Where Have I Been?


This should be the new name for my blog!


I do have excuses....


As you all have read over and over again about my cataract problems and it's woes...


Add a CRASH OF MY COMPUTER!!!!! June 14th to my already mountain of woes!


My Hard Drive CRASHED!!!!!!


UNRECOVERABLE are words you never want to have to hear...


ESPECIALLY if your livelihood DEPENDS on it!


ESPECIALLY if you haven't backed-up your work since Feb.23!


Happily my Ex and I still talk to each other cause he came to my rescue and got me back up running again the very next day.


Only he couldn't restore ALL OF THAT LOST WORK!


Because this IDIOT kept putting off doing the back-up needed to ensure not losing it!


Remember me telling you all of the tire-kicking estimating that I had been doing and wasn't getting paid for it cause it was JUST estimates....

Well the majority of the "Just estimates" were lost, they were NEEDED not long after the crash...


Go Figure!


Which meant they all had to be redrawn all over again!


Not great news for someone with failing eyesight!


All of that wouldn't have been too bad if it wasn't for them all having a time limit!


Most was for the town's 100th birthday July 23. The town's Rec Director had made a push for getting advertising for the arena which would hold the ceremonies. Perfect for advertising which I was getting in on too.

Let me tell you....all of the signs did get done in time! Thanks to a hard working PoD and LONG hours!


Only they NEVER did get put up in time for the big event!


The lazy Rec Director never got around to it and from what reports I have heard he had PLENTY of time to do it?


Thankfully that wasn't my fault but my customer's are slow in paying for those signs BECAUSE of that fact of NOT getting their advertising that was promised! Guess it's Always MY fault!


During my work frenzy I missed updating my blog with useless info that's only important to me but have come to learn that it's an important memory tool for me too!


A lot of the lost info and important dates were recoverable because of my trivia drivel on my blog. I have used past stories to revive the info not filled in scrapbooks that haven't been updated either!


I'm very anal about recording stuff!


Only have to learn to get anal about UPDATING IT!


My Blog is kind of like a diary for me and really isn't meant to be there to entertain others in the world, which I really don't have to worry about seeing as only a few ever comment...;{


Things I did miss while the work frenzy was going on was attending Wilma's 40th birthday bash held in a hall not far from my house. It happened soon after my crash and I wasn't in any party mood...nor was PoD.

Happy Birthday Wilma....better late than never, I say!

Did have a gift for her that ended up in the dump! It has a weird story...

Seems I always find time for Garage Sales!

During the town-wide one I came across this gorgeous oldish looking mirror with neat ornate edgings...kind of gave me an idea about a mirror for her bar in their basement. The mirror was in excellent shape and even the backing looked kind of new like? The owner even said that she never hung it cause it never fit anywhere. My intent was to embellish it with a funny quote in vinyl somewhere on the surface area.
When I got the mirror home I stood it up facing my cutting machine and computer. It stood there for two days before a work day.
Right from the start we had problems with the machines. The computer didn't want to start? The cutter moved when it wasn't even turned on and both PoD and I witnessed it! From the moment I had brought the mirror into my place I had a dislike for it? It felt strange? Jokingly I said to PoD that it must be the mirror spooking the machinery and felt the urge to remove it from the place. So I put it outside in my storage vehicle with my Halloween decorations and forgot about it.
When I came back in, PoD said all was back to normal with the machines after I had left with the mirror...? Coincidence?
A few days later I went to retrieve the mirror to put the wording I had prepared for it, on it, when I found that the frame had broken away on the bottom. The frame was still stapled to the cardboard backing and that was still attached to the rest of it? The mirror had not been broken...just the frame and there was no way to pull it apart the way that it was without breaking the mirror. It had been a bit warm outside and was possible that the mirror could have expanded enough to force the frame to split...but why only one end?
I got a cold chill up my spine when I saw that and thought it through enough to cause me to question whether I wanted to give something with an odd aura about it to a friend not to mention ever wanting to have it around...so to the dump it went with a cleansing performed over it to make sure that the weirdness didn't hang around after it left!

The decal is still here for her if she wants it...:)

Anyways...

Other important info needed to be recorded was the fact that I have lived in this place now for 4 years...my the time has flown!


The grand kids left for their 3 week visit with their Alberta relatives on June 28 and that left exactly 3 days to work on getting Grad together. This meant rounding up lights and wrapping poles. I had shown in an earlier post the diamond theme this year and had big plans on making lots of cardboard ones....that never happened due to our rush.

