bit. As it is, when the alarm went off at 2:30, I was sound asleep.
I dragged my weary body out of bed, bundled up, and went outside to see the moon. I managed to get a few somewhat blurry photos, but for some reason, none of my equipment wanted to cooperate. Nothing ever wants to cooperate at 3:00 AM. Trust me on this.
Anyway, here are some of the photos I took:
Thursday, November 18, 2021
Thursday Miscellany
1. I'd planned on going out to the lake this evening and watching the moon rise over the water, but I didn't make it. I was letting the cat out, and thought, "Hmmm, I wonder what time moon rise is..." Then I glanced over and saw it peeking out from behind a tree. Um, oops. But I did get out and take a photo anyway.
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
Small Victories
Those of you who know me know I'm an introvert.
Those of you who don't know me, I'm an introvert.
As is typical of most introverts, phone calls are difficult for me. It's been this way for my entire life. The greatest invention ever in the mind of an inny -- as we refer to ourselves -- is the technology which makes texting possible. However, some things can't be texted. Certain business calls, for example.
I've been needing to call a plumber for quite a while now. I've also been needing to call the washing machine repairman. And an oral surgeon. And the eye doctor. But I want to go ahead and get this sink unclogged before Thanksgiving, if I can. What with Cody and Brennan coming and all.
Every day at work, I tell myself when I get off, I'm going to call the plumber, and I'm going to call the washing machine repairman. I even stand there and rehearse the phone calls -- when I'm not mentally debunking Facebook memes, that is.
Every day when I get home, I don't. I don't call the plumber. I don't call the washing machine repairman. I tell myself I just need a minute to unwind before I call, then I don't call at all. I've made progress, though. At least I got their numbers stored in my phone now.
Today was no exception. I stood there at work all day long intending to call at least one of them. But when I got home...I didn't. I even picked up my phone and pulled up my contacts...then put the phone back down.
Sigh...
Then I picked the phone back up and called to make an appointment for my eye checkup. And I thought, "That's one..." There are three more calls I need to make, but those didn't happen today.
I will try again tomorrow.
And finally, it's Wednesday, and that means, whiskers!
I've got to get better at posting Whiskers On Wednesday. I will get better at posting Whiskers On Wednesday, now that I have someone with whiskers again.
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
Falling Apart
Hmmm, I guess y'all weren't very impressed by my new gravy boat, huh? It's highly unusual that a post doesn't get a single like or comment on FB (thought folks on other sites did comment). Well, I was happy to get it. The downside to buying all my Thanksgiving food early is now I want to start cooking, even though the big day is still over a week away. Patience, grasshopper, I keep telling myself. Patience...
My little bookmarks are starting to fall out of my piano books. I guess the sticky notes are losing their sticky. If that isn't a metaphor for my life, I don't know what is.
I have some paper clips, but I don't want to wrinkle my pages. I'm particular about that. I like to keep my books -- even my piano books -- as pristine as possible. I don't even use the patterns in knitting books. I copy them off and use that one as a working copy, so my books will stay nice. I guess I'll jsut have to flip through and see what I want to play. That's better anyway. I won't feel like I need to limit myself to just the songs I've marked.
Speaking of books, many years ago, I bought a young adult dystopian novel called Unwind, by Neil Schusterman.
There are 5 books in the series -- though the fifth one is a collection of short stories, and not a part of the main dystology.
By the way, "dystology" is not a real word, at least not according to Mirriam-Webster. However, after a bit of research, I found that Mr. Schusterman coined the word himself specifically for this series, and the definition is the study of imaginary situations related to abnormal or dehumanized people.
Anyway, I'd read the first two years and years ago, but had never read any further, mainly because I didn't want to pay full price for the books. (I'm a bit tight when it comes to Kindle editions) I kept waiting for them to be put on sale, or daily deal, or whatever. It took more than a decade, but my patience finally paid off. A week or so ago, they finally, at long last, put them on daily deal, and I snapped them up.
