Since Maya was very small, very young, we have noticed that she has a strong interest in music and also does have a bit of natural talent or ability in that department.
For the past 4 years or so now, she has been participating in the Children's Choir at church. One of the very first songs she learned was a family favorite hymn, "Children of the Heavenly Father" and she learned -memorized, that is -two verses to it including also learning the first verse in Swedish too when she was only about five years old!
Since then, she has continued to be in this choir and this winter now, she has already had two solo parts in which she performed the songs very well. Definitely made us quite proud of her accomplishments, for sure.
This past Christmas though, Mandy debated about one particular present she got for Maya but eventually she broke down and decided buy an electronic keyboard.
Granted, the one she bought Maya is not in the league of those shown on this site but it is enough that it is enabling her to learn the keys, matching them to notes on paper and she is now taking lessons from our organist at church so she will be knowledgeable about this much, in terms of a musical instrument.
She is also learning another instrument at school now too -a Recorder!
Now that one, I am perfectly happy if she maintains her practice session on it while in school! (And don't tell me you wouldn't feel exactly the same way if it were your kid learning to play a recorder! LOL)
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Wandering Down Memory Lane
I was just looking for a file in My Documents and in the process, I came across an old, old photo -taken over 60 years ago -of some members of my extended family.
And boy, the memories it brought to my mind!
This great photo was of my Grandfather's older brother -my great-uncle Eric -and his family and was taken out on the front lawn of his home, which is about six houses down the street from my house.
I spent many, many hours of my childhood and teenage years -and up through the 80s for that matter -at his home and with these people in this photo.
My Great-uncle passed away in the spring of 1956 -a year before my beloved Grandpa died. That's Uncle Eric standing in the front row, holding his hat in his hands.
I can identify all on this photo except for two men in the back row that for some reason or other, I can't tell now who they are.
But seeing all these smiling faces once again, and remembering too all the good memories I have of them and that house, it also reminds me that my children were blessed too in that they got to know and love three of Uncle Eric's daughters very, very well, as Edith, Helen and Hedvig resided in that house until the late 1980s at which time, they all three moved into an assisted living place in nearby Philipsburg, as maintaining the house had become too much for them to do.
I know, all too well, how much Uncle Eric's granddaughters hated to go through all the possessions there and either sell or give away many of those treasured items. How they were pained greatly then too when the time came to put the house itself up for sale as well.
But thankfully, they -and I -have these wonderful, beautiful memories of the people who once lived there and treasure deeply just how much each and everyone of them meant to us.
Doesn't keep a person from missing them, for sure -even after six decades have gone by -but it does make one value those we know and love today because someday none of us will be here to remember them.
And boy, the memories it brought to my mind!
I spent many, many hours of my childhood and teenage years -and up through the 80s for that matter -at his home and with these people in this photo.
My Great-uncle passed away in the spring of 1956 -a year before my beloved Grandpa died. That's Uncle Eric standing in the front row, holding his hat in his hands.
I can identify all on this photo except for two men in the back row that for some reason or other, I can't tell now who they are.
But seeing all these smiling faces once again, and remembering too all the good memories I have of them and that house, it also reminds me that my children were blessed too in that they got to know and love three of Uncle Eric's daughters very, very well, as Edith, Helen and Hedvig resided in that house until the late 1980s at which time, they all three moved into an assisted living place in nearby Philipsburg, as maintaining the house had become too much for them to do.
I know, all too well, how much Uncle Eric's granddaughters hated to go through all the possessions there and either sell or give away many of those treasured items. How they were pained greatly then too when the time came to put the house itself up for sale as well.
But thankfully, they -and I -have these wonderful, beautiful memories of the people who once lived there and treasure deeply just how much each and everyone of them meant to us.
Doesn't keep a person from missing them, for sure -even after six decades have gone by -but it does make one value those we know and love today because someday none of us will be here to remember them.
Advance Savings?
I keep making all these vows to myself that I am going to try to improve on my disorganized life. I tell myself I am going to work on the various crafts I enjoy doing and make some headway then in clearing out some of the clutter in my life, what with the all the many storage totes I happen to have around the house, in my room, the basement, attic, etc., all filled to overflowing with embroidery kit projects, floss, yarns of many varieties for knitting or crochet stuff I want to make and totes with many, many pieces of fabrics too that need to be decided on what to make with them and get them cut out, sewn and done!
In the in-between time, I tell myself that I'm going to work on whittling down the number of books I have here that are thus far, unread! There once was a time when as soon as I got a new book, everything else took a back seat until I had delved into said book(s) and finished reading them.
That game plan hasn't been in existence for several years now, sadly! But I do need to get cracking on a few of the books I have waiting to be read. Really, I do!
One would think, since I am no longer gainfully employed, that with all the time I do have available now to me, I should have no problems whatsoever in getting at least some of these plans accomplished. But life always seems to have a way of interrupting us and those best laid plans tend to go awry, don't they?
For one thing, my memory just ain't what it used to be! I make plans one minute and five minutes later, I've forgotten what plans I made!
The memory thing pops up now and again though but in other ways.
Take for example yesterday -February 22nd. That was the day that my older daughter got married 15 years ago. Once upon a time, it was a very good thing to remember that date for the joy it had held back then. Today, maybe not so much.
Although, the best thing about that event is that my Grandson -my first grandchild -came about as a result of that union.
But those of you who know me fairly well now also know too, I'm thinking, that sometimes, things in my memory pop up and give me pause to think of other things about various events too -things that maybe may not sound that great to observe, but there again, you're dealing with me and my own little strange ways of thinking about things.
In that context, had my daughter and her ex-husband stayed together, yesterday they would have celebrated their 15th anniversary. And thinking about how quickly the years fly by, it dawned on me that 10 years from now, they would be celebrating their Silver Wedding Anniversary.
But since that isn't going to take place, I can now look at their anniversary date with this thought in mine that now, at least, I won't have to worry about a need to buy silver as a major anniversary gift for them, will I?
See, I told you in advance that I tend, much of the time, to take things and think of them in a manner not quite the norm.
You should be used to my doing that by now!
In the in-between time, I tell myself that I'm going to work on whittling down the number of books I have here that are thus far, unread! There once was a time when as soon as I got a new book, everything else took a back seat until I had delved into said book(s) and finished reading them.
That game plan hasn't been in existence for several years now, sadly! But I do need to get cracking on a few of the books I have waiting to be read. Really, I do!
One would think, since I am no longer gainfully employed, that with all the time I do have available now to me, I should have no problems whatsoever in getting at least some of these plans accomplished. But life always seems to have a way of interrupting us and those best laid plans tend to go awry, don't they?
For one thing, my memory just ain't what it used to be! I make plans one minute and five minutes later, I've forgotten what plans I made!
The memory thing pops up now and again though but in other ways.
Take for example yesterday -February 22nd. That was the day that my older daughter got married 15 years ago. Once upon a time, it was a very good thing to remember that date for the joy it had held back then. Today, maybe not so much.
Although, the best thing about that event is that my Grandson -my first grandchild -came about as a result of that union.
But those of you who know me fairly well now also know too, I'm thinking, that sometimes, things in my memory pop up and give me pause to think of other things about various events too -things that maybe may not sound that great to observe, but there again, you're dealing with me and my own little strange ways of thinking about things.
In that context, had my daughter and her ex-husband stayed together, yesterday they would have celebrated their 15th anniversary. And thinking about how quickly the years fly by, it dawned on me that 10 years from now, they would be celebrating their Silver Wedding Anniversary.
But since that isn't going to take place, I can now look at their anniversary date with this thought in mine that now, at least, I won't have to worry about a need to buy silver as a major anniversary gift for them, will I?
See, I told you in advance that I tend, much of the time, to take things and think of them in a manner not quite the norm.
You should be used to my doing that by now!
Monday, February 18, 2013
Bad, Bad!
Well, I finally managed to get around to my reader and get it completely cleared for a change.
Talk about laziness, or having a severe case of "putting things off" -I don't know which it was that took over on me, but anyway, I'm good to go now and can start all over again being very lackadaisical about my reading I suppose.
Right now though, I'm thinking I'm actually going to have to take some drastic steps here -and do it very soon too! Those steps being a venture outside into the very cold air to take the mutt for what probably is a very needed jaunt. I'm thinking this is something of a necessity even though he is asleep at my feet at the moment, being very good, quiet and calm.
However, I'm also getting wafts of an aroma that is telling me something else. Either he has to really go relieve himself very badly or he has what must be the most severe, foul smelling case of doggie gas the Good Lord ever inflicted on any mutt!
Time to get some really warm clothes on, hat, coat, scarf and the like and if nothing else, clear my nasal passages!
Peace to you and good luck to me that I don't freeze something of tremendous value off today as I take Sam out for his walk!
Talk about laziness, or having a severe case of "putting things off" -I don't know which it was that took over on me, but anyway, I'm good to go now and can start all over again being very lackadaisical about my reading I suppose.
Right now though, I'm thinking I'm actually going to have to take some drastic steps here -and do it very soon too! Those steps being a venture outside into the very cold air to take the mutt for what probably is a very needed jaunt. I'm thinking this is something of a necessity even though he is asleep at my feet at the moment, being very good, quiet and calm.
However, I'm also getting wafts of an aroma that is telling me something else. Either he has to really go relieve himself very badly or he has what must be the most severe, foul smelling case of doggie gas the Good Lord ever inflicted on any mutt!
Time to get some really warm clothes on, hat, coat, scarf and the like and if nothing else, clear my nasal passages!
Peace to you and good luck to me that I don't freeze something of tremendous value off today as I take Sam out for his walk!
Monday, February 11, 2013
Signed, Sealed, Delivered!
Ah, what a great weekend it was!
You can see, obviously I hope, that we were barely affected by the NEMO blizzard of 2013 that hit New England and NYC over the weekend since I've stated here it was a great weekend.
In this end of Pennsylvania, it WAS a great weekend!
Saturday morning, Mandy, the kids and I went to see the notary public about getting the papers for the jeep transferred over to the car I was buying and planned to go pick up then as soon as the paperwork was completed. We got that done with a minimum of fuss and muss and were on our way out to the garage to meet with Walt, the guy who was selling this car to me. Got there, tags put on, other paper work completed and I hopped in my new little buggy and headed out!
Driving out the lane from Walt's garage, I glanced at the gas gauge and saw it was registering just under a quarter of a tank so decided it would be best if I went then and there up to the local gas station at Kylertown and told the attendant I wanted to "Fill 'er up." Okay -no problem. He took my card, swiped, gave it back to me and less than five minutes later, came and handed me my receipt too. Imagine my surprise when the receipt recorded only $4.20 to fill the tank!!
What? How could that be? I thought maybe the gauge was like the one on my old jeep -flaky -and sometimes recorded okay -sometimes not. But anyway, I knew I had at least a gallon of gas in there so off Maya and Kurt and I went to Philipsburg to a birthday party for their Aunt's boyfriend's little girl. The party was at the local Pizza Hut and as luck would have it, Maya's TSS (Miss Britt) works there part-time and she was our server. The party was set up so the kids could create their own pizza -which was fun for them -and they each ate all of their individual pizzas!
Here's Maya and Kurt, waiting to get their pizzas they would be creating.
Both kids actually behaved very well at the party, and enjoyed themselves immensely too!
After leaving Pizza Hut, we ventured over to Clearfield where I needed to get some staples for the pantry at home and a few other little things too -like spare printer cartridges for my lovely little printer here that ALWAYS runs out of ink when I have no spare cartridges on hand or am broke and don't have enough money to run out and get a refill -of course, right at that time. Be prepared -my motto for that day!
Yeah right -Be Prepared is a good motto, isn't it? I was wondering about my preparedness though when about a mile down the Interstate after we left Walmart, I see a red light flashing on my dash that says "Check gauges! and I see too the needle on the gas gauge is flipping back and forth from down below Empty and back up to under a quarter of a tank! WTH!
Thankfully, I was able to pull off at the Woodland exit and got to a gas station there at the top of that hill and got a pump turned on to put gas in the tank. Apparently, the tank on this car only holds about 11-12 gallons -although that still doesn't explain why the attendant where I stopped earlier to get gas only put in a little over four dollars worth of gas when I had asked for a fill-up! (I'm thinking maybe he misunderstood me and thought I said I only wanted $4.00 of gas when I had asked it to be filled up.)
Anyway, the tank took a little over 10 gallons and the gauge then registered immediately as being full so off we went to the house then!
Sunday morning, I got the kids and myself up and dressed and went to church. Both kids were relatively well-behaved there too so I felt like this was gonna be a super great weekend then for sure. After church, I stopped at the mailboxes on the way home to check if we had received any mail on Saturday, got that and back in the car and went to close the door only to discover that there was another problem now with the car.
The door wouldn't close!
Well, it would close but it wouldn't catch on the latch! Would just bounce back open when you tried to shut it. I'd had a similar problem like this one time with the jeep but on that occasion, there was a bolt that had apparently been stripped out and it wouldn't stay in place so I had to get my brother-in-law to fix that problem for me. This car had no loose bolts though -just that the latch mechanism on the door wouldn't move and slide over the late part in the car.
So, I walked up to a nearby house -where I know the guy who lives there -got him to come out and monkey with the latch with a pen knife and some WD-40 and in a matter of minutes, he had it working fine and dandy again and the kids and I were on our way home. Finally!
Today, I ran up to check the mail as I was expecting a delivery there of some books I ordered from Barnes and Noble for a special birthday present for my "37-year-old-baby" because today is her birthday, and only one of the books I ordered was there. And of course, wouldn't you know it, it was the one book I had purchased for myself -not any of those I had ordered for Mandy's birthday!
