H.....is for Hairstylist

Even though this picture is from one of the funniest cartoons that Bugs did, we women take our hairstylists serious.

While every single hairdresser has skills that I certainly don't have, there are only a choice few that can make my hair do what it's supposed to do. I have never really understood it but that's the absolute truth.

Years ago I found a terrific hairdresser.  I just loved what she did with my hair. Now this was back in the late 60's when updo's were the thing and also hair that added maybe a good 6 inches to your height. Marge Simpson and her blue hair had nothing on me as far as updo's were concerned. For years I followed this one specific hairdresser, Susan, to various shops within a 20 mile radius. She was a gem as far as I was concerned but when I think back on it, she may have been hard to work with....why else was she always leaving one shop and going to another. I can safely say that I followed her to at least 8 different places before I stopped because she was getting just too far away. She eventually quit to become a SAHM so it was good I found someone else. Even though I've found some great hairdressers since, she's always been my favorite.

A hairdresser is not only your hair's best friend but she or he is your confidant; they must know more secrets than the FBI and CIA combined. They have the ability to make you overjoyed or the ability to shove you to the depths of depression.  When a woman does not like her hair.....she is not one to be messed with. Jokingly telling someone they have a "bad hair day" is not really funny to most women. If a hairdresser screws up your hair once, you may never ever sit in her chair again simply because the trust you had is gone.

Now I no longer get my hair done once a week; I get it cut about once every 2 months. If the one girl cuts it, it will be super behaved and do just what I want. If I can't get an appointment with my first choice and have to take my second choice, my hair has more of a mind of its own, even though it looks like they are both giving me the exact same cuts. That's the mystery.....how something that looks the same can be oh-so-different.  So....here's to our hairdressers.....they are certainly loved and cherished; do they even know how much?

In participation of the AtoZ Challenge

G.....is for Games

If I had a dime for every game of Pinochle I've played, I would be a very wealthy woman. That is our very favorite card game. As a young married couple, my husband and I played cards every weekend with our neighbors. We had 2 sets of neighbors that were fond of this game and if one couldn't play for some reason, the other family pretty much always could.  Besides that I belonged to a Pinochle club where most all the members were residents of the subdivision I lived in. We met once a month and had it at a different house each month.

After we moved from that subdivision because we outgrew the house and the neighbors we most frequently got together with moved out of state, we didn't play so often. We would make a date and play cards maybe once every 3 or 4 months.

I remember one particular night we went to our friend's house in the old neighborhood. He had been working on a remodel of his house and we were initiating their new family room. He had a lovely fire going in the fireplace and we set up the table there with our usual snacks; beer for the guys, chip, dip and Pepsi for the women.  We always played guys against the girls....we were all seasoned players but we always had fun playing.  That night she and I were acting sort of silly. We hadn't seen each other in months and we were enjoying the game to the max. Everything was pretty much ok while the guys were winning but then.....she and I started acting goofy and we were chanting little songs and acting like we were putting spells on the cards. "Acey, acey, where you been....come back to us girls again".  What was hilarious is that it was actually working.

We won hand after hand.....game after game.  The more we won, the more giddy we became. Finally, her husband could take no more. He jumped up from the table.....gathered up the cards and threw them into the burning fire in one big swoop, announcing that it would take a burning fire to get rid of the curse we had put on the cards.  It was the end of the evening anyway.....so we left shortly after that.  I found out later from her that she found out that her husband actually believed in spells and curses and felt that we had really done something like that.  Amazing.  We had known them for way over 15 years at that point and never knew that about him.  Heck....she was married to him and never knew it.  I guess it came as no surprise when they divorced about a year or so later and my husband and I followed suit shortly after that.  Anyway, we did make lots and lots of happy memories with our get togethers....even this one is a good memory because we were having so much fun.  Gosh, I miss playing that game.

In participation of the AtoZ Challenge

F.....is for friends

I grew up on a farm and when I was young like the girls in the photo my best friends were animals. There were the dogs and cats but more interestingly was my Rooster. As I grew I started making human friends. I can safely say that my friends fell in the quality category more than quantity. I have several really good friends and we made many wonderful memories.

