Just when we thought we were over it.....

we are now under a winter storm watch with predictions of up to 6 inches of snow by Friday morning. I just knew old man Winter wasn't through with us that easily. Although it may warm up and end up being just rain like the last storm we had.

I'm not complaining. I'm not a fan of snow.

Not much has been going on in my little corner of the world and that makes blog material very scarce. With the crazy fluctuations in temperatures, it has been a playground for germs. In a 12 hour period our temperatures can go up or down 40 degrees or more. I caught a mild version of the flu....very mild. I'm grateful for that and I do think my flu shot was responsible for that. My daughter and her family caught it and it went much worse for them. One Wednesday night at church it seemed like everyone was coughing and hacking, sneezing or nose blowing. It didn't make me feel too good about all the hand-shaking that goes on. You kinda hate to whip out an antiseptic wipe because that could be insulting, but it does cross your mind.

I finally got the window fixed on my car. It's been only......oh ten years or so that it quit working. I was told that it was going to be horribly expensive to fix it, so I didn't. The last straw was when the credit union moved their ATM to the outside wall of their building, accessible by vehicle only. Since my money is direct deposited, this is how I get my cash out.....so I had to do something. I was pleasantly surprised that a friend fixed it for $125.

You know the commercial where the little piggy is going "wheeeee wheeeee"? Well that's just what I felt like doing the first day I drove my car with the repaired window. I wanted to put it down, hang my head out and drive down the road yelling "wheeeeee". Something how such a little thing can give you such enjoyment.

I hope to be back soon but don't misconstrue that to mean I want some drama to happen so I'll have writing material....right now, boring is just fine with me. Hope everyone else is drama-free also. In the meantime, keep smilin'.

To Be or Not To Be.....

.....searching. Well, some of you have been with me since the beginning. I admit I've gone through several phases of writing about things, but I have never covered this one to any extent. Lately, my friends IRL have been bugging me about doing something and I'm quite confused over it because part of me thinks it may be interesting to try and another part of me is screaming....NO, NO, NO.

As you know or have surmised, I am divorced (my choice) and have been for 27 years. I was burned badly and I don't get over things quickly or easily. I don't have a lot of trust. I really need some advice from the ones I DO trust.....and all of you who have been loyal readers fall into that category. I'm going to ask a question and hope that I can get back some responses that will enlighten me and perhaps give me that little 'shove' toward doing something that could enhance my life. OR at least settle the debate I've been having with myself once and for all.

My IRL friends think I should look for a companion; someone who will be company for me; someone who has a lot of the same interests. I'm not a horribly complicated person.....but I AM complicated to a point, as most everyone is.

It's been suggested that I attempt to find a male companion for myself. I do NOT have marriage in mind at all. I can support myself so I'm not looking for someone else to do that. What I would like is to have someone else to share things with. I absolutely NEED someone who has a glorious sense of humor. I love to laugh and need to find someone who has the ability to keep me laughing.....and yes, my sense of humor is sometimes a strange one.

I really don't want to post my name on a match-mate web-site and I don't want to go to a meeting where everyone is looking for someone. I'm a bit above average intelligence, can make myself rather presentable with some powder and paint. I'm overweight past the "pleasingly plump" stage and somewhat closer to the housekeeper on "Two and a Half Men", except I'm short and (I think) more attractive.

I'd love to have someone other than my dog to enjoy a movie with, to discuss a book with and to visit some interesting places a gas tank away from home. I do have a bad hip and walking any distances is not anything I would consider. I know I'm not a great candidate......but maybe there is a man out there who is a lot like me and thinking the same things about himself.

All I really demand of someone else is that they are clean, honest, have enough money coming in to support themselves, believe in God, have no criminal record and no addictions. (drugs or alcohol) AND possess a great sense of humor. Part of me doesn't want to meet anyone new so it would have to start out with emails going back and forth until we felt comfortable. I realize I'm not getting any younger (67) and my 'companion' would have to be close to the same age. Ten years ago someone got me to put my name in for one of those on-line matching services and I was shocked to see that mostly males who were twenty-something in age responded. I didn't answer any of the responses mainly because I felt they were looking for someone to support them.