The end result was because of a dream of someone else who had the courage to go it alone on the planning of majority of the decorating...

The entrance way table was her idea but the archway was mine. This was the last area to be decorated and was hastily put together. By the time we got to this spot all were tired [except for me] of decorating and it showed. But by then all didn't care either...except for me

The theme did not match the decoration theme? But how would one do that by that dumb saying anyways? I'm glad this was off to the side and not too noticeable.


This what the stage looked like. The bags on the floor in front of the head table all had the kids name on them and wasn't my idea either...:) This to hold all of their goodies?

The big diamond that sits in the center is a posing stool and is for their photo op after the ceremonies. The kids came out from the curtained area to the right and paraded around the stage then down the steps to their seat. The little shoes that you see in the foreground were done by me

The above photos shows the hall layout and their table centerpieces. The most awesome thing to me were the blue origami folded napkins that each held a peppermint patty in the center. This woman made over 200 of them...happily with no help from me!

Surprise of all surprises I have NO Orbs to point out to you all lurking on here...


This all my eyes can stand for now...I still have July to catch up on and that will include photos of the town's 100th, our HUGE parade, our float and even a Paranormal Investigation on the 29-30...this kills my eyes and gives me a headache so it may be slow

And maybe an update on the Darkside Zodiac for Cancer then one for Leo...


So stay tuned...:)

SNOW, SNOW, SNOW AND MORE SNOW...



Thought I'd show you the creepier side of winter...


Other than the fact that it IS winter that is...

Notice how the camera flashed on the door penguin's face...kind of weird

It even caught part of the face of the one in the snow bank...

Notice the carved edges of the snow banks...

The once fluffy stuff has compacted enough to be able to carve them...

Notice the metal sign stakes that seem to be acting as a snow guard fence [sort of]. I had brilliantly froze them in the ground so they will be stuck there until the thaw. I had planned on putting the lights back up but the electrical plug-in is under all of that crap too! I bent the wires over so no one will impale themselves on them.

In the photo below...see the poor shoveling penguin. His head barely peeks out of the snow near the orange dot [sign to be]

I've even carved a way to the garbage can. I hadn't planned on it, hoping to save some shoveling, only to notice that the meter reader dude has to plow his way through it to get to the meters out back of the house. I did stop at the can though...he's young enough to plow through the 3 feet deep stuff of the rest of it to get to them...:(

Notice the valentines?

Been trying to keep them above the snow fall and have had to lift them out three times already!

So here I sit at my computer composing this.... hoping that shoveling is coming to and end...



And again the door penguin catches the last creepy shot...



And all of the dots in the pictures are NOT Orbs....



JUST SNOW AND MORE SNOW....

MONDAY MUSINGS...

What would I have to bitch about if it weren't for the sticky fingered souls around here....?

Before....

After...

Yup......they just had to have the hat

Must have needed it for their costume...

Hope they like my last name written all over it in black felt pen!

Can't see it in the dark but can in the light...;)

Did screw it down...

Guess I didn't use enough screws

Sing-a-long-with-me...

IT'S ONLY JUST BEGUN......

HOROSCOPES......Good or bad?




When we were at the Paranormal Symposium this year, I picked up this neat book written by Stella Hyde. One must remember that this is HER opinion on what she has interpreted these zodiacs to be...

She does offer a warning on the back...

"Before you buy, look at the title on the cover. What does it say? Darkside. That means you are going to be reading some wince-making stuff about yourself. There are no jolly Brightside platitudes, because there is enough of that kind of thing in the world and every silver lining must have its cloud. You have been warned; anybody who is but a fragile blossom on life's maelstrom had better put the book down now!"


How could I resist...;}





Being a fan of the zodiac I thought I'd like to see the darkside of my symbol [Aquarius] and maybe the others that I know.


I have found that what was in there, about my sign, fits me to a T...sad to say  ;(




I have listed on the left side of my blog, the good parts about me, so you lurkers could have an idea on my personality.




Now let's see if I am brave enough to admit to my darkside...




Firstly, depending on which chart you read, I am supposed to be on the cusp. I am either an Aquarian or Pisces? I chose the Aquarian one because I find it represents me the most.




This is the introductory statement about my sign:


Aquarius is a masculine, fixed Air sign ruled by Uranus. It is the eleventh sign on the zodiac wheel, directly opposite Leo, and is named for the constellation Aquarius [the water carrier], which looks down its nose and takes notes behind the Sun at this time of year.
On the dark side, this makes you a chilly, detached, eccentric loner, with perverse voyeuristic habits and a shard of ice in your heart.




