Followers......where did they go?

All the little pictures of my followers have disappeared. Anyone else have this problem? Sometimes Blogger acts very strangely and then in a few days it straightens itself out. I've been waiting for about 3 days now, but my Followers have not reappeared.

So, all of you that were/are "following" me......I did not delete you. I'm hoping they will all return as suddenly as they disappeared. If not, I'm hoping I can find out how to "fix" it. Any help you can offer is appreciated.

Tomorrow I go back to the dreaded eye doctor and freezing rain is predicted ALL DAY LONG. Yep, I'm in good shape all right. If my fear of doctors doesn't do me in, my fear of sliding all over icy roads should do the trick.

I'm still here.....

I've just sorta been like Snoopy on a lazy day....trying hard not to think about my next appointment with the dreaded eye doctor. This time I know what to expect and, of course, that sets off a nice case of nerves. That event will take place next Wednesday, the 23rd.

I sure do wish I could have said that my eyesight was back to normal....or even just near normal, but sadly, that's just not the case. The floatie has dissolved but my actual eyesight is still distorted and blurry in areas in that one eye. He did say it may take a few shots....so I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. I'm trying not to think about any of it.

In the meantime, I've been keeping busy as much as possible; working, reading and sleeping. HA! Actually, I've been working on a logo for a friend of my daughter's. He has a relatively new business and wants it for that. No wonder people who do that for a living make so much money. It's HARD WORK. It not only pulls on all your creativity, its also very time-consuming. What he wanted me to draw free hand did not turn out to my liking.....so now I'm looking for an alternate method. Plus.....you know I have to be in the right mood to even work on this kind of stuff. I haven't gotten very far on it.....but I have made some progress.

Granddaughter is doing well in school and in Karate. She will be testing for the orange belt in a few weeks. Grandson has moved in with his girlfriend and the first thing they did was get a kitten! A Bengal kitten! I certainly hope they did not bite off more than they can chew as I've heard these cats demand lots of attention and are very vocal if they don't get it. Time will tell.

Sorry I've been so rotten about posting but there just hasn't been anything worth writing about going on.....and I know you all don't want to hear about my aches, pains and ailments. Its raining here right now and supposed to get up to the 60's by Thursday. Maybe that warm weather will give me a boost of energy....ya think??

Oh yeah.....today is my birthday. (nonchalantly throwing handful of confetti in air) We are going to do something as a family this weekend for it. All I want is a cake and no fuss. I remember when birthdays used to be fun and full of surprises. Now it just makes you amazed that you've chalked up another year and managed to stay out of jail. Keep smilin' everyone. Thanks for visiting.

The story continues.....

I went back to the retina specialist for my checkup. My vision was still bad in that eye even though the floatie had mostly dissolved. This time they only dilated the eye that was giving me the problem. And sure enough....my vision tested much worse. Back to the scans and photo-imaging. End result is that I have now developed something in that eye totally a separate issue from the 'floatie ordeal'. Its something called myopic degeneration, not to be confused with macular degeneration. But its just as serious as far as I'm concerned.

About what I understood is that since I'm so near-sighted (myopic) the retina has thinned over the years and its gotten thin enough that blood vessels had started growing up through it. This has just started to happen and it was caught right away and the cure rate is extremely good because of that. My vision has been distorted because the blood vessels have changed the surface of the retina. I'm no doctor by any means, but this is what I understood. Anyway, I have to have injections to my eye. I had the first one Wednesday. Yes! Injections IN my eye. Sounds awful and I didn't dare let myself think about it. This medicine is supposed to shrink the blood vessels and make them retreat.

He washed my eye down with Betadine (that's probably spelled wrong).....which I did feel. Then he numbed my eye.....which I also felt. But the actual injection.....I did not feel. Thank God!