So.....what would YOU do. I do feel lonesome at times and would just love to sit and gab to someone that has some things in common with me. Tell me what you think.....tell me about some true stories you've heard....good or bad. Tell me if you think there are any old guys out there that would be interested in meeting someone like me. I retired after 25 years of civilian work in law enforcement, so have plenty of stories along those lines. LOL

I may even pull this post after I've thought about it for a while......(can you hear the chicken clucking?)

The Road Less Traveled.....

I find roads like this relaxing if you're prepared to drive them. That means a car in good working order and a full gas tank, not to mention a fully charged up cell phone. In my younger days I would often venture down unfamiliar roads just to take in the scenery. So I guess you could say....'in the highway of life, I've taken the roads less traveled'.....but tried to prepare myself for the unknown.

I'm still doing that because, at my age, life in the fast lane would be more than nerve-wracking. Even though my career was one of high-stress and split second decisions that affected the lives of others, I chose to take things at a much slower pace away from the work-place. I am now in the twilight of my years and, due to my country road association in life, there are many things I have not done. Do I want to do them? Not so much. I honestly do not feel as though I've missed out on many important things in life, even though I never did find my soul-mate. I think that is the one single thing I mourn.

This last week end was a retrospective not only for TV but also for me personally. I whipped open the filing cabinet drawers in my mind and pulled out old memories; some happy, some funny and some regrets. Thankfully, the regret filing cabinet is not too full.

I guess I can attribute that to the fact that I usually think things out before doing them. It's that long quiet drive down a country road, rather than the freeway where life goes by in a blur. Oh yes, I've made mistakes, that's for sure. But the mistakes I've made never hurt anyone but me. In a nutshell, I think I've done pretty well with my life.....but one thing still bothers me.

The loss of who I thought was a good friend.

We met in high school and became close friends. We were both 'only children' and sort of adopted each other to be our sister. She and I were as close as any true blood sisters could ever be. For 35 years. We went through boyfriends, breakups, marriage, childbirth, new houses, death of parents and divorce to name a few. She was always there for me and I for her. I saw her nearly every day for those 30-some years. We were godparents for each other's children. We told each other everything. Or so I thought.

I didn't lose this friendship due to death......I lost it due to greed.

After the death of my father, she began to change. I found out she was stealing things from my father's house and giving them to her son. She attempted to push the blame of the missing articles onto my own daughter. Then she claimed serious injury on my property and sued me fraudulently. (eventually settled out of court for only 2 thousand dollars instead of the THOUSANDS she was requesting) Basically, she sold our friendship for 22 hundred dollars.

As long as I live, I will never understand why my best friend ever did such a thing. I thought I knew her......it was obvious, I really did not.

All this happened way over 20 years ago and I still mourn our lost friendship. Yes, I've cautiously made other friends and most of those have now moved away either to another state or otherwise......I wish I could forget about this. Sometimes I want to call her up and suggest we forget about what happened and continue our friendship the way it used to be. But then I realize the reality of it all.......I could never trust her again and real true friendships are built on trust.

I really need to find a way to get over this. Can anyone offer me some words of wisdom.....some words that will give me the courage to put this in the filing cabinet marked "to be shredded".....and then forever be done with it?

On a brighter note.....my computer at work crashed. Most of my work is saved on a network server and is safe but some of it had been saved to my desktop (my fault.....bad move) and those things may be gone. Probably 20 documents. Tech support will attempt to retrieve them but he told me not to hold my breath. But the good thing is, at work I now have a new Dell that is so much faster. I also have 2010 Microsoft Office, which I will have to familiarize myself with, plus a new wireless keyboard and mouse. Not that I'm not grateful, but I don't like the feel of the keyboard. I suppose I will eventually get used to it.

Til next time.....keep smilin'.

Merry Christmas

My wish for all of you is to have a wonderful Christmas.....make memories and distribute your love generously.....and may those feelings of love stay with you all year through.

No matter what your income level or living arrangement is at the moment.....just take the time to connect with family and let them know how much you love them.

As little "Cindy Lou" was trying to get everyone to understand......Christmas is not about the "buying" but about giving of yourself.

Do something kind for someone and you'll get it back two-fold......I promise.

Love and best wishes to all of you. Because of you, my life has improved. Each one of you have added something so the recipe "of me" is truly a good one but it wouldn't be what it is without you. I've learned so much from each of you. Thank you for continuing to come by my little place. I'm sorry that real-life caught up with me and I haven't posted much lately......I'll try to make your trip here worth-while after all the holiday rush. God Bless you all.

