I'm not too fond of the red nose though.....

You Are Rudolph

Sweet and shy, you tend to be happiest when you're making someone else happy. Why You're Naughty: You sometimes stick that nose where it doesn't belong Why You're Nice: Christmas would be a sad affair without you!

Which of Santa's Reindeer Are You?

There are earth angels among us.....

We've heard that many times before and a lot of us sure have witnessed it. I work next to one. I envy this woman because she just has such a giving nature.....no second thoughts at all.

Recently, she went to the grocery store and bought the makings for a complete Thanksgiving meal, as well as added extras like bread, milk, eggs, hamburger and macaroni and cheese and spaghetti for the days before and after. She gave all of these groceries away to a struggling needy family she had heard about.

This isn't the first time she's done something like that and I don't expect it to be the last. She recently lost her husband of 40 years and has realized that her life had been very blessed and actually it still is. Although not rich, she is comfortable and though she can't have the one thing she wants the most (her husband back), she doesn't have to worry about being out in the street with no income. She wants to pass along some of her blessings and Thank God for people like her.

Her early life story is very poignant. She was taken away from unfit parents at a young age and went from foster home to foster home back when the agencies were less than adequate. Her childhood memories are more like nightmares. And yet she brought herself up from such a hard beginning to marry her true love and raise lovely children who are an asset to society. I look at her in awe.

I wish I could do something for her to show her just how special she is. I really don't think she's aware of it. But God surely knows and I'm sure she's been reserved a seat at His table. Do you know any earth angels? I hope so. I feel its a privilege to be in the same room with her but I can go further than that and actually call her a friend.

How many ways can you fix turkey.....

I had to work Wednesday, much to my dismay, but when I got home my daughter and family were here and we soon were well on our way to prepping and baking for the big day. It had been snowing most of the day....a wet, heavy snow...which is just perfect to make a snowman or snowoman. I guess you could call this a picture book Thanksgiving in just about every way, including the weather.

My family did not leave until Sunday and by then I was beginning to get a bit cranky. I'm so used to being alone that a house hopping with noise, laughter, a 6 yr. old running from room to room, games and TV going was a little much for me....not to mention my dog. She hid under the bed frequently but the fragrance of food kept luring her out so she had that "deer caught in the headlights" look on her face a lot. The kids did go outside and make a snowoman, complete with an old hat of my mom's on her head. They gave her blue bottle cap eyes and a red bottle cap smile. A piece of celery made a perfect nose. Its interesting to note that the birds would come down and "steal" the bottle caps, only to be disappointed. I suspect they were hoping for berries. They never touched the celery nose. Note the svelte figure of our snowoman....she apparently stayed away from the Thanksgiving table.

My granddaughter lost her front tooth while here and we had to put it under armed guard to make sure it didn't get lost before she could get home to leave it under HER pillow for the tooth fairy assigned to HER house to come get it and leave her a reward. Do you know that the going rate seems to be $5 a tooth now? She had gotten the official word from the kids at school who had already been through this. Heaven forbid HER fairy leave her something less!! We assured her that her fairy was a union member and up on the latest trends and not to worry. She must have checked on that tooth, securely wrapped in a plastic sandwich bag, 200 times while she was here.

By today our official snowfall topped off at somewhere between 8 and 9 inches. I don't remember getting so much snow this early in the winter season. It should make the ski resorts happy. Monday morning the roads were nearly impassable. I traded my working days so I wouldn't have to drive in it. I was so grateful to crawl back into bed early Monday morning and snuggle down under the comforter. Monday evening rush hour wasn't much better and I was, again, grateful to be home....warm and comfy with PLENTY of leftovers to eat. I'm just about fed up with turkey for a while at this point. I think I'm growing tail feathers.

