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'.

Around and around we go.....

I called the first number to Microsoft and talked to a man with a slight accent....of what kind I'm not sure. He was either Tad or Ted but he was very nice. He took all the information I had to give, even saying that eBay would work with them in this case. Glad to know. I want this thief caught! Then he gave me another number to call about getting a replacement. He didn't know anything much about that but kept saying I could buy another software package from them.

I had to laugh at Glen's comment about getting "John" from India because that's precisely what happened. Although "John" was super nice....friendly, compassionate and probably knowledgeable, I could only understand about 1/3 of what he was saying. Never have I said "pardon me" so many times. I even had him wait for a minute so I could change to my other phone which has a volume control on it. Why is it that when we have a hard time understanding due to an accent, we think that if we can hear it at a more intense volume, that we will be able to decipher it better? It did not help, by the way. I finally was able to understand where to find the form I needed to fill out in order to report piracy and also to "have a chance" at getting replacement software once I sent them my discs and documentation. So, I will send that off tomorrow or the next day.....insured and certified. Its up to them to decide whether I deserve replacement software and if they decide in my favor, it will take a month to get it. I was referred to yet another number (thank goodness for toll-free).

This was in reference to my Windows XP, which is not what its supposed to be either. About all I was getting out of that is that I can purchase a new set of discs. Forget the fact that this would involve wiping my entire hard drive and starting over from scratch. What happens to all my stuff? Why....for a price, they can store it online for you while you do this. XP is no longer for sale, so I would have to buy Windows 7, which may not be compatible with my existing programs. Yet another number was given to me to find out if my programs would work. This guy also gave me the impression that I was some sort of moron for buying a computer at an auction and also for buying the Word program for $139 when it sells for nearly $500.....and that should have raised some flags. Well, no....it didn't. I was buying software that had already been upgraded to a newer version (2010) and I thought that the older version (2007) would be less money because of that. I decided I wasn't in the mood to be belittled, so I said I would research buying new software and let him go. He was condescending and not very friendly.

So, now I wait. Yes, I have learned a lesson. Buy computers and computer software from well-known establishments, ones that can prove they are authorized Microsoft dealers. Check your PC's and laptops to make sure you have your certificate of authenticity on the side or bottom. If not.....you likely have illegal copies. But of course the certificate of authenticity could be counterfeit (as what happened to me). I think Microsoft needs to come up with a better way.

Sometimes it pays....

to put off cleaning out files. I am so excited. After hours of hunting, I have found my receipt for the Office program I bought. You know....the one I talk about in the previous post....the one that is counterfeit. (leaves a bad taste in my mouth to even type it)

Do you know how exceptional this is? I bought it last December.....and I have found the receipt! Woo hoo. Martha, eat your heart out. Tomorrow I call Microsoft and see what they say. Wish me luck.

And the icing on the cake.....

I open up my Microsoft Word program to write a letter and a sign appears advising that my copy may not be genuine and to "click here". I do so and it routes me to the MS website. Long story shortened.....I contact tech support for some help. They are very prompt at replying. I have to send them my numbers off of the software I have, and he'll get back with me.

I bought that software and installed it about a year ago. I thought I had bought it from a reputable place. When I received it I was even more convinced that I had bought the authentic product; it had all the necessary paperwork and certificate of authenticity as well as a product key. I've been happily using it all this time, blissfully unaware.

I have a counterfeit copy and I'm LIVID. I bought this through eBay. I have no receipts to speak of. Its been long enough I can no longer find the transaction on eBay. I can find where my Paypal account paid them, but I can't find the actual transaction that states what the product was. MS claims they will replace the software if they are convinced I innocently bought it and its a convincing copy (doesn't look like someone whipped it up in 5 minutes). Oh....its that all right. Its an excellent copy....someone took some pains to make sure this looked authentic.

Just one more thing to think about. I will give them what I have and hope for the best. I'm not going to be optimistic. However I do have one major bitch. WHY did they wait so long to let me know it was counterfeit. If it was closer to the purchase date, this thief could have been caught....the listing was up on eBay for a while. They tell you things to look for that would alert you that it was counterfeit...like the hologram being pasted on instead of part of the disc. Well, how in the world are you supposed to view that before you buy it....you absolutely cannot....not even in a store where you personally go. You cannot open the package unless you purchase it. Once again.....bend over.....the consumer gets screwed. And in the meantime, my OFFICE software only functions with the bare bones features, which is not acceptable for what I do with it. Open Office is looking better all the time.

Add coffee and gently mix.....

Ok, this is how I picture myself in the morning. I am definitely not with the program until after I've had my coffee. As soon as my feet apprehensively touch the floor in the morning I am in a fog, doing things on auto-pilot until I get that cup of coffee. Lord help the person who calls me early in the morning and wakes me up. I've been known to carry on a short conversation and not even remember it later. Although its not my nature to be mean, I've been also known to get a bit snippy if you call me during that time. Most of the time though I go through the motions early in the morning, get my cup of coffee and check out the news without being bothered and things turn out well for everyone involved.