Ain't that a kick in the old ego!




But so F-ing true!




I will agree to all except the " shard of ice in my heart"




Although PoD made comment about the truthfulness of the "ice shard"...which hurt




But do have to admit to her reasoning's....which is, that I don't like to be played the fool. ever!




When wronged, I CAN'T forgive!




It would make it easier to accept their transgressions against me if I felt they were offering sincere apologies. But find that the apologizer usually only does it to ease their conscience, not to make me feel better!


 Don't care for the "perverse voyeurism" part [it reads nasty] but do enjoy people watching and can be quite catty about it?




Again, don't care for the "chilly" part, but do acknowledge that my aloof attitude can be conceived as being such. My aloof look stems from my lack of social skills, shyness and the fact that I have a stuttering problem that has to be controlled at all times. Which are long pauses with me trying to speak...so generally I don't. I try to avoid confrontations unless pushed into it...then watch out!


Guess that makes me "chilly"?



Flip the page and it lists my annoying habits...




Punctuality: "You refuse to follow anyone else's agenda, so never turn up on time, or even on day. People blame it on your legendary but suspect absentmindedness, but you know it's your way of controlling the situation."
I disagree....I hated being late or miss an event!


Toothpaste: "You don't use toothpaste, mostly because you've usually lost the tube [last seen as a bookmark], but clean your teeth at the lab with the hand held sonar gun. They glow a bit in the dark, but it's a good look."
Have to agree...if can't find I would "Ma Giver" something....;}


Temper Gauge: "0 degree to boiling point in .0001 sec. since you don't suffer fools gladly, but like to give people a chance to defend themselves. No red-faced shouting [not logical], just cool insults and deletion of offender from your database."
Dead right on this one!


If that wasn't bad enough I was hit with "personality - aloof, arrogant, alien"


And of course it just had to expound on that subject too...let's just say it was again sadly true?






Ego is now fading badly...



Bitch Rating....A--


Fav Deadly Sin...Sloth because I can be a bit lanquid and maybe Pride...it does explain which again I had to agree...;(




But then flip the page and now I can blame it all on my ruling planet....






Uranus!






Now I know why I suffer from IBS...;{






IT'S ALL MY ANUS'S FAULT!






NOW YOU KNOW WHY I CAN BE SUCH AN ASS!

FRICKIN MISSED IT!

LAST NIGHT WAS THE FULL MOON!

PoD and I were quibbling over when it was going to be. My calender said tonight...but what did that really mean?


So I checked...


For the northern hemisphere, last night’s moon was the full Hunter’s Moon. In the southern hemisphere, it was the second full moon of spring.
The full moon reached the crest of its full phase today (Saturday, October 23) at 1:36 Universal Time. For the Central Time zone in the U.S., that was 8:36 p.m. yesterday, on Friday, October 22.
Tonight’s moon is past full. It is actually a waning moon. However, no matter where you live worldwide, it will be a full-looking waning gibbous moon – not a full moon – that will be rising over your east-northeast horizon this Saturday evening. As a rule of thumb, the moon rises approximately 50 minutes later daily.
However, it is early autumn in the northern hemisphere now, and at this time of year, that rule is broken for the several nights following the full moon. If you reside far enough north of the equator, in fact, you may even see tonight’s waning moon rising before sunset. At Fairbanks, Alaska, for instance, the waning moon will rise before sunset for the next several days.
Our charts are designed for temperate latitudes in North America. Look at the position of yesterday’s full Hunter’s Moon 24 hours ago. (Look at East on the sky chart.) Now note the waning gibbous moon on today’s chart. After 24 hours, the moon has swung almost sideways (instead of downward), so that is why the waning moon rises sooner after sunset in autumn than at other seasons.
Last night, the full Hunter’s Moon shone all night long last night. However, watch again tonight, as the waning gibbous moon repeats the performance, lighting up the nighttime from dusk until dawn!



Hope you understood that.....;}




Why is it important to me?






I had plans on remaking my broom with this year's bountiful harvest of wheat stalks taken from Superb [where we used to live] land. My other one bit the dust a few years ago and I have always wanted to replace mine, as I miss my vehicle of choice....




;)

Must leave you with this scary sight...

No.......not the Space Cat or Space Devil

[PoD & QoH many, many, many moons ago and that many pounds lighter]

NO DECORATIONS IN THE BACKGROUND!

This was one of my "Repressed" periods!






The decor snuck in once the first kid flew the coop!






Speaking of decor...




