Still Here

Just a quick check in to let you all know I'm still here.  I've had stuff to say, but things have been so hectic at work these last few days, I just haven't felt like talking -- even in blog form.   It's about to get worse, too, because as of Monday, all the brazers are going to be on 12 hour shifts.  

Supervisor had all of us in a big Come To Jesus meeting, and I'm telling you, I've never seen him yelling like that.  He said there's too much standing around talking and too much cell phone usage, and we're going to stay on 12 hours until we get our numbers up.  

If there was one thing -- just one -- that I could make them understand, it would be that we can't braze parts we don't have.  Even today, while he was yelling at the brazers, the buggies where they put the orders that are ready to be brazed were slap empty.  

The second problem is that the people those meetings are directed to never see themselves as the problem.  That one brazer who spends literally all day on her phone went right back to her phone.  The one we call Mouth, because she does nothing but sit on her table running her mouth all day, went right back to sitting on her table running her mouth.  

Things got even worse after lunch because one of the brazers had to leave due to a family emergency, Mouth got mad because how dare they expect her to work, so she left.  And Demi-god left because he was tired and wanted to go home to take a nap.  

I can neither confirm nor deny that someone who may or may not have been me was heard to mutter, "I wish my uncle was my supervisor so he could make my points disappear."  Someone who was definitely me also said, "He's got that Big Daddy sticker on the back of his truck.  He needs to change that to Big Baby."  

The really funny thing was, sometime after lunch Demi-god's daddy was up in sub-brazing stomping  and hooting and hollering because his line didn't have any headers, and someone who may or may not have been me was heard to mutter, "Maybe if your baby boy hadn't gone home to take a nap, we wouldn't be in this fix."  Which is only partly true, because whether Demi-god is there or not, we still can't braze parts we don't have.  

All that to say, don't expect regular posting for the foreseeable future, because I'm tired.  I'm so tired that this morning, I thought this perfume was a Doctor Strange cloak ornament. 

On a positive note, some of my sunflowers are almost as tall as the house.  

But for now, you'll have to excuse me.  I'm going to bed. 

A Different Kind Of Memorial Day

This has been a different kind of Memorial Day weekend, and it all started Sunday night with the National Memorial Day concert, which I never miss.  At the same time, I knew there was a massive weather outbreak going on up North, so after the concert, I turned on Ryan Hall, Y'all on the TV, and Reed Timmer on the computer. 

I was glad that Monday was a holiday so I could stay up for the whole thing, but alas, I didn't make it past 11:30.  I'd already gone to bed and was watching Ryan on my Kindle -- Reed having already ended his livestream -- and I said, "That's it for me," and I turned the stream off and went to sleep.  I woke up the next morning, and it didn't appear that we'd gotten any rain here, but at least we didn't get tornadoes, so that's good.  Even so, there were a lot of warnings issued for Saturday and Sunday. 

These aren't confirmed tornadoes; just warnings which can sometimes be issued when the radar indicates rotation, even though there isn't actually a tornado or even a funnel cloud.  It'll take weeks before they can confirm the number of tornadoes that touched down. 

Monday was a bit of a different kind of Memorial Day, mainly in that I didn't watch my traditional Memorial Day movies.  I have this list that I watch year after year, but for some reason, this year I just wasn't feeling it.  

The only movie I wanted to watch was We Were Soldiers, so I did.  Then I watched Taking Chance, because it needed to be watched.  About halfway through, I got a wild hair and really, really wanted to watch Memphis Belle -- the one with Matthew Modine, Harry Connick Jr., and Sean Astin.  Since I don't have that one in hard copy, I hopped onto Amazon and bought the digital version.  I'm telling you, I'd forgotten how good that movie is.  I'm glad I watched it. 

While I was watching, I finished a washcloth. 

I think I used too tight a gauge, because I used it when I took my shower last night, and it was stiff as a board.  I'm hoping it loosens up after I've washed and dried it a few times.  It's Peaches & Creme in Forest Green, and knit with size 6 needles. 

And of course, you know me.  I had to cast on another hat.  

It is Red Heart Supersaver in Mexicana colorway.  I've knit a hat in this color before, and can do at least two more (counting this one) out of the one skein of yarn I bought. 

All too soon, my weekend was over and it was back to work way too early this morning.  I had to laugh at Demi-god, because he said, "Somebody got my [rolling] table!  Why would they do that?  Everybody's got one!" 

