He's a Dream!

When I was younger I said I'd never get married. As I got a bit older, I changed my mind, but in my dreams I wasn't going to get hitched to any old Joe Shmoe. Like a lot of fantasy-obsessed young women, I dreamed of being a "kept woman," married to a wealthy, gorgeous underwear-model-type who gave me everything I wanted and took me on exotic trips. Other women would fawn over my man and tell me how fortunate I was to have him.

And then I woke up.

And married Joe Shmoe... but you know what?

I'm a kept woman. He keeps me safe and happy. He keeps my car running, keeps the rent paid, keeps track of things I forget, keeps me laughing, and keeps coming home every night after work.

He's wealthy. He has unlimited smiles, hugs, kisses, and love for me. He has a rich sense of humor and a heart of gold. He gives me everything I could want from a partner, husband, and friend.

To me, he's gorgeous. He has blue eyes and great hair and long legs and looks mighty fine in a cowboy hat and boots. Just ask Mom... ;-P

Other women love him. Our nieces run straight for him when he shows up, grab him and vie for his attention. My best friend wants to clone him. My relatives tell me I'm lucky to have him.

We go on unusual trips all the time. On our honeymoon, he took me fishing in a rainstorm. We went to the Philadelphia Asian and Italian districts, plus rode in an ambulance to the ER, for our first anniversary. We've slept in the back of a pickup at a NASCAR race, floated down a creek in a rowboat with hundreds of bats flying around us, challenged the suspension on our other truck getting to a cabin in the Smokies, been serenaded on the stage at the Grand Ole Opry (during tourist hours), come out ahead in Atlantic City, nearly got steamrollered by a pro wrestler at a match, and walked on a southern beach in shorts on New Years Day while our northern relatives were shoveling snow. We've been stranded in a broken-down vehicle more than once, climbed down a mountain in a snowstorm (lugging a deer), and seen the World's Largest Pothole. No shortage of excitement there.

And as for the underwear-model part... I buy him new underwear, he wears them. What more could I ask for?

Our anniversary is in a couple of weeks and not once in the four years we've been married or the seven years we've been together have I regretted anything. In fact, I believe my dream came true. Funny how that works!

LOVE YOU HUNNY!!! XXXOOO

A visit from the Queen

Our bucolic area isn't exactly on a list of Greatest Places to Visit. The local college isn't on Playboy's Party List. In fact, the only list we've made recently (that I know of) is 100 Weirdest Places to Visit, and that wasn't even us, it was a nearby town with an underground mine fire that's been burning for decades.

Needless to say, celebrity spotting just doesn't happen here. Maybe there are local celebs who keep a low profile (Jack Palance) or former residents stopping by (Mike Mussina) but you'll never hear of someone running into, say, Julia Roberts or even heirhead Paris Hilton (who seems to be EVERYwhere). Sometimes during Fair Week a musical guest will turn up in the Big Town, but they're usually good ol' boys like everyone else.

Somehow, though, we rated a regal visit by her Highness, Queen Oprah of the Media. Yes, Oprah Winfrey and entourage were "just passing through" and stopped at the area's classiest restaurant (natch) for some grub. Okay... nobody "just passes through" here. Turns out the Divine Miss O is documenting a road trip slated to be aired as a segment this fall. She was en route to New York; apparently someone in her group called the restaurant and made reservations for 20 people for lunch using his/her own name, and no one at the restaurant knew it was for Oprah until she walked in the door. Also not known is whether any footage was shot during her stop that might make it to air.

Restaurant owner Marty Walzer said he didn't know why Oprah chose his restaurant for dinner. "I'm almost guessing they found our Web page," he speculated. But he's not complaining.

"What could be more pleasing than to be able to show some small gesture of service to someone who has done as much as Oprah has for so many people?" said Mr. Walzer. "We were certainly very pleased and thrilled she would get that far off the interstate to eat lunch here." (source: Daily Item)

The wait staff said Oprah didn't stay long, but did pose for pictures and "left a nice tip."

Here's my six degrees: one of the gentlemen who waited on Oprah is the brother of a guy I used to work with, and I once helped on a catering job for that restaurant. (My boss's wife used to be a manager there.) So any far-flung connection I have comes through my own place of work, which has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with Oprah... unless she wants to do a segment on ballooning health-insurance premiums in high-risk labor jobs. Or investigate the mysterious "purple haze" that the large plant across the street swears is an "air inversion," not the crap they pump into the environment that makes us all choke and wheeze and tear up instantly. But I digress....