When I got out of there it looked like I had been the loser in a fist fight. My eye was swollen and extremely red. I have to put antibiotic drops in it and also liquid tears in it. Today its sore and feels like someone put a handful of sand in it. The liquid tears help that. I have to be careful of infection. Eyes seem to heal fast and I can already see and feel an improvement and its only been a bit over 24 hours since I had this done. What they injected me with is usually used for some other disease and therefore my insurance will not cover it. Its $82. I have to have another one in a month. Hopefully that will be it. Hopefully.

The doctor's office called me this morning to check on me and see how I was doing. I think that is extremely thoughtful and something a lot of doctors fail to do anymore.

So......how is everyone else doing?

Well.....I drew a pig

My friend sent me an email with a link to a personality test in which you "draw a pig". So, being adventurous, I decided.....why not. I drew the pig (as best I could using mouse and cursor) and the results amazed me because they are more true than you could imagine. LOL

Go here if you want to read it. Go here if you want to take the test yourself. To be fair to your own test....don't read my results until you've drawn your own pig and received your own.

In other news.....my eye keeps improving but my sight in that eye is still very bad. My appointment has been changed to the 23rd so hopefully by then I will notice a bigger difference.

My daughter is pulling her 8 year old out of the public school system. We are both deeply disgusted with the things that have been going on at that school. We have waited for a year and a half for things to get better but they have not. We thought that perhaps it was the teacher she had last year and we were willing to see if things changed this year with a different teacher. Some things improved but others have not and the children.....for the most part....are just plain MEAN...and they are getting away with it. She will be attending a private Christian school starting Monday. Stay tuned for updates.

Hope all is ok in your little corners of the world.

Potpurri.....

or....a little bit of a bunch of things.

First off.....my eye. It has improved but its been happening so frustratingly slow. My vision is still distorted and it really throws my depth perception off. My follow-up appointment is in 10 days, so hopefully I will be all better by then.

The blizzard is old news by now. We did not get nearly as much as was first predicted (24")....thank goodness. But we did get about 10 inches and its snowing again today. They say we may get another 4" to add to what's already on the ground. The wind was miserable though. It was coming out of the north which made it even more cold or maybe it was just the thought of "north wind" that did it. At one point my sliding glass door froze closed. LOL, I guess that's a heck of a lot better than having it freeze open! My poor little dog had to go out in snow that was as deep as she is tall. She took it all in stride though. She went out, did her business and then was at the door ready to come back in to the warmth.

We are breaking in our new supervisor at work. None of us quite know what to expect and most of us are a little bit nervous. He's probably just as nervous about us. Its been amusing to watch some of the employees interact with him. I guess I can safely say that there have been no surprises.....the suck ups were at their best and the lazy ones were breaking their arms patting themselves on their own backs, trying to convince him how much work they do. Its unbelievable. Anyone could see through what they are trying to do.....I'm shocked that they can't see it themselves.

My daughter had a friend.....a man her own age. (40's) She's known him for quite a few years but they've only just been friends. She thought highly of him. They tossed around the thought of perhaps him moving in with her and sharing expenses. She has a huge extra bedroom and he said he could help her around the house doing stuff that she can't do....like shoveling snow for example. They enjoy each other's company and get along well. He stayed over at Christmas and was included in our family festivities as well as dinner. A few days later, after he'd left, she noticed that half of her medications were missing. The pain pills she has to take as well as muscle relaxers. To say that she is devastated over this is an understatement. Now we've found out that he has a drug problem. We haven't seen him since then. He's not stupid....he knows that she has missed her meds by now. What was really sad is that she had to go 20 days in pain.....just because this addict wanted to get 'high'.....she had to suffer. This is why my daughter has trust issues. This is the second time this has happened to her....the first time it was a babysitter that did it. And no....she didn't make a police report. Even though she is 100% sure he took them, she has no real proof. He was once an honorable man and he has to live with what he's done and I know it will eventually haunt him. And so.....now we know why "his own family" was not helping him out. He's been unemployed for a year, getting unemployment and hasn't even been looking for work. It should have raised flags with us, but we've known him for so long....it just didn't. Sigh....live and learn.