I don't know how many of you ventured out for Black Friday to do some shopping. I know of several of my co-workers who look forward to this event every year. I am NOT one of those brave souls. This year I was informed of CYBER MONDAY, which is online shopping with wonderful deals at a lot of stores. I took advantage of that while sipping coffee in my jammies and I can tell you that my Christmas shopping is done except for the secret Santa gift that I will have to buy for work. Everything I bought was at a reduced price with free shipping. Some of the items were more than 50% off. I am, indeed, a happy shopper. We are not buying for the adults, only the kids....so my shopping list is not too long...but its nice to know that its done. I will have to work a lot of days this month so it works out nicely. Well, its getting late and I'm rambling. I simply MUST get around to all of your blogs so I'm leaving now. I hope your evening is wonderful and if you live in snow country....be careful out there!

Every once in a while.....

a commercial comes on TV that makes me laugh out loud. The following is one of those commercials. I hope it affects you the same way as we all need a good laugh on a regular basis.

This is kind of strange.......or not

You are The Moon

Hope, expectation, Bright promises.

The Moon is a card of magic and mystery - when prominent you know that nothing is as it seems, particularly when it concerns relationships. All logic is thrown out the window.

The Moon is all about visions and illusions, madness, genius and poetry. This is a card that has to do with sleep, and so with both dreams and nightmares. It is a scary card in that it warns that there might be hidden enemies, tricks and falsehoods. But it should also be remembered that this is a card of great creativity, of powerful magic, primal feelings and intuition. You may be going through a time of emotional and mental trial; if you have any past mental problems, you must be vigilant in taking your medication but avoid drugs or alcohol, as abuse of either will cause them irreparable damage. This time however, can also result in great creativity, psychic powers, visions and insight. You can and should trust your intuition.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

UPDATE

Because a lot of people in my comments said they got the same card and thought maybe that it was the only one offered, I retook this test, and answered everything offbeat and opposite of what I really feel and did get a different card, so there is more than just the "moon" card in the deck. Maybe everyone who got the moon card is a Pisces like me?...or not. Anyway, its just for fun.

I Do This Sometimes.....

Many years ago I saw this picture in a magazine. It was a postage stamp size picture and was advertising a tapestry for sale. I really loved the colors and interpreted it as a representation of these "older" ladies gossiping up a storm on their shopping day in the village. I drew it, using the tiny one as a guide. I named it "Social Network". Its done in pastels (chalk) because I can work with that pretty good. I am terrible with oils or watercolors.

Its 38 degrees here and, according to the weather map, we have snow coming....its 3 counties west of us. A good day to snuggle down inside and maybe read for a while. I still have some laundry to do, but I can read while the machine does the work. I surely would be in a mess if I had been born back in the day when there was no such thing as electricity. I have the utmost respect for the Amish. Although if we didn't have a TV or a computer, think of the extra time we all would have.

My granddaughter, who is in kindergarten, has missed several days of school along with about 10 others from her class. Seems as though a "single dad" brought his child to school sick because he didn't want to miss work. Needless to say, the whole class was exposed and now every mom of every sick child from that room has it out for that dad. I can picture them with torches and weapons, circling his house, ready to spill blood. (shades of Frankenstein) My daughter has cleaned up so much puke that she's practically traumatized by the whole ordeal. Who knew that such a small child could expel such large quantities. Heaven help that poor single dad if my daughter ever comes across him. It won't be a pretty sight.

This n' that.....

Picture it....the 1960's...in America. The scent of Patchouli hangs in the air, the music of that era says so much. Hmmmm. This is the feeling I'm getting today here at home, minus the Patchouli....which I love by the way.

I am dressed in sweatshirt and black leggings (my favorite casual outfit), headphones on my head with an mp3 player clipped to my shirt. The music from the 60's and 70's takes me back as I sway with the beat. I have made myself a mixed drink and am sipping it as I'm cleaning house. Laundry going, dishes getting washed and tables being dusted. Beef stew in the crockpot, making the whole house fragrant and giving off an air of coziness. Today I've been blessed with a rare bout of energy. I don't know where its coming from but I'm not questioning it or wasting it....I'm using it as fast as I can for I don't know when I'll get it again. I've worked over 60 hours these past two weeks (part-time) and I should be tired but instead I feel energized. Its cold outside....gloomy and raining, making a mess of all the leaves carpeting the ground.