Since it had been so long since I'd read the first two, I felt like I should go back and re-read them before starting the next one in the series. It's a good thing I did, because there was an awful lot I'd forgotten. It was good to refresh my memory a bit.
The whole premise of the book is (and these aren't spoilers as this is all explained at the beginning of the first book), in a future USA, there has been a long and bloody second Civil War over the issue of abortion. The war finally ends when both the pro life and pro death side agree to a compromise called the Unwind Accord. This agreement states that abortion is no longer legal, from the moment of conception up until a child is 13 years old. Between the ages of 13 - 18, however, a parent or legal guardian can choose to have the child retroactively aborted through the process of what is called unwinding.
Unwinding involves dismembering the child and selling his organs and tissues to those who may need a new heart or lungs, or arms and legs, or whatever body part is deemed to be defective. The only condition is that 99.44% of the child's parts must be transplanted into another person. They justify this by convincing themselves that the child is technically still alive, just living in "a divided state".
I know most fiction requires some level of suspension of disbelief, but to me, this one requires a lot of it. Frankly, I can't imagine anyone on the pro life side believing that dismembering a teenager is somehow more morally acceptable than dismembering an infant in the womb. I know I'd never agree to anything of the sort, but in this book, everyone is happy by this. Except, of course, the children who are being dismembered.
There are other issues I have with these books, but I won't get into them here. Still, if you can get past all the moral and spiritual implications -- that is, suspend your disbelief enough-- the story itself is pretty good. I think the most amazing thing about this book is that the main character is not a whiny, self absorbed 17 year old girl who knows everything and is going to singlehandedly save the world (despite having no real life world-saving experience) right after she figures out which of her two suitors she is really in love with.
That in itself makes it worth the read.
Monday, November 15, 2021
It's Here!
It's here! It's here! My new gravy boat is here!
Saturday, November 13, 2021
Y'all Would Be Proud
Y'all would be so proud of me. Why? Because I did a thing today, and I am totally not a thing doer. But today, I did a thing. Even though I'm not a thing doer.
And what was this thing I did?
I left the house! That in itself is quite an accomplishment.
OK, here's the scoop. I've been wanting a new washing machine for a few months now. My old one is about ten years old, and it still works reasonably well. It needs some repairs -- like a new belt-- but it gets the clothes clean. Mostly. But I've gotten it into my head that I want a front loading washer. They're supposed to use less water, and my water bill has gotten outrageous here lately. And these days, anything I can do to save money...
I've been saying for weeks that I'm going to go up to Lowe's just to look at washers, but the football schedule has never cooperated.
What? Doesn't everybody live their lives around the football schedule? No? Huh...who'da thunk it.
Anyway, this week, Navy has the bye, and LSU and Texas don't play until 6:30. Yes, at the same time -- again. So this morning, I got dressed and drove up to Batesville. I didn't get a washing machine, but I was able to look at them, and kind of get a better idea of what I want.
While I was up there, I ran into the Walmart, since theirs sometimes has stuff ours doesn't. I'm looking for a gravy boat, but they didn't have one, either. I ended up ordering one from Amazon. What I did find was.....new mixing bowls!
I've never had real serving spoons before!
Don't envy me my exciting life.
Cody has hinted that he might bring Brennan here for Thanksgiving, so I wanted to have at least the same spoons in --well, most of my dishes at least. We're still going to eat on paper plates, though. I know some people like to set a fancy table, but me, I'd rather spent time with my family than washing dishes.
I'm hoping they'll stay long enough to help me with the Christmas tree, at least getting started on it. I'm not too sure how this cat is going to react to a Christmas tree. I don't think Mr. Clark ever put one up after Mrs. Clark passed away. I've already said I'm not going to put any breakable ornaments on it, just to be on the safe side. Squeaky never bothered the tree, though she did like to nap amongst the presents. I'll have to see how the cat handles, those, too.