I said, "Just wait until second shift starts back up.  The first thing you'll have to do every single morning is to track down all your stuff!" 

And finally, do you remember at my last physical, my A1-C was a bit high?  The doc said he was going to set me up with a diabetes educator, and later that afternoon someone from Diabetes Solutions called me.  He described the program and said my insurance would cover the cost 100%, so there was absolutely no cost to me. 

I said that sounded great to me, so he enrolled me and about a week later the lady who was going to be my coach called me.  There were a couple o hiccups, but the information packet she was going to send finally arrived and today was to be our first Zoom meeting -- which I wasn't thrilled about, but it is what it is. 

Alas, the very first page was telling me that I would need to sign a consent form to participate in the study.  Wait what?  Nobody told me it was going to be a study!  I thought it was just an online clinic, like Better Help or Doctor On Demand or something like that.  I had no idea it was a study.

I asked my coach if the study was mandatory, because I didn't want to do it.  She said it was in order to receive their services.  I told her that nobody told me it was going to be a study, and if I had known, I'd have never agreed to this.  

She replied that all non-profits are required to submit data in order to show their program is working and to receive funding.  

Wait, again...it's a non-profit?  Nobody told me that either, that it's a non-profit.  And if they're getting funding from somewhere else, why are they charging my insurance?  It all felt very manipulative and kind of creepy, so I said I didn't want to participate, and next time they should be up front about the nature of their organization and all.  

I don't think it would have been a good fit for me anyway, because after perusing the materials they sent, it seems to be very time consuming and intrusive.  What with the way the plant works us like dogs, I doubt I'd have been able to stick with it for the entire two year study -- even if I had wanted to do it.  Which I didn't.  

So, now I've got to find some other resource, and a chewing out from my doctor to look forward to.  

Fun time, fun times. 

Day Of Rest

It's been so nice just lazing around the house today, knowing I don't have to be getting ready for bed at 6:00 PM.  I still had a hard time shaking the feeling that I needed to be rushing through everything I was doing -- which wasn't much actually.  Other than changing my sheets and doing a few odds and ends, I didn't really do much of anything.

I finally finished knitting this hat, which has been on the back burner while I knit myself a couple of new washcloths. 

I haven't cast on a new one yet, but you know me.  I can't stay away from the hats for long. 

I did take a few moments to clean Slider's tank, despite how the glass looks.

That just leaves Sunset and Blaze to go.  They'll have to wait, though, because I just fed them and they'll need a few days to digest their food. 

In other news, yesterday after I'd posted, I started grinding and bottling some of this year's herbs. 

That's all I have so far.  I'm going to have to buy some more of those little jars before I do any more.  I'm going to put some of the same type of labels on as I'd made last year, but have decided to go with a smaller size.  I had to order them, because Walmart didn't have any smaller than 2".  By the way, I'd dumped out the Purple Deadnettle I'd previously dried.  I was going to try to use it somehow, but just couldn't get over the fact that it smells and tastes like dirt.  

As for what I'm reading, I finished that Tithe book I'd started.  It was a pretty easy read, but there was nothing new or original about it.  It felt like the author put Hugh Howey's Wool series and The Hunger Games into a blender, then threw in a dash of Divergent for flavor, and this is what came out.  It was the same old typical post - apocalyptic dystopian novel in which the main character is a spoiled, selfish, headstrong, narcissistic teenage girl -- only this one is 18 instead of 17.  There is even the love triangle that is so prevalent in these types of books.  It wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't great.  Let's just say, I'm not going to rush out and buy the second one. 

Speaking of buying, I finally broke down and bought the last book in the Matched trilogy, Reached.  

I'd been waiting for them to mark it down or put it on Daily Deal, but finally came to the conclusion that they weren't going to do that.  I'll have to re-read the first two because it's been so long I don't even remember the story.  

And finally, I recorded a short vlog for you -- mainly to try out my new microphone and selfie-stick.  It's completely raw video, because I don't have any editing software.  My vlogs aren't nearly popular enough to make editing worth the time.  Anyway, I hope you enjoy this little trip around my yard.   

Calm Down, Y'all

First of all, let me just say calm down everybody.  When I said everyone at work was mad at me, I was being facetious.  Nobody was really mad.  I mean, people were frustrated that they thought they'd had a day off when they didn't, but they weren't mad at me.  

Lack of communication is par for the course out there, and if it's anyone's fault, blame Supervisor.  If he knew he wanted all the brazers to come in today, he should have communicated that to Group Leader Shark.  If he'd done that, there wouldn't have been a problem at all.  

