I Did It!

I did it!  I actually slept past 3:30 this morning!  The cat actually let me!  

And I had the strangest dream.  I dreamed I was back in the Navy, in one of my schools.  We'd gone to lunch, and the place we went to took so long to bring us our food that we had to rush back to the base to be back in class on time.  As I was running into the building to go to class, I realized I didn't have my shoes and socks on.  

I ran back outside to see if they were still in my friend's truck, but he had already left, so I ran into the classroom knowing I'd get into trouble for being out of uniform, but I didn't know what else to do.  And I never even got to eat my lunch. 

Seriously, I slept until 5:00 then lay in bed another 30-ish minutes before the Incarnation of Evil came to yowl outside my bedroom door.  

I got up, fed her, then made myself a cup of coffee and sat savoring it and enjoying a quiet morning without having to rush off to work.  I didn't even turn on the TV until much later.  I just enjoyed the quiet. 

Sometime later, I went outside and did a little yard cleanup.  I don't know where that landscaper found his dirt guy -- that is, the guy he buys dirt from -- but he needs a new one.  The dirt he's put in my yard is full of all kinds of trash, from empty water bottles to broken bits of PVC sewer line, but mostly rocks.  Lots and lots of rocks. 

I've been trying to pick up the biggest ones, mostly so the lawnmower doesn't fling them into a window or something.  I've got the two little spots in the front yard mostly cleaned up, but I think I'm just going to have to live with all of these in the back.  The photo above was taken where my garden spot is going to be.  It's a good thing I'm planning on using raised beds, huh? 

A few days ago, right outside the back door, I found this bit of concrete sticking out. 

I managed to pull it up, but how do you spread a bunch of dirt and not even notice a huge chunk of concrete?  

And there were two of them, though I only took a photo of one.  I know one thing, I'm not going to be hiring this kid again.  He wasn't my first choice to begin with, but he is the only one who showed up. 

Anyway, I came back inside to cool off a bit -- we are under a heat advisory, you know -- and while doing so, I made the pesto.  I'm telling you, before I do this again, I really need to buy a food processor.  Come to think of it, I said that last time I made pesto, too.  I had to use my blender, and it just wasn't cutting it.  But we persevered and got her done, and the pesto tasted pretty good.  

This time, though, I had enough basil that I didn't have to use baby spinach to stretch it with, so that definitely made a difference.  Maybe next year, I'll plant the kind of basil you're supposed to use in pesto, instead of sweet basil.  We'll see. 

The recipe I used says pesto freezes well, so I laid some parchment paper on a cookie sheet and dolloped most of it out onto that, then froze it. Once it was good and solid, I put it into a freezer bag to save for later use.  I still have some in a container that I didn't freeze, to use right away.  

The only other major thing I did today was to mow the back yard, and again, the hardest part was getting the lawnmower to start.  I had given up and pushed the thing back into the shed-- threatening to throw the piece of garbage into the garbage -- when on a whim, I pulled the starter rope one last time.

And it caught...and started.  

I don't know what is doing that, because once it starts that first time, it starts again pretty easily.  But while I was fooling with it, I got the model number so I can buy that part I think will solve the problem.  

I only did the back yard, which desperately needed it, but it was too hot to do much more, and besides, there is still standing water in my front yard.  Still, the back yard looks so much better now.  I kid you not, in some spots the grass was nearly up to my waist.  The ruts left by the landscaper sure made things difficult, and there were some spots I couldn't get to at all with the mower.  

By the time I got done mowing, I was drenched in sweat, so I once again came inside to cool off, then tackled the weed eating -- which is so much easier with my new weed eater.   I got the spaces between the ruts as best I could, 

all along the fence line, 

and even cleaned up and weedeated around the chairs and fire pit.  

All on one battery, at that.  It looks so much better now!  I'm going to try to get to the front yard tomorrow evening if it's dry enough.  I think it might be, since the scattered showers have skipped all around us.  We'll just have to see. 

I eventually want to put a little patio under there, but that's going to have to wait until it cools off a bit.  Maybe in the fall.  Unless I hire someone to do it, but then there is that whole not showing up thing that's so prevalent in this town. 

And finally, just so this post isn't a total waste of your time, here is an early morning photo of my volunteer sunflower. 

Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go find something to eat with pesto...

Done!

 The deed is done.  It wasn't pleasant, but we persevered and got through it.  

You got it.  I took the cat to the vet and got her shots.  She was not happy about it and let me know all the way there.  Then she let everyone in the waiting room know.  Then she let me know all the way home....

But it's done for a year.  She's up to date on her vaccines -- yes, I know.  I'm such a mindless sheep to get my cat a rabies shot!  Oh the horror!  On the bright side, the vet positively exclaimed over how good she looks.  She's the picture of health, he said.   They also got her old records transferred to my account, and he told me they have her listed as four years old.  So, that's good.  I didn't even know how old she was.  Now, I do. 

In work news, I'm trying to figure out how Second Shift Slob managed to "electrocute" himself on something that doesn't even have electricity hooked up to it.   Even the maintenance men looked confused about that one... But that's what he told the first aid lady.  

By the way, you know I've been saying how they're bringing all of second shift to day shift?  They're converting a second line to be able to run air handler parts, and then they're going to completely shut down second shift, except for a few component areas.  For the last 4 or 5 weeks, we've been told "Monday is the day", only it never has been.  

Today, I asked Cuz about it, and he said the line is all ready to go.  They'd run some test units down it Friday, so now they're just waiting on final approval from The Big Man Up Front, which I'm sure they'll get.  After all, he had to approve the expenses of converting that line in the first place.  I guess maybe next time they say Monday is the day, it really will be. 

By the way, how do you know it's Fall in Mississippi?  ADP gets the air conditioners fixed.  It was so cold in there this morning, several of us had jackets on, and I was wishing I'd brought a hat.  

Speaking of hats, I got another one finished. 