Speaking of presents, I am just about done with my shopping. My sister's family is taken care of, and I ordered my brother's family's gifts today. My younger brother and his wife's gifts are ready. I'll just have to get them organized and mailed. I still need to shop for Cody and Brennan, and get James a little something, then I'll be done.
Last night, I was looking for something to knit on. I'd put a few squares into my blanket, and needed a little variety. In the front closet, I found this old project I'd forgotten about.
It looks like mice got into it and tangled the yarn up. On closer inspection, I didn't see any spots where it looks like they'd actually cut the yarn. I spent most of this afternoon watching Cheesy Hallmark Movies and untangling yarn barf. There is something very therapeutic about untangling yarn. Even lace weight silk.
Speaking of cheesy Hallmark movies, it looks like my town is trying to look like one:
They are going to have the tree lighting on December 4. I went last year, and it was nice, but it looks like they're going to go all out this time.
Now, if you'll excuse me, the game has started, and I need my computer to watch one of the three games I want to see.
Laters....
Thursday, November 11, 2021
Another Inventory
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Three Things
1. On the 10th day of November, my mailbox brought to me...three packs of wax beads, two metallic markers, and a pack of Christmas washi tape.
Admit it, you sang it...or was it just me? Anyway, I'm about to get started on my Christmas cards over the next few weeks, so if you want a card, make sure I have your address. I'm serious. Even if I only know you from social media, I'll be happy to add you to my list.
Well, today one of the IT guys, with whom I've done inventory before, came out to the shop floor and told me the guy who is going to be our chieftain is brand new to the plant. He's been working out there for less than two months. He didn't even know what Sheet Metal was....Oh, boy. The IT guy was hoping we -- meaning the card writers-- could teach him how to fill out the cards.
Monday, November 08, 2021
Houston, We Have A Problem
Here, I haven't even used up all the stationery I have, and what did I do? I went and bought a new set.
Plus, it seems to be better paper. The other stuff I have is kind of slick, so it's easy to smear the ink when you write on it. This feels more like regular paper. Now that I have a bunch of new writing paper, it looks like I'm going to have to reactivate my account on the Global Penfriends site, because I'm down to one pen pal. All the rest have stopped writing.
In other news, I did rip that scarf back out, and started over. I got this far,
and decided I didn't like the way it was knitting up either, so I've set it aside for now, and picked up the sock yarn blanket. I'm going to take you a progress photo soon, once I've gotten a few more rows done on each. I'll figure out what to do with the rest of the Jumbo Stripes later. It made a nice looking hat, so I may knit a few more of those.
Now for some good news. We did get off at 2:00 today, but Supervisor said it would be a day to day thing, depending on how far ahead of the lines we are. I don't like not knowing ahead of time, but it is what it is.
I'm telling you one thing, the fog was wicked thick here this morning. It was so thick, I couldn't even see to the end of my headlights, and had to crawl down the highway at some 40 MPH, but I finally made it safely to work. Once I got there, I felt the need to post a caution:
I'm not saying the fog is thick out there, but if you're hiding in a lighthouse, do not go outside.
I'm not sure how many of my friends got the reference...
Speaking of work, this is inventory week, so most of the plant will get a very long weekend. Those of us working inventory will still get a long weekend, and even though doing inventory can be a pain in the butt, it's still a lot like getting free money. I think the most annoying thing is having to wait so long once you're done before you can go home, but that's part of it.
One year, we had a new production manager, and he decided we weren't going to just sit around once we were done. We were going to clean up. That didn't last long. I honestly don't think he realized how very long we had to wait between finishing and getting to leave. Maybe he thought it would be 30 minutes or so, not 6-7 hours. Which is what it is -- or was back then. One year, we had to stay so late, they bought us supper. I couldn't see that happening under the current management.
Oh, I haven't told you about our new HR director, have I? She's a real peach, she is. I don't even know her real name. We just call her Karen, and it totally fits her. She's got the attitude. She's got the personality. She's even got the Karen hair cut. Seriously, were do they find these people?
I don't see her lasting long out there, either. None of us will miss her.