This is a bittersweet post, however, because almost all of my friends are no longer here; some have passed on, the rest have moved to warmer climates. I can't even begin to tell you how much I miss them.  Of course with the Internet we are able to keep in touch....but it's not really the same as sitting down at the kitchen table and having cups of coffee together.

My dearest and closest friend and next door neighbor had to move to Phoenix many years ago and we tearfully promised to never lose touch.  We were able to keep that promise for a whole lot of years (about 18) but then our interchanges became further and further apart. She met and married a great guy and.....well, I haven't heard from her in about 5 years now.

Anyway, the memories we make with our friends last forever. And I know that everyone believes this to be true....that they are the luckiest in the world because they have the best friends that could possibly be. That's how I feel and to each and every one of them.....no matter where you are.....I think of you often and I still love you with all my heart.  God Bless.

In participation of the AtoZ Challenge

E.....is for Exercise

I so envy people who love to exercise. I hate this activity even more than I hate to iron. I have tried several times to get with the program. I've joined clubs with my girlfriends quite a few times only to quickly lose interest.

One of the worst things about "going to work out" is that you walk in there, all porked out, obviously in need of a new body only to look around and see all these women who look like swimsuit models. They flit around the place having a great time while you self-consciously try to hide behind the nearest machine. With all the mirrors in the damn place it's hard not to see what you look like and also you get to see yourself in comparison with the other clientele. These gyms would do a far better business if they restricted entry to only those who have a fat problem. You'd sure feel better if you walked in and noticed immediately that everyone else was far larger than you are. Matter of fact, you'd probably feel so good about yourself that you'd skip the exercise and go have a hot fudge sundae to celebrate.

Hmmmmm.  I think I just discovered why gyms don't have those restrictions.

Feeling too self-conscious to go to a gym, I figured that I would do exercises in front of the TV. Maybe you're supposed to have an exercise program ON the TV at the time and do more than arm lifts from snack bowl to mouth, but it didn't seem to do much for me. Now that I'm a senior and I have all sorts of aches and pains, I've found that it hurts to exercise, so I don't. I really and truly know that I would feel better if I could just get around that pain problem, but then again, if I didn't have the pain problem, I wouldn't need to feel better.

It's enough to drive you crazy if you let it.  Pass the M&M's please.

In participation of the AtoZ Challenge 

D.....is for Daisies

All flowers are beautiful but I'm a daisy type of gal. When you see a bouquet or even a bunch of daisies growing wild, it just makes you want to smile. It's a flower to cheer you up and make you think of happy memories. It promises you that better days are in store for you so you'd be wise to wipe that frown off your face and get with the program.

Daisies are hardy, no frill flowers. My loved ones know to get me daisies if they are in the flower-buying mood and I've had them last way over 2 weeks in the vase. Unfortunately, if you're talking about fragrance, the daisy is really not anything to write home about. Actually it smells more like a weed than anything else and it just may be since it does grow wild. They don't expect to be pampered and don't expect uppity people to cherish or even acknowledge their presence. The daisy is quite used to stepping back and letting roses and the fancier flowers get all the attention.

Daisies are no-nonsense flowers and don't expect much in return for their ability to cheer a recipient up. They look wonderful in a fruit jar or a cut glass vase....your choice, not theirs.  Just some water and a grateful gaze once in a while is sufficient.  Confidentially, they don't even care about the grateful gaze.....I just threw that in cause I thought it sounded poetic.

Next time you're grocery shopping stop and pick up a couple bunches of daisies in the cut flower section. You'll be amazed how much it cheers up any area in which you choose to display them, plus the cost is minimal.

What's YOUR favorite flower?

Submitted in participation of the AtoZ Challenge. .

C.....is for Couch

Ever really think about your couch?  How about all the couches you've had in your life?  Ever thought about what they would say about you and your family if they had a voice?

Out of all furnishings, the couch is used most by far. Whether you're a family like the Addams or the Simpsons or one like the Brady's or the Ricardos.......the couch is used every single day to various degrees. We are, indeed, on an intimate relationship with our couches.