To say I've let my house go during all this outside work is an understatement. I'm hoping I'll be able to get it back in shape in these two days that I have off. Thankfully, next week I go back to my two day a week schedule for a couple weeks, then I have to fill in for another person's vacation. Don't misunderstand, I'm very grateful for the work.....the money will be going to pay my daughter's property taxes to save the house from the forfeiture list. So I'm on a mission. LOL, kind of like the Blues Brothers. Damn those property taxes anyway.

I took my vehicle in and got it winterized. Had the tires checked, oil changed and all fluids topped off. Hopefully that will do the trick and I won't have any repairs. My grandson came over and put all the deck furniture in the garage in preparation of winter. I hear that states west of us have been getting some pretty impressive snow. With all this rain, if we were just a bit colder out, I fear this could be snow also. I'm not ready for it to snow. We had such a brutal winter last time.....I just dread it.

On my way home last night in heavy rush hour traffic I was behind a guy that was driving so erratic that he frightened me. I wanted to get away from him but figured I'd rather have him in front of me than behind me. He crossed the center line several times as well as drifting onto the shoulder. I dug out my phone and was preparing to call and report him but by the time I got the phone out of my purse and turned on, he went a different way than I had to go and so he lucked out. I just hope he got to his destination without causing anyone grief.

Well, my break is over and I must get back to the business of making this house look halfway presentable. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Tell someone you love them.

I'll Be So Glad When This is Over.....

I imagine every one of us has been bombarded with campaign ads...to the point where you almost feel like screaming...enough already! One of my personal pet peeves is the dreaded recorded announcement we are subjected to over our home phones. True, you can hang up the phone as soon as you discover what it is and not have to worry about hurting anyone's feelings.....but what if you're at work and these announcements clog up your answering machine. Twice now my machine has been filled to capacity with these unwanted announcements so that if a personal message I really wanted to receive would never come through. Personally, I don't think that this is fair. I can't believe that my unlisted number has made its way to SO MANY people.

We are subjected to filled snail-mailboxes and so many TV campaign ads that you just about know them all by heart. I have even gotten a few emails, but thankfully, not too many.

Amidst all this madness, one simply has to look for some humor. So far, the pickings have been rather slim until Friday night. My daughter called me and was really tickled. She told me that she had just received a recorded campaign call from a person who is running for re-election in our township. The name is well-known to us and is going to get our votes. My daughter went on to tell me that if I received this particular call, to listen to it and not to hang up....that an embarrassing mistake had been made.

Well, it wasn't more than 20 minutes later and I received the call. The person started out with "Hi, this is _________ and I'm running for re-election as your Township _________." It went on to cite all the things this person stood for and has done and also would like to do in the next four years. Then the voice faltered and after a few ahs and ahms.....and the sound of paper being rustled....the voice mumbled something and then said "damnit" and then another voice is heard saying something about didn't you have that written down and then the answer is no and more shuffling of papers and conversation back and forth and then the recording stops.

Oh yes I know....I shouldn't laugh at other people's embarrassing mistakes, but after so many of these irritating calls from so many different people, I was grasping at anything to make me feel better or at least make me smile and I was rewarded. Wow....this person's campaign manager is in some deep trouble I would suspect! I like this person and so I looked up the phone number in the phone book and called them at home and left a message on their answering machine, advising them of the wrong recorded message going out to probably thousands of homes. I ended the message with..."I voted for you, I think you're doing a great job....but you might want to pull this recorded announcement".

I know I'm not the only one who will be soooo glad when this election is over. And no matter who wins, there will be about half the country who is not happy. That, in itself, is going to be a difficult situation.

Tagged.....

I've been tagged by Heather at Adopting a Child to list 7 weird things about me. Oh Brother! Well, here goes:

1. I find it calming after putting the clothes in the washer to lean over, head supported by my elbows and just watch them agitate, with the clean smell of the laundry detergent wafting up as I’m watching.

(they asked for weird....weird they shall get)

2. The tastiest food on my plate I will save for the very last to eat. When I was a kid, I'd eat the vegetable I hated most first so I could get it out of the way and then the rest of the food would help get rid of the taste of it.