I knew the one book wouldn't arrive in time for her birthday though as it is a copy of Jodi Picoult's newest book "The Storyteller" which won't be released until the latter part of February. But I could order it now and have it sent, pre-paid, when it is released so I figured that would be fine. I thought however, that the other books I ordered for her would be delivered now but apparently not as they are tied up until February 26th now too -the date when the Jodi Picoult book is scheduled to ship to me!
You know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men, don't 'cha? Well, that apparently is what happened with my well laid plans to be able to give Mandy her birthday present right on time for at least 2/3 of the present anyway!
Now that I have a bit of funds in my checking account -for an exciting change of pace -I think I may just peruse a bit more on the Barnes/Noble site and make a couple more books part of my library collection here at home. Something to keep me occupied when I tired of embroidery or knitting or crochet!
Today, I took the dog out for a walk and have to say it is a simply beautiful day here today in central Pennsylvania! The sun is shining so bright and the snow is melting away at a nice good pace (of course, we only got about 3 inches of snow on Friday compared to the 2-3 foot of snow that landed up in the New England area) and it is warm today too! So warm in fact that I didn't even need to wear my gloves today when I took Sammy out for his stroll!
So yes, I will still say it is a good day today, weather-wise, as well as celebration wise too since it is my baby's birthday! Hard to believe it was 37 years ago today that she was my special delivery package that day!
But a new-to-me car, kids having pizza at Pizza Hut, church service where they were quiet and good, part of a book order arrived and Mandy picked up her special Chocolate meringue cream pie she wanted for her birthday too -makes for some good things -all signed, sealed and delivered, doesn't it?
You can see, obviously I hope, that we were barely affected by the NEMO blizzard of 2013 that hit New England and NYC over the weekend since I've stated here it was a great weekend.
In this end of Pennsylvania, it WAS a great weekend!
Saturday morning, Mandy, the kids and I went to see the notary public about getting the papers for the jeep transferred over to the car I was buying and planned to go pick up then as soon as the paperwork was completed. We got that done with a minimum of fuss and muss and were on our way out to the garage to meet with Walt, the guy who was selling this car to me. Got there, tags put on, other paper work completed and I hopped in my new little buggy and headed out!
Driving out the lane from Walt's garage, I glanced at the gas gauge and saw it was registering just under a quarter of a tank so decided it would be best if I went then and there up to the local gas station at Kylertown and told the attendant I wanted to "Fill 'er up." Okay -no problem. He took my card, swiped, gave it back to me and less than five minutes later, came and handed me my receipt too. Imagine my surprise when the receipt recorded only $4.20 to fill the tank!!
What? How could that be? I thought maybe the gauge was like the one on my old jeep -flaky -and sometimes recorded okay -sometimes not. But anyway, I knew I had at least a gallon of gas in there so off Maya and Kurt and I went to Philipsburg to a birthday party for their Aunt's boyfriend's little girl. The party was at the local Pizza Hut and as luck would have it, Maya's TSS (Miss Britt) works there part-time and she was our server. The party was set up so the kids could create their own pizza -which was fun for them -and they each ate all of their individual pizzas!
Here's Maya and Kurt, waiting to get their pizzas they would be creating.
After leaving Pizza Hut, we ventured over to Clearfield where I needed to get some staples for the pantry at home and a few other little things too -like spare printer cartridges for my lovely little printer here that ALWAYS runs out of ink when I have no spare cartridges on hand or am broke and don't have enough money to run out and get a refill -of course, right at that time. Be prepared -my motto for that day!
Yeah right -Be Prepared is a good motto, isn't it? I was wondering about my preparedness though when about a mile down the Interstate after we left Walmart, I see a red light flashing on my dash that says "Check gauges! and I see too the needle on the gas gauge is flipping back and forth from down below Empty and back up to under a quarter of a tank! WTH!
Thankfully, I was able to pull off at the Woodland exit and got to a gas station there at the top of that hill and got a pump turned on to put gas in the tank. Apparently, the tank on this car only holds about 11-12 gallons -although that still doesn't explain why the attendant where I stopped earlier to get gas only put in a little over four dollars worth of gas when I had asked for a fill-up! (I'm thinking maybe he misunderstood me and thought I said I only wanted $4.00 of gas when I had asked it to be filled up.)
Anyway, the tank took a little over 10 gallons and the gauge then registered immediately as being full so off we went to the house then!
Sunday morning, I got the kids and myself up and dressed and went to church. Both kids were relatively well-behaved there too so I felt like this was gonna be a super great weekend then for sure. After church, I stopped at the mailboxes on the way home to check if we had received any mail on Saturday, got that and back in the car and went to close the door only to discover that there was another problem now with the car.
The door wouldn't close!
Well, it would close but it wouldn't catch on the latch! Would just bounce back open when you tried to shut it. I'd had a similar problem like this one time with the jeep but on that occasion, there was a bolt that had apparently been stripped out and it wouldn't stay in place so I had to get my brother-in-law to fix that problem for me. This car had no loose bolts though -just that the latch mechanism on the door wouldn't move and slide over the late part in the car.
So, I walked up to a nearby house -where I know the guy who lives there -got him to come out and monkey with the latch with a pen knife and some WD-40 and in a matter of minutes, he had it working fine and dandy again and the kids and I were on our way home. Finally!
Today, I ran up to check the mail as I was expecting a delivery there of some books I ordered from Barnes and Noble for a special birthday present for my "37-year-old-baby" because today is her birthday, and only one of the books I ordered was there. And of course, wouldn't you know it, it was the one book I had purchased for myself -not any of those I had ordered for Mandy's birthday!
I knew the one book wouldn't arrive in time for her birthday though as it is a copy of Jodi Picoult's newest book "The Storyteller" which won't be released until the latter part of February. But I could order it now and have it sent, pre-paid, when it is released so I figured that would be fine. I thought however, that the other books I ordered for her would be delivered now but apparently not as they are tied up until February 26th now too -the date when the Jodi Picoult book is scheduled to ship to me!
You know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men, don't 'cha? Well, that apparently is what happened with my well laid plans to be able to give Mandy her birthday present right on time for at least 2/3 of the present anyway!
Now that I have a bit of funds in my checking account -for an exciting change of pace -I think I may just peruse a bit more on the Barnes/Noble site and make a couple more books part of my library collection here at home. Something to keep me occupied when I tired of embroidery or knitting or crochet!
Today, I took the dog out for a walk and have to say it is a simply beautiful day here today in central Pennsylvania! The sun is shining so bright and the snow is melting away at a nice good pace (of course, we only got about 3 inches of snow on Friday compared to the 2-3 foot of snow that landed up in the New England area) and it is warm today too! So warm in fact that I didn't even need to wear my gloves today when I took Sammy out for his stroll!
So yes, I will still say it is a good day today, weather-wise, as well as celebration wise too since it is my baby's birthday! Hard to believe it was 37 years ago today that she was my special delivery package that day!
But a new-to-me car, kids having pizza at Pizza Hut, church service where they were quiet and good, part of a book order arrived and Mandy picked up her special Chocolate meringue cream pie she wanted for her birthday too -makes for some good things -all signed, sealed and delivered, doesn't it?
Friday, February 08, 2013
Snow Storms and Blizzards and Such
The other day, my good blogger friend, Suldog, did a post the other day in which he was sharing his memories of the "Blizzard of '78" which brought to my mind some of the snowstorms and/or blizzards I have experienced over my years on the planet. Nice to read something that sparks a memory or ten or so for me that could actually lead me to writing a blog post, ya know!
Anyway, I told him I remember that blizzard quite well too but as it turns out, I think I may be wrong -a slight memory lapse there which is to be expected in the old and senile from time to time, isn't it?
The more I thought about it, the more I realized the storm I was thinking about actually was the winter of '77, not '78 for me.
Back in 1977 -a long, long time ago, ya know -I was working at Penn State University then and my ex and I had a dark green Chevy Impala that he had picked up via fleet cars the University had traded off to the dealership where he used to work. A big car, that was, with high mileage when we got it, but it was in excellent condition otherwise.
The storm that hit that year really socked us in -lots and lots of snow plus really low temperatures too -in the below zero column for way longer than anyone should ever have to endure.
At that time, our water supply came from a company in a neighboring village and thanks to the cold temps, not only did our car freeze up but so did the water lines!
I remember that with the car frozen up, it took my ex-husband three days to get it thawed out and able to get it running again. One of the few times in my working days that I ever missed work due to weather conditions!
But the water lines, when they froze, now that was really quite the episode!
The water lines from the neighboring village had to cross over Interstate 80 and to do that, there were pipes that hung just slightly below the two overpass bridges in another neighboring village. On the side of the bridges, closer to my village, there was a place set up with a pumping station of some sort or other and that place was the culprit that caused the water lines to freeze.
When the pump set up froze, that shut off any flow of water to our water company lines and with the water not flowing through, it froze clear back to the pipes that were underneath the interstate bridges. The pipes there then broke and fell down on to the Interstate too!
So there were people throughout the entire village where I live as well as those who lived in the village just on the other side of here who also had no water.
To add insult to injury, the guy who owned the water company that supplied to our village announced that he wasn't going to do anything to get the situation corrected either!
Men from both communities that were affected offered to help to get the situation fixed and their offers of help were even turned down by this old codger who owned the water company as well, which really had both communities in one heck of an uproar then.
After several days of no water and no repairs in sight, the problem even made the news on the local tv station out of Altoona with a little blurb that we were in this predicament -something really hard to believe because rarely does anything in this region EVER make the news, much less on the TV to boot!
But that blurb didn't explain anything about WHY we had no water, what was transpiring here to keep us doing without was not mentioned at all.
I was livid! And when I get to that stage of anger, I will go to whatever lengths I feel are needed to try to get some kind of resolution. To me, that meant I made a call to the TV station and told the person I spoke to that there was a lot more to the story about this little community being without water and went on to explain the situation then.
The upshot of that is that they, in turn, contacted the guy who owned our water company and they sent out a news crew, after making arrangements to have the owner of our company come here to my house and be interviewed.
While here, they also filmed my older daughter out in the yard with the biggest tupperware containers I owned as well as my big pots and pans, gathering and packing snow in those containers so that I could then put the snow into every pot or pan that would hold that much and melt it down then on the stove in order that we had some water to use then for bare necessities of life!
To this day, that daughter still criticizes me for having called the TV station, for having had the news crew at our house and especially for allowing them to take film of her out in our front yard, busily scooping up snow to be melted!
She was 10 years old at that time and apparently was very camera shy -to hear her tell the story today, anyway. Most kids would jump at the chance to show off and be on TV -her big claim to fame ya know!
It's funny but as a kid, we always had lots of big snowstorms but I don't recall ever having any of them classified as being a blizzard until I was an adult with children of my own.
Since the late 70s though, we have had several times where we got "snowed in" here!
I remember distinctly the winter of 1994, when I was in my last semester at Penn State and my younger daughter was a senior in high school. I was doing an internship at a Vo-Tech school in the neighboring county and from the beginning of January that year, until the end of March, every morning my daughter and I would lie in bed watching for school delays or closures due to the snow or ice conditions every morning! Anytime, there was a school closure at the place where I was doing my internship meant, of course, a snow day for me and usually for my daughter too! (Although our district isn't notorious for school closures due to snow but that winter, they sure were!)
I think I missed almost half of the days that I was supposed to be on-the-job with my internship because of snow and ice and schools being closed but because that was the problem and it was caused by Mother Nature, I didn't get docked grade-wise or any other way with my internship and my final grade was an A!
I remember that winter too, as I was working part-time then in State College for a private weather forecasting company, when the big blizzard that year hit in early March, that one of the forecasters put out a forecast to a New Jersey newspaper that began with this sentence -"Do your grocery shopping NOW!" (That may not be an exact quote there, but it was something along those lines anyway and those of us who handled the forecasts to send them to the various companies/newspapers, etc., got a big chuckle over the wording of that one!)
In 1996, this region got hit again with a blizzard -also in early March, around the time of Penn State's spring break and that time, the company instructed all of us who were scheduled to work over the time that storm hit, that we were going to be provided with rooms at a local motel to assure that we would be able to get to work on time!
From what I've read and heard about this impending storm due to hit today and with a particular vengence too up in New England as well as New York and probably New Jersey too, I hope that anyone living in those regions take all precautions they possibly can to be safe and WARM too! Don't venture out unless it is an absolute emergency when a storm of this magnitude is on the way to and through your region!
I'll keep those I know who live there in my thoughts and prayers that you all survive, safe and sound and sustain no damages either to your homes!
Peace!
Anyway, I told him I remember that blizzard quite well too but as it turns out, I think I may be wrong -a slight memory lapse there which is to be expected in the old and senile from time to time, isn't it?
The more I thought about it, the more I realized the storm I was thinking about actually was the winter of '77, not '78 for me.
Back in 1977 -a long, long time ago, ya know -I was working at Penn State University then and my ex and I had a dark green Chevy Impala that he had picked up via fleet cars the University had traded off to the dealership where he used to work. A big car, that was, with high mileage when we got it, but it was in excellent condition otherwise.
The storm that hit that year really socked us in -lots and lots of snow plus really low temperatures too -in the below zero column for way longer than anyone should ever have to endure.
At that time, our water supply came from a company in a neighboring village and thanks to the cold temps, not only did our car freeze up but so did the water lines!
I remember that with the car frozen up, it took my ex-husband three days to get it thawed out and able to get it running again. One of the few times in my working days that I ever missed work due to weather conditions!