I can think back and remember that since I left my parent's house, I've had five different couches. Each one would have a story to tell as my children were different ages and my marriage itself was either just beginning or beginning to end, depending on when the couch was purchased. The couch witnessed happy times, sad times and stressful times. It witnessed baby's first steps, new pets and comforted us when we lost family members. It supported us when we felt sick and cuddled us when we felt needy. Even friends of the family slept with our couch....we weren't selfish.

Out of the five couches I've had, I had one favorite and I really cried when I finally had to replace it.  I couldn't find another one like it so I now have one that I'm not so crazy about but I keep telling myself it's only temporary until I can find another sectional that I like.  I do not like leather.....too cold in winter, too hot in summer......but I love sectionals like the one above. I love cushy, soft couches.....ones that just hug you back and you can snuggle into on cold blustery nights.

Can you imagine your couch making a deal with you?  "Promise to keep the dog off of me and I won't tell that you watched soap operas all afternoon"...... Take a little trip down memory lane sometime when you've got nothing better to do and think about all the events that took place during ownership of different couches. You know a couch is a pretty intimate member of the family.....just look at all the photographs it managed to get into.  Go hug your couch even if it is a little worse for wear.  You'll feel better for it.

Submitted in participation of the AtoZ Challenge

B.....is for Boss or Bosses

Ah, blessed be the person who never has a boss. No such thing exists, you know.

I've had several bosses in my lifetime and I'm not counting parents and teachers.....I'm talking about being in the work world. My very first boss was a woman. She was old enough to be my mom, which I think helped.  I think she was a good boss and all of us working under her (all female) thought highly of her.  Even though I've only worked at two places, my bosses number many more than that. It was due to the bosses being replaced because of transfers or new positions elsewhere not due to me moving around.  I was also a boss for a time during the last years of working full time and I did not like it one bit. I felt that it was all adults and as such, they knew what they were supposed to do. I didn't like the idea that I was supposed to "spy" on them and then chastise them for things not done or incorrectly done. In most cases a report would become part of their permanent file.

I've had bosses that were drunks, liars and playboys. I've had bosses that would make subordinates do all the work and then take credit for jobs being well done. I've had kind, compassionate bosses who got twice the work out of everyone just because we all wanted to please. These were the best bosses. I had one boss who did not trust any employee and made sure we all knew it. He was not respected and it was entirely his own fault that he wasn't.

I can't really say if I prefer a female boss or a male boss; I think it is completely up to the individual's personality and how they relate to others. If you are honest and give an honest day's work for your pay, you should have no problems......but that doesn't mean you won't. Different types get the position of being boss for different reasons (the company owner's nephew for example) and with that happening, there's always a few wild cards in the deck.

Over all, I've been lucky. I've heard absolute horror stories about some bosses.  I hope you all have been lucky as well. Working some jobs is difficult enough but to have a bad boss on top of it is a stress maker to the max.

Submitted as part of the A-Z Challenge.

A is for.....Well....this IS April Fool's Day

I love David Attenborough's voice. It is just so soothing. So, it goes without saying that I love nature programs that are narrated by him. I thought it was sort of appropriate to share this video with you....seeing that it's April Fool's Day and this bird has fooling mastered. Additionally, this kicks off the A to Z Challenge since it begins with an "A".  Now, back to the bird, who is very AUDIBLE. In an effort to impress the lady birds, this Lyre puts on quite a show. I couldn't believe the chainsaw mimic!  Actually, that's kind of sad. No wild bird in a rain forest should have to listen to something like that enough that it masters the sound.  Anyway, enjoy. You'll be AMAZED too.

Submitted as part of the A-Z Challenge

Finally, an opportunity.......

for me to reward my loyal readers!  I am so excited to do this and I hope everyone who takes advantage of this really scores some super bargains.