On a happier note.....my 8 yr. old granddaughter has energy to burn and has been getting yelled at in school because she never stops moving. We figure busy hands are happy hands so my daughter enrolled her in Karate school. She goes Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Top that with taking Kumon (tutoring for math and reading) on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays as well...... plus bible school on Wednesday evening, this little girl doesn't have much spare time. However, my daughter is totally exhausted!

Well, I'm going to cuddle up with a good book....its snowing like crazy outside and the perfect night to do something along those lines. Whatever you're doing....be safe. And...of course....keep smilin'!!

Some problems......

I've had some eye problems for the last 3 weeks and just went to a specialist today....referred there by my ophthalmologist. Floaties (if you have 'em, you know what they are about....if you don't have them.....you probably will when you get OLD). Anyway I had a huge one that scared me so it had to be checked out.

I think I'm going to be ok. I've read so many eye charts in the last couple days, I should know all the letters by heart. Whenever I can't read a letter I always feel like I'm flunking a test at school or something. My vision has been blurred in one eye because of floaties and its frustrating beyond description....especially for someone like me who is constantly reading.

Anyway, I will have the test results tomorrow but I have to see the retina specialist again in 3 weeks to make sure I'm progressing as anticipated.

Thank you to all of you who kept the faith and kept on checking back here for a post. I appreciate that more than you know. I have been making the rounds as much as possible and reading.....with one eye no less. LOL Thank you also for the emails....you know who you are! I'll be back.......in just a few more days. Promise. (this gettin' old is the pits)....Oh well....keep smilin' anyway!!

Movie Reviews.....

The movies we watched recently and the ones I'm going to review are: Despicable Me; The Sorcerer's Apprentice; Knight and Day and Salt.

Despicable Me. This is a tug-at-your-heart animation, complete with orphans. It was entertaining and the evil one (Gru) delights in doing wicked deeds but underneath all that bad....there is a lot of good and it takes 3 little orphan girls to spot it and make it grow. Gru's competitor for top villain of all time is Vector who is a constant thorn in Gru's side. (Am I the only one who sees a physical resemblance to one of the world's richest men?) Good movie, nice little humorous moments that adults will like....but the minions didn't impress me that much...probably because I'm old and crabby.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice: I like Nick Cage so my review will be a bit prejudiced. It gives you a tiny bit of history at the beginning which dates back to Merlin, then it brings us up to present day, which is when the movie takes place. The special affects are awesome and it has a good story line. A bit of humor thrown in for good measure and you've got a good movie. Lots and lots of action....chases and fight scenes....but nothing gory. My family ranges from old (me) to young (8) and we all liked the movie equally. I would love it if they could do a sequel to this with all the same people. I don't think you'll be disappointed if you're into this type of movie (think Harry Potter in present day).

Knight and Day: I came across this movie accidentally and I'm glad I did. It stars Tom Cruise and Carmen Diaz. I found it to be very entertaining. He's top-secret government on the run and she's just a girl who loves to work on old cars. They meet at an airport, which may or may not have been accidental. The adventure starts from there. Humorous situations and one liners keep it on the lighter side, but lots of action keep you interested. Running, jumping, car crashes, fire, explosions, hundreds of dead bodies, shoot-outs galore, even backwards on a motorcycle. Sure....its impossible to do the stuff they do....but its fun to watch. Its just a fun time and isn't that the reason we watch movies?

Salt: Angelina Jolie. I'm almost speechless when it comes to this movie. I put it in the player and I don't think I took another breath until it was over. It was intense! The plot will have you guessing right up to the end. Talk about not knowing who to trust!! Takes place in present day and she is employed by the CIA and is highly respected by her co-workers. Suddenly she is accused of being a Russian spy by a defector and her attempts to prove her innocence only make her look guilty. Intrigue, action, suspense, thought provoking plot....special affects galore. Lots of dead bodies, blood but not so much as to define it as gore and fighting, fighting, running, hiding, fighting. Not a very good movie for the younger set because of all those reasons but at least there was no nudity or f-words. Excellent movie. I read that she performed her own stunts to top it off. Amazing woman. She made this movie 2 months after having twins.