Need a fast idea to make little "Ghosties" and all you have are those annoying tampons left around...

Or maybe get gruesome...

I LIKE TO BE HELPFUL...;}

IT'S GROUNDHOG DAY...

I'd like to say Happy Groundhog's Day...

BUT

Wiarton Willie from Ontario saw his shadow so it's going to be another 6 weeks of winter!

BUT that's in Ontario...

I don't live there...

I live 2 provinces away!

It's overcast here right now...

No chance of seeing a shadow being cast here...

So where's our groundhog?

I'm pretty sure all the gophers [we don't have groundhogs living here] are still hibernating as we are still in a deep freeze with snow in the fields...

So spring should be just around our corner...

RIGHT....?

ALIEN LIGHTS...?

Naaaa...just some cool looking Hoar Frost on my LED light bush


Even the Alien Brothers got a light frosting...

Last evening we got "the awful white stuff" dumped on us big time! We went from near "no snow" to "let's shovel again" in a matter of hours....

I know it doesn't look like much out front but there was lots to shovel! My front area is fairly sheltered by the neighbors big pine tree so I was able to open the door with no problem, it was the open areas that were deep!

It was a good work out! Heart passed another stress test!


It was just disheartening to see the snow..


But then what did I expect....

Spring?

Last night was also a night of power-glitching....off and on! This made TV viewing annoying! Couldn't use the computer....WAH, WAH, WAH...

So I fell asleep listening to the wind and the frosting stuff hit the house...

Morning brought the shoveling cause I needed to go out...

Needed to pick up the bare essential from the fast mart here, so venture out I did...

Loved my son's front wheeled drive normally but could have used the driving force behind me, as I tried to drive through the HUGE snow drifts! I tried 4 intersections before I could navigate up one street! I could have walk to the place but the wind chill that came with the snow took my breath away so walking was out of the question. 5 minute trip took 20 minutes!

By the time I got back I was drenched in sweat!

I didn't get stuck anywhere...pretty near though!

Was ready for a nap...




Is is Spring yet...

Where's that damn ground hog...?

BITCHIN'...?

Got nothing to say...

One can always talk about the weather...

Or Decorating...;)


After what seemed like weeks or months [only felt like it] of bitchin' cold weather and happily little snow, the shop looked liked this...

Then we get this warmth...

Which is nice...except for the ice!


Got to watch for the dangerous puddles...


The urge to get out and go walking has been really strong lately...only the thought of wiping out keeps me yard bound!


Did sit out in the warm sunlight enjoying the fresh air, watching the traffic slush by...


Got lots of waves and smiles...


As they watched the changes being done to the new theme...



Fricken' SPRING FEVER!


I WISH IT REALLY WAS HERE...


Sadly we all know winter ain't done with us yet...




Or we could talk about how well I feel right now...

WHINE ALERT...

Must report my first cold of the year..............SIGH....;(


Pretty sure it's a cold?


The sinus problem really never got better since having the swine flu!


Doctors won't prescribe antibiotics because it's viral and nothing can cure that? Too bad I don't drink...

Your safe...won't go into the running face problem.


Good and bad thing...can't smell anything!


Good, cause some smells caused intense sinus headaches...


Bad, cause I. CAN'T. SMELL. ANYTHING!


Alzheimer's makes me forget I put food in the oven...can't eat crispy [burned beyond all recognition] critters


Everything tastes the same...the only difference is whether its sweet, sour or spicy!


You can now call me "Mouth Breather"!


When I talk it's all nasally...because the membranes are all swollen from all of the blowing


Have to say "what" [can you repeat that]....a lot



Blah, blah, blah...



Been up since 2:30 am...


It's now 5:30 ish...foggy outside [inside too]


Tired of watching the party people [yah it's Thurday...doesn't all drinking start then] going back and forth [no new drunks]...

 Cat wants her treat...

You have a nice day!

A DAY OF WARMTH...
SUNSHINE...BIRDS SINGING...


Well maybe not singing.

I think they are all still frozen in their homes...like I thought I was.


Today got to a melting point...water dripped down my neck as I quickly made my decor change outside. We have now changed from Xmas to Valentines/Mardi Gras theme.

Why Mardi Gras you ask...it falls on Feb 16th this year. 2 days before Valentines, so I got to sneak that in too.

Remember this is for my viewing pleasure...

I LOVE making Valentines Day a LARGE to-do, decorating wise. It gets noticed, so people in this town won't forget that it's here...until I change for St. Patrick's....;)



The fresh air was SOOOOO invirgorating! I got all done that I could, only need to check the lights at dark...