The older I get, the more ways I look for to enable me to go about my business with as little work as possible involved. If I can find a way to get supplies into my house without driving to the store, parking, walking on ice and snow into the store and then spending all kinds of time looking for items, paying for them and then having to unload them all and get them into the house.....I will jump at the chance. I have turned to online shopping for a lot of things, but only if I can score free shipping. And yes....I know the trick about charging more for items to make up for the so-called free shipping.  I comparison shop so I don't get into that trap.

I usually go to Amazon.com or Walmart.com every month to replenish my supplies. Well, as I was shopping at Amazon today, the site referred me to another site for an item they no longer had in stock. I went there and boy oh boy was I ever surprised. The name of the site is Soap.com and upon reading its history I find out that Amazon purchased it a few years ago. This is a wonderful place to shop; the prices are amazing and if you purchase over $49, you are eligible for FREE two-day shipping!  First time buyers also got 15% off their orders so I went ahead and made my purchases. After I finished, I read a little more about some of their perks and this is where YOU come in.  If you go to this site and make some purchases (this has to be the first purchase you've ever made from them) and put MY referral code in when you're checking out, you will score TWENTY PERCENT OFF that order.  Isn't that great?  My referral code is VALY3626.  If you use it, they will also donate $5 to charity for me.  Remember, it's SOAP.COM   And they sell a whole lot more than just soap....there are several other areas you can also shop like wag.com (for dogs) and yoyo.com for kids just to name a couple. You can get 20% off each site but only for the first purchase.  In other words, if you buy today from soap.com and use the 20% off, you could buy something later from wag.com and get another 20% off by using the referral code.  You can get to those other sites right from soap.com, as it's all the same company, just different categories.

I see this as a win-win situation and hope you enjoy your savings.  By the way, I had three tabs open at once, comparing their prices and they were the lowest....between Amazon and Walmart, except for Gain laundry detergent....Amazon won out there.

So here's my thank you for sticking with me and my unpredictable posting.

Sooner or later.....

I knew if I waited long enough something would happen to bring me out of my blogging slump.

I am typing this with a grin on my face. I know it's not that funny to my daughter......but I can't help but giggle about it.

She lives in a subdivision and really only knows the neighbors who are close to her. She's pretty much a homebody and keeps to herself. She did neighbor with an elderly woman across the street from her and helped her out whenever it was needed. That lady passed away about six months ago and left some things to my daughter and granddaughter. The woman's nephew had been staying with her lately and he was handling her estate. He was the one who told her that his aunt had left some things to them, which was a pleasant surprise.  This guy is about her age, maybe five years older and divorced.  Well a few nights ago he called her up and asked her if she'd like to come over and watch a movie with him. She accepted as the movie was one she wanted to see.

Imagine her immense surprise when he answered the door dressed only in his boxer shorts. He invited her in and she went, thinking that he'd hurry back to his room and finish getting dressed but that was not the case. He told her to have a seat and he sat down next to her trying to be charming. Homer up there is a fairly good example of what he looks like, by the way.

You know, men seem to think that they are stud-muffins their entire lives. Ever notice that?  They look in the mirror and see themselves as virile 18 year olds.  Now I've known a lot of men who actually ARE stud-muffins right up into old age but there are also a lot of men who haven't got a clue on how to woo a lady. I can't even BEGIN to imagine this loser thinking he was so sexy he could answer the door like that and have a woman fall into his bed.

If my daughter was the type, she would have been horribly offended and told him so as she huffed out. But she sat there uncomfortably for about 3 minutes, then made an excuse saying that she couldn't stay and left......exit stage right.  She laughed about it on the walk home but figured that the things that his aunt had left for her and her daughter were probably never going to see the inside of her house.  Today she called him about coming over to get the couch he said she'd been left and he said that he didn't think she wanted it and gave it away to someone else.  Yeah............right.

I extend apologies to my daughter, but I can't help it.....this is gonna make me laugh every time I think about it. And you thought these things only happened in books and movies!!!

Just when I thought I conquered it.....

it put its thumb to its nose and wiggled its fingers at me. I'm speaking about my tires of course.

We have suffered some of the coldest weather in this last week since Hector was a pup. Saying "bitter" just doesn't do it justice. I'd like to use that for an excuse of why it happened but, sadly, it only added to the inconvenience of it all.