So....there you have it. My opinions, which coupled with $2. may get you a cup of coffee. LOLOLOLOL

New stuff.....

Well, its not only a new year for me but there are a lot of other new things going on. Some of it is good.....some of it was unexpected.....but since none of it was horrendous, I'm not going to whine.

We will be starting out the new year without a boss; our new one will probably be sworn in within a couple, three weeks. The whole building is apprehensive because no one knows what to expect. They have not even picked him (or her) yet! Our old boss is now a senator and we wish him well. I am confident that he will be an asset to our State. I can say one thing.....he will forever be in my memory as the boss that gave me the most expensive Christmas present I ever received in all my years of working. It was a check and it was very generous.....I nearly cried. He also gave each of us a huge Poinsettia plant which still looks fabulous, by the way.

I also have a new garage door opener. This was not expected. One morning about a week ago I went out to go to work. I pushed the wall button to open the garage door..........nothing. Why is it that when you try something and it doesn't work.....you have to try it again and then just one more time.....just to be sure? Well, here it is 7:30 in the morning, dark outside, temperature is about 15 and my garage door won't open. I have a 15 minute drive to work and I have to be there by 8. I grabbed the garden rake and snagged the manual override handle. I got the door open and then shut it manually but couldn't lock it. That day I called the garage door place and made arrangements for another door opener. Since my old one was 26 years old.....I didn't even think about repairing it. They came out the next day while I was at work and put in the new one. (I just LOVE this business....they are always willing to work with you on stuff like this) Wow....this opener is so quiet! On my drive to work, I realized that I have become a very spoiled old woman. When I was a young girl, I had to park my car in the barn on our farm....opening two huge barn doors to get out and then having to shut them again.....and not from the warmth of my car by pushing a remote either. Back then I considered myself extremely lucky to have shelter for my car so I didn't have to scrape snow.

Anyway.....moving on. I bought some movies for Christmas so we could watch them as a family. Despicable Me, Knight and Day and The Sorcerer's Apprentice. We got all snuggled down and put Despicable Me into the player and.........nothing. Now this VCR/DVD player is NOT user friendly at all. Matter of fact I really detest it for that reason. Its supposed to record on DVD and also transfer from VHS to DVD if you want....but I never could figure out HOW. I considered myself fortunate that I figured out how to simply PLAY a DVD in the durn thing. Well it went out on me....some sort of red light was flashing INSIDE of one of the knobs and I have NO idea why. I figure the thing was fried. Its about 2 years old and hasn't been used that much because its so hard to figure out. I usually look at DVD's on my computer when I watch them alone. But the family was here. Anyway I have a very old VHS/DVD player in the den and my grandson switched them so we could watch the movies. (why is it that kids can figure out electronics in a flash but it looks like calculus to most grown-ups?) So....now I guess I will have to replace that item and its a sure bet I won't get the same brand as I had in the living room before. (cha-ching)

Still moving on.....I went to cook Christmas dinner.....turned the knob on my stove for one of the burners and it came off in my hand....broke cleanly in half. So now my stove looks charming with just a post sticking up with no knob. I am hoping that knobs can still be bought for this stove that is probably 30 years old (counter-top). In the meantime....House Beautiful Is Not Me.

And lastly.....but not in any way least.....the drugstore shorted me 30 blood pressure pills. This was supposed to be a 90 day supply and I never thought to count them when I got them. I didn't notice it until I had only 1 left and realized something was very wrong here. Tomorrow I'm making a trip over there and we'll see what happens. They probably won't believe me since blood pressure pills are really in demand for the 'get high' crowd. Seriously though I hope they will believe me....I've only been a customer there for 30 years or so. My only saving grace may be that the bottle they were given to me in would....in no way....hold 90 pills like the label says it does. So....wish me luck. How they handle this will determine if I change pharmacies or not.