Mean while BillyRoo surprised me with the new Halloween 2 DVD by Rob Zombie...

This was WAY better than the first movie made!

Zombie writes this one his way. The story line is similar with his type of twist. It's a bit gory for my taste but not as bad as some. Most will call it "B" grade but what other category would murder/gore fall into?

The Dr. Sam Loomis in this movie series are two different character lines. Donald Pleasence [1st] is completely annoying in his whiny way. Whereas Malcolm McDowel plays the character better...slimy instead of whiny. Much better

Zombie's wife plays Michael's mother...so-so acting.

The movie kind of jumped around for me but then I was always comparing it to the orginal version. Those who haven't seen the first version ,wouldn't find it a problem. It's a cult classic sort of thingy.

The eerie part of the movie to me was the white horse.

Not because it's scary or anything...just that it's a horse that I've had dreams about lately? WTF!

For a couple a weeks now, I've been having these horse dreams off and on? Some are nightmares and some are soothing...

Will blog on that next...



It still puzzles me about the horse....?


I did not know about the Zombie sequel either so I did not know about the horse in it...?

I WISH!

Talking about organizing chores, it's that time of the year again...

PAPERWORK!

I hate this time of the year!

I only have myself to blame...

I'm still old school and need to have a paper trail because I don't totally trust all my info to the computer systems. So I keep copies in filing cabinets.

This can cause space problems.

Things sometimes have to be moved...

Changing of files...put away last years [after updating that is] and make new folders to hold all of the work that should be starting up [in apr, may maybe june]...

Blah, blah, blah...

I know I have lots of time on my hands to do these chores, and if I was smart, I'd just get it over with...but the inner child in me likes to search for other distractions...

This year's work has started but it's not a happy job, it's a sad one...

I've 2 more banners to make [1 before Xmas] that I'm donating to the families [plus hockey club] of the young man [26yrs] my family grew up with. He passed away a few days before Xmas. A very big shock to us all. My heart goes out to all who were dear to him but mostly to his parents...

To bury ones child or grand child is my biggest nightmare!

These are 2 signs I'd rather not be doing!


I know it's Sunday and one shouldn't be working but to me it's just another day...


Working helps me stay out of the fridge!


I did manage to get 90% of my Halloween stuff put away properly and the cats happier that her litter box is more accessable...;)

I'm going to try to do card reading everyday for a month and see how well it follows my life...

Cat Comfort Cards...2 cards jumped out this morning

"Up on the Catwalk"..."You're the center of attention. Strutt your stuff"
&
"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"...Life likes to test your surefootedness. Be nimble"

So does that mean I better watch my step as I strut my stuff? Hmmm

Tarot Card...I do only the major arcane cards

"The Stars"...which is my card [aquarius]is shows 7 or 8 stars, a kneeling woman, a pools of water & 2 urns.
meaning:
"a clarity of vision, spiritual unsight, unexpected help will be coming with water to quench the thirst, with guiding light to the future"


Looks like today should be interesting...


Stay tuned...

ONCE IN A BLUE MOON...

Happens tomorrow night!

It also happens to be a lunar eclipse and a full moon to boot!

It's also reported that it is a totally stressful time for those who are affected by the moon...

...;? 


Facts I thought you were dying to know:

The blue moon is supposed to happen every 2.72 years...the last one being in May 2007. The next one to occur will be in Aug. 2012.

The blue color is supposed to be caused from the pollution in the atmosphere.

According to the Farmer’s Almanac, there are typically twelve named full moons every year. The exception to this is, of course, the somewhat rarer Blue Moon.

Those twelve named full moons are:

• January – Wolf Moon
• February – Snow Moon
• March – Worm Moon
• April – Pink Moon
• May – Flower Moon
• June – Strawberry Moon
• July – Buck or Sturgeon Moon
• August – Fruit or Barley Moon
• September – Harvest Moon
• October – Hunters Moon
• November – Beaver Moon
• December – Cold or Long Nights Moon

These Full Moon names originated with the Native Americans, of what is now the northern and eastern United States. The full moons allowed the tribes to keep track of the seasons by giving names to each recurring full Moon. Basically, the entire "month" would be named after the full moon occurring that month.


I thought that was very interesting...especially the Cold & Long Nights were are suffering with lately! Doesn't make one want to go out and party...


There isn't any ritual that one is supposed to follow in a "blue moon" situation but some suggest one change their depression from the last year and think positively...maybe with meditation [or was it medication]?