Even so, he let the brazers leave at 8:00, and Group Leader Shark announced it loudly and clearly, where everybody could hear it -- just so there won't be any misunderstandings, she said.  And I muttered, "If she'd done that yesterday, we wouldn't have even been in this mess."

Anyway, I was able to run home, change into a clean shirt, and whiz on down to the Farmer's Market on the square.  Unfortunately, the lady didn't have any salsa yet.  She's still waiting on her tomatoes, so it'll be a few weeks before she gets some made.  I told her what Brennan had said about it being the best salsa she'd ever had, and the lady was so tickled, I thought she was going to pop. 

There wasn't much else up there, but it's still pretty early in the season.  I bought some tea cakes, and picked up a book out of the Little Free Library. 

Once I've read it, I'll probably take it back, so someone else can enjoy it.  

After that, I came home and mostly watched TV and knit the rest of the day.  I did get Onyx's tank cleaned out, which was desperately needed. 

It was a bit bittersweet knowing it'll probably be the last time.  He'll be 20 years old in July, which is absolutely ancient for a snake.  Sunny and Slider are the same age, and Blaze is 19.  It won't be much longer....

In other news, I was going to record a song for you, but there is this one section that I just can't get right. It's only about 4 measures long, but my brain totally forgets what it's supposed to be doing.  I've got the rest of the song down pretty well, but that one section gets me every time. 

The last thing I did of significance was to get my missing man place set up and ready for the weekend. 
 

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got movies to watch and knitting to...knit. 

Laters

P.S.  I found my sockets!  I just haven't fixed my lawnmower.  Too lazy this weekend. 

Everybody Is Mad

Everybody at work is mad at me.  

And the reason they're mad is as follows.  As you know, they'd posted that everyone was going to have to work this weekend, but sometime after lunch they announced that all of the lines would be off.  What about component areas, though?  I didn't know.  I'd assumed we were still working.

A little while later, I was taking some finished work over to the line and I saw Group Leader Shark talking to the other brazers.  I walked over to the crowd and said, "What did you say?"  Group Leader Shark -- other than giving me a look of irritation -- basically ignored me. I asked her several times what she had said, what she was talking about, what was going on, but never got an answer.  All I heard her say was, "I'll have to decide."  

That was the last I heard from her.  One of the other brazers kept asking me, "Are you working tomorrow?"  And I said, "I don't know.  Group Leader Shark hasn't told me anything."  Well, Group Leader Shark left at 2:30, but had never said anything to anyone about working tomorrow, except to one person.  She said that Group Leader Shark had said that unless she approached you, you didn't have to work, but because I hadn't heard her say that, I wanted to be sure.  I found Supervisor and asked him, "Are the sub-brazers working tomorrow or not?"  

He said, "Yeah, everybody is working."  He walked over to the sub-brazing area and said, "I know other things have been said, but I'm telling you everyone is working tomorrow."  Now they're all mad at me, because they thought they were going to have a long weekend and now they have to work, but hey, I wasn't going to risk my holiday pay just because Group Leader Shark can't communicate.  

I told Supervisor, "If I have to come in tomorrow, there had better be some work for me to do."  I don't really know why there would be.  We haven't had work all week long.  Seriously.  A few days ago, I logged three hours and fifteen minutes of down time because tubing didn't have anything ready for us to braze.   

I had to laugh at Demi-god, though. He came up to me and said "I thought second shift was supposed to be coming in and making us parts so we’d have something to do."   

I laughed and said "Welcome to day shift!"  

Anyway, I bit the bullet and went to Walmart this evening even though I knew it would be a madhouse.  Friday before a holiday weekend, you know.  That way, when I get off tomorrow, I can come home and collapse for the rest of the weekend.  I'll still need to find my sockets and fix my lawnmower, but other than that, I plan on sleeping, watching my Memorial Day movies, knitting, and doing as much nothing as possible. 

But for now, I need to practice my piano a bit, then go to bed because some of us still have to work tomorrow. 

Laters. 

Stormy Day

 It's been a stormy day here, in more ways than one.  I'm talking about actual thunderstorms that started sometime during the night last night. I'd already gone to bed and the thunder woke me up around 8:00 or 8:30ish.  

I got up and let the cat in, then went back to bed and slept through what appears to be quite the windstorm.  There were branches and leaves down all over the place when I headed out to work this morning.  During the day, it stormed some more and at one point it got so dark, it looked like nighttime outside. 