But the water lines, when they froze, now that was really quite the episode!
The water lines from the neighboring village had to cross over Interstate 80 and to do that, there were pipes that hung just slightly below the two overpass bridges in another neighboring village. On the side of the bridges, closer to my village, there was a place set up with a pumping station of some sort or other and that place was the culprit that caused the water lines to freeze.
When the pump set up froze, that shut off any flow of water to our water company lines and with the water not flowing through, it froze clear back to the pipes that were underneath the interstate bridges. The pipes there then broke and fell down on to the Interstate too!
So there were people throughout the entire village where I live as well as those who lived in the village just on the other side of here who also had no water.
To add insult to injury, the guy who owned the water company that supplied to our village announced that he wasn't going to do anything to get the situation corrected either!
Men from both communities that were affected offered to help to get the situation fixed and their offers of help were even turned down by this old codger who owned the water company as well, which really had both communities in one heck of an uproar then.
After several days of no water and no repairs in sight, the problem even made the news on the local tv station out of Altoona with a little blurb that we were in this predicament -something really hard to believe because rarely does anything in this region EVER make the news, much less on the TV to boot!
But that blurb didn't explain anything about WHY we had no water, what was transpiring here to keep us doing without was not mentioned at all.
I was livid! And when I get to that stage of anger, I will go to whatever lengths I feel are needed to try to get some kind of resolution. To me, that meant I made a call to the TV station and told the person I spoke to that there was a lot more to the story about this little community being without water and went on to explain the situation then.
The upshot of that is that they, in turn, contacted the guy who owned our water company and they sent out a news crew, after making arrangements to have the owner of our company come here to my house and be interviewed.
While here, they also filmed my older daughter out in the yard with the biggest tupperware containers I owned as well as my big pots and pans, gathering and packing snow in those containers so that I could then put the snow into every pot or pan that would hold that much and melt it down then on the stove in order that we had some water to use then for bare necessities of life!
To this day, that daughter still criticizes me for having called the TV station, for having had the news crew at our house and especially for allowing them to take film of her out in our front yard, busily scooping up snow to be melted!
She was 10 years old at that time and apparently was very camera shy -to hear her tell the story today, anyway. Most kids would jump at the chance to show off and be on TV -her big claim to fame ya know!
It's funny but as a kid, we always had lots of big snowstorms but I don't recall ever having any of them classified as being a blizzard until I was an adult with children of my own.
Since the late 70s though, we have had several times where we got "snowed in" here!
I remember distinctly the winter of 1994, when I was in my last semester at Penn State and my younger daughter was a senior in high school. I was doing an internship at a Vo-Tech school in the neighboring county and from the beginning of January that year, until the end of March, every morning my daughter and I would lie in bed watching for school delays or closures due to the snow or ice conditions every morning! Anytime, there was a school closure at the place where I was doing my internship meant, of course, a snow day for me and usually for my daughter too! (Although our district isn't notorious for school closures due to snow but that winter, they sure were!)
I think I missed almost half of the days that I was supposed to be on-the-job with my internship because of snow and ice and schools being closed but because that was the problem and it was caused by Mother Nature, I didn't get docked grade-wise or any other way with my internship and my final grade was an A!
I remember that winter too, as I was working part-time then in State College for a private weather forecasting company, when the big blizzard that year hit in early March, that one of the forecasters put out a forecast to a New Jersey newspaper that began with this sentence -"Do your grocery shopping NOW!" (That may not be an exact quote there, but it was something along those lines anyway and those of us who handled the forecasts to send them to the various companies/newspapers, etc., got a big chuckle over the wording of that one!)
In 1996, this region got hit again with a blizzard -also in early March, around the time of Penn State's spring break and that time, the company instructed all of us who were scheduled to work over the time that storm hit, that we were going to be provided with rooms at a local motel to assure that we would be able to get to work on time!
From what I've read and heard about this impending storm due to hit today and with a particular vengence too up in New England as well as New York and probably New Jersey too, I hope that anyone living in those regions take all precautions they possibly can to be safe and WARM too! Don't venture out unless it is an absolute emergency when a storm of this magnitude is on the way to and through your region!
I'll keep those I know who live there in my thoughts and prayers that you all survive, safe and sound and sustain no damages either to your homes!
Peace!
Thursday, February 07, 2013
The Waiting Game...
I am, once again, playing a waiting game.
Last week -and for roughly 9 months before that -a big waiting game was at work here as we waited, quite patiently for little Miss Lola Rae's arrival. That, I can understand completely, why it took so long for her to get here. And it was very exciting last Friday when we knew she was definitely enroute too.
It was very sweet, kind and generous of her to not prolong that wait too as from the time Mandy got Katie to the hospital until she actually arrived on scene was a mere 4 hours.
And, anyone who has ever been in a waiting game for a baby to be born -and especially for that first baby -knows a 4 hour time span at the hospital is a good and very fast time! Yep! Kudos to Little Lola Rae for now keeping us in suspense any longer than she did.
Today, I am involved in yet another waiting game.
No little baby involved in this one though. Rather it is anticipation of being able to -finally -go sign the papers and be able to drive off in a vehicle I can again claim as my OWN!
After what has seemed like an eternity but in reality was only (only - Hah) a mere 4 weeks yesterday since my beloved little old jeep caught fire whilst I was driving down the highway no less and the insurance company deemed it totaled, I was expecting the check from the insurance company some time this week, prior to yesterday. The insurance office had told me last Wednesday when I signed the papers over to them for the jeep that I would get the check for the jeep within a week and if I hadn't received it by then, to be sure to call them right away.
Well, as antsy as I am about wanting to get another car and as much as I really do need my own vehicle, you can bet your bottom dollar that when the check didn't arrive by yesterday, I was on the horn, calling the insurance people to let them know I'm still here, minus a vehicle and waiting. Patiently.
Well, sort of patiently. As much as I am capable of waiting "patiently" which isn't usually part of my vocabulary ya know.
So, yesterday when there was no check in my mailbox I called the insurance agent's office and the person who had handled my claim last week said she would check with the claims office to see what was going on and she would call me back.
And, yes she called me back and informed me that somehow or other, the claims office had no fax, no record at all of any information having been faxed to them a week ago pertaining to my jeep and my claim!
WTF!
But she said she had refaxed them the information and that they had told her they would ship the check out by "Overnight FedEx Express" delivery!
And so began again this morning, more of the infernal waiting game.
So here I sit now, waiting, waiting, waiting for a Fed Ex van to pull up out front and the delivery person to be heralded to me upon arrival by good old Sammy -who generally lies in wait, reposing in the windowsill of the bow window in the living room and who announces the passing of something as small as a leaf flying past the window with a growl and a bark and a vehicle pulling up out front into the parking area then always gives him cause to bark and go generally crazy doing that too, so there's no way I could possibly miss someone coming to my house to deliver said precious package to me!
This, after also having called the guy who has a car that he is going to sell me and which I am eagerly anticipating having my own set of wheels again under my fingertips, so I can tool around then to my heart's content.
Or, just let it sit out front, waiting patiently on me to have a need to drive someplace too!
Convenience! Oh yes, such a nice idea that is to have the convenience afforded by having one's own transportation, for sure!
It's not that I go out that often but I do need my own set of wheels so that when I do need to go someplace I don't have to wait till Mandy gets home from work so I can borrow her buggy then!
So now, the plans we had for today are down the tubes once again as the wait continues.
Wish that FedEx person luck that I don't do something extremely drastic to try to explain the meaning of Express, Overnight Delivery!
Wednesday, February 06, 2013
Walking -After Midnight
Call me crazy -and yes, I'll probably answer right away.
Call me crazy when I tell you I just got back in the house after taking Sammy out for an after midnight stroll and I'll probably tell you it's a most restful time of the evening to take a walk.
Especially in the wintertime because it really is beautiful quite often at that hour -with the ground covered in snow, sometimes the snow is still falling then too and all around it is very quiet, very peaceful and quite lovely to see with only the light of a little flashlight to guide your way and the skies often lit up with stars shining so pretty then too.
The other night when Sam and I went out for our nighttime stroll -it was a bit earlier in the evening that time, maybe only 9 or 10 p.m., but it was snowing that night -a very soft snowfall and as the light from my flashlight was moving around across the road, the yards, the fields, the snow looked like tiny stars on the ground as it glistened and sparkled.
Only one night this year -so far -was it really bitter cold as the rest of our late-night walks, which by contrast, were actually relatively warmish. I know, discussing cold in the dead of winter and comparing the cold each evening as being bitter cold one night but "warmish" on all the others, makes no sense I suppose to others, but it does to me as I'm the one out there strolling around, all bundled up from long johns on under my jeans to my heavy winter jacket, a warm knitted hat, at least one scarf, sometimes two, and of course, finger gloves topped with my thick handmade mittens over them! So with all those layers of clothing on, for the cold to actually permeate me on one night, then that night was really, really cold! (Probably was sub-zero that night I think.)
Even Sam has gotten accustomed to walking in the snow again -although for quite a while since the snow season began back in December here, he would not go off the road and wade into the snow in people's yards or in the field down the road from here -where he usually likes to go to take care of his "business." But now, he's becoming a bit more adventuresome and does go off the beaten track a bit a lot of the time.
Tonight, down where the wooded area at the edge of town begins, I saw some tracks leading up into the wood that I think probably are deer tracks. Too large for a dog and way too small and of a different pattern too so I know they weren't from a bear wandering around half-asleep from a long winter's nap.
In one particular area by the field, he spied a whole bunch of tracks, all together -almost like something was rolling and running both in that area and I thought he was going to go ballistic trying to sniff each and every single track he came upon there! His nose was burrowing down into the tracks as he was trying -I think -to identify what source had left the pristine snow all messed up in that region!
And, when we got back home and in the house, he stood quietly while I took off my gloves and mittens, my scarves and then, reached down to unfasten the hook of his lead to his collar. But, as soon as I did that, he went tearing out to the kitchen, then to the living room and bounced from the recliner over to the sofa, then the loveseat -bouncing around on each piece of furniture and looking all around the room at the same time.
I know what he was looking for though. His eyes were searching for his buddies -the two indoor cats -Pearl and Tavie -as he loves to come in from a walk, whether it's a daylight walk or a late nite stroll -and romp around the house with the cats. Kind of like he's showing off his acrobatic skills to his feline friends.
And, speaking of one of his feline friends, little Miss Tavie -the baby of the cats who live with us (and who pretty much rule the house too) -is going into heat right now. Not a good thing to have happen when she is scheduled to have some surgery to take away that problem from her forever for next Monday especially when you also happen to have a big old TomCat -FluffNuts -who wanders in and out of the house and suddenly decided Sunday night that he really likes Tavie -especially right now!!!
I saw him making some moves towards her and quickly jumped up and got him shooed away in time but then about 5 minutes later, I heard some noise and saw there he was, after her again and that time, I almost didn't get there in time. Fortunately, I did though and as I was moving towards him to push him aside, I was yelling at him too, which brought Sam to attention as he came running out to see what was going on and when he realized it was something to do with me trying to chase FluffNuts away from Tavie, Sammy went into action then too. He began barking at FluffNuts and then, took off, chasing the TomCat away too! As if to give FluffNuts a warning that he best stay away from Sam's little friend!
Sometimes, the actions of these two cats and Sam totally amaze as well as amuse me. Sometimes too, I think Sam is of the mistaken thought that he is a cat and not a dog because he does so love to play with both the indoor cats much of the time and he lets them -especially Tavie -torment him too.
So now that Sam is lying here by my feet, sleeping quite peacefully already from his little exercise, and I will need to be up in the morning to see that the kids get dressed and on their respective bus or van and off to school, I think I will concede to going to bed a tad earlier than my normal bedtime hour -or the witching hours some of my friends and neighbors here think I keep!
It's spitting a tiny bit of snow now but doubtful it will be enough to make a hill of beans difference on the roads by morning so probably there will no be any school delays to give me a little extra sleep that way. Not to worry though, I'll probably make up for that with a little nap after the kids leave -which will probably be rudely interrupted by the telephone ringing because it always seems to happen that way!
Damned telephone anyway! Or some people who apparently have esp and know exactly when I have just fallen asleep to decide to call me!!!
Call me crazy when I tell you I just got back in the house after taking Sammy out for an after midnight stroll and I'll probably tell you it's a most restful time of the evening to take a walk.
Especially in the wintertime because it really is beautiful quite often at that hour -with the ground covered in snow, sometimes the snow is still falling then too and all around it is very quiet, very peaceful and quite lovely to see with only the light of a little flashlight to guide your way and the skies often lit up with stars shining so pretty then too.
The other night when Sam and I went out for our nighttime stroll -it was a bit earlier in the evening that time, maybe only 9 or 10 p.m., but it was snowing that night -a very soft snowfall and as the light from my flashlight was moving around across the road, the yards, the fields, the snow looked like tiny stars on the ground as it glistened and sparkled.
Only one night this year -so far -was it really bitter cold as the rest of our late-night walks, which by contrast, were actually relatively warmish. I know, discussing cold in the dead of winter and comparing the cold each evening as being bitter cold one night but "warmish" on all the others, makes no sense I suppose to others, but it does to me as I'm the one out there strolling around, all bundled up from long johns on under my jeans to my heavy winter jacket, a warm knitted hat, at least one scarf, sometimes two, and of course, finger gloves topped with my thick handmade mittens over them! So with all those layers of clothing on, for the cold to actually permeate me on one night, then that night was really, really cold! (Probably was sub-zero that night I think.)