I'd brought that one to work on at FFITS, but so many people were dissing Red Heart yarn that I started feeling a bit like white trash.  I eventually put it away and worked on a scarf that was stuffed in the bottom of my bag.

I met the most pathetic person there, at FFITS, I mean.  Seriously, how low does your self esteem have to be when you feel the need to one-up someone on how long it takes your hair to dry?  I'd never really paid attention, so when she asked, I said, "I don't know.  Five or six hours."  Then she told me it takes hers eight hours to dry.  Not only that, she said, "You have to braid yours.  I just put mine up in a messy bun and I'm done."   And that was all after she rather sneeringly told me that lots of people in Mississippi still use cash.  Because we're all just a bunch of uneducated, inbred, toothless hicks you know.  I started to pull out my card and make her pay the transaction fees, but I didn't.  

I'll tell you one thing, though, I won't buy from her ever again.  I walked away from her booth really feeling sorry for her.  Not sorry enough to let her keep abusing me that way, but sorry nonetheless. 

After I finished my hat, I cast on a sock with my new yarn.  I only got as far as the cuff when I set it aside.

I haven't decided yet if I want to do a patterned sock, or just a plain vanilla or ribbed sock.  IN the meantime, I'm going to be working on yes, another hat.  Yes, out of Red Heart. 

And yes, I'm sure the recipient will be glad to have it.  

Last, but certainly not least, I had the strangest dream last night.  I dreamt that someone was making me get a massage.  I didn't want to, because the last thing I'd want is some stranger putting his hands all over me.  Just the thought of it makes my skin crawl.  But whoever that lady in my dream was had told me it was mandatory.  

Thankfully, I woke up before it started, so I didn't have to go through with it.  

Klutz

I'm such a klutz.  I have been all my life.  It gets frustrating sometimes, and I can be pretty hard on myself about it.  Even in my dreams...

Last night, for example.  My white headed shanty men and I were making some of our Suzie's favorite foods.  We were going to sneak them into the rehab place for her, because the food they served there wasn't very good.  I'd put the food into a couple of those plastic trays -- kind of like the rotisserie chickens come in, but not exactly --and was carrying it to the car when one of the shanty men (Billy, if you know who any of them are) said something to me.  I'm not sure what he said, but I carried all the food back into the house, 

where I promptly dropped both containers onto the floor, spilling the food all over the place.  

"Why am I always dropping everything???? Drop!  Drop! Drop!  All the time!" I screamed in my dream, and went into a full on melt down. It wasn't pretty.   If I acted like that in real life, I'd be ashamed of myself.  

Sometime later, my alarm went off and I began getting ready for work.  I washed my face, and dropped the towel onto the floor.  I brushed my teeth, and knocked my toothbrush container onto the floor.  I feed the dogs their breakfast, and spill about half the dog food onto the floor.  I crack out some ice for my water cup, and three ice cubes hit the floor...and all this before I even get to work.  

I make it through the work day, and when I get home, I go outside, dispatch another chipmunk to his eternal reward, and decide to spray the weed killer I'd bought on the creeping charlie in my front yard --and spray myself from head to toe...

Sigh...

Speaking of my white headed shanty men, I realize it's been a while since I shared a video.  I didn't want to bombard you.  However, I did recently find one I just had to share.  See, since the quarantine, they've had to cancel all their gigs, so they've been putting up things they call Mares Tales & Mackerel Scales.  They're posting them about once a week.  Some are videos from past concerts, but others are videos each one has recorded and posted.  You can watch them on their YouTube Channel.  

This is the most recent one, and one line in it has made me giggle ever since.  If you know me at all, you'll be able to pick it out right away.  Let me know if you do. 

*In the interest of full disclosure, I had to listen to it a couple of times to get my ear tuned to his accent.  I can understand the Swamp People no problem, but Cornish...not so much.  Heh, when I watched their movie, I had to put the subtitles on the first few times.  

Finally, I seem to have hurt my wrist somehow.  I'm not sure what I did, but it is very sore.  Those of you to whom I owe letters, it's going to be a minute, but I'll get to them eventually.  

Monday, Monday

If the best feeling in the world is knowing you don't have to set your alarm for the next morning, then the worst must surely be turning it back on after a long weekend.

Yep, that happened this morning.  I had to go back to work, and was so not ready for it.  As if to add insult to injury, I walked in to utter chaos.  Not only was there nothing ready for the lines to run, but there weren't even any parts for us to braze up for them.  We had to scramble for the first couple hours, until tubing got us some parts down the line. Needless to say, I'm a bit tuckered.  So, this'll be brief.  

After work, I had to run into town to pay a bill, so I took the long way home, and went out and checked the lake.  The water is still high, but not as high as it has been, and the sluice gates appear to be wide open.  The outlet channel is much higher than normal, but at least, the water level is finally headed in the right direction, and that's a good thing.  

Another good thing, all the cotton fields around here have been planted.   Some weren't planted until nearly the end of June -- almost two months late, but at least they're planted.  Down in the Delta, some farmers didn't even bother to plant this year, and that's not good.  Some of the first fields are starting to flower.  I'll bet some of you didn't know cotton has flowers, did you?  Hang on, let me see if I still have a picture of one...

Yes!  I found an old picture I'd taken several years ago.

Purty, ain't it?  They can range from white, to almost red,

or anywhere in between.  These were some pictures I'd taken back when I used to walk my dogs down a dirt road between two cotton fields.  Now, the city has bought that land, and built a factory on it.  A factory which sits empty, because they can't find anyone to least it, and can't seem to figure out why.  *Ahem* Infrastructure *Ahem* Eh, what do I know?  I'm just a tax paying peon.

But hey, we're getting a new sports complex!

I finally arrived home to find this waiting for me.

My first letter from my English pen pal!  I've found several who have said they'd write, but this is the first person who actually did.  I haven't read it yet.  I'm going to wait until I get off here, and ready for bed.  Then I'll snuggle down under the covers and savor it.  Maybe I'll make a mug of decaf Earl Gray tea to go with it.  