Those storms passed eventually, and it was sunny by the time we got off.  I briefly considered going to Walmart today instead of tomorrow to avoid the pre-holiday weekend crowds, but I was so tired I decided there was nothing I absolutely had to have that can't wait until....Tuesday or so.  I don't know.  Maybe I'll go Saturday since we do have to work that day. 

There were other storms going on, mostly in my mind because I'm still so angry over that man cutting my back yard.  This is where I'm struggling, because part of me feels I shouldn't be this angry over clover and grass,  yet I am angry.  The other part of me realizes deep down in side, it isn't about grass.  It's about someone coming onto my private property without permission and taking it upon himself to decide that my yard needed to be cut, especially the back since I'd told him last time NOT to cut it.  I mean, who does that?   

I was telling a coworker about it today and got so worked up, she put her hands up and backed away, but I just couldn't help but seething about it still.    I know I'll eventually calm down, and the clover has already started to re-grow, but for now, I'm angry and dumfounded that someone would do such a thing. 

In better news, I've got two new sunflowers blooming, both in the back yard.

I'm not sure what variety this one is.   The Seek app says it's a Mexican Sunflower, but I don't really know. 

and this one is a Red Sun sunflower.  

Oh, and now that it's got some true leaves, I can see this mystery seedling is another Cosmos.

Still no apple seedlings, but I'm not disappointed.  The site I read says they have a very low germination rate. 

So, while I was writing this post, there came a ring at my back door.   I went to answer and it was the man's aunt, who lives a couple of houses down.  She had come to tell me it was her nephew who had cut my grass.  I told her I was angry about it, and she said, "Angry?" with a look of surprise.  I explained that it wouldn't have been a problem if he'd just checked with me first, and that the reason I was angry was because there was stuff in the back that I didn't want cut, and he wouldn't have known what it was, which was why I had told him not to cut it last time.  

I said, "I don't want to sound like the neighborhood Karen, but please, please, please CHECK with me first before he does it again."  She said, "Well, he won't be back."  I said, "I appreciate the thought, but I really do enjoy taking care of my own yard," which elicited a "You do?" response from her.  I emphasized again that I appreciated that he meant well, but please check with me before he cuts it again. She repeated that he wouldn't be back, and I hope I didn't sound like a total witch about it. 

And finally, word around the plant is that they're going to completely change the whole layout again, and put it back the way it was before Nadir messed it all up five or so years ago.  That means all assembly lines will be moving back up to the front part of the plant -- with us...where it's hot.  

But ain't that the way of  that place?  They spend $12-15 million changing it all up, and now they want to change it back.  It won't happen overnight, though.  It'll take time to draw up the plans and get the funding approved, but eventually they'll put it all back. 

I'll have more on that later.  Now, I need to get something to eat, then practice my piano. 

Livid

Well, I had a completely different post all planned out for you today.  I was going to talk about stuff that's going on at work and changes they're talking about making, and how what is the point of going in at 4:00 if we still have to stand around for three hours with no work to do, and how they're making us work this weekend and they can't even give us a holiday weekend.

But all that went out the window when I got home and saw that someone had come and cut my grass. 

Without even asking me first.  Why would you do such a thing?????

It was the same guy I let cut it a couple of weeks ago -- and I know it was because he left me a note, then shut my broken storm door all the way so I almost couldn't even get into my house --but I'd told him then that it was just going to be that one time, and just because my lawn mower was broken.  I never told him to come cut it again.  

Not only that, I'd specifically told him NOT to cut the back yard, but for some reason, he took it upon himself to cut my back yard anyway.  WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT???? Especially after I'd told you not to????

All my beautiful clover that I'd been saving for the bees and the deer....gone!

My little yellow flowers that I'd loved so much, and the purple ones that were just beginning to bloom...gone!  

My patch of plantain that I was so tenderly nurturing.  Even the dandelion patch I'd worked so hard to get to flourish...skint to the ground. 

I'm both furious and heartsick, and I don't even know what to do.  

Part of me wants to file criminal trespassing charges against him, but another part of me thinks that is taking things a bit too far.  I probably shouldn't be so angry over this, but I am.  This is my private property, and it's been violated.  

I know one thing, though.  He'd better not expect me to pay him.  

Because that ain't going to happen. 

Personal Organizer

 I think I need a personal organizer. 