This apparently isn't her first trip to this area. My husband is from a town about 15 minutes away. He told me back when the newly-redesigned Ford Thunderbirds came out (the retro-looking ones) Oprah was looking for one in a certain color. The dealership in his hometown had one, so she went there to buy it. I haven't verified this but someone said it was a turquoise T-Bird and that sounds very Oprah-ish to me so I'm going with it.

I wish I had a new T-Bird...

Nature's Irony and Other Bits

• My husband is going to bale hay this weekend. A lot of folks have been trying to do the same but the weather hasn't been cooperating... we've had rain and hail in between the hot days for the past week or so. Yesterday was a good "drying" day with late sun and a breeze so maybe they'll be able to bale today.
  
• The head grower at work (my boss's boss) forgot to put in my vacation request again. I was actually betting on him not submitting it, but the result is that I didn't get paid for taking last weekend off. So I decided to use the time next month for another weekend. The double whammy: my boss will be on vacation... I usually take over while he's gone... now neither of us will be there, and the guy who forgot to put my vacation time in will have to step in. Bet he doesn't forget next time!
• Don't mess with Momma Nature! Yesterday I was walking through the service area/loading dock. There was a cardboard box lying on its side on top of a big soil bale. Something in the box moved when I walked by... I looked, and a young kestrel was perched on the inside edge of the box, not three feet away! I called a couple of the guys to come look, thinking maybe we could fold the flaps up, trap the bird in the box, and take him outside where there was food and light and all those things birds need. I didn't want to risk getting pecked or talon'ed, but one guy walked right up to the kestrel and carefully closed the flaps without incident. We took the box out behind the building and let the bird go in our field... he flew straight to the roof, where unbeknownst to us, a family of robins had a nest full of babies. The robins went nuts and started screeching and dive-bombing our poor little kestrel. Then a red-winged blackbird joined the cacophony, swooping at the robins AND the kestrel. Poor little guy! What a wake-up call... he hadn't quite mastered the art of flying except in a straight line, but he did get away eventually. (More about kestrels, with photos, HERE.)
• In other critter news, we watched another set of baby robins fly the coop last week. They nested on the braces right over our heads in our outdoor "lunch hut." When the last one left, after hanging around pooping on everything for three days, he went in a straight line directly from the hut towards the truck staging area. We watched, saying "He's heading for a trailer." "Is he gonna hit the side of the rig?" "Nah, he'll pull up before he gets there...." WHAP, slide, thud *little poof of dust rises* "Oh. Guess not." He was okay though. Flew off finally. Maybe a little brain damaged now, but I believe all robins are demented anyway.
• I have scrapbook fever again. For once, I was in on a "fad" when it first got big, as in a decade ago. Even though people have been making scrapbooks for ages, that was when manufacturers started coming out with a bunch of neat little gizmos and tools and templates and such. I did two or three pages before moving on to something else (My last page was my nephew's birth announcement. He's 7 now.) Last week, after looking at the hundreds of photos on my computer, I thought it would be neat to make some "hard copy" scrapbook pages and spend time with the hubby in the evenings putting it together. We went to A.C. Moore. I think my eyes bugged out a good inch... when did all this STUFF come out? Nobody even has to be creative anymore, it's all done for them! Just buy preprinted papers, preprinted titles, pre-inked stamps, premade cutouts and page kits, add a photo or two and stick it all together with some handy no-mess glue strips and you're done! Yeesh. I mean I know it's a Big Thing; scrapbook classes, groups, and shops have popped up everywhere over the past few years and some people actually DO make their own add-ons. But other than "do I put the bunny cutouts on the right side or the left?" there's hardly any skill or thinking involved anymore, as long as one has the money to buy all the premade items. I'm going to be defiant and use old-fashioned Elmer's glue.
  
• 'Nuff writing, but I want to leave you with an awesome link. This guy takes balloon animals to the level of art form... the farther down you scroll the more incredible it gets!
  

Friends and Fun

Just a bit more on the weekend...

While waiting outside a pavilion for a guest appearance to start, I got jumped! This woman came running and launched herself on me... it was Sally, a friend and former co-worker, who was at the show with her boyfriend Jack (one of my hubby's good friends). We haven't seen either of them in months so it was great to chat a bit and get a picture. Would have been nice to have dinner together, but they were leaving earlier than we were. Maybe next time.