I had the weirdest dream last night.  No, you?  Weird dreams?  Surely not.  

Hush up.

There was this lady that used to work out at the plant years go.  She was determined to get me married off.  She even said so.  "Becky, I'm determined to get you married off," she said.  Well, last night, in my dream, she had fixed me up with a blind date.  When we got to where I was supposed to meet the guy (she'd come with me -- or maybe she'd picked me up and dragged me to meet him, which seems more likely), guess who it was?  It was one of my white headed shanty men.

As soon as I saw him, I panicked and ran out of the room.  Or wherever we were.  She came out and was trying to convince me to come back in, and that's where I woke up.

Finally, my son sometimes posts the most hilarious things on Facebook.  

By the way, I have actually shot a machine gun.  An M-60 to be exact, back when I was in the Navy.  It was totally cool.  And fun.  And I'd do it again.  In a heartbeat.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go dream of machine guns and sea chanties.

Goodnight. 

Friday Miscellany

I've figured out why Snow has been acting weird these last few days.  I went into the snake room this afternoon to check on her, and look what I found.

She laid eggs!  She's 15 years old, and this is the first time she's ever laid eggs.  Of course, they're not likely to hatch, as 1) she's never been with a male, so they won't be fertile, and 2) I don't have the facilities to keep them the right temp and humidity and stuff.  I know on very rare occasions, virgin snakes can lay viable eggs, but I doubt that's happened here.  At least I know she's  OK -- other than being ancient, that is.

Last weekend, the U.K was under a heat advisory, as temps were expected to soar to 29C.

And every Southerner in the U.S snorted iced tea out of his nose.  29C is 84F.  We've got a front moving through these next couple of days that is supposed to cool us off to the mid 80s.  Sweet relief!  Of course, me and my smart aleck self said, "All you Englishers like to make fun of our love for air conditioning.  Not so funny now, is it?" 

Last night was one of those nights.  You know, those nights when insomnia hits me hard.  They seem to be happening with more and more frequency here lately.  Even though I was in bed before 8:00, I didn't fall asleep until after midnight.  During the 2 1/2 hours I actually slept, I had a dream.  In this dream, I had to go to some sort of class for work.  It was people from all over, but my job sent me.  It was about how to get along with your coworkers, or some such nonsense.  That I totally don't need, right?  Anyway, the person leading the class had passed out pens and notebooks, only my pen didn't work.  If you know anything about me, you will understand how devastating that would be. 

The man sitting next to me took my pen and fixed it.  "There," he said as he handed it back to me.  That was the only thing he said to me the whole class.  Afterwards, he just got up and walked out without so much as a "nice to meet you" or "have a nice day or anything."  As I watched him walk away, I thought, "Huh, first he steals my heart, then he breaks it." 

By the way, I know exactly who that man is, but none of you will know him anyway, so it doesn't matter. 

I also dreamed all the rain we've had this weekend has gotten the emergency spillway back to overflowing.  In real life, I haven't been down there this week to check on it.  I was going to go after work today, but I didn't.  However, I crossed the Yalobusha River on the way home from running payday errands in town, I saw it is still very high.  It's going to be a rough year for farmers in the Delta.  I know some of them aren't going to even bother planting anything this year.  The fields are all still flooded.  Most of the ones in this area have finally been planted, but the cotton was late getting into the ground. 

That's about it for today.  I do have a couple of much more interesting posts in the works but I know you must be tired of sea chanties by now, and both revolve around a sea chanty, and a memory it triggered. 

I only have to work a half day tomorrow, so I may get the first one up tomorrow evening.  Heh, you know you work long hours when you refer to an 8 hour shift as a "half day".

Right... 

Dreams

As many of you may know, I work in a facility that manufactures evaporator coils for air conditioners.  My job is kind of a no-brainer.  And since I've been doing it for some 20 odd years, for me, it really is a no-brainer.  I could do it in my sleep.

I can neither confirm nor deny that that may or may not have actually happened.  More than once.

Anyway, there I was at work, just a working away, with my mind wandering all over everywhere, as it does sometimes.  Lots of times, actually.  For some reason, the aforementioned mind drifted back a few weeks to that time I dreamed about Port Isaac's Fisherman's Friends and my stalker in the same dream.  And some severe weather.  Or an alligator.  Maybe both.  I don't remember. 

Still, it reminded me of something.  That wasn't the first time I dreamed about my stalker.  Way back, 7 or 8 years ago, when he first started stalking me, I had a very different, yet very similar, dream.  In that dream, he showed up to my house.  He and his friend had found signs of a chupacabra in the area and they were going to go see if they could find and subsequently catch it. 

I cautioned Stalker not to go.  "Don't mess around with those things.  They'll get you."  I said.  He didn't listen.  "I know what I'm doing," he somewhat snottily insisted.  And off he went to hunt the goat sucking werewolf. 

Some time later, there was another knock at my door.  This time, it was the police.  "We have news about your boyfriend,"  Po Po said.  "He's not my boyfriend, but go ahead," I replied.  They told me they'd found his remains, and that he'd been mauled and partially eaten by what appears to be a large dog or bear or something.  "I told him not to mess with those cupacabras, but he wouldn't listen." 

I guess that shows pretty early on what I thought of Stalker.

Not much else going on here.  I've learned -- sort of -- two more chords on my guitar since last I mentioned it, the C chord and the D chord.  When I say I learned them, I mean I learned where to put my fingers.  Making them sound nice is a completely different story. 

Finally, I've got bad news for some poor homeless person out there.  My friend Jessica has already laid claim to this hat. 

Never fear.  I'll probably have enough yarn left to do another one. 

Day Two

Last night was another one of those nights.  I spent most of it tossing and turning, with a few short naps in between.  It was during one of those naps that I dreamed about Port Isaac's Fisherman's Friends, and my stalker.