Be safe, Be happy and Be well. Merry Christmas with love.

Didn't I say "never again" last time.....

I would say that I don't believe I've ever been so tired in my life, but I know that would be a lie. I HAVE been.....just last year as a matter of fact.

Every year I say "never again", only to repeat it every Thanksgiving and every Christmas. I've been trying desperately to "pass the torch" as they say, to my daughter. HA, She's no fool.....she's refusing to take the damn thing. I'm speaking, of course.....of the Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. How we slave for hours upon hours only to have it devoured in less than 15 minutes.

And then..........there's the clean-up. Oh the dreaded cleanup. Everyone is so full, no one wants to move, but the food has to be put away, otherwise it will spoil. The dishes have to be done, otherwise the food will dry on them, making it twice as hard to clean. Thank God for dishwashers. When I was a teenager, I was the dishwasher.....me and my grandma. Now, teens disappear quickly after a meal, so mechanical dishwashers are a blessing. Nothing is more wonderful than to walk into a nice clean kitchen after a huge meal like that. Tell me what it feels like, will ya? By the time we get all the dishes cleared up, the men-folk have decided that they want some leftovers heated up......or maybe a turkey sandwich and oh yeah.....how about another piece of pumpkin pie. More dishes, more crumbs. It's never-ending.

Each year I cut one more thing out of the equation. Pretty soon, I'll be making turkey TV dinners in my robe and slippers. This year squash was the one to get the ax; last year it was sweet potatoes, year before that, rolls. Yes....we always had BOTH sweet potatoes and squash. Why? Well, when I foolishly accepted the torch from my mother, that was on the menu. I've been dropping items from that menu every few years....and the last few have bit the dust every year. In all honesty.....no one misses what I drop; there is just SO MUCH of everything else. Hate to admit it, but I have just about got it down to bare bones; if I cut much more, it will surely be noticed.....like the dressing for example.

My family LOVES my dressing. It's something they talk about in July and their eyes glaze over. Yes, I'm happy that I've made my contribution to history as the best lil' dressing maker around these parts, but I really do want to pass things along now. I'm tired. Really tired.

My email in box has been crammed with emails all shouting Black Friday. Never have I gotten so sick of a phrase in all my life.....except for this new one; CYBER WEEK or sometimes, CYBER MONDAY. Those emails began filling up my in box the very minute Black Friday was over. I have no idea what CYBER WEEK is....although I'm guessing it has something to do with GREAT, HUGE BARGAINS all week long if you buy online. BUY, BUY, BUY.

With the economy like it is..............how can people buy?

Ah.....but they ARE.

The stores are crammed. Black Friday found swarms of people climbing all over each other to BUY. I can understand a good deal...........but not this. And they don't stick to their word. Black Friday kept on boasting that you could get Black Friday deals early......like on Wednesday. Same with the Cyber Monday hoopla. Get Cyber Monday deals on SATURDAY....get a head start on EVERYONE cause only a choice several million people know about this SECRET. Bah.

So I hope everyone had a happy and a safe Thanksgiving. I hope you made some really good memories and most of all I hope you all really thought about why we should be thankful. And even though I've been grumpy about being tired, I do it because it's a joy to see my family come together for this meal of thanks in a land where we have much to be thankful for.

A Little of this and that.....

They have discontinued my very favorite coffee. I had very little warning, just an email about 2 weeks prior to my shipment of K-cups, stating that my subscription had been cancelled and I'd have to find another brand. Wow....not so easy. I finally went to another website and ordered some Caribou coffee. Yes! It's very good. I like it. I don't like the higher prices of coffee in general though. It's almost enough to make you stop drinking it.......almost. Give me my coffee so I'll still be a nice person. LOL

My whole family is sick with the flu. Thank goodness I hadn't been around them for about a week or more before they came down with it. The kids are better already, my daughter is doing a much slower recovery; she says it's the sickest she's been in many years. And no....she did not get a flu shot. They should all be ok by Thanksgiving. Now.....if I can just keep from getting it, everything will work out fine.

That may not be easy though. I will be giving my flu shot a real test. A lot of my co-workers are sick. And......DA-YUM......I hate it when they come to work sick; hacking and coughing all over the place, spreading germs to everyone. It's enough that we have to put up with the public coming in that way. Sometimes people just lack common sense.