I got a few photo ops I couldn't pass up. Here's me with two Bills: Goldberg and Carlisle Events co-founder Bill Miller.And so I don't hog the blog, here's my husband learning why he can never buy a Shelby Cobra; he doesn't fit in one!


We both got to sit in it, but Hubby was so excited that he forgot to take my photo. That's okay though. I was invited to pose for a pic in a Ford Skyliner and he wasn't. ;-P
As I said, we had a great time. Everyone was nice, food was incredible, doing it again in a few weeks (but just a day trip next time). If you're at Carlisle come say hi! We love to meet new people!

Weekend at Carlisle

Oh, where to begin?!?

We just had the most fantabulous weekend in ages... only thing that could have made it better would be if we'd gotten some fishing in somewhere. (I just found out that we're going to the cabin over the 4th of July, so look out fishies!)

Okay, if you read my car blog, you know that we went to the All-Ford Nationals at Carlisle this weekend. Our original hope was to have our Bronco on the show field for the Bronco 40th Anniversary but schedules just didn't allow it. That turned out to be a non-issue, since everything else was so much fun that we weren't too disappointed.

Quick recap: we saw a former Atlanta Falcon/WCW wrestler, got to sit in a Shelby Cobra, listened to a man recount stories from Vietnam, had a great dinner and an even better breakfast, met some nice folks, took a buttload of photos, walked a zillion miles over two days looking at cars, were given VIP passes by a Carlisle show founder, played in the mud in the parking area, saw a little Ford Focus literally smoke the bigger cars and trucks in a burnout competition, and had some of the BEST pulled-pork BBQ north of the Mason-Dixon line. (Holy pigsticks, Batman, that was awesome BBQ...)

Now we're home, and I have to cook again.

Also need to sleep... will post more over the next few days!

Redneck Einstein

My husband, he of the Northern Order of Redneckians, is a genius.

After a power surge annihilated our TV set and his computer, he had to spend an entire evening without two of his three primary sources of entertainment. (I'm the third one.) It must have annoyed him greatly; no TV, no computer, and a whopper of an insurance deductible to replace them. So Redneck Einstein went to work.

I heard the sound of large heavy things being moved, plugs being unplugged and hitting the floor, something metal being pried apart... I did not go anywhere near the living room during this time. I was almost afraid to know what he was doing. He appeared a few times, once to say we no longer had a long enough TV cable to reach across the room and to ask if there was a way to hook his monitor directly to the satellite input, once to show me the power supply from his computer, which he had not only removed but completely disassembled, and once to ask which way the computer fan was supposed to blow and if the fan connector was really necessary. I crossed my fingers and wished I'd bought that fire extinguisher I wanted.

Lo and behold, my determined genius *somehow* got both units working again. (Didn't ask, don't wanna know.) Granted, upon initial power-up, the TV made some horribly pathetic noises and the picture was wonky. But once it warmed up it worked. Ditto for the PC once he got the fan going the right direction. Saved us a deductible, a claim, and at least a week of shopping for new stuff.

Moral of the story: nothing is impossible for a properly-motivated redneck with tools at his disposal and a boatload of determination. And a good fire insurance policy. ;-)

Rainbow Brite!

Yesterday around 6 PM, after yet another rainstorm, I was leaving work and happened to notice that 1) it was dark and drizzly to the east, and 2) the sun was shining low in the west. I said to myself, "there's gotta be a rainbow out someplace!" I looked opposite the sun, just had a feeling that kept me watching the sky, and sure enough I got to see a rainbow form. It started low and faint off to my left, then gradually arched across the sky until it touched down at the other end. I took a couple of pictures (see panorama above). It was a nice bow, the usual kind, just neat to watch it happen. Then I left to go home, driving with one eye on the bow to see if it got any brighter.

And boy did it ever! I went around the curve just past my workplace and the whole road lit up in a myriad of colors. The rainbow ended on the road in front of me! It was reflecting in the wet spots and there, by the stop sign, was the brightest end-of-a-rainbow I've ever seen. Being me, and obsessed with such things, I pulled over, took a few more pictures, and then just watched the show. Enthralling! God painted a pretty picture for me yesterday!

I finally had to leave. The bow seemed to be fading and moving as the sun shifted through the clouds, but I drove through the end of it then watched it the rest of the way home as it jumped from hilltop to field. Longest-lasting series of bows I've witnessed; it was interesting to say the least. My little digital camera doesn't do justice to the intensity of the rainbow. Nor did I get any really up-close shots, since I was craning my neck upwards out of my car window at that time.


