some good, some bad.....

Well, I just love a good hot cup of coffee and that's a good thing. Yesterday I went to heat up something in my microwave and it stopped working after only running 10 seconds. And that's a bad thing. I've had it for about 12 years and its worked perfectly so that's a good thing but if I have to replace it, that's a bad thing.

This morning I went to my trusty coffee-maker to brew up a pot and it wasn't working. Its the kind that keeps the water hot in a reservoir and then drips through the grounds. The water was not hot. Hmmmm...this is most definitely a bad thing. I figured that this was too much of a coincidence that two things quit working at once so I checked the outlet and ..... no power to the coffee maker one. Well, this could be a good thing....maybe nothing more than a tripped circuit breaker. So I go downstairs to check.

Now, last year I had my fuse box converted to circuit breakers but have not had to deal with the box until now. None of the breakers are marked! This is a bad thing. I don't know what I'm doing. One looked like it might be off, but it wouldn't stay on when I flipped it. So now I'm going to have to get someone over here to find out what's wrong. Do I feel stupid? Why yes.....yes I do!

I come back upstairs and plug the coffee maker into a working outlet. At least a nightlight works when I plug it in. The coffee-maker does nothing but sit there and refuse to work for me. I end up boiling water on the stove and pour it through the grounds in the carafe to make a pot of not so good coffee. I don't bother moving the microwave and fooling with that outlet. I'll handle that at another time. Maybe if I'm lucky, I can get someone else to do it. HA! Exhibiting perfect timing, UPS comes and delivers the new pot I had ordered last week.....and that's a great big good thing!

Getting tired of wasting 3/4 of a pot of coffee every day simply because I no longer drink a whole pot before it starts to taste yucky....I bought one of those one-cup coffee makers after doing a tremendous amount of research to convince myself that I would like it. All the reviews were so good I figured a million people can't be wrong....so I will try it. I made my first cup this afternoon and I will have to say that the coffee named "Donut Shop" is great......a freshly brewed mug can be had in about a minute and a half......and that's a good thing.

This n' that.....

Nothing post-worthy has happened and sometimes that's a good thing. Its been cold, blustery and rainy. The leaves are falling heavily now and if they weren't so wet, you would be hearing the rustle and crackle of them when you walk out to get the mail. Soon the trees will be bare, their naked branches reaching for the sky.

I think I've gotten the upper hand with my bronchitis with the help of antibiotics. Still have a little cough left, but its not bad at all. Because of that, I put off getting my flu shot and now I'm not sure I can get one because of low supply. Tomorrow I will be checking that out to see if I can get one. I don't think I will get the H1N1.....I'm a little fearful of it because it was formulated so quickly and also, according to the news reports, because of my age I may have a bit of built in immunity.

I've been doing a lot of reading and also getting back into the groove of watching TV on some evenings. It gets dark so early and light so late in the day now. I will be actually glad to see the time change take place. I'm driving to work in darkness and coming home in twilight.

Speaking of Twilight. I saw the movie finally. I was curious about all the hype over it but didn't buy the books and I didn't pay the outrageous prices they want for a movie ticket. I waited for the DVD and then got it used. People.....I'm sorry, but I just can't see it. I know a lot of people went nuts over it and maybe I've become a cranky old woman....but I just didn't get pulled in by all of it. First of all, the star....Pattinson. He's not THAT handsome....plenty of other stars that have it all over him. Secondly, the girl....Bella. I didn't appreciate her mouth always being open. It was driving me nuts! My grandmother used to get after me when I was small about that....she'd say..."are you trying to catch flies?....close that mouth". It makes her look very unintelligent. Then her backpack....she'd have it, then she wouldn't only to see her have it again at home. Her trip into the woods started out with backpack, then it mysteriously disappears. It drove me nuts because she has this book in there that if "he" found it, he would know that she was on to him. The movie's special effects were not good.....a children's "Goosebumps" movie has better. The only thing I can say is that the country is gorgeous. The scenery is absolutely breath-taking. So, I didn't think much of it. My young granddaughter, however, loves it. I can say it was refreshing to look at a movie that wasn't forcing the F-word down your throat every other minute. In fact, I don't think there was any swearing in it at all, no nudity and very little gore. Even though those are all attributes, I'm guessing that maybe I'm just too old to appreciate the plot and I've been spoiled by excellent special effects in other movies, which would have enhanced this one immensely.

If allowed to go, the trick or treat set will be going from place to place in darkness, which is dangerous but more thrilling for them. We really don't have door to door trick or treating in my neighborhood any longer. The schools and churches have little parties for the kids so everything is done safely and supervised. Its a shame that so many sick people have ruined a holiday that every kid looked forward to; when I was a kid doing this, it never crossed our minds that anyone would try and harm children. So, this coming weekend will be an active one.....for the older kids with pranks and mischief on their minds. Before Friday, I must get all my outdoor furniture and such brought into the garage where it will stay for the winter....otherwise it might end up in the middle of the road, arranged for a social gathering.