3. Though I'm not afraid of them....I don't like clowns. I think they are evil. I never allowed my kids to have clown dolls or pictures or even clown coloring books. Don't laugh.... remember that serial killer who used to dress up like a clown? Even Stephen King made a clown evil in his book, IT.

4. Speaking of books.....I love the smell of new books and will sometimes put my face in a book just to breathe it in. Matter of fact..... I just plain love office supplies....pens, pencils, notebooks, notepads.

(yep, I know this looks strange, odd and weird)

5. And since we are on the subject of reading material.....I start looking at a magazine from back to front.

6. The sound of seagulls and the ocean makes me feel tremendously sad so, because of that, I avoid what most people would consider paradise.

7. My intuition or hunches can sometimes be so accurate that it scares me.

Ok, there it is. I know I have a lot more than this, but of course you can never think of them when you want to and so I had a hard time even coming up with the required 7. I'm not going to tag anyone with this but if you want to play along, please do so. Do we share any weird qualities? At least if you're having writer's block, its a post.

Some snippets.....

During this time of year we have an organization that puts bins at both the entrance/exit doors of the building where I work for the purpose of accepting food donations. The organization then transports them all back to a central location and they are distributed....probably after being checked over first to make sure the food is acceptable.

I have a couple stories concerning this. We've been getting in a lot of donations and the bins are over-flowing....which is really good, especially during these hard times. It makes your heart swell to see such an outpouring of compassion.

Well, we have a certain resident in the area who is quite colorful, to say the least. The other day she walked in and helped herself to several choice bags of food and started to leave the building. She was intercepted and kindly told that these items are for the needy and she said that she certainly was needy. Then it was explained to her that they had to be taken back to a central location before being distributed and if she would contact that organization, then she could get what she wanted from them. She reluctantly agreed and put back the bags. None of us really think that she qualifies but that will be up to the organization to decide.

The second story is just plain sad and will make you angry. A lot of people put food in those bins that is expired. A woman called one of the offices (thank God I wasn't the one to take that call) and said she was bringing up a lot of food but wanted to know how fast it was going to be distributed because it had all expired....some just expired and some up to a year. The employee who answered our phone got it across to her that why in the world did she think that just because someone was needy, that they deserved to eat expired food? The woman argued that it was perfectly good as long as it didn't sit around too much longer....then our employee said....then YOU eat it. HA. I love it!

I'll end this post with a warning. A friend of my grandson's cashed his small paycheck at a convenience store a couple days ago. When he got home he was looking at the cash and thought some of it looked a little odd. Come to find out.....$120 of it was counterfeit. All twenty dollar bills.

From what we are finding out....but I don't have 100% of the details....if you get counterfeit money, you are stuck with it. No bank is going to change them for good money. You might be able to get the business you got them from to change them out.....in good faith if they want to keep you for a customer...but it would certainly depend on the business. And...of course, if you can PROVE you got them from there in the first place. For the most part the business doesn't want to get stuck with them either. So you should make a police report, of course, but don't plan on getting your money back. Cash your paychecks at a BANK. You are not going to get counterfeit from a bank and on the off-chance that you DO, they will replace it if you can prove you got it from them. (so check your money right as you get it) Remember, the 20's have that strip embedded in them.

In these times, we are going to be hearing more and more about stuff like this. Matter of fact, anything that isn't nailed down probably will be stolen from you. You can purchase a counterfeit detection pen very reasonably at any office supply store. You make a mark on the money in question and if it turns a certain color, then its not any good. We should all have one of these pens on us so we can check. Make sure you check your change very carefully. With the excellent capabilities of today's printers, a really good copy of money can be made. Professional counterfeiters don't fool with twenty-dollar bills, but that's what's showing up now. These people are amateurs with good computer equipment and I guess they figure no one really scrutinizes a small bill and they'll get away with it easier. Their thinking seems to be correct. Be careful.....its a jungle out there!

An award to pass on.....