In this shot, taken farther away, you can see the beginnings of the secondary bow above the first one. (Factoid: the colors of a secondary bow are always in reverse order of the primary one.) Also, barely visible in both photos (but much more pronounced when I saw it "live") are supernumeraries, extra bands of colors below the violet band of the primary bow. They're green, blue, and magenta, thinner than the main color bands, and there is no scientific explanation for why they occur. An enigma, or God's reminder that we really can't know everything? (See also: platypus)

More about rainbows: click here!

It's Momma's Day!

Hi Mom! :-)

This is for my Main Mom (the one-and-only original), my Step-Mom (self-explanatory) and my Emergency Backup Mom (Mrs. Miller). And also to my Would-Have-Been Momma-In-Law, Harriett B, RIP 1999.

Main Mom is always there to talk (or listen to me ramble, more often than not). She keeps me posted on family goings-on and every day I do or say something just like she does... and that's not a bad thing. I wish I could go kidnap her for a day trip like we used to... "two cities, two towns, five Wal-Marts in one day!" Ugh... maybe just dinner in the city instead. I wish I lived closer.

Step-Mom makes some mean fried okra and puts up with Dad, Brother, Husband and I yapping about cars all the time. She works hard at the hospital and that's commendable. It's a tough job.

E.B.M. Mom is my friend Heather's momma. She's old-school country and a sweet lady.

Momma-In-Law told us before we'd even thought about it that we were getting married. That was a funny day... rarely am I speechless but that was one of those times! And ya know, she was right. Thanks for your blessing, your son is the light of my life.

To ALL my Mommas: I love you! Happy Day today and every day!

STING: REBUGGED

The Real Sting Forum has been hit again. Visit at your own risk. This time I got a lot of attempted downloads through FireFox, so that browser isn't even safe right now.

Webmaster should be moving the board and hopefully ending this virus streak.

More Sand Art!

New one by a different artist up on GVOD... even better, here's the artist's website with a handful of clips. www.sandfantasy.com

So addictive! I just can't help but wonder why I didn't think of it first. Cause, ya know, I could DO that... *grin*

How do you say...

How do you say "Turn that annoying crap down before I shove those gangsta rap CDs someplace that's more South End than West Side" in Spanish? Is there a direct translation?

Some guy at work today had his boom box going full blast in the upper section, subjecting everyone within earshot to the most obnoxious noise ever, made worse by the fact that it was all rapped in Spanish. And he started it at 8:00 in the morning. This is NOT my most forgiving time of day, okay? I had to go back and forth through the noise pollution several times during the morning. I'll state for the record that I'm usually tolerant of most kinds of music, including some rap, dance, techno, and even *gasp* Top 40 Pop if that's all that's on. But this stuff could have been used to torture enemy camps. Birds fell off their perches, snakes went into convulsions, and the poor humans hit up the Tylenol by the fistful to combat the instant headaches. Mr. Loud Radio and another guy were the only ones working consistently in that section, however, and past attempts to get the contract crews to turn their music down were usually unsuccessful. (Also, they seem to work a lot better when they can play their radios, and since they often get subjected to Casey Kasum we figured it was only fair to let them have their day to play whatever they liked.)

At one point there was an actual song playing (okay, it was Wild Cherry's "Funky Music" but compared to the other stuff it sounded like Tchaikovsky to me) and I did a little goofy happy dance. Mr. Loud Radio saw me. He came over, looking sheepish, and turned off the radio, explaining "Es mi hermano, he like," shrugging and pointing to his brother off in the distance. And then: "Okay, I play for you." And he put in more gangsta rap, this time in English, apparently just for me. Oh yay.

Here's the really sad part... it got stuck in my head. *Sob*

I've been playing 80s one-hit wonders since I got home to try to get those lyrics (are they called lyrics?) out of my mind... I'm about to take drastic measures. I have Neil Diamond at the ready... Wish me luck.

The Real Sting Forum Update

4/24 UPDATE: TRS Forum is back online! Our Webmaster found nothing wrong with the site itself. HOWEVER there is still a bug in Internet Explorer attached to the site URL somehow. Netscape, Firefox, AOL etc. users have not had any problems, it's just IE. If any member is still getting the pop-ups and attempted download, I recommend using a different browser to access TRS Forum. I use Firefox and rarely have any spyware/adware issues at all.

Thanks again for your patience, hope to see you all on the forum!