My grandson has abandoned his ideas of going into the service in the hopes of attaining a specialized field. His very selfish, immature girlfriend has nixed that. And what is more frustrating is that he's listening to her demands. He has wasted months of his life only to be of service to her. He spends his days waiting on her, eager to jump to her every command. Its sickening and makes us all feel so helpless. We can't talk any sense into him. As for her, she definitely has gotten off on the wrong foot with me. Her rudeness, lack of any sort of etiquette whatsoever and her "me first" attitude cinched that. I would like nothing more than to see him break it off with her and to do it quickly. Since she's been cheating on him, maybe I'll get my wish soon. So far she's been able to lie her way out of everything and he believes her excuses. She's going to make a kind-hearted, trusting young man very bitter and suspicious of all women after this.

Well, that's about it. I have laundry to do and tomorrow is dreaded Monday, which is always busy at work. Maybe tomorrow I won't drop and spill my entire cup of coffee in the parking lot in the pouring rain like I did Friday. Have a nice evening dear friends!

An award and a MEME.....

Thank you, Gypsy, for including me in your group to receive this award. I'm supposed to pass this along to 6 people but I am going to extend this award to anyone who has commented on my blog in the last two posts. So if you have, consider yourself a recipient and accept this award from me because if I have you on my blogroll and I read and comment on your blog, I consider it to be genuinely "over the top" in every way possible.

Now......for the Meme part. Apparently the answers to these questions can only be one word. Hmmmmmm....kinda hard for most women to do, but let's see what happens.

Here goes:

One Word Meme............

Where is your cell phone? Purse

Your hair? Colored

Your mother? Passed

Your father? Passed

Your favorite food? Steak

Your dream last night? Driving

Your favorite drink? Coffee

Your dream/goal? Happiness

What room are you in? Den

Your hobby? Reading

Your Fear? Pain

Where do you want to be in 6 years? Secure

Where were you last night? Home

Something that you aren’t? Dishonest

Muffins? Yes!

Wish list item? Maid

Where did you grow up? Michigan

Last thing you did? Typed

What are you wearing? Nightshirt

Your TV? Sharp

Your pets? Dog

Friends? Valued

Your life? Introspective

Your mood? Variable

Missing someone? Yes

Vehicle? Pontiac

Something you’re not wearing? Pantyhose

Your favorite store? Kohl's

Your favorite color? Blues

When was the last time you laughed? Yesterday

Last time you cried? Unsure

Your best friend? Relocated

One place that I go to over and over? Memories

One person who emails me regularly? Wanda

Favorite place to eat? Home

Don't forget to retrieve and then pass on your award to keep it going. Happy Saturday!! (and YES...I'm feeling better already!)

Pardon me while I just s-i-g-h.....

I really did try hard. I did everything but enclose myself in a waterproof suit and wear a face mask but the germs still got to me anyway. Yep....bronchitis and a sinus infection. I have learned not to wait with this kind of stuff cause it only gets worse. I didn't see any sense in going into the doctor's office because I get this just about every Fall.....I figured he could call a prescription in for me and I wouldn't infect his waiting room. Well, I called and of course I had to go through the whole business of recorded announcements, computerized voices and voice mail. I ended up leaving a message which they said would be listened to and handled shortly. Well....good thing I wasn't dying! 24 hours later, after no response from them, I called back and I was more than a little bit ticked off. This time they called in the prescription for me within an hour.

So I have missed a week of work and that's like throwing money out the window. I haven't felt good at all and when I'm not happy.....ain't NOBODY happy. (just kidding about that.....I actually curl up in a corner and just feel sorry for myself). I wasn't able to get my flu shot because I didn't think it was a good idea to get it when you're sick already. So I've started the 5 day dose of antibiotics and I hope this does the trick. Last time I had this stuff, it took two prescriptions to clear it up.

Sorry I haven't said much.....I just haven't felt up to par. I've been trying to make the rounds and visit everyone though. Hope you all are feeling well. I'll see you in a few days....hopefully bright eyed and bushy tailed.

Never a dull moment.....

Well, let's see....where do I start. The other day I was doing laundry and noticed that my water just didn't "feel" right. I figured that it was no longer soft water and probably the reason was because my water softener needed to be refilled with salt. So I trudged downstairs to check it out.

Now, I had my laundry facilities moved upstairs a while ago because the stairs are just too hard to navigate with my bad knee and bad hip, but I CAN go down there if I'm careful. It just hurts, plus takes me a while. I would say that I probably haven't been down in my basement for about 3 months.

So anyway, I go downstairs to check out the softener. Now I'm no Martha so I go barefooted inside my house. I've always done it and probably always will. As I'm walking toward the softener, I have to step on a large piece of kitchen carpeting that's been down there for ages. It's better than standing on a cold floor when you're doing laundry. I step on the carpeting and immediately jerk my foot back.....its wet.....very very wet. My first thought was that the wash water may have come back up through the drain in the floor but there is no smell. I look around some more to find a clue. The water must have come out quickly at one time as the water line on the paneling is about 2 inches up from the floor and there are calcium deposits that have settled in between the tiles on the floor. Bright white they are and there's no missing them. About the only place those could come from is my water heater and upon closer inspection....yes, its leaking.