Not for my stuff.  It's pretty well organized -- except for that one room, that is.  

No, I need a personal organizer for all the stuff I need to get done.  Oh, I have good intentions.  I'll be standing there at work thinking to myself, "When I get off, I'm going to call the surveyor.  I'm going to call the landscaper.  I'm going to call the fence people.  I'm going to do so much stuff."  

But when I get home, I'm so hot and tired, all I really want to do is sit.  Just sit.  

I did the same thing today.  I had every intention of at least calling the surveyor, since everything I need done depends on knowing exactly where my property lines are, but here it sit.  In front of the TV.  Doing nothing. 

If only I had someone like a personal organizer who could get all of this...stuff...organized for me, I might be able to get some of it done. 

OK, moving right along.  Yesterday I got out my new piano book and started looking through it, and lo and behold, I discovered it has QR codes.  

You can scan the one on each page of the book, and it takes you to a video lesson of what is on that page. 

They also have what they call play along audio, that you can play the piece with the instructor, but you can adjust the speed faster or slower as needed.  I almost wish I'd found this course first, but of course, I've already bought all three books of the Alfred's, so I'm going to keep plugging away at it as well. 

In fact, I'm almost ready to record a couple of songs for you.  Maybe I can get to that this weekend.  

And finally, a little sad news.  Cody had to lay his beloved ball python Monty to rest today. 

He's had him since he was 12, so the snake had lived a good, long life.  

All of mine are still kicking.  

So to speak. 

They're snakes.  

They don't have feet.   

To kick with...

I think that means it's time for me to get ready for bed. 

G'night.  

It's That Time Again

 It's that time again!

"And what time is that?" you may ask.

Well, I'll tell you.  It's that time of year when I start complaining about how tired I am.   I know, I know, you're tired of hearing about how tired I am, but it's my blog and I'll post what I want.  It's about to get even worse, because Group Leader Shark told us to start coming back in at 4:00 AM tomorrow.  

She said, "If these other departments can get all that overtime, we are too!"  But I don't want that much overtime.  Ten hours a day of my life is enough.  Alas, I'm not one of the privileged ones who gets to pick and choose which hours I want to work, so I have to work all the overtime.   

Heh, they drive us into the ground like dogs, then can't figure out why these young people don't want to work there. 

Oh, I forgot to tell you, I finished reading The Merry Wives Of Windsor, and I think it might be my new favorite -- or at least it's closely vying with The Comedy Of Errors.  I found a really good production of it on YouTube, too.   The man who plays Falstaff is spot on.  That channel has other Shakespeare plays that I'll have to check out, too.  Next up is Much Ado About Nothing, but I'm taking a quick break to read a YA dystopian novel called Tithe, by Clare Vale.   

So far, it's your typical YA Dystopian novel about a teenage girl -- only this one is 18 instead of 17-- in a post apocalyptic world.  I'm only on chapter 4, so I'll have to let you know how it goes. 

In other news, I'd intended to come home and fix my lawnmower yesterday after work, but I couldn't find my ratchet set.  Not that I looked very hard, because I was tired and didn't really want to do it anyway.  But while I was looking, I found something else I needed.

But first, you need a bit of back story.  A couple of years ago, I bought some mums to put onto my front porch.  That they're still alive is amazing in the first place, especially this one.  

The pot I'd put it into has absolutely no drainage whatsoever.  When it rains, the pot just fills up with water.  I'll put it onto the front porch to let it dry out, and somehow the plant survives.  Well, when I was looking for my rachets, I found this pot in the shed.  I think it was left behind by the previous owners.  Or else, it's one Beverly and James gave me when they moved.  I don't remember.  

The most important thing is, it has drainage holes!  This morning, I got out and re-potted the poor mum, so it should do OK now.    

I hope.  You can see the one behind it in the orange pot is so much healthier.  I bought it at the same time.  That's how important proper drainage is.  

On a similar note, remember last week when I planted some apple seeds in these cups?  Do you see what I see?

Something is growing in one of them.  We'll have to wait and see if it's an apple seedling or just one of the Cosmos seeds that suddenly decided to grow. I'll be sure to let you know. 

About the only other thing I've done this weekend was to cut and start drying some of my newer herbs.  I've got a pretty good system going, I think.   After I've cut and washed the herbs, I used old hangers to hang them in the closet in Cody's room until they're ready to be ground and bottled. 