Even Sam has gotten accustomed to walking in the snow again -although for quite a while since the snow season began back in December here, he would not go off the road and wade into the snow in people's yards or in the field down the road from here -where he usually likes to go to take care of his "business." But now, he's becoming a bit more adventuresome and does go off the beaten track a bit a lot of the time.
Tonight, down where the wooded area at the edge of town begins, I saw some tracks leading up into the wood that I think probably are deer tracks. Too large for a dog and way too small and of a different pattern too so I know they weren't from a bear wandering around half-asleep from a long winter's nap.
In one particular area by the field, he spied a whole bunch of tracks, all together -almost like something was rolling and running both in that area and I thought he was going to go ballistic trying to sniff each and every single track he came upon there! His nose was burrowing down into the tracks as he was trying -I think -to identify what source had left the pristine snow all messed up in that region!
And, when we got back home and in the house, he stood quietly while I took off my gloves and mittens, my scarves and then, reached down to unfasten the hook of his lead to his collar. But, as soon as I did that, he went tearing out to the kitchen, then to the living room and bounced from the recliner over to the sofa, then the loveseat -bouncing around on each piece of furniture and looking all around the room at the same time.
I know what he was looking for though. His eyes were searching for his buddies -the two indoor cats -Pearl and Tavie -as he loves to come in from a walk, whether it's a daylight walk or a late nite stroll -and romp around the house with the cats. Kind of like he's showing off his acrobatic skills to his feline friends.
And, speaking of one of his feline friends, little Miss Tavie -the baby of the cats who live with us (and who pretty much rule the house too) -is going into heat right now. Not a good thing to have happen when she is scheduled to have some surgery to take away that problem from her forever for next Monday especially when you also happen to have a big old TomCat -FluffNuts -who wanders in and out of the house and suddenly decided Sunday night that he really likes Tavie -especially right now!!!
I saw him making some moves towards her and quickly jumped up and got him shooed away in time but then about 5 minutes later, I heard some noise and saw there he was, after her again and that time, I almost didn't get there in time. Fortunately, I did though and as I was moving towards him to push him aside, I was yelling at him too, which brought Sam to attention as he came running out to see what was going on and when he realized it was something to do with me trying to chase FluffNuts away from Tavie, Sammy went into action then too. He began barking at FluffNuts and then, took off, chasing the TomCat away too! As if to give FluffNuts a warning that he best stay away from Sam's little friend!
Sometimes, the actions of these two cats and Sam totally amaze as well as amuse me. Sometimes too, I think Sam is of the mistaken thought that he is a cat and not a dog because he does so love to play with both the indoor cats much of the time and he lets them -especially Tavie -torment him too.
So now that Sam is lying here by my feet, sleeping quite peacefully already from his little exercise, and I will need to be up in the morning to see that the kids get dressed and on their respective bus or van and off to school, I think I will concede to going to bed a tad earlier than my normal bedtime hour -or the witching hours some of my friends and neighbors here think I keep!
It's spitting a tiny bit of snow now but doubtful it will be enough to make a hill of beans difference on the roads by morning so probably there will no be any school delays to give me a little extra sleep that way. Not to worry though, I'll probably make up for that with a little nap after the kids leave -which will probably be rudely interrupted by the telephone ringing because it always seems to happen that way!
Damned telephone anyway! Or some people who apparently have esp and know exactly when I have just fallen asleep to decide to call me!!!
Tuesday, February 05, 2013
Exciting Days Now and Ahead!!!
As usual in this household, there frequently is a lot of turmoil going on here. I guess you can call it that although sometimes -like the past couple of days -it's been exciting turmoil, not bad stuff and that is a bit of a switch though, isn't it?
First off, in my search for a new vehicle -to replace my poor jeep that caught fire on me a month ago (while I was driving it, ya know -now there was some excitement but not exactly the good kind) I have located a car!
Yep! And it's for sale at an extremely reasonable price too. The mechanic who has the garage and tow truck and who towed the jeep away from the scene, acquired this car last week and his wife told me about it. After which Mandy, Clate and I discussed it and decided this would be a good buy for me to get this buggy. It's a 1999 Chevy Cavalier -which is the same thing that Mandy has -and the mechanic told us that is all checks out in very good condition.
And here's a photo of what will soon become my replacement wheels! Just waiting now for the insurance check to arrive so we can transfer it over to me! Yippy skippy. I will soon be able to come and go here when I want and need to -not have to coordinate everything with Mandy's work schedule!
And the other event that really has turned this place upside down and brought a lot of excitement and happiness is that on Friday, at 4:41 p.m., a new baby entered into our lives!
Katie's baby -named Lola Rae -was born, weighing in at 6 lb 15 oz and 18 1/2 inches long! She came home from the hospital yesterday but I have yet to see her in person. The game plan for today is that we will all be able to go up to Katie's place and visit and cuddle and snuggle little Lola Rae. Maya is extremely excited over this event and can't wait to start really playing the favorite Aunt role to Lola. Kurtis is excited too -or seems to be -but the only thing he keeps asking -and he's asking virtually everyone he sees this too -"How'd the baby get out of there?" Anyone want to try to explain that process to him in a way that he could perhaps understand and not sound too graphic when he spouts out his interpretation later to folks?
And here she is -the little sleeping beauty -Lola Rae! Isn't she just gorgeous though?
Now -just check out all that hair too! Awesome, isn't it?
I guess those two pictures really say it all for me don't they -as to why I'm so happy and excited and so is Mandy! (And, of course, Maya!) Can't wait to see how Maya reacts when she finally get to meet her first niece!
I already informed Katie that she is not to think or worry about spoiling little Miss Lola Rae as Mandy and I have that job all sewn up as being part of our duties!
First off, in my search for a new vehicle -to replace my poor jeep that caught fire on me a month ago (while I was driving it, ya know -now there was some excitement but not exactly the good kind) I have located a car!
Yep! And it's for sale at an extremely reasonable price too. The mechanic who has the garage and tow truck and who towed the jeep away from the scene, acquired this car last week and his wife told me about it. After which Mandy, Clate and I discussed it and decided this would be a good buy for me to get this buggy. It's a 1999 Chevy Cavalier -which is the same thing that Mandy has -and the mechanic told us that is all checks out in very good condition.
And here's a photo of what will soon become my replacement wheels! Just waiting now for the insurance check to arrive so we can transfer it over to me! Yippy skippy. I will soon be able to come and go here when I want and need to -not have to coordinate everything with Mandy's work schedule!
And the other event that really has turned this place upside down and brought a lot of excitement and happiness is that on Friday, at 4:41 p.m., a new baby entered into our lives!
Katie's baby -named Lola Rae -was born, weighing in at 6 lb 15 oz and 18 1/2 inches long! She came home from the hospital yesterday but I have yet to see her in person. The game plan for today is that we will all be able to go up to Katie's place and visit and cuddle and snuggle little Lola Rae. Maya is extremely excited over this event and can't wait to start really playing the favorite Aunt role to Lola. Kurtis is excited too -or seems to be -but the only thing he keeps asking -and he's asking virtually everyone he sees this too -"How'd the baby get out of there?" Anyone want to try to explain that process to him in a way that he could perhaps understand and not sound too graphic when he spouts out his interpretation later to folks?
I guess those two pictures really say it all for me don't they -as to why I'm so happy and excited and so is Mandy! (And, of course, Maya!) Can't wait to see how Maya reacts when she finally get to meet her first niece!
I already informed Katie that she is not to think or worry about spoiling little Miss Lola Rae as Mandy and I have that job all sewn up as being part of our duties!
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Weather and Dogs
Seems like the weather has gone really wacko of late -bitter cold for a few days, rain, snow, warm, springlike temperatures, cold rain -what next?
Remember, I've posted fairly frequently about taking Sammy out for a walk -a good form of exercise for me and a way to keep him from having problems that make Mandy very unhappy about the house. I've actually done pretty good about taking Sam out for walks, regardless of how cold or snowy it may have been at the time and getting some good walking time in for myself then. Even last week when the wind chills were hovering around the zero or even below zero, out we went!
This morning though, when I woke up around 6:30 a.m. and got up to head to the bathroom, I saw that Sam had left us two presents though -one in the living room on the floor and the other, in the kitchen. So I hurried up and got them cleaned up then before Mandy got up, as I know she would have pitched a hissy fit over that. My theory is that he has needs and can't always wait until we get around to taking him out -no different that small children -except that for the fact I don't know of any way to train him to pick the commode seat up and brace himself to learn to use the big potty. Now if anyone out there knows of a way to train a dog to do that, please let me know, would ya?
This morning though, after getting a few things taken care of inside, I decided I would take Sam out for our first walk of the day. Got my jacket and walking shoes on and was reaching for his leash when Mandy called out to me that I should have done that fifteen minutes earlier because it had just started to rain!
Lovely! Not! I don't mind walking him when it's snowing (unless it is the really, really cold blowing snow, that is) and I don't mind walking him in a gentle mist or warm, spring/summer type rain, but when it is a cold type of rain, or an electrical storm, then I draw the line a bit!
So, I backed off walking him right at that moment then, in hopes that the rain would blow over in a little bit.
In the meantime, I called my car insurance agent's office to see about bringing in the paperwork to finish up my insurance claim for my jeep and the fire that totaled that poor little buggy! The secretary in the office told me what hours they would be there today and mentioned that she hoped when I came in to the office that the rain would have passed through there by then. She then informed me that it was really raining very hard in town at that time and I mentioned to her that we had had some rain about 15 minutes earlier but it seemed to have passed then and was now drying off a bit.
So with the rain having stopped then, Sam and I went out and were able to take a much longer than usual walk, almost all the way around town, as a matter of fact. When we got back home and I got ready to leave to go to the insurance office, as I headed for the door, wouldn't you just know it but it started to rain again only this time it was coming down very hard -really pounding on the road and sidewalk -so once again, I postponed going out and waited a bit till that storm passed through and it turned to being just more of a misty rain.
So away I went then! Got the paperwork all completed on the transfer of the title of the jeep and filling out some other stuff and hopefully, I should have a nice little check in about a week from the insurance company and can seriously look at cars available in the price range of what my payoff on the jeep is.
I've been checking one particular local website very regularly now -as has my daughter and even my son too -looking for vehicles that look to have potential for me to purchase. I don't go out all that often but I do still need a vehicle so I can get to some places -like my doctor appointments mainly -without a hassle of trying to coordinate those things with Mandy's work schedule or the kids arrival home from school -or sometimes, I need to make a run to the grocery store and hate to have to wait till Mandy gets home to use her car to run smallish errands like that. So a replacement vehicle is something I really do need to find and as quickly as possible too.
On the way back home today from the insurance office, I stopped at the local grocery store to pick up a couple things and while there, I ran into the mother of the mechanic who towed the jeep and her daughter-in-law. We talked a few minutes -the normal "How're you doing?" kind of conversation and then, the mechanic's wife asked me if I'd had any success in getting another vehicle. I told her no, not yet but that all three of us here were looking for something feasible. She then told me that her husband has a 1999 Chevy Cavalier now out at his garage that is in very good shape if I might be interested in it. Well, I asked how much and when she told me the price, my ears perked up as it was a VERY, VERY reasonable price to pay for a car in decent running condition! So I told her I would have either Mandy or Clate run out to the garage and check it out, talk to her husband about it too so if all pans out okay, I may very well no longer be without a buggy to get around in by the middle of next week, at the latest!
Cross your fingers and your toes, say some prayers and hope it all works out okay!
Tonight now, about 10 p.m., Sammy came and started pawing at my leg, whimpering a little, trying to tell me -I figured -that he wanted/needed to go out. I wasn't really all that keen about doing that then as it was raining again at that time -a bit harder than earlier so that I knew to walk him I would need to balance his leash, a flashlight and also an umbrella -no easy feat to do all that simultaneously ya know.
But I figured well, I better do it -or suffer the consequences then by morning so out we went!
And the rotten little bugger apparently just wanted to just WALK -not to do anything of consequence! Finally, as we were heading back to the house, he did stop once and watered some lump of leftover snow and ice though!
Yes, he can be a very picky dog when it comes to when/where he does his business! I just wish when he insists on being taken out at night, in the rain, he would quickly find a spot and get it all over and done with then!
But, when we got back in the house, apparently that walk in the rain really invigorated him because then he went on a tear, chasing all through the downstairs, jumping up on one end of the sofa, running to the opposite end, then getting the cat to run and chase with him too!
Wish a walk in a cold rain would do that for me!
Remember, I've posted fairly frequently about taking Sammy out for a walk -a good form of exercise for me and a way to keep him from having problems that make Mandy very unhappy about the house. I've actually done pretty good about taking Sam out for walks, regardless of how cold or snowy it may have been at the time and getting some good walking time in for myself then. Even last week when the wind chills were hovering around the zero or even below zero, out we went!
This morning though, when I woke up around 6:30 a.m. and got up to head to the bathroom, I saw that Sam had left us two presents though -one in the living room on the floor and the other, in the kitchen. So I hurried up and got them cleaned up then before Mandy got up, as I know she would have pitched a hissy fit over that. My theory is that he has needs and can't always wait until we get around to taking him out -no different that small children -except that for the fact I don't know of any way to train him to pick the commode seat up and brace himself to learn to use the big potty. Now if anyone out there knows of a way to train a dog to do that, please let me know, would ya?
This morning though, after getting a few things taken care of inside, I decided I would take Sam out for our first walk of the day. Got my jacket and walking shoes on and was reaching for his leash when Mandy called out to me that I should have done that fifteen minutes earlier because it had just started to rain!