I guess I can say that the "new" year has started out with a bang for me but I'm not gonna whine. I've got food, shelter, an income and I woke up this morning! Have a great evening y'all. (remember....keep smilin'). I'll do a review on the movies in my next post.

Merry Christmas.....

Yes....this is me. I was so excited to see Santa and he did bring me what I wanted (a doll). Back then our desires were simple....we wouldn't have dared ask for presents that cost three or four hundred dollars. Well, maybe we could have asked but it was a sure thing that we would have never gotten them. LOL

We lived in the country and getting into "town" was not an easy matter for us. Back then there wasn't a Santa's helper in dozens of places either. There was ONE in our little town and we had to drive lots of miles to get there. Mostly we kids sent letters to Santa but this time I got to see him. I think it may have been the only time too in those 'believing' years.

I got up early this morning to put my turkey on. Since I had no room in my refrigerator for a 20 lb. turkey, I put the frozen bird in the roaster pan and put it on the workbench in the garage. That was Tuesday morning and I was shocked when I went to get it this morning and found it still frozen! However, as I'm writing this it smells great in here and I just checked it and its nice and done and very tender....but its been in the oven for a little over 6 hours. At least all the presents are wrapped and ready for the family when they get here. Its also a picture perfect Christmas day....its been snowing since late last night....just a light pretty snow that makes everything look nice and clean.

I wanted to wish you all a wonderful Christmas.....no matter how you celebrate it. I hope you make many warm and happy memories. Above all....stay safe. Thank you for stopping by. (and, of course.....keep smilin'!)

Observations and opinions.....mine

You know no matter how old you get, you always learn something new and its not necessarily new technology I'm talking about. About 4 or 5 years ago, my well started to go dry; my water pressure was down to nearly nothing. I called a well-man to see about having another well put in. He was a (self-professed) expert in his field and baffled me with a bunch of BS that I didn't understand. Bottom line though was that I, indeed, needed a new well. However, since the Township in which I live has a water system in place and it does run by my house, I was denied a permit for my own well and had to hook up to community water. I wasn't happy about it (being a farm raised girl and loving that "well" water) but had no choice. This "well-man", while trying to drum up his business, put some sort of filter on my water softener, stating that I would need it. I promptly forgot about it. I noticed no difference in anything since my water pressure was so low at the time anyway.

Well, I hooked up to community water and I must say the water pressure was much improved, although still not what it was supposed to be (unknown to me) and I was happy. Time went on and the pressure decreased. I suffered through years of horrible water pressure and come to find out it was that damn filter that whack job had put on my softener (which was the wrong kind in the first place and, secondly, was not even needed). After it was taking over 20 minutes to fill up my washer and I was beginning to feel suicidal, I called the water department; she suggested I have the water softener checked. I did and the filter was discovered and removed. I am like a kid with a new toy! I have water pressure again. REAL water pressure. I can fill up the washer in record time. I can take showers with an invigorating spray. I feel like I've been living under a rock for being so stupid!!!

On another subject.....I made up a cute little Santa video for my granddaughter through this website. Its totally free and you can personalize it to your liking. You can also send them to adults (however nothing off color is offered). Anyway, when she looked at it she was delighted and the look on her face was worth a million but she then announced to me that most of the kids in her class were saying that there was no such thing as Santa Claus and that only "babies" believed in him. OMG....she's only in SECOND grade! Not remembering the "yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" letter off the top of my head, I did the best I could do, stating that Santa lives on within our hearts. I was appalled even further when she told me more stories about her class and classmates.

There are "cliques" formed already and these little girls are MEAN. My daughter went to the class Christmas party to take some pictures and was told in no uncertain terms by 3 little snobs that my granddaughter could not be included in the picture with the 3 of them because "she's not one of our group". They had the nerve to tell this child's own mother (my daughter) that she was not to be included. My daughter took their picture only so that I could see what they looked like. Oh boy....do they have a serious wake-up call in a few years.....is all I can say. My granddaughter is close friends with a little Japanese girl who is treated much the same way. She is teaching my granddaughter to speak Japanese and they are having a delightful time with it. So who's the winner here!