Yesterday it snowed here.......hard. Huge big fluffy flakes were coming down so hard and fast it was nearly a white-out. It may have lasted 10 minutes, then cleared up and not one single flake could be found anywhere on the ground or on anything. This is just a warning of things to come, I fear. And....yes, you guessed correctly. I'm not fond of snow.

For the second year, my co-worker and I split the cost to furnish a needy family with all the groceries necessary to have a very nice Thanksgiving meal. We don't know the family's name, just that they live in our community; we are doing it through the church. We do know that there are 3 adults and 4 children; two of which are teenagers. Teens can eat a lot, so we bought a little extra. We will also be 'adopting' a family for Christmas. Right now, I'm not sure if it will be the same one or not.

Every year I send money to the Rescue Mission for Christmas. It's amazing how many people they can feed with a small donation. I've been contributing to them and Toys for Tots for over 25 years. I imagine this year they will have a lot more people to take care of. God Bless them all.

I really do hate the time change. My system is all off schedule. It may be daylight when I drive into work, but it's dark when I come home and I don't like that at all. It's hard for me to drive after dark; the on-coming headlights tend to blind me, especially if its raining (or snowing) and you have to have your wipers on. I'm grateful I don't have far to drive. I wish they would just pick a time and leave it alone!

My anti-virus program did a software change recently. They sent a pop-up so I could upgrade but I kept getting an "error" through windows. I googled it and discovered it was a windows error and not the fault of the anti-virus program. I tried to fix the problem myself using recommendations I found online but nothing I did worked. I finally broke down and called the number I was given to Microsoft.....except it really wasn't Microsoft. It was a place called Omni Tech Support.

I'm not going to bad mouth this company because, after I managed to get through their high pressure sales pitches for their software and services, they did solve my problem and, consequently, anti-virus was upgraded just fine. I did have to pay for their services and I did let them remotely fix my system. I'm still a bit nervous over all that but I watched everything they did (not that I'm any expert....but it didn't look like anything covert was being installed or activated). I guess this may be what we can expect in the future......computer repairs done remotely. I sort of like that in a way because you can get service quickly. It did take them nearly 3 hours to repair my computer, which looked to me like something in my registry was wrong. The thing I didn't like was that I didn't get any kind of receipt and I didn't get any kind of explanation of what was wrong or why it happened.

Afterward, I googled the company and found that reviews of them are mixed; people either love them or hate them. I didn't sign up for their "plan", which was horribly expensive.....so I can't tell you if it's a good plan or not. All I can say is that the tech did fix my problem and for a cost that probably was not any higher than what I would have paid for someone to do it at their shop.....but I had it fixed that very day, within hours......where taking it someplace.....well, you know how long you may have to wait when you do that.

That's about enough of my tidbits I would say.........are you asleep yet? LOL If I don't get back by Thanksgiving, I wish all of you happy times making good memories with those you love. Oh....and I have a recipe for a Pumpkin Dump Cake, if anyone wants it for the holiday. Just ask in the comments.

Keep Smilin'

Thoughts on Christmas

I received the following as an email, then today a Blogger friend posted it and I copied it from her to pass it along. Give this some serious thought this year and every year until we are back on our feet again. (jobs come back home). Thank you, dc of Things I know for posting it.




Christmas 2011 -- Birth of a New Tradition




As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high

gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods --

Merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. This

year will be different. This year Americans will give the gift of genuine

concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift

giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands. Yes

there is!



It's time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in

a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper?

Everyone -- yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates

from your local American hair salon or barber?



Gym membership? It's appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some

health improvement.



Who wouldn't appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, American owned

detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a

book of gift certificates.



Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plonking down

the Benjamines on a Chinese made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift

receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or

driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course.



There are a bazillion owner-run restaurants -- all offering gift

certificates. And, if your intended isn't the fancy eatery sort, what about

a half dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint. Remember, folks this

isn't about big National chains -- this is about supporting your home town

Americans with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.



How many people couldn't use an oil change for their car, truck or

motorcycle, done at a shop run by the American working guy?



Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would LOVE the services of a

local cleaning lady for a day.



My computer could use a tune-up, and I KNOW I can find some young guy who is

struggling to get his repair business up and running.



OK, you were looking for something more personal. Local crafts people spin

their own wool and knit them into scarves. They make jewelry, and pottery

and beautiful wooden boxes.



Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave

your server a nice tip. And, how about going out to see a play or ballet at

your hometown theatre.



Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.



Honestly, people, do you REALLY need to buy another ten thousand Chinese

lights for the house? When you buy a five dollar string of light, about

fifty cents stays in the community. If you have those kinds of bucks to

burn, leave the mailman, trash guy or babysitter a nice BIG tip.



You see, Christmas is no longer about draining American pockets so that

China can build another glittering city. Christmas is now about caring about

US, encouraging American small businesses to keep plugging away to follow

their dreams. And, when we care about other Americans, we care about our

communities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn't imagine.

Please make THIS the new American Christmas tradition.

Happy Halloween

Click on the title of this post for a little "mood music" while you're reading.
The movie, Halloween, and its many sequels holds some vivid memories for me, but the most vivid is the very first one......Halloween. It was a whole new dimension of "scary" for me.

I had promised....so after getting out of work at 5, I threw on a wig to cover my deflated hair-do and hastily prepared myself so we could make the 6 pm showing. I took 3 young children (all under the age of 11) to see this at the theater, thinking it was a "kid's show"....tailored for the younger set. (first mistake of a frenzied working mom and wife) It was a weeknight so it wasn't crowded, in fact there was hardly anyone there at all. My kids and a friend of theirs wanted to sit in the front row....I sat in the middle about half way back in a nearly empty theater. The first scary thing happened within minutes and I had 3 terrified children screaming and frantically climbing over seats to get to me, throwing their arms around my neck and knocking my wig askew. They kept their choke-hold on me through-out the entire movie. I remember after about an hour of being terrified, I kept looking at the lighted clock on the sidewall and hoping the movie would end before I had a heart attack. It was relentless.....just one horrifying scary thing right after another. You just wanted to jump right out of your skin. I must have told my kids a hundred times "It's just a movie" and yet it was scaring me as much as it was them.....I just couldn't let them know it. And of course it had to end without a real ending.....and my 8 year old son kept asking all the way home...."so where did he go, Mom, huh?......where?......he's still out there!"

When we got out of the theater, it was dark and I actually looked under the car before we got in (sneakily of course so the kids wouldn't see me). When I got in the car, I anxiously looked in the rear view mirror and my wig was turned around sideways. Thank goodness my kids were too nervous to notice cause I certainly would have never lived that one down. At least it was a good thing that we had a station wagon at the time so I didn't have them (and me) thinking that someone was in the trunk. And of course it didn't help that our weather was exactly the same as the weather in the movie.....Fall, with lots and lots of crunchy leaves on the ground.....when darkness comes very early.

I'm sure I scarred them for life with that mistake.....not to mention aging myself about 20 years. So every time I hear this haunting theme song, this is the memory that comes to me. Now it brings a smile to my face, but back then, it was truly terrifying.

Heh heh heh.....Happy Halloween everyone!

Shots....not the Jello kind either

Well, it's that time of year again. Last year I didn't get the Flu Shot because of all the controversy surrounding it. I made it through the year without getting sick at all and I know I'm lucky in that regard. However, I don't need to press that luck....so I decided I'd better get one this year. Last year was the first time I'd missed getting a flu shot in more than 30 years.

Last year I had also researched getting the Shingles vaccine but was told my insurance didn't cover it and it was just too expensive for me. So I didn't get it. Since that time I've heard of several friends and co-workers who have come down with Shingles and it's not pretty. Matter of fact, I'm hearing about a LOT of people who have gotten the Shingles lately. It can be triggered by stress and everyone is under a lot of stress these days. I looked into getting the vaccine again this year and discussed it with my doctor. He wrote out a prescription for me and told me what to do. I then called several pharmacies as well as the health department. The cost at the pharmacies.....those that even carried it....was in the neighborhood of $220 for the vaccine, including receiving the shot. The cost at the Health Department was about $156 and they would only accept CASH as payment, which tells me they must have had plenty of bad experiences with checks or credit cards.

Now I must say right here that my present pharmacy has been skating on thin ice with me. I've had numerous occasions in which I've been shorted pills, one time as many as thirty. They have a very bad record as far as making you wait.....and WAIT....for your prescriptions, even when they are called in ahead of time. What put the icing on the cake was that a friend of mine has a niece who worked for this particular chain and in her training she was advised to make the customers wait at least 30 minutes for their prescriptions so it would give them time to browse the store for additional purchases. I decided to switch over my prescriptions to another pharmacy that's been in business just as long and furthermore, it's a mile closer to me. I'm making the transition as each prescription comes up for refill.