Lovely! Not! I don't mind walking him when it's snowing (unless it is the really, really cold blowing snow, that is) and I don't mind walking him in a gentle mist or warm, spring/summer type rain, but when it is a cold type of rain, or an electrical storm, then I draw the line a bit!
So, I backed off walking him right at that moment then, in hopes that the rain would blow over in a little bit.
In the meantime, I called my car insurance agent's office to see about bringing in the paperwork to finish up my insurance claim for my jeep and the fire that totaled that poor little buggy! The secretary in the office told me what hours they would be there today and mentioned that she hoped when I came in to the office that the rain would have passed through there by then. She then informed me that it was really raining very hard in town at that time and I mentioned to her that we had had some rain about 15 minutes earlier but it seemed to have passed then and was now drying off a bit.
So with the rain having stopped then, Sam and I went out and were able to take a much longer than usual walk, almost all the way around town, as a matter of fact. When we got back home and I got ready to leave to go to the insurance office, as I headed for the door, wouldn't you just know it but it started to rain again only this time it was coming down very hard -really pounding on the road and sidewalk -so once again, I postponed going out and waited a bit till that storm passed through and it turned to being just more of a misty rain.
So away I went then! Got the paperwork all completed on the transfer of the title of the jeep and filling out some other stuff and hopefully, I should have a nice little check in about a week from the insurance company and can seriously look at cars available in the price range of what my payoff on the jeep is.
I've been checking one particular local website very regularly now -as has my daughter and even my son too -looking for vehicles that look to have potential for me to purchase. I don't go out all that often but I do still need a vehicle so I can get to some places -like my doctor appointments mainly -without a hassle of trying to coordinate those things with Mandy's work schedule or the kids arrival home from school -or sometimes, I need to make a run to the grocery store and hate to have to wait till Mandy gets home to use her car to run smallish errands like that. So a replacement vehicle is something I really do need to find and as quickly as possible too.
On the way back home today from the insurance office, I stopped at the local grocery store to pick up a couple things and while there, I ran into the mother of the mechanic who towed the jeep and her daughter-in-law. We talked a few minutes -the normal "How're you doing?" kind of conversation and then, the mechanic's wife asked me if I'd had any success in getting another vehicle. I told her no, not yet but that all three of us here were looking for something feasible. She then told me that her husband has a 1999 Chevy Cavalier now out at his garage that is in very good shape if I might be interested in it. Well, I asked how much and when she told me the price, my ears perked up as it was a VERY, VERY reasonable price to pay for a car in decent running condition! So I told her I would have either Mandy or Clate run out to the garage and check it out, talk to her husband about it too so if all pans out okay, I may very well no longer be without a buggy to get around in by the middle of next week, at the latest!
Cross your fingers and your toes, say some prayers and hope it all works out okay!
Tonight now, about 10 p.m., Sammy came and started pawing at my leg, whimpering a little, trying to tell me -I figured -that he wanted/needed to go out. I wasn't really all that keen about doing that then as it was raining again at that time -a bit harder than earlier so that I knew to walk him I would need to balance his leash, a flashlight and also an umbrella -no easy feat to do all that simultaneously ya know.
But I figured well, I better do it -or suffer the consequences then by morning so out we went!
And the rotten little bugger apparently just wanted to just WALK -not to do anything of consequence! Finally, as we were heading back to the house, he did stop once and watered some lump of leftover snow and ice though!
Yes, he can be a very picky dog when it comes to when/where he does his business! I just wish when he insists on being taken out at night, in the rain, he would quickly find a spot and get it all over and done with then!
But, when we got back in the house, apparently that walk in the rain really invigorated him because then he went on a tear, chasing all through the downstairs, jumping up on one end of the sofa, running to the opposite end, then getting the cat to run and chase with him too!
Wish a walk in a cold rain would do that for me!
Monday, January 28, 2013
Life -Back to Back....
Sometimes, when I get depressed, writing helps me alleviate various levels of stress. Sometimes though, it's difficult to tell if I am depressed because of stress levels or just plain depressed for no particular reason -or none that I can attribute it to at any rate.
Sometimes too, I don't write when I'm stressed and depressed mainly for fear of either not being able to articulate myself properly or completely or from articulating way too much too then.
Tonight, I took Sammy out for a late night stroll -not as late at night as some evenings when it's after 1 or 2 a.m. and I venture out with him and my trusty little flashlight in hand, but late by the standards of a lot of folks in the neighborhood. It was a little after 10 p.m. tonight -which in all respects and comparisons of late night hours, in my household, 10 p.m. is very early. Not late at all!
But I was thinking as I walked tonight too -and sometimes that's not a really good thing to do either. Especially not when a lot of things are bothering me -a lot -and depressing me and stressing me and I don't know which way to go then.
I was thinking tonight though about something I saw on Facebook the other day and which I had shared. It was a photo post of Robin Williams and the statement under it was about being afraid of being lonely and that he used to fear being alone and that was lonely -until he also realized he could be with other people, lots of other people, and still feel lonely.
Ah ha! An epiphany of sorts as I thought about that.
In many respects, much of my life I have been alone. I was an only child and hated it -because I was alone. I got married, had children and often found I was still alone -even if my ex-husband was present and even if the kids were around and were behaving too, I still frequently felt alone.
Now, I don't live alone as I have my daughter and my two younger, beautiful grandchildren here as well so I'm rarely actually alone, but yet, same old, same old thing -I frequently feel very lonely.
A lot of that is because I rarely have anyone to actually talk to.
Yes, as long as the kids are awake and running around, there's conversation aplenty at times but much of that concerns settling little spats between the kids, trying to cajole them into cleaning up their toys and other messes they have made before they have to go to bed, or doing homework or getting ready to eat and washing up before supper. Those conversations don't lead to much in the way of scintillating chats, ya know!
Last night was a prime example of things that set me off though.
I'm currently working on a tabletopper that is a stamped piece and is worked in cross stitch. Very fine, small cross stitch, with lots of color changes and often, difficult to follow to get the color shading done properly. For that, I need light -lots and lots of light to be able to see each of the tiny x stampings on the cloth.
I was all set to tune into one of my favorite Saturday night programs on the tv that I would more listen to than actually watch, all the while, working on this embroidery piece when my daughter enters the living room with a video that she and her boyfriend wanted to watch and to let the kids watch it with them too. Okay -fine -later this year I can no doubt see the program I had planned to watch as it will probably be a re-run later in the spring so not really a big deal there. Although, once I saw the video begin to play, I was a bit disconcerted as it was a cartoon type of flick -not in color though, and a rather boring topi -in my opinion -something about some spooky stuff and more along the lines of a kids Halloween cartoon type thing. So I figured well, no problem, as I could concentrate easily then on working on my embroidery project then.
However, in short order after the video began, someone mentioned turning off the lights to watch the video and I objected to that. Why? Well, because I can't do embroidery work in the dark, ya know! Sometimes, if I'm doing knitting or crochet and if it's a relatively easy pattern, I can work on that stuff in the dark -or by the light of the TV screen, but Embroidery? Not so much applicable there!
Well, that set off some others in the room who had a bit of a hissy because I wanted the light left on and eventually, the comment was made that the person upset said "Someday, I'm going to have my own living room to sit in and do whatever I want to do then."
HMMMM! Ya think?
As it turns out, unfortunately, the living room is the only room in the house where I CAN work on my embroidery craft stuff! Oh, I could go sit at the dining room table, on a hard chair and try to sit comfortably there for the length of the video -about 90 minutes worth -but would I be able to deal with the pain that would then inflict on my back and legs? Not likely! I could take it out to my bedroom and work on it but the lighting isn't strong enough there to be able to see very well and trying to sit up in bed, with my legs stretched out flatly on the bed and with about 4-5 pillows behind me isn't exactly conducive to enabling me to be even halfway comfortable while doing the stitching either.
So, I decided to put the embroidery up and went out to the kitchen, washed up the leftover dishes, swept and mopped the floor then too.
Was I pissed? Yes, you could say that! More than pissed though, I was hurt that someone thought that it was so important that they had to turn the lights out and prevent me from being half comfortable to work on my craft hobby because I had no interest at all in the goofy video they were already inflicting on me!
Childish? Probably that too, on my part as well as the others too. But it is what it is at times ya know.
By 11 p.m. though, the kids were out like lights on the sofa and loveseat and my son had come down to use the computer a bit -and do his own version of calming himself down then too -and then, the other adults went to bed.
Which left it to me and my son then and we decided to have a nice conversation -a serious one, which isn't a really frequent thing to share with him -but it was nice to have another adult to discuss various things with and express feelings on a myriad of topics of interest to both of us. (None of which involved a lot of automotive discussions though which is more the normal topic of conversations with my son!)
We did however talk a bit about the whole vehicle problems I'm currently embroiled in here though.
On Thursday, I got the word from the insurance company that they were going to total my jeep! The mechanic who had towed the jeep from the scene when it caught fire two weeks earlier had told me a few days after the jeep fire that it could be repaired and he had given me a price for the repairs it would need that was -we figured -probably easily doable with what I would stand to collect from the insurance on the buggy. Then some friend of Mandy's had questioned what the mechanic had quoted for repairs and was wondering if his pricing was accurate as he felt it was way too low a figure and that we would end up having to pay a good bit more than the figure he had quoted.
That had led me to call my ex-husband then this week and question him about the price I'd been quoted and if he felt the work could be done correctly at that price. Frank had told me that he felt the price I'd been quoted was a decent, fair price to me and to the mechanic as well and if I really liked the jeep (which I did) and wanted to get it fixed, to go with that plan.
Well, that was all well and good until I spoke to the insurance adjustor Thursday and learned before any thing could be done, if we went that route, I would have to go through a whole bunch of paperwork with the state to get a new title -an "R" title, indicating the jeep had been rebuilt, and all that paper work involved with that would take at minimum, at least 6 weeks time before the jeep could then be fixed! ARRGH!
I told my son what the insurance company had said and his thoughts then about getting the jeep fixed were that it would be way too much rigamaro to have to deal with all that kind of mess so may as well just take the payout and get it over with!
So, now I am in the process of surfing all kinds of various used car sites and stuff, trying to find something very reasonable in price -okay, cheap, but not just cheap but DOWNRIGHT cheap -to get myself a vehicle again!
Lucky for me that I always carry liability (required by law in PA) as well as comprehensive insurance on any vehicle I own regardless of the age of said vehicle! At least, I will get a little bit of money to shop with -just not shop for something fairly newish!
This morning, after church and at the congregational dinner, my neighbor told me about a 1999 Buick that was for sale if I might be interested in it. Turns out he was referring to the car that belonged to a neighbor of ours, an elderly lady, who passed away back in November and her family was trying to settle her estate. Well, knowing that woman and the car too, I knew she had bought it new so it was a one owner and the mileage on it -a mere 61,000 miles and I knew the vehicle would be in very pristine shape too. Only one problem, the asking price is about $1500 more than what I will get from my insurance payoff and there is no way I can get a loan for the balance there if I were to try to get said car!
Mandy thinks I should just "jump on" this and get this Buick but I know my income level is such that there is no way I can afford to take on a car payment! So, for me, that car is totally out of the question. Back to the internet and surf some more!
This is pretty much the first time in my adult life that I have felt truly boxed in, financially. In the past, I've always had a job and a means too of getting a part-time job as well, if necessary, to meet expenses. Now, I just have the lowly little social security income and apparently, I'm considered to be unemployable in even non-physical work that involves my degree and which I would be able to handle!
Disgusting that age interferes in lots of ways with us, isn't it?
Oh well! If need be, I do know where I can get a 20-year old car with around 240,000 miles on it but which runs quite well -just no 4-wheel drive (Which I've come to love that the Jeep had) and who knows how much longer that buggy would hold up for me!)
I'll figure out something but this not being able to go where I need to go without making all kinds of transportation arrangements is something that makes me feel that much more dependent on way too many things over which I have absolutely no control whatsoever!
It's the loss of independence that really annoys the living daylights out of me, stresses me out to the max and totally depresses me!
At least I figured that much out as one of the areas creating the depression issues for me at this point in time. Just back to back crap where I lose a bit more of my independence these days.
Peace and G'nite!
Sometimes too, I don't write when I'm stressed and depressed mainly for fear of either not being able to articulate myself properly or completely or from articulating way too much too then.
Tonight, I took Sammy out for a late night stroll -not as late at night as some evenings when it's after 1 or 2 a.m. and I venture out with him and my trusty little flashlight in hand, but late by the standards of a lot of folks in the neighborhood. It was a little after 10 p.m. tonight -which in all respects and comparisons of late night hours, in my household, 10 p.m. is very early. Not late at all!
But I was thinking as I walked tonight too -and sometimes that's not a really good thing to do either. Especially not when a lot of things are bothering me -a lot -and depressing me and stressing me and I don't know which way to go then.
I was thinking tonight though about something I saw on Facebook the other day and which I had shared. It was a photo post of Robin Williams and the statement under it was about being afraid of being lonely and that he used to fear being alone and that was lonely -until he also realized he could be with other people, lots of other people, and still feel lonely.
Ah ha! An epiphany of sorts as I thought about that.
In many respects, much of my life I have been alone. I was an only child and hated it -because I was alone. I got married, had children and often found I was still alone -even if my ex-husband was present and even if the kids were around and were behaving too, I still frequently felt alone.
Now, I don't live alone as I have my daughter and my two younger, beautiful grandchildren here as well so I'm rarely actually alone, but yet, same old, same old thing -I frequently feel very lonely.
A lot of that is because I rarely have anyone to actually talk to.