What have parents done to their children to make them so hateful and especially at such a young age. I figure a lot of it is picked up from older siblings.....but what's wrong with the family units that they condone such behaviors? More than likely they don't even know their children are acting out in such hateful manners. I realize that junior high school is typical for this type of behavior.....but second grade??? I'm proud that my granddaughter is polite and kind and wants to be friends with everyone....no matter what. I hope we can keep those attributes alive and well in her all her life and that society doesn't knock her down and trample her.

She was having some problems in certain subjects at school and my daughter enrolled her in Kumon, which is a licensed tutoring center to help children over problem areas. She thought she was doing something beneficial. My granddaughter has blossomed under their learning program but when the school found out about it, they took umbrage over it and have doubled up on her homework so its nearly impossible for her to do both now. Instead of the teachers realizing that the ultimate goal here is to educate a child, they've taken it as an insult to their teaching abilities. Well, as far as I'm concerned.....there must be some guilty feelings there or they would not be feeling this way. My daughter is seriously considering placing her in a private Christian school beginning next year. She will be researching that. I can fully and completely understand why so many parents home-school their children.

Holidays.....doncha love 'em

Oh boy.....there just aren't enough hours in the day. I can't believe how fast the days go. To have Christmas just around the corner is nearly unbelievable. Thank goodness the shopping is done and I have most of it here. Just a couple more things to be delivered and it will be totally done except for the wrapping.

I have sent the following to a few of my friends via email but then thought I'd post it because I can't think of anything worse than being far away from home on Christmas! Xerox understands this more than most companies and they are doing something again this year that's very heartwarming. So read on and follow the link to send a serviceman or woman a Christmas card. Bless your hearts. I'll try and get back here before Christmas with some brilliant prose. HA! Sorry.....I'm laughing at the brilliant prose part.

XEROX IS DOING SOMETHING COOL

If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq/Afghanistan. You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services.

How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!! It is FREE and it only takes a second and no personal info is demanded of you (email, name or address), unless, of course you'd like to include it. Its your choice.

Please take the time to pass it on for others. We can never say ‘thank you' enough. Our soldiers need to know we are behind them.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these?

Thanks for taking the time to support our military!

Two Days Late......

and more than a few dollars short, I might add. My family has been sick with ear infections and bronchitis. Not wanting to expose me, we all decided it would be the smart thing to just post-pone Thanksgiving. You can do this with a tiny family like ours. No one is flying in from another state or making long haul drives from miles away. We are all right here.

So tomorrow is the big day for us. Tonight I am baking pies and tomorrow morning I will put two turkey breasts in the oven. Cooking a whole turkey is just wasteful for us as no one likes the dark meat. My family is feeling much better and everyone is looking forward to a good meal.......cooked by yours truly. After dinner we are going to watch "How to train your Dragon" and "Toy Story 3".

This morning I got up early, made a nice cup of coffee and got online in my flannel nightgown to take advantage of Black Friday. It was cold with snow flurries outside.....and the wind was whipping around pretty good too. I can now proudly announce that I have my Christmas shopping done. I found some killer deals and had some great coupons. At one place I saved over $60..... that's with their own coupons, plus promotional coupons I downloaded. I have to admit, though, that a lot of things I wanted to buy were sold out and it was early! Not anything "Barbie" was left at all but I did snag the Rapunzel and Flynn dolls. Also found Tinkerbell and two of her fairy friends. I was thrilled over that as my one granddaughter is really into Tinkerbell right now.

So.....we're late for eating turkey but it will still taste just as good and our feelings of gratitude for what we have.....be it ever so humble, are just as heartfelt as it would have been on Thursday.

Hope everyone's holiday was a good one and a safe one. I'll be back.............. (keep smilin')

Sound off.....