I'd rather party...


After all it's only once in a blue moon!


BillyRoo escaped to find a party in the city...


PoD & Trebor are nursing sick children suffering from colds...


Thumber's running around the house crazy like...

Maybe I'll join her!


Now to find something blue to wear...

WISHING YOU ALL...

A HAPPY NEW YEAR

...Make It A Safe One!

ITS DUCKING COLD HERE!

EVEN THE GEESE DON'T WANT TO BE HERE!

Been having a hard time downloading photos...it let me do this one but nothing else?

It sucks not being able to show my new Xmas layout this year!

I even got the decorating outside done...got pics of that to show too!

Need help from BillyRoo...who happened to get home yesterday [me happy he's safe].

Between that and the bitchin' cold here, things are all set for Santa...

So have a happy Xmas Eve Day.....

EVERYONE HAVE A SAFE 

&

HAPPY HOLIDAY

POTATOES?

I thought I knew a lot about potatoes and have formed an opinion about what I like and didn't like about some of them.


What surprised me was... there are lots of different types out there that I don't know about?


Growing up, my world was small in what we saw in potato types...we grew the white variety only. I remember my surprise when I first saw and tasted the red ones.


My favorite is the white potato with the light yellow skin, especially the baby ones. I love them boiled with a little butter [Becel] with an added touch of garlic & Mrs. Dash table spice...yummy. Leftovers are fried later. Don't need meat or anything else...just them.


Baked potatoes [Russets] are too dry and have to be drowned in sour cream/butter/spices but are a must with steak!


Love the red ones for potato salad [must be peeled] and boiled like the white ones. I don't care for the skin...even though it's supposed to be good for you.


Hate the yams or sweet potato! Doesn't matter how it's cooked...besides don't need extra sugar...;) They remind me too much on how I hate turnips! I kind of lump those two together in taste & texture.


Last summer was the first time I tasted the golden or yellow ones...I kid you not!


They kind of looked like the white variety and I was fooled [actually didn't look closely] by their similarity. Found out I was not too crazy about their taste and the yellow color reminded me of a turnip, so the visual part was hard to get by.


I guess I'm kind of a visual & texture type of person?


Small town grocers tend to carry the usual types I like and as I seldom get to an area that does have different varieties I don't get to see what's now out there...

Like this...

Purple Potatoes?

 PoD had picked some up and wanted to see how they were...



They are supposed to be cooked like the regular types.


She brought one over and I got to taste it raw...tasted sort of the same as a regular potato, maybe a little nutty side



My turn off was the color!



I love the color purple...but not in my potatoes!


This old dog doesn't like learning new things...I'm happy with what I know!



Boring as that may be!


PoD wasn't too crazy about them either.



This potato variety is supposed to be blight free and is a favorite of the organic community...as for the price, I don't know?


They won't be going on my table any time soon!



Can you imagine purple mashed potatoes with brown gravy....;(



 And I thought purple ketchup was bad enough...




Can you imagine fried purple potatoes with red or purple ketchup...?

HAPPY OCT 1

29 days until Halloween...:)

24 days til Sask Ghost Hunters [www.saskghost-hunterssociety.ca] come to do a "Halloween Special Investigation" involving a contest looking for someone who'd be interested in being a paranormal investigator for the night in our haunted courthouse.


There is another really special reason why I'm excited about that night, besides getting to do another investigation, is a real BIG SECRET...for now



Health:

I just had to share my illness with both my kids and now we are all suffering.


Happily the puking at both ends have stopped!


What still remains...sucks!



I don't remember the bleary eyes and hard to focus, being part of the flu symptoms? Right now I feel some what better for awhile, then a dizzy spell hits me causing nausea but no up-chucking, which is a happier improvement. Driving is strictly a NO right now.


I can now look on the bright side of this illness...saved money, haven't had to buy much in the grocery line [not hungry], sugar levels have been the best ever [sometimes a little on the low side] and tight clothes are now loose again...:)


I've using a nasal spray as I'm sure there is a sinus infection [did go to the doctor but he didn't check that part ?] and the tight head band from the sinus areas is easing up and I have less running of the face...:)


I don't believe I am infectious right now, but have placed a sign on the door warning of the health situation in here and thus they could make their own choice whether they wanted to do business in person or by phone/email.


Work has been rough on the brain as customers want their estimate/design done ASAP. I keep having to remind myself that there has to be an up side to being my own boss/owner and shouldn't have to have my life dictated to, whether I am open to the public or not!