I was given this award by Joy from Joy of Six and I really do appreciate it so very much. I want to pass this on to the following bloggers.

Fiwa, of Do you speak Fiwa-ese.....because she is, without a doubt, one of the kindest, most thoughtful, compassionate people I've ever seen. She has inspired me to Monday Random Acts of Kindness and inspired countless others to just be good to one another. What a joy you are, fiwa. Bless you and all that you do.

Happy One of Life is Good. She has such an optimistic outlook on life and such a pure heart that her glow just leaps out of the computer and encompasses you. Once you go on a daily walk with her and witness the beauty around you through her eyes, you'll be back for more. Her references to Bible verses along the way here and there are a source of strength to many of us.

Elizabeth of Crusty Beef. I just don't have enough room to say all the nice things I'd like to about this young wife and mother. What a wonderful job she's doing raising her sons and teaching them all the right things. Add creative writing talent, intellect and a wicked sense of humor to that and you've got one special woman. Her boys are so lucky....not to mention hubby.

Just tell Me WHY.....

So after finishing last night's short post, I went directly into the kitchen....did not pass GO...and made myself a stiff drink. The book ticked me off because there is just so much stress and unhappiness in the world now and I thought I was reading something that might end differently than it did. It was almost like the author just got sick of writing the book and decided to end it.... just like that. I will be selling this book on half.com as I don't keep books I don't like. Back to last night, I settled my pajamaed self onto the couch and put in a movie. IRON MAN, to be exact. It was very, very good, by the way....even though I had to watch it in installments.

Yes....sigh....party girl that I am.....NOT - after having my drink and being all warm and cozy and such....I fell asleep. Woke myself up to an irritating sound (my snoring) and realized from the drool coming out the side of my mouth that I had been doing some serious sleeping. I had to finish the movie this morning. So, now that I'm in a better mood, I can get down to writing some stuff about WHY do people do the things they do. One of the main reasons that I walk around slowly shaking my head.

Case in point. Friday morning I'm driving to work in rush hour traffic. This woman beats all land speed records to enable herself to pull out in front of me. I take this in stride even though I can't help but notice that there is NO ONE in my lane behind me and she could have waited 4.5 seconds longer and then pulled out leisurely....but she preferred to nearly roll her van, so thats ONE WHY. The next WHY is that she proceeds to drive 33 mph in a 50 mph zone, directly in front of me in rush hour traffic so I can't get around her. Having no one behind me is of no help to me in this case. I notice that she frequently is scraping the curb and actually bounces off of it on more than one occasion. Even though its going on 8 in the morning I wonder if she's drunk or high on something else, so I back off, not wanting to be involved if she rolls the van by going up over the curb. I'm forced to follow her for several miles before I'm finally able to get around her and I can't help myself.....I just HAVE to get a look at the driver of this vehicle (I didn't know beforehand that it was a female driver) and WHAT do you think I see....well, I see a female driver with an effing CELL PHONE pasted to her ear. WHY? People like this need to be committed.

The office building in which I work gives out forms this time of year. You have to go to a particular office in the building to obtain the forms or to turn the completed forms back in. Approximately 1900 times a day I am asked by people coming into the building where they have to go to obtain or turn in the forms and also how to get there from my office. I would like to add that there must be a SIGN on the walls of this building, strategically placed every 10 feet or so that gives out that precise information and furthermore the signs are bright neon pink or orange....difficult to miss. There also are signs pasted on each exit/entrance door of the building. WHY? Don't people READ anymore? Are we a society of blubbering idiots? And....yes....I behaved myself and answered each and every one of them sweetly with a smile on my face.