Hello friends and guests,

The Real Sting Forum* will be offline until we can eliminate a virus that a hacker has attached to the site. If you go to the forum URL and are prompted to download anything, DO NOT do so! You may need to close your browser to get rid of the script pop-ups; if your screen freezes, bring up your task manager (ctrl/alt/del) then cancel running the forum and Internet Explorer.**

Also, a fraudulent email was sent to several members through TRS, with a brief message and a link. This link is the same virus attached to the forum. Please do not click any links in emails sent from TRS until further notice. For utmost caution, just don't open any emails at all that claim to be from TRS until we can eliminate the virus and get our forum going again. (The downloader/link will have the name "traffmoney.biz" in the text.)

I will post any updates here until the site is back to normal. I apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience while our forum is restored.

I'd like to know how many of you received the email and/or got the download notification when you visited the forum. Please email me at

cjupiter @ gmail. com (eliminate spaces) and tell me what happened and what internet browser you are using.

*The main site is working fine as far as I know. I didn't get any virus warnings when accessing it, only the forum.

**FireFox and NetScape users do not seem to have a problem opening the site; I believe the virus runs through Internet Explorer.

Thanks again,
~CJ
TRS Admin

Critter Clips!

GVOD had some good videos up today. The two that captured my attention were, as usual, animal clips. (My favorite of all time was the silly cat one, which I believe was a montage taped off America's Funniest Videos, but according to GVOD's webmaster the clip is no longer on Google. Drat! I watched that one over and over... if anyone has it hosted elsewhere, please send me a link!) The embeddable player code is still not working, so the links take you to the videos on GVOD.

The first highlights the incredible intelligence and trainability of (at least one) of our canine companions. Royal Lipizzaners move over... this dog dances to Grease!

Coolest Dog Vid

The second one is one of those things where you go "Oh man, it's 10 minutes long... I don't have time for that." Then you think "Well, I really want to see some funny cats, so I'll just watch the first 30 seconds or so." Four minutes later you're thinking "I should stop now, but these are pretty cool." And then "Dang, it's over?!?" It really sucks you in. It's a bunch of goofy and awesome cat photos. Can't go wrong there, so if you're a cat lover in need of a laugh set aside 10 minutes for this. It's cute!

Bring on the Catness

It Has Begun...

At work today, in our plant, the spring season officially started.

Now, our actual spring season began back in February, with potting and organizing and growing a few things at a time. Then as potting continued and the houses filled up, it became busier for us growers, esp. those of us who have small crews. Shipping began last month in some other areas; last week it reached us. But today was the first actual day of total disorganized chaotic nonsense shipping in our plant. The crew pulling from my section was slow all day, and they weren't done by 3:30 when they were supposed to leave. As a result, more people were called down to help at 4:00. I was unable to do my part until the plants were loaded and labeled, so I couldn't finish my job until they did theirs, resulting in me clocking out almost an hour later. The stickering and tagging process was haphazard at best, with missed pots everywhere and nobody having any idea who had the stickers or the care tags most of the time. This could have been avoided had the crew worked faster earlier and had people designated to do certain tasks. By the end of the day I was stickering pots just to help get them done so we could all go home.

And growers still aren't allowed to have overtime. Meaning anyone like myself who worked late has to leave early or come in late sometime before this week's pay period ends to negate the extra time worked. This really messes with our grower schedule.

On top of the crazy day, I found out that one of our best crew members is leaving us for an office job within the company. She's going to work with Availability and was offered a full-time position and a wage increase. I don't suppose I blame her, but the job itself sucks. I stay far, far away from the office politics but she's going to be right in the middle of it. I hope she does well; I know she wanted the core-employee status from the day she was hired. What I don't understand is why management approached one of our best growers when we're in such short supply already. Her husband is a grower in a different section that's often short-handed and I'm sure he's wondering the same thing.

Her transfer leaves me as the only female on a five-man crew. Blah. It really bites to be a female in charge of a bunch of guys. And my boss is male, and so is his boss... At least with S. around the scales were somewhat balanced. (Insert joke here: how many men does it take to do the job of one woman? Heh heh.) I'm going to miss working with her terribly... this is the second one we've lost to the office but S. is by far my favorite. My guys are going to be awfully mopey tomorrow when they find out. Ms. Hattie's leaving us? *Shock*

Side note: One of our section growers is having a particularly rough spring again. She was muttering to herself on the way out and looking frazzled, so I told her (in jest) to go home and have a Valium cocktail and she'd be fine. That got a laugh and a retort that she was going to make it a double... I hope she has enough to share, cause today is just the beginning.