So the pharmacy I'm using right now was the first one I called regarding the Shingles vaccine; they were rude (as usual) and the girl further said "we don't carry it because it has to be frozen and I don't know nothing about it". (bad grammar always makes my spine straighten). So I called a couple other pharmacies, the one I'm switching to included. This pharmacist at the one I'm switching to went that extra mile and actually questioned why my insurance company said they wouldn't cover it. They checked a little deeper and found out I have supplemental coverage which DOES cover it and so I was able to get this vaccine without having to pay $220 all because a pharmacist was exceptional at her job.

So, I've had my flu shot and the Shingles vaccine. I think I'm all set as far as that goes. As soon as I get the last mess straightened out that my present pharmacy has done, (only giving me a one month refill on a 3 month prescription and saying the insurance wouldn't cover it when it covered it the last time I got these refilled). I'm not looking forward to all the phone calls I will have to make and I'm not sure if I even can get it all straightened out. These prescriptions were supposed to carry me through to the end of February 2012....now since they've done this, I'm not sure about anything. Why would an insurance company fill a script twice for 3 months supply and then the third refill say they won't do 3 month refills.....and it's the SAME prescription. This just shows you the difference in pharmacies.....my present one, they expect YOU to call your insurance company....the one I'm switching to....THEY call the insurance company on your behalf. See why I'm switching? The name? Why yes, I'll give it to you proudly......the name of the pharmacy I'm switching to is Rite-Aid.

We have enough stressful situations in life, we certainly don't need it from a place of business we utilize. So, til next time, keep smilin'. My next post is about a Halloween adventure I had many years ago that's still vivid in my memory.

Update: I've received some emails about Shingles since I posted this. From what my doctor explained to me is that if you've had the chicken pox, then you can get the Shingles. The pox virus lays dormant in your system forever once you've had it, just waiting for the right trigger. If you've never had the Chicken Pox....what you would get would be chicken pox instead of Shingles. (if you're going to get it at all) The vaccine is good for the rest of your life and may not totally prevent you from getting the Shingles, but you will only have an extremely mild case. Shingles are contagious as long as there are blisters; as soon as the blisters scab over, then you are no longer contagious. You are contagious this way: If you happen to touch the blistered area, then say pick up the phone for example....the germ would be on the phone and could be transferred to someone else. Some people may never get the chicken pox and those who have, may never get the Shingles. It is thought that the Shingles are brought on by stress. The most vulnerable are people over 60 who have had the chicken pox. As always.....talk to your doctor about your own particular needs. Hope this has helped.

Another adventure and 2 movies

Yes.....sigh......I sort of live under a rock. I no longer go many places that are out of a 10-mile radius. To work, which is 6 miles away; to the grocery store which is 2 miles away; drugstore, 1 mile....well, you get the idea. The last time I met my friend at the Cracker Barrel, I got lost. This restaurant is about 38 miles from me, one way. It's about 15 miles from my friend. So it is an adventure. Since I'd driven it before, I was fairly confident that I could do it this time and not get lost. We set a date to meet for lunch on Saturday.

Saturday was gorgeous; sunny skies, high of 58. I had previously checked out the online map to this place and memorized places of business along the way. So on Saturday I turned up the car radio that was tuned to the 'oldies' station and set out. I did fine until I came upon the spot where you either get on the expressway or not. I was in the wrong lane.

Now I need to tell you something about me and driving. I try to be a courteous driver. I try not to make problems for other drivers so I am always anticipating what they may expect of me. The thought of me tying up traffic because I'm in the wrong lane and need to get over is unthinkable. So......I had to go with the flow and found myself on the expressway, when I did not want to be there. I knew the direction in which I had to head and so continued that way. When I got to the town that The Cracker Barrel is located in, I chose an exit and got off. Again, I was at the mercy of having to follow the road ("right lane MUST turn right"). I followed it along and this is where memorizing the businesses came in handy. At one of the intersections I found businesses on two corners that I remembered from the map and so I made a left turn right there, which once again set me in the correct direction. I finally found the place and was only 20 minutes late this time as opposed to nearly 45 minutes last time.