I wasn't going to bore you with this, but then got to thinking.....I'll just bet there are a lot of people out there that feel exactly the same way I do about this. Let's see.

I had noticed a certain toll-free number on my caller I.D. a LOT. Sometimes twice in one day. Yet no message was ever left on my answering machine. A few times I was here but I won't answer toll free calls or unlisted or 'caller unknown' so left it to go into the machine only to hear a "click". Then I became curious. Who in the hell is trying so hard to get ahold of me, yet won't leave a message. I made up my mind to answer it next time I got one.....I knew I wouldn't have to wait long.

A few days ago, I received one. When the phone rang, I nearly killed myself to get to it so I could see who was calling. Yep, there it was, same toll-free number. I answered it on the third ring only to be disconnected. That did not set well with me. The next day I received another one and again could not make it until the third ring and was again disconnected. My curiosity was killing me, I must admit....although I was fairly certain it had to be a solicitor. I wanted to answer it for no other reason than to tell them off. How fast do they think an old lady can move, for cryin' out loud.

Yesterday I received one and this time I was right by the phone and got it on the first ring. The wind was blown out of my sails when she announced that she was from "(I'll hold back the name)" Well, I certainly could not tell her off....not a charity, although a lot of them have overstepped their bounds on some occasions. I did not tell her off but was rather curt. I have never given to this particular charity. Matter of fact, I'll tell you that I do not give to charities unless they are non-profit. I want 100% of the donations to go to the cause; I'm not paying someone's wages. I'm sorry, but that's how I feel. Check out what some of these executives of certain charities obtain in wages and you'll see why.

Anyway, she was quick to say that she wasn't asking for a donation. The scenario here is that they send you 20 informative brochures, donation cards and envelopes. You are supposed to stuff these, put postage on them and then TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR FRIENDSHIPS by sending these to all your friends and neighbors. It further irritated me that she had my name and address. I hate it that we no longer have privacy. They have you in a fail-fail situation here. I would LOVE to know what IDIOT came up with this hair-brained idea. First of all, that's a lot of work. Secondly, when your "friends" receive these, they are ticked off for sure because now they have to send money or look bad in the eyes of the whole neighborhood. They don't even want to get around you for fear you may ask them if they've sent anything in yet (and they haven't). This is a HORRIBLE idea. I was quick to tell her that No, I do not participate in anything like that, thank you very much, have a nice evening.

I get so much more out of buying a winter coat for a child, or being a secret Santa for a family or saving the lives of 20 dogs and cats. How about you?

Faith pays off.....

I went to the mailbox today to find a package from Microsoft. They did it! They sent me the Microsoft Word Program. Exactly like the counterfeit one I had purchased except, of course.....THIS one isn't counterfeit. Boy I sure hope they catch those crooks!

In the meantime I'm soooooo happy to have my Word program back.....I have really felt lost without it....even though Open Office is darn close. I'm just used to using Word after all these years and that's what we use at work.

I have really been neglectful but there hasn't been much going on. My daughter and her whole family got sick with a variation of the flu called "echo virus". I have stayed away from them all this time because I don't want to get exposed to it.....its miserable.

Its 45 here now and raining pretty good. It's supposed to do it all night long. The guy who does my leaves showed up tonight and got them all picked up. He just beat the rain which is a good thing. With 26 trees in my yard, most of them oak, you can just imagine how many leaves there were.....they were mid-calf deep on me.

I have my turkey in the freezer.....actually its two turkey breasts. No one in my family cares for dark meat so buying a whole turkey is wasteful. Making two turkey breasts suits us perfectly and there is no waste. I keep one and give my daughter the other one. They both fit nicely into my large roasting pan. If its stopped raining by tomorrow, I may go and get the rest of the fixings for our dinner. My co-worker is on vacation that week and I will have to work the day before Thanksgiving. I wonder if we will have snow.

Hope everything is ok in your corners of the world. I'll be back in a couple days......in the meantime, keep smilin'.