I can't really complain; it has served me well. It was installed in 1985 and I've never had any trouble with it. So I call my furnace guy and make arrangements to get a new one installed the next day. I thought briefly about getting one of those new tankless water heaters but they are expensive and take much longer to install. My budget dictates that I stay with the tried and true.

First and foremost I have a clean-up job that must be tended to. That soaking wet big piece of carpeting is not going to be easy to contend with. I call my son and ask him if he would do this for me and he readily agrees to take care of it. He will do it the very next day and the day after that I get the new water heater installed. Perfect timing. The next day he comes over and cleans everything up down there, carts the wet carpet up and out of the basement and mops the floor. He did a very good job. The next day the new one is installed and it takes about 2 hours. Its nice to have hot water again. Oh and my softener was out of salt, so that was replenished and now I should have soft water again. Life is good.

This happened yesterday. Fast forward to about 3 in the morning when I wake out of a sound sleep and smell gas. Now I am terrified of natural gas. I have a lot of respect for it and for what it can do for us as well as to us. My emergency dispatch training pops into my head so I know not to turn on any lights as I roam around my home sniffing the air. Yes....definitely gas odor coming from the basement. Strong gas odor. I call the gas company and report a gas leak.

As I sit there in my nightgown with my hair sticking straight up on one side of my head, I'm listening to this guy on the phone giving me instructions which make no sense. They really should update this speech they go through. First of all, he tells me that they recommend that I evacuate my home immediately.....which escalates your fear factor about 100% right there. In the next breath he wants to make sure that someone will be here to let in their employee. Then he tells me not to turn on any appliances or any lights and not to use the phone. At this point, I actually take the receiver away from my ear and look at it. WTH does he think I'm calling him on? Oh well, it hasn't exploded yet.......I continue to listen. He states he will have someone here within 60 minutes. SIXTY minutes. I was figuring maybe 15 to 20 but not 60. There's not much I can do but wait. I then get dressed and open the front door to let some fresh air in. After about 10 minutes of fresh air, I turn on a table lamp, thinking it will be safer than a wall switch. Then I wait some more. All of a sudden my whole house is submerged in darkness. The power has gone out! I can't remember when I've ever been so scared. I figured that this was just a prelude to a house explosion and I tightly shut my eyes and brace myself. Nothing happens. I open my eyes and then the lights come back on. I'm thinking to myself....oh great...this can't be good, power going off and on through-out the entire house and here they warn you not to be turning stuff on. Then it goes out again and this time I look outside and discover that the entire neighborhood is pitch dark. The wind is very strong at this point and its spitting rain. I was surprised when the power came back on a minute or so later. This time it stayed on. (my daughter wasn't so lucky.....she's still out of power and the power company says it may not be restored until early Friday morning!)

The gas company showed up within 40 minutes and he yellow tagged the water heater (dangerous) after shutting off the gas to it. He said there was a definite leak in the connection....a substantial leak. He said to have my installer come back and fix it, then fill out the card and mail it back. He said that if they (the gas company) have to come back out again after the installer has been here, I will be charged for it! Off he went. (personality rating out of 5 stars: 2) I felt better but it took me nearly an hour to calm down enough to where I could go back to sleep. At 9 a.m. I called my guy and he came over and fixed it all up. Apparently there was a problem with a fitting, which he replaced. I should have hot water by 6 tonight so I can do dishes and my white laundry.

Right now I'm sleepy and so I'm headed for a nap. This old girl can't take all this excitement in stride any longer. Time to recharge the batteries. Hope your day was more calming than this. Peace!

Here ya go, another easy recipe.....

Its been cold and rainy all weekend and its just the right time for a recipe like this. Its easy and kids love it. It is my own recipe as I've added and taken away from the original that I think came from Miracle Whip ages ago. I hope you make it and let me know how you like it. Enjoy.

VAL'S ONE PAN GOULASH

Dinner's on the table in less than 30 minutes!

You will need:

1 lb. ground chuck
1 jar spaghetti sauce (1 lb. 10 oz size) I use Ragu or Prego
1 medium onion, finely chopped
quarter of a green pepper, finely chopped....more or less according to your taste
1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni (or Penne works well too)
1 to 2 tsp. minced garlic or garlic powder
pinch of white sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 heaping tablespoon Miracle Whip salad dressing
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Brown hamburger, onion and green pepper in a large pan that has a cover. Drain this mixture in a colander, sprinkle with salt, mix and set aside.

Pour 1 cup water and the entire jar of spaghetti sauce in pan, mix well and bring to a boil. Add 1 1/2 cups of elbow macaroni, stir well to combine.

then add:
1 to 2 tsp. garlic powder
a pinch of white sugar (a must)

Add the hamburger and onion mixture, combine well. Bring to a boil once more, then turn down to medium, cover the pan and simmer for 15 to 18 minutes, stirring often so the macaroni won't stick to the bottom of the pan. Note: stir carefully, you don't want to make the macaroni into mush!

After the macaroni is cooked to your liking, remove from heat and add a heaping tablespoon of Miracle Whip and mix well. This is optional but it does give it a little kick and adds a nice flavor.

Top with Parmesan cheese if you wish. Serve with hot buttered rolls. Serves four.