We love to visit the Cracker Barrel. Not only is the food absolutely delicious, but they have so many unique things in their store. I stocked up on their Pumpkin Butter and Apple Butter, hopefully enough that will last through the winter. I doubt very much that I will make this drive in weather that could change quickly. That's half the enjoyment of going; experiencing the scenery along the way.

Expressway driving makes me nervous because of the speeds in which people travel. I was doing 70 and the majority of drivers were passing me like I was sitting still.

I was in the mood for a movie that would make me laugh that night after I was safely back home. I went through my movie collection and found one that is maybe 15 years old or more, Made in America with Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Danson. I'd seen it before but it had been many years so I decided to watch it again. OMG, I had forgotten just how funny it is. I laughed and giggled through most of it. Will Smith is in it too.....he looks like he's about 16! LOL. Anyway, it's a cute movie.....no bad language that I can remember, no nudity.....there are sexual innuendos but I don't think a kid would pick up on them. So if you want some giggles, check out this movie.

Last week I looked at Bridesmaids. It's a movie that has a little bit of most everything in it. Kind of high up on the "ewwww" factor and lots of bad language, a lot of sexual situations and simulated sex, although I don't think there is any nudity. It's a comedy and I did laugh. But over-all, it's more than just a comedy. As it covers love, friendship, jealousy, envy, depression, forgiveness and many more emotions, it's a good movie with some lessons for us all. Yes, it's definitely a 'chick flick' and I'll wager to say that most all of us women have experienced a lot of the things that went on in this movie.....that's what makes it so funny. If you get a chance, grab a fun girlfriend or two and check it out. Definitely NOT for the younger set or anyone easily offended. This is a movie for open-minded people who can laugh at situations that are off-color and in bad taste....for lack of better wording.

Til next time, when I cover news about the Shingles Vaccine, drugstores and prescriptions.
Keep smilin'!

I got pranked.....

with the old "ring the doorbell and run" scenario. I was not amused.

It was Friday night and I was watching TV in my jammies. I was kicked back and relaxed after a hard day at work - the only light on in my house was light from the TV. It was late but not too late.....maybe 9:30 or so.

Suddenly my evening was disrupted by the ringing of my door bell....4 times rapidly....making it hard to distinguish whether it came from the front door or the back door. I checked the front door first......no one. Then checked the back door.....no one. Sliding glass door and the deck.....no one. Driveway.....no one.

Now, I've lived here for almost 40 years. Neighbors have come and gone but a lot of us have lived here for that long or longer. I have no teenagers that live close to me any more. This is a safe neighborhood and I've never been afraid. I have never been pranked before. But neighborhoods change over the years......sometimes not for the better.

I will admit that there have been times I have forgotten to lock my doors over night and have even left for the day and forgotten to lock them. My neighbors have done the same. But things change when different people move close by. I made a promise to myself that I will be more diligent about locking up.

After discovering "no one" at any of my doors and turning on porch lights and flood lights......I did become a bit concerned. I figured it was a prank, but there is always a little doubt in your mind that maybe something more sinister is at work. I called my grandson. I asked him if he had been here, by any chance....just clowning around. He said no, why? I told him. He became concerned. Within minutes he and his friends were here checking out my yard and then they retreated to an area where they could watch and sat there for about a half hour, just watching. Nothing was amiss and they didn't even see any gangs of kids. My grandson is grown and his friends are BIG. I was glad they had my back.

Now, although it did cause me some inconvenience and a little concern, I'm not really complaining. It was one of those "innocent" pranks.....nothing was taken, nothing was damaged. I didn't have the "bag of dog poo on fire" on my front porch. They just got a kick out of seeing the lights go on at each door I guess. I'm glad it took so little to amuse them. But my grandson and his friends will be watching from now to Halloween......and if the pranks get frequent or damaging, I would not want to be the prankster in this case.

On Halloween, our neighborhood is one of those that doesn't give out candy anymore.....the kids around here all go to church, school or private parties so they are not out on the streets after dark. I used to get a kick out of seeing all the costumes, but it really is much safer for them to just have a supervised party. Besides that, the last few years that kids were coming around, I was only getting bigger high school kids, not even in costume.....the little ones were celebrating in a safer environment.

I have been seriously thinking of getting another dog and so has my daughter. In the spring, maybe.....when housebreaking will be easier. We want bigger dogs, that will double as watch dogs, taken seriously. Her number one choice is a Rottweiler/English Lab mix.....that's what she had before and that dog was absolutely the best. Hopefully we can get two puppies.....sisters.