Yes, as long as the kids are awake and running around, there's conversation aplenty at times but much of that concerns settling little spats between the kids, trying to cajole them into cleaning up their toys and other messes they have made before they have to go to bed, or doing homework or getting ready to eat and washing up before supper. Those conversations don't lead to much in the way of scintillating chats, ya know!
Last night was a prime example of things that set me off though.
I'm currently working on a tabletopper that is a stamped piece and is worked in cross stitch. Very fine, small cross stitch, with lots of color changes and often, difficult to follow to get the color shading done properly. For that, I need light -lots and lots of light to be able to see each of the tiny x stampings on the cloth.
I was all set to tune into one of my favorite Saturday night programs on the tv that I would more listen to than actually watch, all the while, working on this embroidery piece when my daughter enters the living room with a video that she and her boyfriend wanted to watch and to let the kids watch it with them too. Okay -fine -later this year I can no doubt see the program I had planned to watch as it will probably be a re-run later in the spring so not really a big deal there. Although, once I saw the video begin to play, I was a bit disconcerted as it was a cartoon type of flick -not in color though, and a rather boring topi -in my opinion -something about some spooky stuff and more along the lines of a kids Halloween cartoon type thing. So I figured well, no problem, as I could concentrate easily then on working on my embroidery project then.
However, in short order after the video began, someone mentioned turning off the lights to watch the video and I objected to that. Why? Well, because I can't do embroidery work in the dark, ya know! Sometimes, if I'm doing knitting or crochet and if it's a relatively easy pattern, I can work on that stuff in the dark -or by the light of the TV screen, but Embroidery? Not so much applicable there!
Well, that set off some others in the room who had a bit of a hissy because I wanted the light left on and eventually, the comment was made that the person upset said "Someday, I'm going to have my own living room to sit in and do whatever I want to do then."
HMMMM! Ya think?
As it turns out, unfortunately, the living room is the only room in the house where I CAN work on my embroidery craft stuff! Oh, I could go sit at the dining room table, on a hard chair and try to sit comfortably there for the length of the video -about 90 minutes worth -but would I be able to deal with the pain that would then inflict on my back and legs? Not likely! I could take it out to my bedroom and work on it but the lighting isn't strong enough there to be able to see very well and trying to sit up in bed, with my legs stretched out flatly on the bed and with about 4-5 pillows behind me isn't exactly conducive to enabling me to be even halfway comfortable while doing the stitching either.
So, I decided to put the embroidery up and went out to the kitchen, washed up the leftover dishes, swept and mopped the floor then too.
Was I pissed? Yes, you could say that! More than pissed though, I was hurt that someone thought that it was so important that they had to turn the lights out and prevent me from being half comfortable to work on my craft hobby because I had no interest at all in the goofy video they were already inflicting on me!
Childish? Probably that too, on my part as well as the others too. But it is what it is at times ya know.
By 11 p.m. though, the kids were out like lights on the sofa and loveseat and my son had come down to use the computer a bit -and do his own version of calming himself down then too -and then, the other adults went to bed.
Which left it to me and my son then and we decided to have a nice conversation -a serious one, which isn't a really frequent thing to share with him -but it was nice to have another adult to discuss various things with and express feelings on a myriad of topics of interest to both of us. (None of which involved a lot of automotive discussions though which is more the normal topic of conversations with my son!)
We did however talk a bit about the whole vehicle problems I'm currently embroiled in here though.
On Thursday, I got the word from the insurance company that they were going to total my jeep! The mechanic who had towed the jeep from the scene when it caught fire two weeks earlier had told me a few days after the jeep fire that it could be repaired and he had given me a price for the repairs it would need that was -we figured -probably easily doable with what I would stand to collect from the insurance on the buggy. Then some friend of Mandy's had questioned what the mechanic had quoted for repairs and was wondering if his pricing was accurate as he felt it was way too low a figure and that we would end up having to pay a good bit more than the figure he had quoted.
That had led me to call my ex-husband then this week and question him about the price I'd been quoted and if he felt the work could be done correctly at that price. Frank had told me that he felt the price I'd been quoted was a decent, fair price to me and to the mechanic as well and if I really liked the jeep (which I did) and wanted to get it fixed, to go with that plan.
Well, that was all well and good until I spoke to the insurance adjustor Thursday and learned before any thing could be done, if we went that route, I would have to go through a whole bunch of paperwork with the state to get a new title -an "R" title, indicating the jeep had been rebuilt, and all that paper work involved with that would take at minimum, at least 6 weeks time before the jeep could then be fixed! ARRGH!
I told my son what the insurance company had said and his thoughts then about getting the jeep fixed were that it would be way too much rigamaro to have to deal with all that kind of mess so may as well just take the payout and get it over with!
So, now I am in the process of surfing all kinds of various used car sites and stuff, trying to find something very reasonable in price -okay, cheap, but not just cheap but DOWNRIGHT cheap -to get myself a vehicle again!
Lucky for me that I always carry liability (required by law in PA) as well as comprehensive insurance on any vehicle I own regardless of the age of said vehicle! At least, I will get a little bit of money to shop with -just not shop for something fairly newish!
This morning, after church and at the congregational dinner, my neighbor told me about a 1999 Buick that was for sale if I might be interested in it. Turns out he was referring to the car that belonged to a neighbor of ours, an elderly lady, who passed away back in November and her family was trying to settle her estate. Well, knowing that woman and the car too, I knew she had bought it new so it was a one owner and the mileage on it -a mere 61,000 miles and I knew the vehicle would be in very pristine shape too. Only one problem, the asking price is about $1500 more than what I will get from my insurance payoff and there is no way I can get a loan for the balance there if I were to try to get said car!
Mandy thinks I should just "jump on" this and get this Buick but I know my income level is such that there is no way I can afford to take on a car payment! So, for me, that car is totally out of the question. Back to the internet and surf some more!
This is pretty much the first time in my adult life that I have felt truly boxed in, financially. In the past, I've always had a job and a means too of getting a part-time job as well, if necessary, to meet expenses. Now, I just have the lowly little social security income and apparently, I'm considered to be unemployable in even non-physical work that involves my degree and which I would be able to handle!
Disgusting that age interferes in lots of ways with us, isn't it?
Oh well! If need be, I do know where I can get a 20-year old car with around 240,000 miles on it but which runs quite well -just no 4-wheel drive (Which I've come to love that the Jeep had) and who knows how much longer that buggy would hold up for me!)
I'll figure out something but this not being able to go where I need to go without making all kinds of transportation arrangements is something that makes me feel that much more dependent on way too many things over which I have absolutely no control whatsoever!
It's the loss of independence that really annoys the living daylights out of me, stresses me out to the max and totally depresses me!
At least I figured that much out as one of the areas creating the depression issues for me at this point in time. Just back to back crap where I lose a bit more of my independence these days.
Peace and G'nite!
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
The Entertainers Here!
It's been a crazy, zany week here since my last post. I'm finally getting my sinus back to acting semi-normal after a long haul for over the two weeks prior to this when it seemed my system couldn't decide if it wanted to launch into a full-fledged head cold, a sinus infection or bronchitis but must have landed on the Sinus issues because though I felt like I was getting one of the three, only the sinus problems lingered with me.
Till this morning when I woke up feeling like that same thing was going to start up all over again but after a couple cups of coffee, my system seemed to reject those potential issues after all. Yay, Yay, Coffee is Great!
I spent the majority of my time last week relaxing in my recliner, working on a table topper which I finally finished completely Saturday afternoon. Such a relief whenever I get another project polished off! Now, I have completed 3 table toppers and a table runner since early December -all items with a Christmas Theme -and today, I started work on yet another Christmas themed table topper. This one is done in cross stitch (not the counted cross stitch though) and has one large poinsettia in each corner. Looks very pretty in the photo on the kit envelope so hope it turns out that way for me!
Mandy was under the weather last week -most of the week, as a matter of fact. She even called off sick on Thursday so anytime she calls of work, you know she's really feeling pretty low.
Kurtis has been quite the chatterbox lately and many of his comments are really comical. He announced the other day to his mother "I'm really something, huh, Mom?" Yes indeed you are that -really some thing! He fell the other night, running through the living room, into the dining room where he went into a skid and bumped his knee on the leg of the dining room table. Crying, he calls to his Mom and she asks him if he can get up. He says "I'll try." And, he stands up then attempts to walk the 2-3 feet over to where she's sitting. But the walk was something I wished I'd had my camera right beside me and set on video -because his walking was hysterically funny as he tried to limp but was doing it so that it looked like his ankles (both) as well as both knees too were all buckling under on him! Mandy looked at his "ouchies" area and announced that we'd probably have to go to the ER because it definitely looked like he had broken his legs -both of them and every bone there! He looked at her questioningly then asked, "Will I have to get a cast?" and Mandy told him to ask me what I thought. Okay -it was obvious there was nothing broken -so no problems really -but I told him that yes, definitely would need a cast and on both legs from his feet up to his behind! Suddenly, the limping stopped and he was moving just fine and dandy from then on.
Yesterday, was a big day for Maya though as the Children's Choir was singing at the church service and she was to sing one verse of the hymn, "Jesus Loves Me" and one of the boys in the choir was to sing another verse so she was quite excited over the fact that she was going to have a solo performance then. I did manage to get a video of the kids and their number. Maya and the little boy -Noah -both did quite well with their solos but Kurtis apparently decided to jazz things up a bit and did his own solo -but it was a dance number. That boy just can not stand still, AT ALL!
Saturday evening though, Mandy had to go to Walmart to get her phone card renewed so she decided we would go over to State College and also, get something to eat over there. We decided on Crackerbarrel because she has been there before but I had not so it was a nice outing then for me. Had a nice meal, as did Mandy, and the kids both ate their food very well too -which means that there was very little reprimanding of their behavior at the restaurant. They were both fascinated with the decor in the place and especially the gift shop part! Maya was very interested in looking a baby items -especially some really cute little girl outfits in the newborn sizes and wanted us to purchase one of the little dress items for baby Lola -who should be arriving on the scene probably within the next 2 weeks or so. She's so enthralled with the idea that she will be an aunt to Katie's baby and can't wait now till the baby arrives. Most every Wednesday, she attends an after school program at the church across the road from the school and her TSS takes her there, then brings her home. After the school program is over, they almost always stop by the used clothes area at the church and inevitably, Maya comes home with at least one, sometimes several little baby items she has found there for a newborn baby girl! And she's so proud of her purchases too all of which, thus far, have actually been some very nice little items for the baby.
Saturday morning though, my son stopped by to have coffee and time to chat with me and his sister. He has a crazy sense of humor under normal circumstances but that morning, he was in rare form! His girl friend has three boys -twins, age 7 and then, the younger boy who is a real live wire and is four.
Clate had both Mandy and I absolutely cracking up as he was describing the state of his house these days with those three kids, two dogs (both big dogs too) and I think at last count, they also have 3 cats too. Anyway, he says that there is no surface anywhere in his entire house that doesn't have a sticky surface to it now! Between the boys, the dogs, the cats -he also said that he's convinced if you move their sofa out from the wall to try to clean under there, there will be a horde of sticky aliens that will explode out into the room!
That last comment of his about the "sticky aliens" had me laughing periodically throughout the rest of the day as, out of the blue it seemed, I would suddenly have this vision in my mind's eye of what a "horde of sticky aliens" must look like escaping from their prison under the couch!
I think Mandy and Katie both had an overload of Inaugural activities on the TV today though as Mandy made a comment at supper that she was figuring on going upstairs to her room early tonight, and reconnecting up her TV set there because she felt that way she might be able to find something to watch that didn't involve the inauguration, the lunch, the parade and heaven forbid, the Balls too!
However, she ended up glued to the computer and her Facebook page and I fell asleep in front of the TV and totally missed seeing my normal evening viewing of reruns of The Big Bang Theory tonight! Drat! I do love that crazy show!
And that takes me up to now and it's time to go to bed!
Gonna go and hopefully have some pleasant dreams about the President's address today to replace my normal nightmares that I am back working as a waitress at the Truckstop!
Peace, All!
I spent the majority of my time last week relaxing in my recliner, working on a table topper which I finally finished completely Saturday afternoon. Such a relief whenever I get another project polished off! Now, I have completed 3 table toppers and a table runner since early December -all items with a Christmas Theme -and today, I started work on yet another Christmas themed table topper. This one is done in cross stitch (not the counted cross stitch though) and has one large poinsettia in each corner. Looks very pretty in the photo on the kit envelope so hope it turns out that way for me!
Mandy was under the weather last week -most of the week, as a matter of fact. She even called off sick on Thursday so anytime she calls of work, you know she's really feeling pretty low.
Kurtis has been quite the chatterbox lately and many of his comments are really comical. He announced the other day to his mother "I'm really something, huh, Mom?" Yes indeed you are that -really some thing! He fell the other night, running through the living room, into the dining room where he went into a skid and bumped his knee on the leg of the dining room table. Crying, he calls to his Mom and she asks him if he can get up. He says "I'll try." And, he stands up then attempts to walk the 2-3 feet over to where she's sitting. But the walk was something I wished I'd had my camera right beside me and set on video -because his walking was hysterically funny as he tried to limp but was doing it so that it looked like his ankles (both) as well as both knees too were all buckling under on him! Mandy looked at his "ouchies" area and announced that we'd probably have to go to the ER because it definitely looked like he had broken his legs -both of them and every bone there! He looked at her questioningly then asked, "Will I have to get a cast?" and Mandy told him to ask me what I thought. Okay -it was obvious there was nothing broken -so no problems really -but I told him that yes, definitely would need a cast and on both legs from his feet up to his behind! Suddenly, the limping stopped and he was moving just fine and dandy from then on.