75 Years of Golden Goodness

It's Twinkie time! The Twinkie is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. I honored this milestone by eating one for breakfast.

Twinkie History, from the Hostess website (www.twinkies.com):

The Hostess brand got its start in Indianapolis in 1925. Continental Baking Company purchased a bakery called Taggart that was selling popular new bread called Wonder (maybe you've heard of it). Continental began selling Wonder Bread as its national bread brand but needed a line of cakes to sell alongside. Hostess cake was born, including the chocolate cup cake which is still popular today.
Continental hit the sponge cake gold mine in 1930 when Jimmy Dewar invented Twinkies. Seeing a need for an inexpensive product during the depression, Dewar made use of shortcake pans that were only used during the strawberry season. Dewar's idea was to inject the shortcake with a banana crème filling to make them a year-round treat and sell them two for a nickel. Dewar's quest for a catchy name ended on his way to St. Louis to present his sweet invention. Driving down the highway he passed a billboard advertising Twinkle Toe shoes, and from this the Twinkies name evolved.
The Twinkies' popularity skyrocketed and it soon became Hostess' best-selling snack cake. During World War II a banana ration caused Continental to switch to the vanilla crème center that is loved today. Twinkies have become an American icon and nearly half a billion are made each year.

Side Notes:
~There is a promotional tie-in with the release of the movie Kong on DVD. For a limited time, banana Twinkies are available again. And they're pretty good, too!

~There's also a Twinkie cookbook. I was watching a morning entertainment show where the hosts sampled some of the recipes and all I could think was "Why mess with perfection?" Having said that, I will admit to eating an occasional fried Twinkie at the fair but that's it. Okay, who am I kidding... I bought a fried Twinkie KIT so I could make them at home. Now go away before the sugar kicks in and I hurt you. I'll claim the Twinkie Defense.

~And finally, the T.W.I.N.K.I.E.S. Project. Been around a decade but just as amusing now as it ever was. (I did an "Environmental Longevity Test" on a Twinkie once, by leaving it in my locker at work for about 8 months. Through three seasons of alternating heat and cold the Twinkie remained mostly unchanged, though the package did get some tiny, sticky droplets on the inside. It still tasted good when I remembered it was in there ended the experiment.)

They Went That-a-way

Didn't go to Reading after all. Some friends called and asked if we wanted to go north instead, to hit Best Buy and dinner at Old Country Buffet, so we picked them up and made a day of it.

As we were leaving Best Buy, my friend H. said "Hey, let's stop in Bed, Bath & Beyond for a sec." I thought the guys would mutter and roll their eyes while the women oohed and aahed over linens, but we went with a promise that we'd only spend fifteen minutes in there.

I shouldn't have worried about the guys. My husband was dragging ME around to show me things, and H's fiance began making mental lists of the accessories he wants to put in his (future) pool room. He also got sidetracked by pepper grinders while my hubby was showing me the benefits of a magnetic spice rack. H. and I eventually made our way to the towels... the Great Wall of Towels, that is... and we determined that we each need at least three bathrooms and a cabana to get all the styles we liked. My honey flipped out over a small-scale replica of an old gas pump, the kind with the clear fuel canister, complete with functioning pump nozzle, for dispensing adult beverages (or Italian soda syrup, or whatever). He loved it.

As usual, we didn't buy anything, but I did get some ideas for how to redo our bathroom. And I have a sneaking suspicion that magnetic spice cans are in my future. Hubby *really* liked those.

Reading about Reading

My husband just asked me, out of the blue, if I wanted to ride down to Reading today. I thought about it.

Hmm... Reading has one of the best Chinese buffet/hibachi restaurants I've been to. The VF Factory Outlet Mall is there near the old railroad yard, and while I'm not much of an outlet shopper, this one happens to contain Reading China and Glass, my favorite kitchen store. I wander around in awe until the hubby reminds me of the closeout toy store downstairs, and off we go. We have to pass the gelato place en route, always a temptation! Then there's the bookstore, a must-stop. And finally the tool store... we save that for last because my husband will stay in there until they close, telling me all about bench grinders and jigsaws and whether he needs a cordless drill with more voltage and look honey there's the one I like right there! And it comes with a circular saw, sander, and flashlight! OOOOoooo! (He's so funny, as bad as me in the kitchen store. We never buy anything either... we just have a blast looking.)