Of course I have not cleared it with Queen Abby yet......my rat terrier who basically dictates the goings on around here. She does not think she is a dog. She hates squirrels. She thinks cats are just squirrels without fuzzy tails. She does not like other dogs......so it could be interesting.

This sounds like me.....

....some of it.....sometimes.

You Are Highly Authentic

You're as real as they come... and quite modest too. You are very self-assured, and you have a healthy amount of self-esteem. You feel confident that you can take on the world. You have a great sense of humor, especially when it comes to laughing at yourself.

The Watercolor Test

Blogthings: Discover the Parts of Your Personality that Have Been Hiding

It Would Be Funny.....

if it wasn't so sad. I received this from a friend and was speechless. Just listen. I wonder what color the sky is in her world.

Click on the title to play the file.....a caller and a D.J., over the air.....talking about illegal immigrants and Arizona. It's only about 2 and a half minutes long.

I can't believe so much time has gone by so quickly. It's actually been pretty boring in my life.....but sometimes boring is good. I'll take that over drama and trauma any day.

I'll be back in a couple days or so and see if I can give you all something to laugh about.

Just gimme my coffee.....

that's all I ask.....just let me have my beloved cup of coffee.

In September of 2009 I bought a Keurig coffee maker. The coffee produced from this machine is purely heaven sent. The most delicious cup of coffee I've ever had, PERIOD. I was in love. Yes, the coffeemaker is expensive initially but it makes such a terrific cup of coffee in record time, you forgive it for being expensive. The K-cups (what you use to make your cup of coffee) I purchase through Amazon and figured out that it was costing me roughly .36 a cup, which is not bad at all. They have recently raised the price of coffee so now it's about .46 a cup. I run it through the same K-cup twice to make a 16 oz cup and the strength is just right for me. So, I'm getting a 16 oz cup of coffee for .46. In less than a minute.

Actually, I still am in love but I am now able to see the object of my affection without the rose-colored glasses; I'm able to see its major fault. That being: it seems to tire quickly and then refuses to do its job. In other words........it's moody.

The first coffeemaker quit 2 months out of warranty....just before Thanksgiving. I rushed to the store and bought a replacement. I was having a houseful of company for dinner and I had to have a coffeemaker! Now that pot has quit on me but thank goodness it's still under warranty. So, after trying everything I read to try and fix it to no avail I decided to call the company. This was yesterday (Sunday). I was shocked, amazed and very happy that they not only answered the phone (on a holiday weekend yet) but I actually got a real live HUMAN.

After taking my information and assuring that I was, indeed, still under warranty, she advised me that a brand new coffeemaker would be on its way to me and to expect its arrival within 5 business days. She also informed me that they would need a specific part from my present coffeemaker returned to them and would provide the means to do that. I'm more than happy to do so.....my present coffeemaker is of no use to me in its present condition.....i.e., not working.

I have to commend this company for doing everything possible to make their customers happy. The coffeemaker is superb when it's working right.....it's just temperamental. We've had a few summer storms that have caused intermittent power outages and maybe that had something to do with it.....I'm not sure. All I know, it was working on Friday and on Saturday morning, the settings were all messed up and eventually it shut itself down and wouldn't come back on.

If you research it on the Internet, you find many people having much the same problems.....but almost every one of them have nothing but praise for the company and how well it stands behind their product and how hard they try to please their customers as long as you're still under warranty. I guess that's all anyone can ask.

For the weekend, I went downstairs to the basement and pulled my old Bunn coffemaker out of retirement. I've had it for years and it still worked for me. I was able to make a pot of coffee, although it was not the best as I was using coffee from two years ago.....but it WAS coffee and I figure it's better than nothing at all. I am so used to being able to have a cup of coffee in a minute or less that I was pacing the floor waiting for the Bunn to make the pot and it couldn't have been more than a 10 or 12 minute wait. Funny how we become accustomed to the FAST life....it's an addiction.

If you think about it......that's how we expect everything to be. FAST......INSTANT.....we are a nation of no patience. And yep.....I include myself in that equation. Remember when (all you seniors out there) when we had to wait until something "warmed up" when we turned it on before we could get sound (radio) or a picture (TV). That would drive our present day younger population absolutely crazy. Well.....keep smilin' y'all And DO take some time to stop and smell the flowers!