The best of one world, and the worst of another.  In the same dream.  In my head.

There was also some severe weather.  Or an alligator.  Or something. 

Then I woke up in a blind panic because I couldn't find my alto recorder.  I found my two soprano recorders,

but couldn't find my alto.  Not sure what that says about me, but there it is.  I've long since given up trying to find an explanation for such things.

Then I had to go to work, on very little sleep.  About half an hour into my shift, my coworker says, "Two days without your stalker?"  To which I replied, "SHHHHHHH!!!! You'll jinx it!"  But she didn't.  I had a second day of peace.  We all did.

Other than it being hot in the plant.  I'm so not ready for this.

This is going to be short, because I'm tired and my brain isn't functioning.  I'm about to head into the bath, then hit the hay.

Hay!  Get it?  Hay?  Never mind....

Goodnight, all.

Oh!  I saw another rose breasted grosbeak this evening.  Just for a moment, but he was there!  Woo Hoo!

Sleepy

I am sleepy as all get out. 

That's just another way to say, "Man, I need a nap." 

I didn't sleep well at all last night.  I went to bed at a reasonable hour, and fell asleep almost right away.  Then I dreamed about Matt Lauer.  No, not that kind of a dream.  I dreamed he was in the back of a police car that was hauling him away to prison, which -- if the allegations against him are true -- is exactly where he needs to be. 

My earliest memory of Matt Lauer is from a Rockefeller Center tree lighting show.  He got up and shook his oh so self righteous finger at people who put up real Christmas trees.  They're deforesting the planet, you know.  I got so aggravated, I even wrote a rebuttal on the blog that night.  You can read said rebuttal here:  Hey!  You Got Your Politics In My Holiday!  I didn't even know who he was at the time.  I just called him Talking Head in my post. 

You know they say the first impression is the strongest one, and ever since then, I've not had much use for him. 

But I digress...

After that dream, it took me until after midnight to fall back to sleep.  When you get up at 3:30, that's saying a lot.  I was already sleepy from that, then work was soooo slow.  The line was hardly moving, and it made the entire day seem to go by in slow motion.  It was one of those Will-This-Day-Never-End? days.  The everlasting day finally did come to an end, and I came home, only to do absolutely nothing that I had planned on doing once I got home. 

The only thing that did get done was to put my tree skirt down. 

It isn't even a real tree skirt.  See, my cat thinks any type of cloth on the floor is just another litterbox.  I've been using an acrylic tree skirt that my mother crocheted for Cody years ago, but having to constantly wash it is kind of a pain.  This year, I got the idea to try using a round plastic tablecloth as a skirt.  OK, in the interest of full disclosure, I've had the idea before, but this is the first year I had it early enough to get a tablecloth before they were all sold out.  I figure if she pees on this, a wipe with a paper towel and a spritz of Lysol and we're done.  We'll see how it works out.

I had a brief moment of panic when I thought, "Oh no!  I need to take a bath and go to bed!  It must be way past my bedtime!"  I turned around and looked at the clock.  It was 5:17.  Sigh...

Somewhere in the midst of all this, I asked myself, "Why in the world did I agree to go in to work tomorrow????" 

Then, I remembered, "Oh, yeah.  I'm broke." 

I guess I'd better head for bed, then.  Man, I need a nap. 

The Ruby Pendant

Funny things memories are.  There I was at work, just a working away, when for some completely unknown reason, I remembered a dream I had several years ago.  I've always had weird dreams, and this one was no exception.  But this one was so compelling, I felt the need to turn it into a short story.  Sometime later, I posted it to the blog. 

It occurred to me that some of you may not have been following my blog back then, and therefore didn't have the chance to read this story.  It is for you I got it back out, dusted it off, and made a few tweaks.  Thus, I present to you:

The Ruby Pendant

"I wonder what he'll be like", I thought to myself as I strolled through Philpot's Haberdashery that day. Though it was no longer the custom, I had agreed to an arranged marriage. I had misgivings, but I trusted my parents. I was their only surviving child and they doted on me. I knew they would not do anything that would bring me harm. They would choose a good man for me. Still, I couldn't help but wonder about him.  His temper and mannerisms. His character. His appearance. The only thing I knew was that he was several years older than I, and that my father admired him greatly.  

With a sigh, I chose several lengths of silk ribbon and some bows, and returned home to begin sewing my wedding dress. 

As the day of my wedding approached, things were very busy, both with wedding preparations and my parents moving. They had given me the family home, and were moving into a cottage about a mile away, but still on our estate. They would be close enough for me to visit every day, but far enough away for my husband and I to have our privacy. This suited me greatly, for I could not imagine life without them. 

The estate had been in our family for many generations, though I was not sure how it came to be ours. The house was ancient, but well kept, except for the back wing. It was old and in ill repair. It had been sealed off years ago--so completely that a wall had been built where the entryway had been As a child, I'd spent many hours playing there, exploring, pretending to be mistress of my own home. I found all sorts of forgotten treasures--knives, remnants of crumbled tapestries, jewelry, scraps of silk--all sorts of things a young girl would love to collect. Those were happy days, until the day my father discovered me. He forbade me to enter the ruinous wing again, saying it was not safe. The walls were unstable, he said, and the whole place could come down on top of me. That was the end of my playing in the old wing.

Finally, at long last, my wedding day arrived. My groom had requested the ceremony be held at dusk instead of the customary noon hour. I was uncomfortable with this change, but my parents acquiesced to his request. The hour spooked me. Neither day nor night, it was the hour the ancients called The Time Between Times. The time when strange and magical things happened.

Even more so, the lateness of the ceremony gave my mother more time to fret. She always did worry herself silly over every little thing, much to my dismay. Just when I thought I would pull every last hair out of my head, the wedding was upon us. As my father escorted me into our family chapel, I got my first look at my husband to be. I was pleasantly surprised. He appeared to be about 35 or 40 years old, but I didn't know his exact age, and though gray peppered his otherwise dark hair, he was still very handsome. As for his temperament, well, when he smiled at me with kindly eyes, I somehow felt that everything would be OK.