Yesterday, was a big day for Maya though as the Children's Choir was singing at the church service and she was to sing one verse of the hymn, "Jesus Loves Me" and one of the boys in the choir was to sing another verse so she was quite excited over the fact that she was going to have a solo performance then. I did manage to get a video of the kids and their number. Maya and the little boy -Noah -both did quite well with their solos but Kurtis apparently decided to jazz things up a bit and did his own solo -but it was a dance number. That boy just can not stand still, AT ALL!
Saturday evening though, Mandy had to go to Walmart to get her phone card renewed so she decided we would go over to State College and also, get something to eat over there. We decided on Crackerbarrel because she has been there before but I had not so it was a nice outing then for me. Had a nice meal, as did Mandy, and the kids both ate their food very well too -which means that there was very little reprimanding of their behavior at the restaurant. They were both fascinated with the decor in the place and especially the gift shop part! Maya was very interested in looking a baby items -especially some really cute little girl outfits in the newborn sizes and wanted us to purchase one of the little dress items for baby Lola -who should be arriving on the scene probably within the next 2 weeks or so. She's so enthralled with the idea that she will be an aunt to Katie's baby and can't wait now till the baby arrives. Most every Wednesday, she attends an after school program at the church across the road from the school and her TSS takes her there, then brings her home. After the school program is over, they almost always stop by the used clothes area at the church and inevitably, Maya comes home with at least one, sometimes several little baby items she has found there for a newborn baby girl! And she's so proud of her purchases too all of which, thus far, have actually been some very nice little items for the baby.
Saturday morning though, my son stopped by to have coffee and time to chat with me and his sister. He has a crazy sense of humor under normal circumstances but that morning, he was in rare form! His girl friend has three boys -twins, age 7 and then, the younger boy who is a real live wire and is four.
Clate had both Mandy and I absolutely cracking up as he was describing the state of his house these days with those three kids, two dogs (both big dogs too) and I think at last count, they also have 3 cats too. Anyway, he says that there is no surface anywhere in his entire house that doesn't have a sticky surface to it now! Between the boys, the dogs, the cats -he also said that he's convinced if you move their sofa out from the wall to try to clean under there, there will be a horde of sticky aliens that will explode out into the room!
That last comment of his about the "sticky aliens" had me laughing periodically throughout the rest of the day as, out of the blue it seemed, I would suddenly have this vision in my mind's eye of what a "horde of sticky aliens" must look like escaping from their prison under the couch!
I think Mandy and Katie both had an overload of Inaugural activities on the TV today though as Mandy made a comment at supper that she was figuring on going upstairs to her room early tonight, and reconnecting up her TV set there because she felt that way she might be able to find something to watch that didn't involve the inauguration, the lunch, the parade and heaven forbid, the Balls too!
However, she ended up glued to the computer and her Facebook page and I fell asleep in front of the TV and totally missed seeing my normal evening viewing of reruns of The Big Bang Theory tonight! Drat! I do love that crazy show!
And that takes me up to now and it's time to go to bed!
Gonna go and hopefully have some pleasant dreams about the President's address today to replace my normal nightmares that I am back working as a waitress at the Truckstop!
Peace, All!
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Day's End...
Boy, I got so carried away this evening baking 4 dozen sweet rolls and 2 coffee cakes as well (coffee cakes are just bread dough rolled up and shaped like a wreath and then frosted) that I forgot I hadn't signed off the computer.
Until Mandy came home tonight and wanted to know what on earth I was doing looking at stuff online about guitars and stuff like. She asked me "What are you planning to do, go shop gibson hummingbird?
And at the mention of Gibson guitars and such, that perked Jeff's ears up then. I had no idea he was interested in guitars! Amazing the things you learn about people in really offhanded, round-about ways, isn't it?
Then he informed us that's what he'd like to buy. Yeah, right -you wanna buy that! I told him start saving and maybe you can buy it with your raise! (That's an old joke that's been part of my vernacular since the old days of yore when I worked in D.C. for a non-profit who shall henceforth be unmentionable here for my own reasons of secrecy! But that place wasn't at the time I worked there one of the better places to work, salary-wise, so we all (the gang I hung out with) always used to say about things we'd like to get that "I'll get it with my raise!" which meant simply you were never gonna get said item!)
So anyway, now I know Jeff has some pretty expensive tastes, for sure, doesn't he? But then again, if he does have any talent and would be able to practice a lot, study really hard and give it a whirl, who knows but maybe he'd be some big talent winner on American Idol (nah, too old for that now I think) but maybe one of the other talent shows on these days.
I think I'll stick to my original sentence to him that he can buy it with his raise!
And now, I think I'm gonna go collapse as my back and legs are killing me tonight from being on my feet from 6:30 solid until almost midnight!
This old lady is really ready for this day to end!
Until Mandy came home tonight and wanted to know what on earth I was doing looking at stuff online about guitars and stuff like. She asked me "What are you planning to do, go shop gibson hummingbird?
And at the mention of Gibson guitars and such, that perked Jeff's ears up then. I had no idea he was interested in guitars! Amazing the things you learn about people in really offhanded, round-about ways, isn't it?
Then he informed us that's what he'd like to buy. Yeah, right -you wanna buy that! I told him start saving and maybe you can buy it with your raise! (That's an old joke that's been part of my vernacular since the old days of yore when I worked in D.C. for a non-profit who shall henceforth be unmentionable here for my own reasons of secrecy! But that place wasn't at the time I worked there one of the better places to work, salary-wise, so we all (the gang I hung out with) always used to say about things we'd like to get that "I'll get it with my raise!" which meant simply you were never gonna get said item!)
So anyway, now I know Jeff has some pretty expensive tastes, for sure, doesn't he? But then again, if he does have any talent and would be able to practice a lot, study really hard and give it a whirl, who knows but maybe he'd be some big talent winner on American Idol (nah, too old for that now I think) but maybe one of the other talent shows on these days.
I think I'll stick to my original sentence to him that he can buy it with his raise!
And now, I think I'm gonna go collapse as my back and legs are killing me tonight from being on my feet from 6:30 solid until almost midnight!
This old lady is really ready for this day to end!
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Bake Tonight or Not?
That is the question rolling through my mind this evening -- should I mix up a batch of the sweet rolls tonight or procrastinate a bit longer -like until next week sometime most likely -to make some of these lovely treats.
I've said almost every day this past week now that my intentions -each day -were that I was going to back some Swedish Rye Bread, as well as the Sweet Rolls too. Okay, I did bake the rye bread but not until Friday night and I didn't finish that job until well after 2 this morning.
Now, since my plans had originally been to also make the Sweet Rolls -I know I could mix them up easily enough if I started right now and I could have these done well before midnight too as they don't take quite as long a time to make as does the Rye bread.
So, what's keeping me from fulfilling my plans for this week, albeit a bit late?
Ya know, I'll be darned if I know the answer to that question.
I think I'll just toss a coin and let "heads or tails" decide the answer for me.
Although, I really do think it would be better for me and all concerned if I just got my fat fanny up and moving and baked them tonight. That way, we could have some nice fresh homemade sweet rolls for a quick breakfast treat in the morning!
Yeah, that sounds like a good game plan to me!
I've said almost every day this past week now that my intentions -each day -were that I was going to back some Swedish Rye Bread, as well as the Sweet Rolls too. Okay, I did bake the rye bread but not until Friday night and I didn't finish that job until well after 2 this morning.
Now, since my plans had originally been to also make the Sweet Rolls -I know I could mix them up easily enough if I started right now and I could have these done well before midnight too as they don't take quite as long a time to make as does the Rye bread.
So, what's keeping me from fulfilling my plans for this week, albeit a bit late?
Ya know, I'll be darned if I know the answer to that question.
I think I'll just toss a coin and let "heads or tails" decide the answer for me.
Although, I really do think it would be better for me and all concerned if I just got my fat fanny up and moving and baked them tonight. That way, we could have some nice fresh homemade sweet rolls for a quick breakfast treat in the morning!
Yeah, that sounds like a good game plan to me!
This Has Alwayts Upset Me!
Wanna know something that irks me and has hit me in that way for many, many years now too?
It's advertisements I get in the mail as well as on my e-mail -sometimes from insurance companies I already deal with, or from a bank or stock broker, etc. trying to get me to check out sites like this one http://AnnuityAdvantage.com/ or others that deal with IRAs and annuities and the like.
Why, you ask did this annoy me or why does it still bother me?
Mainly because for one thing -as is often the case about things like this -it is something I don't fully understand but that part is a minor issue.
It's really because what I do understand of these things is fine -a great way to try to insure financial solvency in one's retirement, sure -but for those like myself who never earned enough while working to even save a measly $100 bucks period (minimum wage and lower level paying jobs leave very little to put into any kind of savings, IRA or annuity, ya know), this was always something that was a bit out of the question then for me.
And now, that I am considered retired, it's definitely not an option for me.
And, furthermore, I wish these companies would not keep me on their mailings since I certainly never wrote and inquired about any of these services!
That's my story and I'm sticking to it too!
Why, you ask did this annoy me or why does it still bother me?
Mainly because for one thing -as is often the case about things like this -it is something I don't fully understand but that part is a minor issue.
It's really because what I do understand of these things is fine -a great way to try to insure financial solvency in one's retirement, sure -but for those like myself who never earned enough while working to even save a measly $100 bucks period (minimum wage and lower level paying jobs leave very little to put into any kind of savings, IRA or annuity, ya know), this was always something that was a bit out of the question then for me.
And now, that I am considered retired, it's definitely not an option for me.
And, furthermore, I wish these companies would not keep me on their mailings since I certainly never wrote and inquired about any of these services!
That's my story and I'm sticking to it too!
Boy's Night Out
Tonight, Mandy was asked by a very close friend of hers if she would be willing to come to their house and babysit for their two children -one of whom is near to Kurt's age and also, just happens to be autistic, as is Kurtis.
Mandy's friend told her this would be the very first time anyone, other than a family member, has stayed with their children so they could have a night out, as a couple.
Knowing how difficult it can be to have a sitter available that the kids are comfortable around and who also would be comfortable with one NT child and one autistic, Mandy told her she would be happy to stay with the kids for them.
Because her friend's son and Kurtis are close in age and both have a lot of very similar issues -as well as little quirks too -Mandy arranged to take Kurtis with her for this outing. Her friend's son told his mother to tell Kurtis to be sure to bring his "Bear-Bear" -a combination stuffed bear/pillow which both boys have and it's their security item too. The really funny thing about the boys and their Bear-Bears is that both of them make chirping noises -almost identical! Imagine that, will ya!!!
We were all quite amazed to learn that aspect about both the kids' Bear-Bears!
To avoid a long, very elongated, departure and big scene, possibly a meltdown, when it was time for Mandy and Kurtis to leave, she hadn't told Maya about this adventure of hers tonight and which Kurtis was going to get to share with her.
Darned good thing she did it that way too because we would have heard tons and tons of wailing and whining and gnashing of teeth for sure if she had told Maya this bit of news early in the afternoon.
I'd probably be deaf by now!
Maya wasn't pleased with the announcement -no sirree, Bob! Even when it was pointed out to her that last weekend, she got to spend two full days down in Lebanon with her Mom's bestest friend, Missy, and her family while Kurtis, poor little guy, got to have "quality" time here with Grammy. Not so sure that he considered that an equal switch there! Although, he and I had a very relaxing two days together, bonding a bit more and with no hassles from any big sister who thinks -most of the time -that someone has already passed the Queen Bee's crown on to her head!
Thankfully, the irritation Maya had initially did pass and so far -about an hour to an hour and a half into the evening with Gram, Jeff, Cass and Anaveh, she's adjusting okay.
Now, everyone say a prayer that it continues through when it is time for the girls to go to bed!
(And yes, I know, I am quite the dreamer, aren't I? But, it could happen, ya know!)
Looking for Home Repair Stuff?
Now here's something I came across that we might need to look into for the house here but when I saw it, I thought at first about a couple -friends of mine since my school days (yeah, a long, long time ago, I know) -that they might be interested into looking into since they live just across the North Carolina-Virginia line.
It's this - replacement windows Hampton, VA.
As I think about this type of stuff with respect to this old house, I'd like to think that we shouldn't be in need of something like this -at least just not yet as I have had all new windows placed in this old barn of a house within the past 20-24 years so, one would hope, they would still be in good enough condition, wouldn't you?
However, a couple of the windows I had put in when the living room was redone are the type that wind out to open and they bring with them a problem I didn't anticipate when they were purchased and installed.
They create pretty large draft areas -especially the spot on the rim of the window where the lever is located that you use to open or to clamp shut the window! Well, as cold as it often gets in this part of the Pennsylvania mountains, any little gap when the temps are below zero outside can create a bit of an icy breeze in the room -especially if you happen to be sitting directly in front of one of those windows!
It's this - replacement windows Hampton, VA.
As I think about this type of stuff with respect to this old house, I'd like to think that we shouldn't be in need of something like this -at least just not yet as I have had all new windows placed in this old barn of a house within the past 20-24 years so, one would hope, they would still be in good enough condition, wouldn't you?
However, a couple of the windows I had put in when the living room was redone are the type that wind out to open and they bring with them a problem I didn't anticipate when they were purchased and installed.
They create pretty large draft areas -especially the spot on the rim of the window where the lever is located that you use to open or to clamp shut the window! Well, as cold as it often gets in this part of the Pennsylvania mountains, any little gap when the temps are below zero outside can create a bit of an icy breeze in the room -especially if you happen to be sitting directly in front of one of those windows!