Of course... Hubby didn't actually mention it, as it needs no reminder... on the way to Reading just *happens* to be the Mecca of the Outdoors... Cabela's. I think they have huge fine-tuned magnets hidden along the highway that gradually pull pickup trucks right off the road into the parking lot. And subliminal messages on the radio saying "You need... an Abu Garcia baitcast reel... a tabletop laser boresighter... a box of .30-06 rounds... come to Cabelllllaaaaaassssss..." If that isn't enough, one can see the sign glowing for miles along the highway. (Before we went there the first time, I asked a redneck co-worker for directions. He said "Head down 61 until the clouds part, the sky lights up and you hear angels singing. You can't miss it." LOL!)
The place is beyond huge: 250,000 sq. ft! They have an aquarium where you will always, without fail, find some guy wearing a NASCAR hat, flannel shirt, and boots, staring at a big fish and licking his lips while muttering "that's some nice filets right there." When we're there, that man will be my husband, so go up and say hi. He'll be carrying a new black jitterbug and a spool of Stren.

www.cabelas.com

But should I get pink or blue camo?

A very happy birthday to my smart little nephew, who turned 7 this week! He wants to be a donut maker or a scientist when he grows up. Or a video game maker. I think he could make a game about scientists creating new donuts. He's a real wonder sometimes.

And happy birthday to my beautiful niece, 11 next week! Already! I still think she got the horse fever from me and there ain't a thing wrong with that. She's gone farther with her riding than I ever did. You go girl! Do what you love best!

Also... by the end of the year I'll have a brand-new birthday to announce... stay tuned.

Camouflage onesies rock. That is all.

It's WHAT?

Yesterday the sun was out, and I ran all over work watering wilted plants. Was supposed to get a little bit of rain last night or this morning, then sunshine again.

Well...

When I looked out my window at 7 AM, I thought I was hallucinating. There was 3 inches of snow out there. I was late for work because I hadn't planned on having to clean snow off my truck.

I didn't get to play in it, though; sun came out around 10 and by noon most of the white stuff was gone. And I ended up running all over watering wilted plants again. Hubby had to drive to Philadelphia and he's just now coming in... got to go!

But I'm Much Better Now

There's something a lot of people don't know about me. I was once in the closet. And I came out of the closet, and went back in it, and came out, etc etc ad nauseaum. Only my closest friends at the time knew. I mean, I kept it under wraps... pretty embarrassing to admit I was ever in it, or to be seen coming out. I couldn't win either way.

That closet was small and narrow. Not a whole lot of room in there. It was close and stifling, but the real world was right outside the door, hence my bouncing back and forth a lot. I really wanted to join that outside world but it was pretty scary. Sometimes strangers would make rude comments, flirt aggressively, invite me to questionable parties, try to take advantage of me... but on the other hand, it was exciting and usually fun, at least for someone new to the scene. A whole 'nother world was outside that closet and all I had to do was step out.

Or in my case, crawl out... you see, the closet was in a garage converted into a studio apartment. A small studio. There was a single-unit stove/fridge/cupboard that couldn't have been more than 2 feet wide, a teeny bathroom and upright shower, and enough room left over for a fold-out couch and a TV set and a little table. The only door was a single sliding-glass one that caught on the frame a lot. And there was a closet.

There were three of us attempting to cohabit in this space. Repeat: three adult-sized human persons living in a glorified single-car garage. Two of them (male persons) slept on the couch; in order to fold it out, they had to put the table up and rearrange whatever items were in the way, which was anything larger than a deck of cards. When I arrived I was invited to share the couch with the two guys. But my eye was on that closet... All our clothes hung on the rack and I made my space in the three feet below the clothes. Added an alarm clock, bedding, and a book light and presto! I was the only one there who had my own room!

The downside was that if I got up before the bed was put away for the day (and it often wasn't) I'd have to climb over a roommate or two to get to the bathroom or the door. I banged my shins/knees/toes countless times on the frame. Woe to the person who left his shoes on the floor the night before, as he would have to wedge himself under the saggy bed to find them. I left mine (white-and-turquoise L.A. Gear hightops with smiley-face laces) outside on the patio until somebody stole them. After I got new ones they went in the closet with me along with everything else I owned at the time. I could no longer stretch my legs out all the way but my stuff was safe.