And this last WHY for this post just made me angry. I received a call from someone who had bought a foreclosed home....that obviously needs some repair.....but they have rented it out to a low-income family and they wanted to know if they could further take advantage of the poor state of our nation as well as our local government (my words not theirs) by securing money specifically set aside for low income families so they could fix up their house just because a low income family is renting it. I took pure pleasure in telling this greedy person, "Sorry, no...YOU have to be low-income, buying and living in the home yourself in order to obtain such free repairs". GREED! This is why our nation is in the mess its in. Greed. (I didn't say the greed part, that's just my thoughts)

So, I'm going to put my soap box away now for a while. Sometimes I get into 'bitch mode" and I just have to let it out. Hope your day is great. I think mine is going to be better now. I just got one of those "you think you have troubles, but you have nothing compared to some people" slaps. My daughter brought home a flier from church. They are having a benefit dinner for this 29 year old man who was shot in an attempted robbery incident which will leave him paralyzed. He has 2 small children and no health insurance. I do not know him or his family but my heart goes out to them and God Bless the people who are helping them. I will be one of them. Say a little prayer for this man and his family and if you happen to know someone wealthy that would like to help, I have the address of the Credit Union that is accepting donations for them.

Wasted time.....

I have invested the time to read a 566 page book called The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, as mentioned in a previous post. I finished that book today and had to really control an overwhelming impulse to throw the book across the room. After investing all that time, I feel that one is entitled to have at least a good feeling.....or something pleasant, if not thought provoking.....when you finish a book. Not this senseless mind numbing....WTF feeling.

Its rare that I've been so disappointed in a book, although I'll have to admit there have been a few in my lifetime. I would NEVER recommend this particular book to anyone. It wasn't that terrific to start with....but I kept having faith that it would get better. By the last 3 or 4 chapters it all went to hell. If you still want to read it....be forewarned!

Needless to say, I am now in a horrible mood. I need to find something funny to cheer me up....maybe I can find a light-hearted movie to lose myself in.

Anyway....I'm sorry I've been away for so long. I still can't believe how fast time passes. Wish I could say I was on a cruise or something, but I've been working, either at home or at my paid job. I'll return in a bit with more general bitching....after I make myself a drink. HA

A Day at Work With a Spaced-out Fly....

The temperature dropped big time last night, enough that the furnace kicked on. So today has been very cool with the high in the 50's. This, of course, absolutely panics the local community of flies in the area. It happens every year and you'd think they would learn from the birds and head out to warmer climates, but noooooo.....they have to stick around and then panic when cold weather hits. A freaked out fly is one of those that fly into window glass, dive into steaming cups of coffee and try to fly into your mouth. They lose all sense of reason and must certainly be a pure embarrassment to their relatives.

So I get into work this morning and have just set my coffee down on my desk when I get dive-bombed by a fly. This continued all day long. It acted so sluggish at times but when I would go to hit it, I'd always miss it. He aggravated me all day, flying at me like a kamikaze pilot and just making a general nuisance of himself. Everyone who came into the office was batting and waving him away with complete irritation. At one point I grabbed at him and actually caught him in my hand. When I realized I had a live, gross FLY in my hand, I gasped and opened my hand and....of course, he then flew away. (I know...not the smartest move on my part) Even the maintenance guy couldn't kill him. Just before quitting time, the last time I saw him he was on the ceiling, shivering. (the fly, not the maintenance guy)

So, if its not bad enough battling a fly on crack, I then have to contend with a woman accompanied by a bunch of kids who acted like little wild people. They were running up and down the hall, in and out of offices, jumping on the waiting room chairs and just creating havoc. I could not believe that this woman didn't assert herself a little to settle them down. One of the women from another office (who reminds you of the Church Lady from SNL...remember her?) said something a bit stern and they actually calmed down for a few minutes; one of the little darlings being extremely interested in seeing how far he could get his finger up his nose. I don't even want to think about where he may (and probably did) wipe his finger. What did I do, you ask? Well, I sat in my chair and watched with a slight smile on my face, thinking of all the things I'd like to say or do but, of course, I cannot. It doesn't take much to amuse me these days.

I then calmed down a guy who was having a fit because his road wasn't graded properly and after that I re-directed a call from a woman who starts out the conversation with, "I probably have the wrong department, but - " (doncha just LOVE those kinds of calls). Took messages, did the mail and sorted faxes. All in all, not a hair-tearing kind of day except for .......the fly....and the kids who may or may not have been raised by wolves.