Expanded Vocabulary?
It's another weekend here and things are busy, yes -as we have company again. Jeff and his two young daughters are here.
Some weekends things go fairly smoothly with the extra two children in the house. Then there are other weekends that could be compared to being total disasters on the home front too. Kids do get into squabbles easily and also, often very frequently.
So far today, things haven't gotten too out of proportion. Although about an hour or so ago, Cass came downstairs, looking for her dad, as she desperately needed to tell him something.
What it was, actually, was the need to rat Kurtis out by informing her Dad that Kurtis "said a bad word."
As it turned out, when this happened, Jeff was unavailable as he was in the shower so Mandy said she could and would handle the issue.
So when Kurtis happened to come downstairs shortly thereafter, Mandy cornered him to talk to him about his behavior and she said that Cass had said he had said a bad word. (A whole lot of weekend life here does seem to involve lots and lots of "He said, She said" or "She said, She said" type of things ya know.)
Anyway, Mandy asked Kurt if he had said a bad word and, as is his norm, he said "Yes." (Most of the time, he's very honest about these lapses in his behavior.) So she asked him what words he had said and I know she was hoping it would be a misunderstanding of what words actually do constitute a :"bad word" as sometimes the kids do get a bit mixed up on that.
Unfortunately, this time, Cass was correct as he had used a bad word.
What was that bad word coming from this 6-year-old's mouth?
"Bullshit."
I have to confess it was really hard for me not to let out an audible snicker there as I was biting my tongue and my lip. Turns out, Mandy had the same problem with that confession of his too.
Neither of us is condoning his blueish vocabulary slipups, mind you, but the context in which he used it still seems a bit strange to both of us.
When asked why he said that to his sister and Cass, his response was because they had come into his room.
Hmmm. Not sure why he thought using that word was an appropriate response to the girls. Anyone else have any ideas why he would have chosen to say that one word to them?
Guess it's just something else of Kurt's little quirky responses to things.
Some weekends things go fairly smoothly with the extra two children in the house. Then there are other weekends that could be compared to being total disasters on the home front too. Kids do get into squabbles easily and also, often very frequently.
So far today, things haven't gotten too out of proportion. Although about an hour or so ago, Cass came downstairs, looking for her dad, as she desperately needed to tell him something.
What it was, actually, was the need to rat Kurtis out by informing her Dad that Kurtis "said a bad word."
As it turned out, when this happened, Jeff was unavailable as he was in the shower so Mandy said she could and would handle the issue.
So when Kurtis happened to come downstairs shortly thereafter, Mandy cornered him to talk to him about his behavior and she said that Cass had said he had said a bad word. (A whole lot of weekend life here does seem to involve lots and lots of "He said, She said" or "She said, She said" type of things ya know.)
Anyway, Mandy asked Kurt if he had said a bad word and, as is his norm, he said "Yes." (Most of the time, he's very honest about these lapses in his behavior.) So she asked him what words he had said and I know she was hoping it would be a misunderstanding of what words actually do constitute a :"bad word" as sometimes the kids do get a bit mixed up on that.
Unfortunately, this time, Cass was correct as he had used a bad word.
What was that bad word coming from this 6-year-old's mouth?
"Bullshit."
I have to confess it was really hard for me not to let out an audible snicker there as I was biting my tongue and my lip. Turns out, Mandy had the same problem with that confession of his too.
Neither of us is condoning his blueish vocabulary slipups, mind you, but the context in which he used it still seems a bit strange to both of us.
When asked why he said that to his sister and Cass, his response was because they had come into his room.
Hmmm. Not sure why he thought using that word was an appropriate response to the girls. Anyone else have any ideas why he would have chosen to say that one word to them?
Guess it's just something else of Kurt's little quirky responses to things.
Comforting To Know About -Maybe?
So, here I am on a roll here, doing a bit of a surfing safari and finding all kinds of nice, sometimes, strange and rather weird things but in general, most of my landings have given me some interesting, shall we say, fodder.
Virtually everything from soup to nuts -sort of.
Here's something that might be good to know if someone is having some employment issues though I would hope that no one would need to be in touch with Sexual Harassment Lawyers San Diego as that's a pretty sticky wicket to deal with, ya know.
Although during my working lifetime, I did have to deal with some issues pertaining to discrimination on the job front, none of it ever involved the sexual harassment, thankfully! But, unfair labor and pay practices back in my early working years was a prevalent thing then. Also, that was way before the Whisleblower Act came into being so if anyone tried to sue their employers back then, it could be really risky to your career potential even in a city as large as Washington, D.C. Amazing how long and how far an employer's arms can reach if a worker "crosses" their boss, ya know.
So anyway, here's hoping no one I know ever has to call on an attorney for help along the above mentioned lines with their job nor with any other kind of work-related problems either, for that matter.
Virtually everything from soup to nuts -sort of.
Here's something that might be good to know if someone is having some employment issues though I would hope that no one would need to be in touch with Sexual Harassment Lawyers San Diego as that's a pretty sticky wicket to deal with, ya know.
Although during my working lifetime, I did have to deal with some issues pertaining to discrimination on the job front, none of it ever involved the sexual harassment, thankfully! But, unfair labor and pay practices back in my early working years was a prevalent thing then. Also, that was way before the Whisleblower Act came into being so if anyone tried to sue their employers back then, it could be really risky to your career potential even in a city as large as Washington, D.C. Amazing how long and how far an employer's arms can reach if a worker "crosses" their boss, ya know.
So anyway, here's hoping no one I know ever has to call on an attorney for help along the above mentioned lines with their job nor with any other kind of work-related problems either, for that matter.
Things That Work In The Middle of the Night
No, this is not a post about equipment that runs mainly during the hours normal people are asleep. Well, not exactly anyway.
But those of you who follow me know by now that I do tend to be a bit of a night person -a true "night owl" some might even say. I often say I really don't fully wake up for the new day until midnight or sometimes, not till well past midnight. But for whatever reason, I often do tend to function best, do my best work, at least near to or shortly after that "witching" hour of 12:00 a.m.
And last night was no exception to my standard rules.(Although, I had started on this project earlier in the evening -like about 7:30ish but it had taken a while to get the project to the point of completing it and that took me then into the wee hours of the morning.)
I baked a nice batch of Swedish Rye Bread!
And if I must say so myself, it turned out just beautiful too! I even have pictures to prove it looks great!
The last two pictures here are simply single shots of the two loaves -those in the traditional loaf shape -the kind of stuff most people are familiar with seeing.
The four round loaves in the first picture are what my homemade bread often looks like when I make it in the shape of the old-fashioned "Kaka" bread that many of those in these parts prefer for the Swedish rye or the Swedish White breads a few still make around here.
I'm sure I've mentioned the "kaka" breads from time to time before but just don't remember if I ever took any photos of it to show what it looks like to those who are unfamiliar with that particular item!
Normally, I only get 4 loaves of kaka or 4 loaves of the regular loaves when I make a batch of bread but last night, the bread raised so beautifully and shaped up so nicely too, that I was able to get 4 kakas as well as two loaves of the stuff baked.
Made me very happy, indeed it did!
Whenever I bake this bread, I usually save a loaf of kaka and take it out to an old friend of mine -she's 84 years young (in mind) but has a lot of issues now with arthritis so that prevents her from making any of the old favorite food items she, like me, loves so much. And she always appreciates my bread when I have a fresh loaf to drop off for her too!
That plus, a friend of mine contacted me prior to Christmas and asked me if I would consider making some bread for her and her family for the holidays. I was in a good -and semi-ambitious mood at the time, so I said "Sure!" She wanted two loaves of the rye bread in the :"kaka" shape along with two loaves of the Swedish white kaka bread too.
I had no fears about making the Rye bread for her as I've actually gotten fairly adept at making that product now -only took me what, about 9-10 years to get to that stage in my bread-baking. But the Swedish White kaka -that's still a bit of a scary entity for me to tackle. Probably because I just started trying to make it in the last 2-3 years and am not near as sure of myself with that product.
I don't understand why Kaka bread seems to be so fearful a task for those of us who are relatively newcomers on the home baked scene, but it is! The ingredients in it are just about like those in any other homemade white bread but something about it -maybe because to those of us who love it it seems more challenging or maybe it's the shaping of it, I really don't know. But the recipe I generally use when I do make the white kaka is one my best friend's daughter contributed to our church cookbook which we published last year and it is titled "Grandma Nelson's Homemade Kaka Bread" but I refer to it as "Krista's Prayer Bread" because the way Krista wrote up the recipe, she has inserts like every other sentence -or so it seems -to "Say a prayer" for this or that or some other thing throughout the recipe.
So when I made those four loaves of bread requested by this other friend before Christmas, you can bet your bottom dollar I did a whole lot of prayers for the success of that bread, of those white loaves, ya know. Thankfully, it turned out decently so I didn't embarrass myself with my product anyway.
After Christmas though, this same friend contacted me to ask if I would make some more bread for her -maybe sometime this month -so she could get some, freeze it and then, have it available whenever her tastebuds sent her a message to have some homemade Swedish bread!
The beginning of a little sideline business? Nah, highly doubtful. But a way to do something occasionally that actually brings me pleasure on several levels -as I do enjoy making these things, especially the rye bread -and also to keep my family well-stocked in the home made bread scene is pretty high now!
I'm thinking about mixing up a batch of bread today now to make sweet rolls. The recipe I use for that makes at least 4 dozen rolls and I make them filled with various goodies from cinnamon/sugar mixture to lemon curd or raspberry or apricot or walnut -so far, and then they are iced and to my tastebuds as well as to my family's too, looks and taste just like the sweet rolls you can get in the stores!
Love those rolls and the Rye bread too!
But those of you who follow me know by now that I do tend to be a bit of a night person -a true "night owl" some might even say. I often say I really don't fully wake up for the new day until midnight or sometimes, not till well past midnight. But for whatever reason, I often do tend to function best, do my best work, at least near to or shortly after that "witching" hour of 12:00 a.m.
And last night was no exception to my standard rules.(Although, I had started on this project earlier in the evening -like about 7:30ish but it had taken a while to get the project to the point of completing it and that took me then into the wee hours of the morning.)
I baked a nice batch of Swedish Rye Bread!
And if I must say so myself, it turned out just beautiful too! I even have pictures to prove it looks great!
The four round loaves in the first picture are what my homemade bread often looks like when I make it in the shape of the old-fashioned "Kaka" bread that many of those in these parts prefer for the Swedish rye or the Swedish White breads a few still make around here.
I'm sure I've mentioned the "kaka" breads from time to time before but just don't remember if I ever took any photos of it to show what it looks like to those who are unfamiliar with that particular item!
Normally, I only get 4 loaves of kaka or 4 loaves of the regular loaves when I make a batch of bread but last night, the bread raised so beautifully and shaped up so nicely too, that I was able to get 4 kakas as well as two loaves of the stuff baked.
Made me very happy, indeed it did!
Whenever I bake this bread, I usually save a loaf of kaka and take it out to an old friend of mine -she's 84 years young (in mind) but has a lot of issues now with arthritis so that prevents her from making any of the old favorite food items she, like me, loves so much. And she always appreciates my bread when I have a fresh loaf to drop off for her too!
That plus, a friend of mine contacted me prior to Christmas and asked me if I would consider making some bread for her and her family for the holidays. I was in a good -and semi-ambitious mood at the time, so I said "Sure!" She wanted two loaves of the rye bread in the :"kaka" shape along with two loaves of the Swedish white kaka bread too.
I had no fears about making the Rye bread for her as I've actually gotten fairly adept at making that product now -only took me what, about 9-10 years to get to that stage in my bread-baking. But the Swedish White kaka -that's still a bit of a scary entity for me to tackle. Probably because I just started trying to make it in the last 2-3 years and am not near as sure of myself with that product.
I don't understand why Kaka bread seems to be so fearful a task for those of us who are relatively newcomers on the home baked scene, but it is! The ingredients in it are just about like those in any other homemade white bread but something about it -maybe because to those of us who love it it seems more challenging or maybe it's the shaping of it, I really don't know. But the recipe I generally use when I do make the white kaka is one my best friend's daughter contributed to our church cookbook which we published last year and it is titled "Grandma Nelson's Homemade Kaka Bread" but I refer to it as "Krista's Prayer Bread" because the way Krista wrote up the recipe, she has inserts like every other sentence -or so it seems -to "Say a prayer" for this or that or some other thing throughout the recipe.
So when I made those four loaves of bread requested by this other friend before Christmas, you can bet your bottom dollar I did a whole lot of prayers for the success of that bread, of those white loaves, ya know. Thankfully, it turned out decently so I didn't embarrass myself with my product anyway.
After Christmas though, this same friend contacted me to ask if I would make some more bread for her -maybe sometime this month -so she could get some, freeze it and then, have it available whenever her tastebuds sent her a message to have some homemade Swedish bread!
The beginning of a little sideline business? Nah, highly doubtful. But a way to do something occasionally that actually brings me pleasure on several levels -as I do enjoy making these things, especially the rye bread -and also to keep my family well-stocked in the home made bread scene is pretty high now!
I'm thinking about mixing up a batch of bread today now to make sweet rolls. The recipe I use for that makes at least 4 dozen rolls and I make them filled with various goodies from cinnamon/sugar mixture to lemon curd or raspberry or apricot or walnut -so far, and then they are iced and to my tastebuds as well as to my family's too, looks and taste just like the sweet rolls you can get in the stores!
Love those rolls and the Rye bread too!
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