I remember very little of the ceremony itself, mostly the smiling faces of my family, friends wishing me well, showering me with gifts. Entering the chapel with my father, leaving with my husband.

The wedding feast lasted well into the night, until finally it was time for us to retire to our bedchamber. My maid and I went ahead to get ready. She brushed out my golden hair and wove tiny pink flowers into it, then dressed me in a lacy pink gown. I then climbed into bed to wait for my husband.

He didn't come.

I waited, and still he didn't come. As weariness overtook me, I thought to myself, 'He can wake me up when he gets here.' With that, I drifted off to sleep, alone on my wedding night.

I awoke to the sound of birds singing in the dawn light. As I lay there, wondering why my husband had not come, in he walked bearing a breakfast tray. I asked him why he hadn't come last night, and he responded, "I thought you would be tired from the wedding and the feast. I decided I would let you sleep." What a kind and thoughtful man I have married, I thought, though I wished he had let me know before I waited up half the night. And so I began my married life.

I soon fell into a comfortable routine of managing my home--keeping busy with all the mundane necessities of life. Every morning, I visited my parents. Afternoons and evenings were spent with friends, needlework, drawing, piano, and all the other accomplishments young women are expected to be proficient in. If there was any darkness in my life, it was my husband's continued absence from our bedroom. For the first few weeks, he made excuses--he was in town late on business, he lost track of time, he wasn't feeling well--but eventually he stopped making excuses. He just didn't come.

As the weeks went by, I gradually noticed a change in my husband. He grew more and more distracted, and more and more irritable. I often heard him muttering something about a family legacy. When he bothered to speak to me at all, he was short and testy. Days would go by when I wouldn't see him at all. I began to be glad of it. Then came the night...

I woke suddenly in the middle of the night. I'd heard a noise coming from the hall. I heard it again, and got out of bed to go see what it was. Unexpectedly, I came upon my husband in an old, old hall. He had a pickax and was attempting to break through the wall that had been erected to seal off the oldest wing of the house. All the while, he was mumbling, "I have to find it. My family legacy--I have to find it."

Shocked and amazed as his behavior, I asked him what he was doing. He turned and saw me. Enraged, he rushed at me with the pick raised as if to strike me with it. Fearing for my life, I reacted without thinking. In self defense, I picked up a shovel that was leaning against the wall and swung it at my husband. The flat of it hit him on the side of the head, and as he fell, I was horrified to see his head roll away from his body. Stunned, I just stared for a moment. I hadn't hit him that hard. The odd thing was that there was no blood.

Even odder was that my husband's head continued talking. Yelling, really. He demanded that I put his head back onto his body. Numbly, I swallowed my revulsion, and picked his head up. Again, he demanded that I return his head to his body. I began moving to comply, when

"Don't"

came the soft command from behind me. I turned to see my husband's butler standing there. He was the only servant my husband had brought into our home, and was a man ancient beyond years. From the head I was still holding came a torrent of foulness and hatred the like of which I had never heard. Gradually, though, the sound faded, and I saw the life fade from my husband's eyes. It was then Butler told me the story...

My husband's family had been the original owners of my estate, until the day his grandfather had been forced to surrender the property to one of my ancestors as payment of a debt.  Legend told of a legacy in my husband's family of such great value that if found, it would repay the entire debt and restore his family's estate, and more importantly restore his family's honor. My husband had vowed to spend his life searching for this legacy. "What was this legacy?" I asked. Butler then withdrew a scrap of parchment from his pocket and showed me a drawing of a gold and ruby pendant with a stone so large and so perfect it could have bought the entire estate.

Then a thought struck me. How could this be possible? The estate had been in my family for 600 years. Butler continued with his story. As my husband aged, he began to fear that he would die before finding this lost legacy. So, he lured a young man out into the forest and beheaded him. Then, using dark arts, he attached his own head to the young man's body and continued his quest to find his family legacy. When the new body aged, he found another young man, killed him, and repeated the evil sorcery. In this way, he had managed to survive for 6 centuries.

When he'd heard that my parents were arranging a marriage for me, he felt that if he could win their confidence and wed me, it would be the perfect opportunity for him to gain access to the house, so he could continue his search for the elusive jewel.

"But didn't he realize," I asked, "that by marrying me he once again became the rightful owner of the property?"

"After carrying his obsession for so long," Butler answered, "his mind had lost the ability to reason. He could think of nothing else. He could only continue to search."

Now his search was over.

"You will stay on with us here?" I asked Butler.

"No," he said. "For 600 years, my life has been bound to his. For 600 years I have walked this earth and served him. Now I have finally been released from this dark magic. I am tired. I am ready to rest." With that, Butler shuffled off to his bed, where I knew he would finally slip the bonds of mortality that had held him captive for so very long.

"Rest in peace," I whispered after him.

Once again, I looked at my late husband's head, still in my hands. In the intervening moments, it had grown cold and as withered as the ancient bodies sometimes found in the peat bogs.

Overcome with compassion for his tortured soul, I said, "You can rest in peace, too. Your family's debt has been paid in full. Your family's honor is restored." With those words, I reached into the bodice of my gown, to the gold chain that hung around my neck and withdrew

a gold and ruby pendant with a stone so large and so perfect that it could have bought the entire estate.

Hitting The Fan

Friday morning, there I was at work, just a working away, when Third Shift Supervisor Josh stopped my stand to let me know everything was going to be alright.  He had [another day shift coworker] from [another line way across on the other side of the plant] to start coming in at 3:00 AM and help braze. 

"Oh, that's nice," I said through gritted teeth.  I wasn't going to say anything, because I'd already had my little arrangement with the second shift group leader, but it did make me mad.  If my production superintendent said he didn't need for me to come in early, why is it OK for someone that doesn't even work on that line to come in and do the exact same thing I'd been doing?  It's my line.  If anyone should be coming in early, it should be me -- or at least someone who works on that line.