I was trying to color code the tags -- green for mint, yellow for my lemon flavored things, and white for savory herbs -- but I ran out of both green and yellow tags.  I had to use the orange ones, but no matter.  It still works.  

Thor's Day

Man, I thought we'd have Loki vanquished from the plant, but after all these years, he's back with his typical Thor's Day Mayhem.  Today has been one of those crazy days -- not so much that things were going wrong, but it was just hectic.  It would help if we had brazers who would actually work, but of the four new ones they've sent up over the last couple of months, the only one who is worth a flip is Demi-god.  I know he's got a bit of an arrogant attitude, but he is a really good worker.  The other three, not so much.  Not at all, really.  One plays on her phone all day, one sits all day, and the other just stands there staring off into space...  I doubt any of them do much more than 100 headers per day, which is less than half of what we're supposed to be doing.  

By the way, I don't understand how these people play on their phones all day.  Even in the break area, I spend most of my lunch break with my phone looking like this:  

On a similar note, I got the skinny on the issue with Not Cuz yesterday.  I asked one of the brazers who was actually over there where the whole thing went down.  She said they thought he was just joking.  She told me he'd walked by and asked, "What are y'all doing?"  

She said, "We're going home because it's 3:00!"  

He said, "Who told you you could go home at 3:00?"  and she said, "Group Leader Shark and whoever told her!"  Then he said, "Are all the lines where they need to be?" and she replied, "I don't know!" 

He went to check in the computer and came back yelling, "Who brazes for lines 1 & 6?"  Someone else said, "Everybody!" and that's when he said, "Then everybody has to stay!"  

We informed him that he has to give us 24 hours notice, and that's all of the conversation I heard.  But the other brazer told me this morning that Not Cuz was saying that he wants each brazer to be assigned to a specific line.  Only we've already done that and it didn't work nearly as well as the system we have now -- which is that the first available brazer gets whichever order is needed next.  

It may not be perfect, but it works.

Shortly after the shift started, someone started a rumor that they're changing our point system for absences.  Given that the source of that rumor isn't the most reliable, all we were doing was wanting some clarification, but nobody seemed to know what was going on.  One of the brazers stopped Cuz and asked him, but he tossed such a word salad at her that she asked him, "Are you even listening to what I said?"  At least he was honest when he replied, "Not really."  He had a meeting to go to, he said.

So another brazer stopped Not Cuz and asked him about the rumored changes, and he got smart with her.  "Don't get any points and you won't have to worry about it," he said. 

OK, moving right along...we're getting lots of new people out there, some of whom have worked there before.  I had got to the reading room, and when I came out, a tall, blond woman was talking to the brazer who works beside me.  

As I walked up, the brazer said, "Do you remember her?" meaning the blond woman.  "Nooooo,"  I said. 

The woman said, "I remember you from when you worked in fin press."  

"I never worked in fin press," I replied.  

"Well, the autobrazer," she said, only I'd never worked on the autobrazer, either.  "The assembly line" she tried again.  Nope, and by this time, I'm wondering who in the world she'd gotten me mixed up with, because the only time I worked on the line is when they had the brazers on the lines.  

After she walked away, the other brazer said, "I don't remember her from a hole in the wall."  

"Me, neither,"  I said, but somehow, she remembered us.  Or so she said. 

And finally, I'm taking a bit of a break from knitting hats to knit myself some new wash cloths.  

My old ones were starting to get pretty ragged around the edges, so it was time. 

And now, it's time for bed. 

G'night, all.  

That There

Well, well, well, look what we have here. 

Do you know what that is?  That there is a bluebonnet.  In my herb garden.  Where it will live out its days unmolested.  Maybe I'll even get a bloom, since none of the others have done anything. 

Not much else going on today.  We were at work, after an interminably long day, already lined up at the time clock at 2:58:30 when the production manager known as...well, I'd better not say.  Let's just call him Not Cuz.  As I said, we were already at the time clock when Not Cuz came storming into the department hollering, "Everybody has to stay!"  

Some of us reminded him that company policy states that they have to give us 24 hours notice for overtime to be mandatory, and he was  not  happy about that. I'm sure there will be some sort of retaliatory action on his part tomorrow, but he'll get over it.   I mean, people have to make child care arrangements, and the quickest way to show your employees that you don't give a rip about them is not to give a rip about their kids. 

Been there, done that. 

So anyway, I feel like I'm going to be walking into the lion's den tomorrow, so I'm taking it a bit easy tonight. 

Laters...