Since I don't work every day and therefore don't leave the house every day.....I've been starting my car every day like a good female is supposed to do.(how many times do men yell at us for not doing something like that....as well as not checking the oil)  I didn't want to have to contend with a dead battery on top of having the flat tires. So every day I went out and started the car and let it run for about 15 minutes or so. Did I every walk around the vehicle to check on my tires you say?  Why yes....yes I did. I did it for two days and then told myself I was being silly and stopped doing it.

Friday morning I had to be at work earlier than usual as my co-worker wasn't going to be there and I had to run the office. I went out to start my car about 10 minutes before it was time to leave and it started right up. I was so proud!!  The temperature outside was a little above zero....single digit above.  When it was time to leave I started to back out and the car was hard to move......VERY hard to move.  I gave it a little more gas than I usually do and it finally started backing out of the garage. It was obvious that something was terribly wrong.  I got out of the car, walked around to the passenger side and my front tire was so flat it wasn't even funny. The rear tire was also low on that side. No way of driving ANYWHERE on these. I called the maintenance man at work because the automatic switchboard still had the phones going to the recorded greeting. He said he would call the guy who helped me a few days ago and let him know. (he works part-time for the same place I do)

He did come through and helped me out.....even came and picked me up and took me to work. I know he felt terrible about it as he had assured me that he felt the tires were ok. I had to spring for a set of new tires, which he took care of for me by putting on a spare and driving it to the tire place and waiting for it. I gave him my credit card. It didn't help that we had a snowstorm that day and traffic was nearly at a standstill.

I am hoping this is the end of it....at least as far as tires are concerned. My bit of advice is....never get TIRES from a junkyard. Even if they look good, they probably are not as they had the guy who helped me fooled.

All in all I was exactly an hour late for work. I know my boss wasn't very happy with me but I did so much work for him that day that I believe I made up for it.

At least we're having a heat wave right now.....it's 24.

Sometimes you just have to give in.....

I have aluminum wheels on my car. It came that way. I did not special order them. Most women don't pay much attention to wheels and tires....we look at the style of the car and if it's comfortable and you can reach the pedals. There are more than a few cars in which I cannot reach at 4'11; there are also a few vehicles that are a challenge for me to get into because they are too high. I take a stool with me when I get into my friend's pricey SUV.

Anyway, I bought my car new and for the first few years I didn't have any problems with the tires. Then I started getting slow leaks. I would take the vehicle in and have it checked and the tires were always ok and it was diagnosed as a "rim leak". They would reseal the tire and I was good to go for a year or more. The older the car got, the more frequent the rim leaks. I have excellent tires. My car has 52,000 actual miles on it and it makes my hair stand on end every time I see a tire low. This winter so far has been awful. I have had probably 10 low tires (needed air desperately) since Thanksgiving. Everyone (mostly males) were telling me it was the aluminum rims. They are supposed to be stylish and classy but when they get older, the tires don't seal as well as the aluminum oxidizes and it's very VERY expensive to have this fixed. I've been told the extreme heat and cold we have here doesn't help matters any either. So, last week after having TWO flat tires on the passenger side....that's BOTH tires going flat 3 days apart I got fed up to the max.  I had a friend of mine get me 4 steel rims that came off of a junked car like mine and OF COURSE they could not be the same size as the aluminum rims so I could use my good tires. I guess steel rims are not made for my car in that size.  I also had to get a set of used tires that he says are good enough for a few months until I can find a deal on another set of new ones.

After he changed out the tires, my car looked horrible. I didn't realize what a good looking set of shoes (tires) did for a vehicle. So he got me some nice hub caps....they are very pretty BUT they are plastic!!!!! When did this happen?  I thought hubcaps were made of metal!  My friend laughed at me and said it's been like that for a long time now.  Good grief!  Have I EVER been under a rock!  Plastic. How can they possibly hold up?  They were $11 apiece.....I should have known.  lol

I now have a set of 16" aluminum wheels with good tires for sale. Personally, I think you'd have to be nuts to want them. Never again will I ever get aluminum wheels on any vehicle.