Still, I kept my mouth shut and went on about my work, inwardly seething.  Sometime after lunch, My own supervisor stopped by to talk to me. He said, "There's something I'm a bit puzzled by..."  He said he'd gotten chewed out by the production superintendent for me coming in early, so he's a bit confused why it's OK for someone from another line to come in and do what I'd been doing.  Basically, the same argument I'd had.  He said he was going to ask about that.  I don't know if he did, because when I went in this morning, she was still coming in early, and I'm still not.  Group Leader Theresa gets back from vacation on Wednesday.  That's when it's really going to hit the fan. 

I'd pay money to see those fireworks. 

I only worked a 10 hour day today.  I told Second Shift Supervisor Rod that I was going home at 5:00.  He asked me, "Do you want to go?"  I said, "If you really need me to, I'll stay, but I'm just tired."  For some reason, working 7:00 to 7:00 exhausts me even more than 3:00 to 3:00 did.  It didn't help that I spent most of last night trying to avoid getting eaten by King Kong. 

Some of say you have nightmares about being naked in public.  If you think that's a nightmare, you have NO idea what nightmares really are.  You have NO idea. 

I long for something so tame as just being naked in public.  

Trust me, you do not want to be in my head while I'm asleep.  I don't even want to be in my head while I'm asleep. 

If I could live without sleep, I'd never close my eyes.

Naked in public...

Amateurs.

Part Two

I didn't sleep well last night.  I kept having strange dreams and waking up.  The only one I remember is that I was playing on someone's phone and they had an Uber app.  Now, I don't know anything about Uber, but this app had a map.  If you needed a ride, you just touched an icon on the location to which you wanted to go, and the app would dispatch the closest driver.  I was trying to figure out how it worked, and accidentally sent three drivers to different locations in the city.  The drivers started messaging me, telling me they were there, so I hurried up and gave the phone back and pretended it wasn't me.  

OK, moving right along...

Remember how yesterday, I spent the day waiting for my paycheck?  Well, today felt like Saturday all day.  I told Group Leader Theresa that I might get up and go to church in the morning instead of coming to work. 

When I got home from work, there was a package in my mailbox.  It was the other thing I'd ordered.  I know you're anxious to see what it is.  Here you go:

I've been working on improving my handwriting, and this might be a good way.  It's got the theory book and practice pages all in a single volume.  Now, when I use my wax seals, I might have a letter in nice handwriting to put inside it.  The only thing left is to find some nice stationery upon which to write said letter in nice handwriting.  You might be surprised at how hard it's become to find stationery sets these days.  There is some on Amazon, but it's expensive, and you don't know exactly what you're getting. 

It got pretty chilly last night.  I got a brief moment of panic when I was going to get into my car and saw the grass sparkling.  I thought that it might be frost, but when I felt the grass, it was just dew.  Whew, that was a relief.  My little seedlings are safe.

I've got lots of things coming up in my flower bed.  Things I didn't plant. 

I have no idea what all these are going to turn out to be.  Last year, I had angelonias, marigolds, zinnias, and vincas in that bed. 

It'll be interesting to see what they are.  I'll keep you informed.

Monday, Monday

I'm tired.

I've been tired all day.  I'm not sure why, considering I slept pretty well last night.  If you don't count the weird dreams, that is.

I dreamed I was at work, and another group leader asked me to help out in his area.  After working over there for a while, I thought to myself that I needed to go get my tools from my regular work area before someone stole them.  I headed back to get them, and couldn't figure out how to get back to my brazing stand.  Yes, I was lost in the plant.  The plant I've spent the majority of my waking hours for the last 21 years, and I was lost.  The plant I know better than I know my own house, and I was lost.  Lost. 


I think my dream may have been precipitated by what happened Saturday.  This past weekend was the last two days of spring break, and a lot of people were out.  I mean a lot of people.  The group leader across the way didn't have either of his sub-brazers show up.  He had one of his line brazers trying to sub braze, and despite what ADP management seems to think, the two are not the same thing.   About half an hour into the day, he hollered across to me and asked if I would come sub braze for him.  I told him to clear it with Supervisor Calvin and I would.

I got over there and asked the other brazer if she'd ever sub brazed before.  "No," she said, "and I'm so lost." 

"Never fear," I replied, "the cavalry is here."  And thus, we made it through the work day, but I had a different view all day.   I told Supervisor Calvin it was like sitting on the back porch instead of the front porch. 

After work, I came home and thought about all the stuff I needed to do, but didn't really want to do any of it.  I spent the rest of the day watching TV.

Sunday.  My only full day off and I slept half the day away.  Well, I slept until 8:30, but after getting up at 3:30 all week, that feels like sleeping half a day away.  Sunday afternoon, I got out and cleaned last year's mulch and the weeds out of my flower bed, clawed my soil, and planted the two bags of bulbs I had.

They didn't take up as much room as I thought they would, so I've got plenty of room to plant more.   Mrs. Newman was working in her yard, so we chatted a bit about what we were going to plant and all.  She saw my garden claw, and asked about it.  I showed her how it works, and let her borrow it to turn her flower beds.  When she brought it back, she said, "I love that thing!" 

That's all I've done so far.  I had to run into town after work today, and stopped by the store.  I almost bought some marigolds, but decided to wait.  Yes, today is the first day of spring, but there is still the chance of a late frost or freeze.  Besides, I need some time to get my marigold bed ready.  That won't take long.  I just need to get out and do it.  I scratched my gardening itch by buying another gerbera daisy.

While I was there, I bought a couple of bags of garden soil.  I already have another box of that fake stone border.  I'm going to extend my front flower bed a few more feet.  That ought to hold my gardening fever in check until it's warm enough to plant. 