Hooting And Hollering

 Well, that's it.  Not only are we working this Saturday, but starting tomorrow, everyone in the plant has to stay until 3:00.  Oh, you should have heard the hooting and hollering that went on when Group Leader Shark told us that.  

Now, before I continue, let me just say I know how difficult it is when you have small children and they're constantly changing your work hours.  I've been there and done that, so I feel for those who are dealing with suddenly having to make new child care arrangements on such short notice.  I can remember back in the day telling a production manager that I couldn't come in at 5:00 AM because the day care Cody was in didn't open until 6:30, and that production manager shrugging and saying, "That's not my problem."

And they can't figure out why no one wants to work there.  

Even so, this is nothing new.  It happens every single year, and every single year, people act like it's the first time they've ever been asked to work overtime.  As the meeting was breaking up, I walked away muttering, "Y'all stop acting like you've never worked here before!"  Group Leader Shark heard me and said, "That's just what I was thinking."  For what it's worth, I don't like it either -- I told GLS, "I just want some consistency!"  She told me to keep dreaming -- but we ought to be accustomed to it by now.   The bright side is, we're now going in at 5:00 instead of 4:00.  I like that part of it -- not having to get up at 2:30.  

By the way, neither of the two new girls were there today.  We can't wait to see how they act when they find out they've got to stay until 3:00.  They've got to be close to pointing out already.  

When I got home, I decided it was time to take the last four seedlings from my mini greenhouse tray and put them into intermediate pots until I decide what to do with them.  And to see if they survive.  I've put them into the cage with Marty Mac for the time being.  

I had also planted a second variety of Cosmos called Dwarf Cutsey, but this is the only one that germinated. 

It got moved into its permanent home, which is the pot once inhabited by my now deceased purple basil. 

I was going to try out my new microphones this afternoon, but a pretty good storm rolled through, so that'll have to wait.  

I'm a bit bummed that we have to work Saturday, because the local farmer's market opens that day.  I was going to get Brennan some more of that salsa she's been going on and on about.  I hope we get at least one more Saturday off while the farmer's market is still going on so I can also get some fresh, locally grown tomatoes.  I loves me some 'mater sammiches. 

And finally, I reactivated my BritBox account -- at least temporarily.  I have three seasons of Vera to catch up on.  

Impulses and Seeds

I hope I didn't make a mistake and jump the gun a bit.  See, I'd been hardening off my new plants over the last few days, and I'd been leaving them out until around 4:00 PM.  They seemed to be doing fine, so this afternoon, I went ahead and planted them into their permanent homes.  

Now my little raised bed herb gardens are complete.  In this section we have Lemon Thyme, Greek Oregano, Orange Mint, and Sweet Mint.

In this section, Lemon Verbena, Lemon Balm, Peppermint, and Italian Parsley.

And in this section, we have Cilantro, Rosemary, French Tarragon, and Sweet Basil. 

That's all the herbs I'm going to have this year.  

By the way, apparently I have the gene that makes you not like Cilantro.  I'd let Brennan cut some to take to her bearded dragon -- and for them to eat themselves if they want-- and while we were doing that, I asked her if it smelled OK to her, because it smells like stinkbugs to me.  She smelled it and said it was OK, so this afternoon, when I was cutting some to dry on impulse, I tasted some and nope, it tasted as bad as it smelled.  I'll be saving that for the kids. 

Then I told her to get some sweet basil, too, and she was like, not sure how to cut it, so I said, "Do you want me to do it?"  She handed me the scissors and I whacked a couple of big sprigs of it, and she said, "OH!"  I guess she doesn't realize how aggressively you can harvest herbs.  

By the way, they'd come to cook me dinner for Mother's Day, which is why they were here cutting herbs.  Cody made something he called pasta jambalaya -- which is like regular jambalaya, but made with spaghetti instead of rice.  It was really, really good, and I enjoyed visiting with the kids, even though they didn't stay long.  

In other, somewhat related news, this sunflower has a couple of buds on it now. 

As does this one. 

There had to be at least four different varieties of seeds in those little packets they were handing out.  I'm going to try to save some and plant them again next year. 

Speaking of seeds, I've been able to collect a few from my Bachelor's Button. 

I'm only getting them from the plant nearest the carport -- the one that's so big and bushy.  I want the ones in the actual flower bed to seed where they are.  I'd put little baggies around some of the wilting blooms, but then I accidentally figured out I could just kind of roll them between my fingers and the seeds would fall out by themselves.  I figure by the time this plant dies back, I ought to have a good bit of seeds there. 