I'm learning that life is TOO short to worry about it!



Other crap:

Today is another WINDY and cold day...makes one want to huddle into a warm blanket and sleep the day away!



Halloween decor has been up for awhile and it's too windy to put my new blow-up cat [with rotating head] on top of my garage today as planned.



One will find that I'm never too sick to decorate for the one occasion I'm crazy about!



Our town is even planning a costume dance this year and I just might do something for that...we'll see




NOW:

The world is spinning and it's time to go...

WHERE'S THE FIRE?


DODGE'S NEW FIRE & RESCUE TRUCK!

Isn't this a pretty cool looking fire truck!
To all you big city people it may mean nothing and you probably see them everyday but this is a big thing for a small town to be able to afford to do. Thank you to contributors!

This is what one of the old ones look like...

It's taken awhile but they finally got the new one and we get to do the lettering on it & a new logo!

You should have seen the gawkers drive slowly by to see what was going on at my place, while I was busy taking pics & measurements...;) hard to tell we don't get much excitement!



Hope we never have the need to use it!

BEEN BUSY!

Things have been a tad busy around here this past week!


LOTS of designing/estimating to do. I call this down time, "NO MONEY" time...but very necessary to my success. Estimating means your in the bidding area but doesn't mean a paycheck for the time lost! There are a lot of tire kickers right now. I don't lose many bids...if I do, its because of the massive amount of time spent on idea thinking/putting to paper.



It's been a roller coaster ride lately! No work means depression = food = weight gain = depression = sweets = sugar too high = depression =.....


When its slow...I eat [see reasons above]
When I'm busy...I'm too tired to eat right [I could have spent the down time preparing meals for busy times but I would eat more doing them?]


I WANT THE OILFIELD TO GET BACK TO WORK!!!!


That's my favorite part of the job. Hardly ever need to design or do estimates! Plain & simple!


AND PHYSICAL!


The work that I have done...I have to WAIT for them to pay me...?;(



My foot has been healing nicely but sitting at the computer for hours make my feet swell....


Any kind of work involving standing makes my feet swell...


Can't go for a walk my feet swell...


Grad committee [heavy hitter] cajoled me into doing decorations again so brain is into designing hell...


Gothic wedding decor coming along great making it a happy whine...


PoD & Family has gone away for the long weekend...;(



Whine, Whine, Whine!




If I don't watch it I'll get SWHINE FLU!



But...Hey there is an UP-SIDE to all of this whinery...




I SOLD MY BUILDING!



That headache is finally over...all I have to do now is wait for the money...



I've got a really good meme to do from Blue and it's called "10 things that you have never bought" and it has me realize that there isn't much that I haven't bought and even less that I want to admit to....


Hmmmm....




Stay tuned...

TODAY'S HOROSCOPE...?


Aquarius:

Original ideas are blasting out of your brain so fast that it's hard to keep up with yourself. A few surprises are likely when your key planet Uranus is visited by quicksilver Mercury. You may not be able to finish what you initiate, yet you could begin enough projects now to keep you busy for a long time. Don't stress if you have a lot of loose ends by the end of the day. It will be easy enough next week to clean up what you started today.


Didn't I just say that work was just starting to pick up...?


Didn't I state awhile back that I was building stuff for wedding/grad decor...?


DON'T STRESS OUT ABOUT "A LOT OF LOOSE ENDS BY THE END OF THE DAY"....?


All I can say is "I better not start sleep walking"...!


Who knows what I'll paint, glue gun, cut...etc...


Hope it's not going to be a long day....been up since 3:30 am...busy, busy, busy

COMING DOWN FROM "BOXING DAY"...?

With a "good year" income looming at tax time, becomes the need of the business year end write-offs!

The Ex had found a good deal, in "Toon Town", on 22" wide computer monitors and the sale was only on Boxing Day [Dec. 26].

I have NEVER been able to afford to go shopping on this day! I didn't really want to go! I hated the fact that it was a 2 hr drive there and back, with chances of weather conditions. BillyRoo wanted to go, because it had been awhile since he'd been there. So I thought..."why not"! Have fun...BE HAPPY...

The drive was good and we had lots of chatter, which made the drive fun.

Experiencing the city on Boxing Day, wasn't!

Silly me, thought that maybe the stores might be emptier, less being able to afford to shop?

Boy was I wrong!

The Ex wanted to make sure that we both got this monitor, so he figured on getting there a half hour early. We were the 3/4th people in the line-up. By the time it opened [9:00am sharp] there were about fifty people! This store holds a max of 20 at one time!