In knitting news, I finally found time to cast on my red, white, and blue project.  This is the red and white part of it.

The blue will come in a bit.

The fun part came after I cast on the first time.  I was knitting away, thinking to myself that this was some mighty thin worsted weight yarn.  It was then that I checked the ball band.  No wonder it was so thin.  It's not worsted weight after all.

It's DK weight.  That explains a lot.   I ripped it out and cast on again on smaller needles, but with more stitches.  Now, we're cooking with gas. 

And I'm out of gas, so I'm going to bed.  Goodnight.

A Day Of Weirdness

It all started before the sun was even up.  I was having one of those dream within a dream dreams.  You know, inception style.

In my dream, I was asleep, and someone came up behind me and was pushing on my shoulder, trying to wake my dream self up.  Whoever it was was pushing me so hard, the entire bed was shaking.  It was very annoying.  I was trying to wake my dream self up and get my dream eyes opened, but I couldn't.  My dream self was trying to shout, "Stop it!", but I couldn't get my dream mouth to open. Somewhere in the process, my real self cried out, which woke my real dog up.  Real Jesse started barking, which woke up my real self and my dream self, thus ending the inception.

It was all very strange.

I got up and went to work as usual.  After work, I was going to run the title to my old trailer house to the buyer's bank.  It being the first day after a holiday weekend, I decided I'd call his person to make sure she was there today.  Sitting in the parking lot of the plant, I dialed the number on my cell phone.

I forgot I have that phone sync thing in my new car.  When it started ringing through the speakers on my radio, it like to have scared the poo out of me.  Anyway, I got the title delivered, and that is all taken care of and done with.

Since I was in town and needed milk, I went on to the store.  Now, I have more ornaments than my Christmas tree can hold, but I wanted to get a new one this year, for my first Christmas in my new house.  Wal-mart doesn't really have a vast selection of commemorative ornaments, but I found this little guy.

He's got the date on his scarf, so I thought he'd be perfect.

I didn't notice this until after I got him home. 

Sigh...Red Sharpie to the rescue. 

Now he's perfect! 

Veteran Dreams

I had the strangest dream last night.  No, really.

I had the strangest dream that I was in Wal-mart trying to buy snickerdoodles.  Two of them, only you had to ask the person at the window for them.  I finally got some, only I couldn't check out until the lady put green paint on her face.

I finally got to check out, and left the store.  I was the only vehicle left in the parking lot, so I drove straight toward the exit until a cop frantically waved at me to get back into the driving lane.  I was still trying to drive out of the parking lot when I ran into a whole bunch of war re-enactors.  The were all in costume, but from different wars.  There were reenactors from the American Revolution, The Civil War, The Napoleonic Wars, and WWI.  I was trying my best to drive through without hitting any of them as they charged into their mock battles.  It was even worse because it was night and none of the street lights were working.

I finally made it out onto the road, and drove around the old traffic circle that used to be in my home town and made it out onto Farm Road 105 to go home.  Much to my dismay, the war reenactors were all over that road, too.  It was so dark, I could barely see beyond the hood of my car, and soldiers were suddenly appearing in front of me.  It was quite the harrowing experience.  I managed to make it until the alarm went off without squishing anyone, though it's a wonder how I did it.

I woke up wondering if today being Veteran's Day brought on that dream. Speaking of Veteran's Day, this made me tear up.

I have the greatest respect for those who fought in WWII.  They faced near impossible odds, yet the persevered and freed the world from a mad man and a tyrant.  They truly were the greatest generation.

And then there's this: 

Oh, well.  We can't all be noble.

This Is Your Fight Song

When I woke up this morning after some very strange dreams involving a certain former group leader, a baseball bat, and having to repair a machine at work with cake icing, this is the song that was running through my head.




Love The Piano Guys, and this just might be their best song yet.  It's a mash up of This Is My Fight Song, Scotland The Brave, and Amazing Grace.  You might not think Fight Song and Amazing Grace would go together, but when you think about it, they really do.  Amazing Grace IS my fight song.  It articulates what keeps me going.  Amazing Grace. 

One of my Facebook friends posted a Thanksgiving 30 Day Scripture Writing Plan.  (That links to a PDF file.)  Since writing is my thing, I quickly jumped on this.  I knew exactly which journal I wanted to use, too. 

The one with the Compass Rose on it.  It just seemed right.

Anyway, I reposted the link and several of my friends have decided that they want to do it with me, so we can encourage each other.  See, I knew all those journals would come in handy some day.

I'm getting close to finishing my bathroom.  I'd probably be closer if I didn't keep piddling around in front of the computer so much, but no matter.  I'll get done eventually.  I bought this mirrored cabinet to hang over my sink, but I'm debating on whether to leave it like it is, or paint it my accent color. 

I'm thinking I may leave it like it is.  After all, every beach needs some driftwood, doesn't it?  And yes, those switch plates are crooked.    I've still got to find some decorative things for the walls, but I'm starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel.  Then I'll get to start on the next room. 

My big accomplishment over the weekend was to get three more boxes emptied out.  Not everything is put away, but I did get two big boxes out of my dining room area.  All my glasses and mugs are put on my shelves, and the kitchen is starting to feel like my kitchen.

It's strange, not seeing that big box in the corner under my bar.  It's the first thing I brought to this house, and now it's not there any more.  I still have a long way to go, but I'm making progress.

I really need to find the rest of my yarn, though.   

I Have A Baby!!

Back a week or so ago, someone on Facebook posted a video of Barney Fife reciting the Preamble to the Constitution.



I shared the video, with the comment that if Barney had had Schoolhouse Rock, he'd know that Preamble.  He wouldn't be able to recite it without bursting into song, but by golly he'd know it.

That got me thinking about Schoolhouse Rock, and how much I'd enjoyed it as a kid.  When Cody was little, I bought the complete set on VHS.  Now that my VCR has bit the dust, and I don't really want to spend the money to buy a new one right now, I can't watch them.  But surely they're available on DVD by now.