This morning, however, it was different and I certainly hope its not an indicator of what the rest of my day is going to be like.

After getting up and taking care of the necessities we all have to do in the bathroom upon rising, I then trudged to the kitchen. I let the dog out and then proceeded to make my cup of coffee. Now I have one of those one-cup brewers, which I love BTW, and I brew a huge mug of coffee (18 oz.). It only takes about a minute and a half to brew this cup and so I get my meds out and take them with juice while waiting. Then I normally fix my coffee with coffee-mate, get some coffee cake or cinnamon bread and sit down to enjoy. This morning, however, I had to open a new container of coffee-mate. I got it out of the pantry and when I opened the pantry door a stack of paper grocery bags I had in there picked this time to fall over and spread across my kitchen floor.....so I had to pick those up, using my feet to push them into a pile and then carefully bending over to get them.....all the while cursing under my breath. Then I went to open the new container of coffee-mate, that boasted NEW CONTAINER all over the front. Now, I don't know if they think that coffee-mate consumers have a hand-span of a Yeti or what.....but I could not open that container. My fingers were not long enough to reach around the lid, which screwed on. By now the coffee is done and sitting on the counter in a mug.....the aroma beckoning to me. I try to get it open with a butter knife....no luck. I try banging it on the counter thinking that maybe it will loosen it up.....no luck. I then go for the bottle opener that's sticking to my fridge door by its built-in magnet. I use the one end that's pointed and used to open canned milk. I'm starting to make headway when the container slips out of my hands and hits the mug of coffee. The mug of coffee tips and falls off the counter, pouring HOT coffee all over the floor and some of it on me. 18 oz of coffee all over the kitchen floor. The mug hit the floor also and I can't believe it didn't break, but it didn't.

I had some folded bath towels sitting on top of the dryer and so I grab one and throw it on the floor. There is no way I can bend over and clean this up at this time. My back won't let me do it right now....I'm still stiff from sleep and my meds haven't taken affect yet. (I have back problems....arthritis) I wipe it up using my feet, cursing out loud now. I get that done, noticing that my mostly white bath towel is now stained with coffee stains but at this point I could care less. I brew another cup of coffee and mangle the coffee-mate container enough so that I can get it open. I then go to let the dog back in and she's gotten herself tangled around the deck steps (AGAIN) because she chases squirrels and I can't get her inside unless I go outside and untangle her. Ain't gonna happen.....at least not right now. Probably no neighbor is looking outside but I'm not going to take the chance. My too short nightshirt with the huge coffee stain in the front, my hair sticking straight up on the left side and my face marked with creases from the wrinkles in my pillow is not a sight for the faint of heart.

I have now had my cup of coffee and my coffee cake. I feel human again. My brain is functioning again and I can't help but wonder if what happened this morning in only 15 minutes after arising is any indication of what the rest of the day is going to be like. If so.......I'm grabbing a book and heading for the couch. In the meantime, I hope you all have a great day and remember to keep smilin'. And.....may all your lids open with no problems. (I'm headed out to the kitchen for another cup of coffee)

I'm back in the game.....

Yes, I have both of my computers back from the repair guy. They seem to be working ok now but this whole ordeal has made me very shaky about the info on my hard drive. I'm going to have to get my pictures organized and put them on a DVD so I can feel secure that I'm not going to lose them.

Today was an absolutely gorgeous day. In the mid 70's and nice bright sunshine. The leaves are beginning to turn and some areas around here are getting pretty colorful. I went grocery shopping after work.....one of my favorite things to do. Why, I like it as much as I like to iron! Ahem. Anyway, I was quite surprised that the store was nearly empty and I was able to get in and out in record time. Needless to say, I was glad to finally get home and relax.

Some of the TV programming this fall is really unusual. I've come across a series called Swamp People. Its about several Louisiana families who make a living catching alligators. These people work hard and seem to make a pretty good living doing this. The programs have all been interesting so far. Then there is another Louisiana family who specializes in pest removal....bugs, snakes, skunks, you name it. They are good at what they do but I sure wouldn't want to do it. That's interesting too and gives you the creepy crawlies just looking at it. Then there is Hoarders.....look at an episode and you'll never again feel that your own house is cluttered or dirty.....guaranteed. I've been looking at Project Runway lately and now am hooked on that too. I had no idea how hard it was to be a fashion designer.....not to mention the stress. I used to watch Fringe...it was a favorite of mine but they have made it so confusing that I no longer can follow it and have stopped watching. Same goes for CSI Las Vegas. All my favorite people left and so I quit watching. I seem to be sticking mostly with A&E on cable and cannot find much to hold my interest in the regular stations. I love Adventures of the New Old Christine.....she is a real hoot and I always get a laugh out of her show. We need more good comedies. Have a great weekend....I'll be back as soon as I can find something to talk about that may or may not interest you. My life is just not that exciting........but sometimes that's not bad.