Catching Up

 Yeah...

I'd meant to blog Friday, but I got out and mowed instead.  Once I was done with that, I didn't feel like blogging, so I meant to blog Saturday, but time just got away from me and I didn't.  Before I catch you up on what all has been going on with me in my dull, little life, I have some exciting news.

My sister messaged me Saturday and told me my oldest nephew is getting married in August, and the best part is the wedding is in Missouri!  What's so exciting about that, you may ask?  Well, I'll tell you.  It's not in Alaska!  I'm going to be able to go!  My sister said that neither of my brothers will be able to come, which is a bummer.  

Cody and Brennan are thinking about coming, too, but they're looking at flying, provided plane tickets aren't too expensive.  I'm going to drive, me.  It's only 7 1/2 hours, which is less than from here to Texas, and I won't have to rent a car once I get there, either.  I've already booked a hotel, so now the only issue is getting my supervisor to approve  my vacation day.  I may just skip that headache and call in for the day.  

See, this supervisor doesn't like to approve our vacation days.  Oh, he doesn't deny them.  He just lets them sit until the day is filled up -- because all the other supervisors approve their people's vacation days -- then tells us he can't give us the day because there are already too many people going to be off. 

That is a blatant violation of company policy, which is that vacation time is first come/first served.  I -- along with several other employees -- have explained to him numerous times why he needs to approve our days right away, and how it's not fair to me if I put in a day six months in advance but don't get it because he didn't approve it in time.  I've even talked to my production manager about it, but nothing has changed. 

He's always giving the same excuses;

I don't look that far ahead (well, you should)
I don't have access to a computer (which is a bald faced lie)
I was looking at the wrong calendar.

He even told one of my friends that he wasn't going to approve her day for a doctor appointment, because he thought she needed to use her FMLA instead.  But she wants to use her vacation so she'll get paid, so why should she have to use FMLA?  It should be her choice. 

This has gotten to the point that I honestly believe he is doing it on purpose, just so we won't be able to use our vacation time.  I have it on good authority that he has, or will very soon be, reported to the company's ethics hotline.  Of course, I couldn't tell you who reported him -- or soon will -- for fear that employee will be retaliated against -- which is also an ethics violation but happens all the time.  No matter how, the problem is going to be solved, one way or another. 

In brighter news, look what I have coming up in my front flower bed! 

It's one of my lantanas.  I thought that hard freeze had killed them all, but it looks like four of them survived.  Woo hoo!  

According to the Seek app, this is supposed to be fireweed, but I don't know for sure.  

I mowed most of them down, but left a couple just to see what they would do.  I know my sister makes fireweed jelly, and it's delicious, so if this is indeed fireweed, I may have use for those jelly jars after all.  I also mowed down my plantain patch, because the deer had eaten most of them anyway, and the clover patches, because they'd become overrun with weeds.  I'm not worried, they'll grow back. 

In less bright news, Cody and Brennan have been without electricity since Friday morning when those storms knocked it out.  I told them they were welcome to come up here any time they needed to, but they're sticking it out. We're all hoping it gets restored soon, because it's hot down here in the summer.  I'm glad when mine was out for 4 days that time, at least it was in the wintertime and I had plenty of firewood.  Plus, I could go to work, but Cody works from home, so he doesn't have anywhere to escape to.  They've just been driving around, window shopping for the most part. 

Speaking of weather, I got a letter from my Australian pen pal, and the Rolling Fork tornado made the news all the way over there.  I'm not quite sure how to feel about that.  It's kind of cool, but at the same time, but at the same time, not so cool that a weather event was so bad it made news halfway around the world. 

Well, it's been a month today since I cut my internet off, and I'm still alive.  I've switched to streaming exclusively from my phone, so Friday, I bought a little phone stand to put on my side table. 

There isn't anything on the screen right now, because I have it connected via HDMI cable to my TV, but a lot of times, I just don't feel like fooling with all that mess.  This way, I can prop it up and watch right there.  Oh, I've found the new Star Trek series Strange New Worlds on Prime for a limited time, so I've been binge watching it all weekend.  So far, it's pretty good. 

While I was doing all that TV watching, I finished a hat, 

and a headband. 

I've cast on another headband and hat, but this afternoon, I spent some time sewing the buttons on the headbands I've already completed, only I didn't take another photo.  I mean, they look just the same, except with buttons. 

I guess that's about all I have for today.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got strange new worlds to explore and knitting to ...um, knit while I do so.