Off to Amazon I went.  Sure enough, it didn't take long at all to find what I was looking for. 

But look at what else found its way into my basket:

I love these Funko POP! Figurines.  I've seen them around, but these are the first ones I've actually bought.  So, naturally, the first one I buy is an adipose baby.

Isn't he cute!  I would be happy to donate some of my fat to foster an adipose baby for some lonely adipose couple.  If only it worked that way.

Smaug was a lot bigger than I thought he'd be.  I thought he'd be small like the adipose baby, but he's nearly twice as big. 

I love him, though.  He's even got the missing scale. 

Is it weird that I want to smooch his little nose?  Yes?  OK, then...

No Smaug Smooching allowed.

Speaking of weird, a couple of nights ago, I dreamed that I went to work with no pants on.  I was working away, with no pants, and no one seemed to notice.  I kept thinking I needed to go get some pants on, but I was so busy, I didn't have time to take a break.  Finally, one of my co-workers came and told me that Dr. Wilson (I have no idea) had called and told me that I was expelled from work.  I gathered up my stuff and left.  As I was getting into my Jimmy to come home, Supervisor Ronnie came running out after me.  He said, "Don't worry, I'll fix it.  I'll just tell them you didn't have enough money for pants." 

Don't ask.  I don't even know. 

Night And Day

I've been having some really strange dreams lately.  I don't remember what I dreamed last night, but when I woke up this morning, the sheets were all torn off the bed and Jesse was hiding.  That's the second time in as many weeks that such has occurred.

Saturday night, I dreamed that someone was trying to shoot me.   I was running and running, trying to get away from him.  In the distance, I could see some woods.  I kept thinking that if I could just get to those woods, I would be safe.  I could hide there, disappear, and the one tracking me wouldn't find me.  Not in the woods.  I ran and ran...somehow I ended up in a swamp, under water.  I could see the gunman standing on the bank, the woods behind him.  He was between me and my safe place.  Next thing I know, I'm running out of an office building.  I could see the woods across the road, but there was a large pond on the front lawn of the building.  It was filled with alligators.  Every time I tried to run around the pond, an alligator would charge, and I was forced to retreat.  I woke up, sweating and exhausted, never having reached my safe place. 


Things are starting to happen in my flower bed.  Nothing is blooming yet, so I don't know which is a weed and which are real flowers.  That's part of the adventure. 

Speaking of weeds, we still have plenty of these all over the yard. 

After all, they're flowers, too, once you get to know them. 

I was out giving the plants a good watering, because rainy season is definitely over, when I found the guardian of the bed.

I hope the little guy sticks around and eats the stuff that's eating my plants.

Finally, I finished the hat I was working on. 

It's an infant/toddler size, but would fit a child if he wanted to wear it as a beanie. 

At Last

Let's see, where was I? 

Hmmm, half day for training Friday.  The Great Fish Quest Saturday.  Church and football Sunday, after waking up from strange dreams...ah yes, here we are at Monday...

It was a crazy day at work today.  So many people were out that even Supervisor Ronnie put on a pair of gloves and worked on the lines.   I had to go help out in another area, but before I went, I wrote on our rate chart the following:

STANFORD - 35
ARMY -- 0

In large letters.  Very large letters.  Then, I loudly explained to a co-worker, "Navy and Air Force both won their games this weekend.  The only service academy that lost was ARMY." 

Group Leader Fernando said, "You just made your day a whole lot worse!" 

But it really wasn't, other than everyone being so shorthanded.  I had to run back and forth between my work station and one over on line 1, because they had so many people out. 

After work, I had to run to the store because my milk was getting sour.  I was trying to hurry up and drink it all up, but this morning, I realized I wouldn't make it.  While I was there, I found these:

 They taste OK, but are hard as a rock.  It's a bit like gnawing on a hockey puck.  I like soft cookies.  I won't be buying these again. 

And last...

At last, I have finally picked up the long neglected Kyle blanket.

Poor Kyle has been waiting forever for this thing.  It didn't help that four rows in, I decided I didn't like the way it looked and started over.  Yeah...

I'd started doing it in entrelac, but I felt it was puckering too much.  So I ripped it and am now doing it in mitered squares.  It's going much better now. 

I dreamed Saturday night that I was going through some kind of Army training (?), and they'd taken my glasses away.  I couldn't figure out what I was supposed to be doing, because I couldn't see.  I got so frustrated that I started crying, and the instructor said, "THERE IS NO CRYING IN THE ARMY!!!!"  But when he left the room, I said, "I don't care what he says, I'm going to get my glasses."  So I did. 

I still woke up crying, though.  I haven't done that in a while. 

There was something else I was going to tell you, but I can't remember what it was now.  I guess that means it's time for bed.  Maybe I'll think of it tomorrow. 

Look At The Snowflakes

I had the strangest dream last night.

Yes, me!  Stop laughing now.  Seriously.  Stop.

I had the strangest dream last night.  I was in a fabric store in Houston, Texas, looking for Charlie Brown fabric.  I wanted to make work shirts out of it.

While I was perusing the fabrics, looking for Peanuts patterns, it suddenly started to snow.  The door of the shop was open, and big old snowflakes were drifting inside.  These were some massively big snowflakes, like dinner plate size.

And nobody seemed to notice.

I caught one.  A big, gorgeous ice crystal and carried it around the store trying to get people to look at it before it melted away, but they all ignored me.

Hunched over their tablets and smartphones, no one could take the time to admire this bit of intricate fragility, and I wept for them as it melted in my hand and became nothing more than a damp spot on the floor.

Later, after I'd woken up and thought about it, my dream really is a reflection of what our lives have become.  We sit and stare at the TV or computer, hunched over our tablets and smartphones and miss the beauty in the world around us.  We miss living.  We miss life.

Snowflakes gently fall around us and melt away, and we never even notice. 


*Images courtesy of SnowCrystals.com