My year is starting out really great but at least it wasn't too costly to remedy things.......so far.  Hope all is well with all of you. Right now it's five outside with a windchill of 11 below. It's going to be bitterly cold like this all week long. Reliable transportation is essential in this kind of weather, that's for sure.

Hope this bitter cold doesn't crack my plastic hubcaps.  I'm amazed that engines are still made of metal.

Laughter is, indeed, contagious......

This has been around for a while but a friend recently sent it to me and I laughed just as hard as the first time I heard it.
I figure we ALL need a good laugh about now.  Listen to this and not laugh.....I double-dog dare you! 
Enjoy!

I'm done, I'm done.......well, almost done

You can't even see the bed in my guest/computer room due to all the packages, wrapping paper and miscellaneous other stuff......but I'm done.  The groceries are all in. Of course they have to be cooked....but at least they are here.

I thought I was done a few days ago but someone gave me an unexpected present and I had to scramble to find them something in return. Truth be told, everything was so picked over at this late date that I ended up giving away something I had bought for myself a few months ago and had never gotten around to using it. The recipient was delighted. Now that's the spirit of real giving....I don't know if I can find a replacement....but I'm glad I made someone happy.  I've had to work a lot, filling in for vacations taken usually at this time of year. I'm tired.

We had several days of gloomy, rainy weather. Since I go into work when it's dark and come home when it's dark.....that rainy driving is a tense situation for me. I have problems driving at night anyway. They need to paint those lines bright fluorescent lime green so you can see them better. Probably people behind me figured I was drunk because I was sometimes right ON the lane line. I'm very thankful when I pull into my garage each night and tell God so right then and there. Then the weather changed and it got COLD and windy. Gusts to over 50 mph and there were some power outages. Thank God it wasn't around here. The wind chill for the last two days has been SEVEN. Brrrrrrrr.  Friday the snow came in and with the wind, it was a blizzard. I'm just glad we didn't get more snow than we did. We probably didn't score much more than 2 or 3 inches of the dreaded white stuff.

We have decided to make our Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve and open a few things then as well. Christmas Day we can then fully relax and enjoy the day....watch the kids open their gifts and maybe watch some movies. Dinner will be easy as all we have to do is warm up left-overs. We're doing this because I have to go back to work the day after Christmas and I'd like to have one day to relax before I get back into the old routine again.  Since we all fight over the white meat on the turkey, I bought two turkey breasts.....ALL white meat.  I did this once before and it worked out so well with nothing going to waste.

I had to laugh about this. I've been doing my old trick (random act of kindness) by buying the person's order who is behind me in the drive-up at Dunkin' Donuts. I have a set limit I won't go over but most orders fall within my limit and I know I've surprised quite a few people.  Well, my boss gave me a Christmas card with a pre-paid Dunkin' donuts card in it.....just about the amount I've spent this year on my random acts of kindness. So kindnesses you do, really DO come back to you in one form or another.  He has no idea that I do these little random acts....so it made it even more special.

At this time of year it's hard for me to keep a smile on my face and to keep a good mood....mainly because I have so many things that need to be done. There are more people than you would think that come into work and complain about the dumbest things at this time of year. I truly think they are miserable and lonely and this is their way of getting attention around the holidays.

My sense of humor packed its bags and left town a few years ago. I managed to get some of it back but now I've noticed that my Patience left also.  Patience left me a suicide note so I don't think I'll ever get it back again.....or maybe Patience just told me that so I wouldn't try and hunt it down. So.....I'm without Patience and very little sense of humor and when I go grocery shopping, seated on my little riding cart....I am NOT anyone to mess with. Even so.....I still do have some fairness and so I ended up splitting the last 10 boxes of squash in the county with another woman who looked equally as frazzled.  Merry Christmas sister.....I know what you're going through.

Merry Christmas to all of you. If you don't celebrate Christmas, Merry or Happy whatever or whoever you believe in. My desire is to wish good things to good people. May this coming year be kind to us.....we are battle scarred and desperately need it.  Big hugs. I love you all.  Above all.....keep smilin'.