Then a lady decided to add her shopping cart?

Getting the item wasn't the problem!

It was waiting for a till to be available!

2 tills, 6 clerks [1 still learning how to operate one]...elbow to elbow people!

45 minutes later we were freed!

We got our monitors!

We hadn't even started to shop yet and I was already done in! It didn't help that I hadn't taken my insulin yet and the STRESS that I had just gone through made me feel worse. We took a break and decided to fuel ourselves up before attempting more.

One hour later, I was ready to go home!

Shopping had gotten worse!

The late risers had flooded into the malls! Everybody and their dogs was there!

I didn't find that there was much that was on sale, yet everyone around me, was acting like everything was? They were in a frenzy! Then there were the ones that ran into long lost relatives/neighbors! "Park your shopping cart anywhere", attitude!

I went home disappointed! :(

I expected much more?

One good part was, I didn't spend as much as I COULD have...:)

I did get a wonderful deal on my new "skinny" monitor and just love the room [for more junk] that it gives me.

Life couldn't leave me with "Being Happy" about the new monitor?

"Because it doesn't WORK"!

Seems, my OLD computer, needs to be UPGRADED, in order to have my NEW monitor to work!!?

WHY can't life be SIMPLE?

Today, Jan. 5th, will be the first moment I've had, to be able to get somewhere, to pick up the fix that its needed.

A new video card?

It's been 9 days of weird/greenish/distorted screens/bad pixels...etc!

I feel my eyes are going to bug out of my head if something doesn't change soon!

One never misses something until you can't have it!?

I'm even beginning to think, distortion, is starting to looking good?

My luck...there won't be any cards around! [Why would I phone first to find out whether or not they have one?]

The other reason for going, is the need for stuff I can't get here...you know, fussy cat, me.

All I need is for the weather to behave...!

"Don't Worry...Be Happy..."

Well, I made it through another year!

I've just spent my Xmas season working my way through all of our backed up orders! Thankfully the public hasn't found it's way here yet to pick up their stuff. I've been open but blizzardy conditions have kept them home. PoD has been busy with the kids and NEW dog. She's anxious to have them go back to school and I'm anxious to have her back at work again! Don't know what the dog is going to do?

I need her!

This is not a one-man-job!

I hate year-end rushes!

Do I sound panicky...?

I'm not really...thanks to my New Year's Resolution for 2009...

"Don't Worry...Be Happy..."

My son, BillyRoo, has been off since Dec. 20 and it's been great spending time with him [between video games]...;) Thumber now has somebody else to bug!

I've been find out lately, that Thumber is one strange cat? Since Suki has passed on, Thumber has let me know that her and Suki had played a lot together. Suki always demanded my time and drove Thumber away by hissing at her. I thought they hated each other? Thumber sometimes calls out [sounding meow] now, whereas she had never did that before. Suki was always the one that did the sounding when she was in a playful mood and now I believe she was calling Thumber. Thumber is either now, calling for Suki or hopefully she only wants to know where I am. Or is it a way that cats howl sometimes just like dogs...?

I still miss Suki! But I'm happy knowing she isn't in any more pain.

This year had started out dismally, in the financial department, yet ended up being one of the most productive years, since being out on my own! I haven't been busy in December in 6 yrs! It will be interesting to see what this year will bring...?

I still haven't heard from Doc on how my "stress" testing went. No news is good news?

The bad department area, has been my sugars!

I hate the chocolatey seasons! I thought I had my chocolate addiction under control but I was wrong! Sad seasons make me want to eat comfort!? Sugar is my enemy, so why is it my comfort?

"Don't Worry...Be Happy..."...?

IT'S A SNOW DAY!

More like a blizzard day really!







This is what the weather site shows it to be...




It makes you wonder why they are into forecasting at all?


This wonderful stuff started coming down around 7:30 pm last night and I don't believe it's ever going to let up. I had to shovel my door open this morning in order to get my garbage bags to the curb for pick-up at 8:00 am...if they can make it through the storm or not. Had to shovel through big drifts in order to get to that curb. Looking around I saw that visibility was poor! I would have taken a picture of it out there...only my camera is at work?

I definitely will not be going into work today!
We aren't open to the public on Mondays because that's when I get to do my designing work and catch up on orders.

Hopefully the blowing lets up enough for me to go downtown this afternoon in order to get my medicine refiled...stupid me forgot to check it out before the weekend.

Today will be a day of rest...maybe some blogging [I've been trying to do the 100 list], work on the play design and then maybe a nap...