In other news, I'm not sure what I was thinking, but a week or so ago one of the piano teachers I follow on YouTube made a video about how to thrive as a self-taught student.  In the video, he recommended getting a good course book, and suggested two that he really liked.  One is the Alfred's All-In-One that I'm already doing, and the other is called Adult Piano Adventures.  

I don't know why, because I'm not usually one given to impulsive purchases, but I went all the way back to a level one beginner book...and bought it. 

I haven't started yet, but will probably do so here in a little bit.  Meanwhile, I'm still working through the Alfred's Level 2 that I've been doing for what seems like forever now.   I have a piece I'm working on that I want to play for you, so I bought....this microphone for my phone. 

The piano teacher also recommended getting a phone mike to improve the quality of your recordings, and to be honest, I'd never liked the way my songs sounded when I videoed myself playing.  The tone didn't sound right.  It was harsh and brassy.  I'm hoping having these mikes will help.  Plus, if I ever get around to making more vlogs, they'll help with that. 

The last thing that arrived was my replacement lawnmower pull cord.  

I was going to come home and see if I could figure out how to replace it, but it's been raining off and on all day, so I'm putting that off until -- probably the weekend.  

And finally, I finally heard from the Diabetes Solutions place, and we have an appointment scheduled for next Wednesday.  Alas, it's going to be over Zoom, which I'm not thrilled about, but I guess it's better than having to show up in person.  

I'll let you know how it goes. 

Did You See Them?

Did you see them?  

Did you see the Northern Lights last night?  I totally wasn't expecting to be able to see them this far South, but on a whim I stepped outside -- just to check, you know -- and there they were!

I took these photos on my phone with a three second exposure. 

 Seeing the Aurora Borealis in person is something I'd always dreamed of, but never in a million years did I expect to actually get to do it.  What made it even more amazing is that as I was looking at them, I saw the International Space Station go over, too!  By the way, if you missed them, they're saying there's a good chance we may be able to see them again tonight, especially those of you farther North than me. 

On another whim, this morning, I got my eclipse glasses and tried to see the solar storm that has caused all this excitement, but I couldn't.  Maybe if I'd had something to magnify it, but I don't have a solar filter for my telescope.  

In other, less exciting news, I didn't find the right size cord for my lawnmower, so I had to order some from Amazon and hope it's the right size.  It's supposed to get here tomorrow, so we shall see. 

But I did get out and get my weed eater fixed.  That was pretty easy -- just two screws and two hoses.  Then I trimmed up all the weeds right in front of my flower beds, so they look a whole lot better. 

They'll look even better once the flowers are all in bloom.  So far, I've got two, plus a whole bunch of buds.

They're on one of the very first Cosmos I planted.  The others should  catch up soon.  I had to replace a couple that died, but they all are looking pretty good now.  I've still got a few left in the seed tray, just in case.    

Meanwhile, the sunflowers are starting to come on.

As is this Bachelor's Button.  

I've always had a bit of a soft spot for these plants.  I think it's because when I was little -- about 5 or 6 -- I wanted to try to grow some flowers, so my mother let me pick out some seeds.  I picked Bachelor's Buttons.  Alas, despite our best efforts, nothing grew.  That's why I'm so thrilled that these are coming back year after year.  

In less positive news, I've come to the conclusion that nothing I planted in these cups is going to grow, 

so I took a risk and planted some apple seeds in them instead.  I'd saved some from the apples I bought for the deer last fall, but everything I've read said that they can be difficult to grow from seed.  I'm of the attitude that if they grow, they grow.  If they don't, no big loss.  They'd have been for the wildlife anyway, since I'm not a big fan of apples. 

On a similar note, Cody's peppers are really taking off.  

The little tabasco even has flowers on it.  

I've been hardening off my new  plants I got from Burpee on the front porch, and today, I decided to put them into the raised beds where their permanent homes will be.  The lemon verbena and orange mint will go into this bed, 

and the French tarragon goes here. 

I'm going to harden them a few more days before planting them there, just to be on the safe side, but I'm pretty sure they're ready now.  

Well, Cody and Brennan are coming to cook me Mother's Day dinner tomorrow, so I guess I'd better get off of here and get the kitchen cleaned up.  Right now, they're in  Memphis for a wedding, and Cody told me the happy couple got to have a photo taken in front of the Aurora.  Now, that is a quite the souvenir!