That wee bit of space was home to some wild goings-on. Ever seen one of those deals where some college kid tries to see how many of his buddies will fit in a VW Bug? That was the apartment on a party night. Someone would bring some tunes, someone else showed up with a bottle, and before we knew it there'd be a dozen people crammed in there. On a few occasions wherever a person fell, they stayed for the night, so in the morning I'd open my closet door to see a pile of bodies all askew on the floor and the (unopened) couch. I don't remember most of their names, if I ever knew.

Other times I'd be trying to sleep, but one of my roomies was a Nintendo freak, the type of guy who will play the same game overandoverandover for hours on end until he beat the game or the rental place sent him nasty letters. At that time it was Tiny Toon Adventures. He refused to turn down the volume, too, saying he liked the theme music and couldn't play without it. (Side note: his addiction cost him his job.) My other roommate had a job and was gone most of the time, but when he was there his jealous, spoiled, foulmouthed witch of a girlfriend would come by sometimes to scream at him. Or the other guy, if her BF wasn't around, because he wasn't around. They got married eventually and now they're divorced. Didn't see THAT coming!

I finally had to move. My share of the rent went up to a whopping $80, Roomie 2's girlfriend hated me (I think she hated everyone though), and Tiny Toons was driving me Looney Tooney. I said goodbye to my closet, came out of it for the last time and left for new adventures in apartment-sharing... and those are more than I want to think about right now.

Dang, I miss those shoes.

Where were you?

Today, at 1:02 PM, the time and date read as follows:

01:02:03 04/05/06

It won't happen again in your lifetime!

I QUIT.

That's it. I'm done. I'm pulling the plug on the computer, calling my boss to play him a Johnny Paycheck song*, throwing some clothes in a bag and I'm gone. Outta here. Removing myself from this part of society for a while, going underground even.

I need a reality vacation. Look out California! Brudda, I'm coming to see you. Hope you don't mind if I crash on the floor, or under the table like I did last time, if the couch is currently occupied. I miss being who I was, when everything took care of itself in that laid-back, we'll worry-about-it-after-siesta kinda way. I miss my purple hair and my combat boots and midnight picnics and lying on the roof. And I miss my friends... even Fraggle.

My darling husband will be fine. He wore cologne for someone else today, when he'll hardly ever wear any for me. And when I asked him about it, he said he was flirting with a co-worker... a MALE co-worker. Just lovely. I wondered why he was always buying stuff for the guy and taking him snacks and treats. And why the guy's in his 40s and isn't married and would never accept an invitation to come over for dinner. Un-freaking-believable. I guess being in a truck with someone 8-10 hours a day brings you closer. I never thought it would be THAT close. Ew ew ew!

So that's it. Tuesday morning I'm gone. I have some things to square away Monday, otherwise I'd be on my way tonight. Anyone in between here and there who wants to play host to a slightly jaded, currently bitter woman in need of a distraction, gimme a buzz. I'm talking to you, B in D/FW and J in NM!

*"Take This Job and Shove It"

Master Artisan at work!

What a beautiful, perfect day He made!

I was amped from the time I got up this morning. Went in to work with a gung-ho attitude, where absolutely nothing was going to be too much for me to do. And it wasn't! Even though we were still short-staffed, the whole aura of the day was such that I felt we could accomplish a whole crew's work with only two or three, and we did! I love that positive feeling. I even stayed an hour late to finish up so the boss and a co-worker could leave and for once it didn't feel "draggy" like it usually does.

The weather had so much to do with it. It was cool this morning, but I had shorts on by 9 AM. Maybe a bit optimistic on my part, as it was mostly overcast and a chill wind picked up about 9:15, but inside the greenhouses it was nice. The clouds blew over in huge rolling chunks, spitting a bit of rain that always sounds so good on a plastic roof. In between the sun would shine just enough to maintain 55-60 degrees. I couldn't resist stepping outside periodically to enjoy it and look at the sky. This was my absolute favorite kind of spring day. Today, I was just high on life and feeling incredibly blessed. I was inspired and on fire!

At lunch, I scooted down to the Amish market to pick up lunch for myself and a co-worker and while I was there stepped back to my childhood. I bought a Whoopie Pie. Haven't had one since I was a very small child, and I believe due to the resulting sugar-rush chaos my grandmother was forbidden to ever give me another one! A Whoopie Pie is a cake sandwich, kind of. Two three- or four-inch rounds of cake with that cloyingly sweet, thick, lard-and-sugar frosting in between. Absolutely no nutritional value whatsoever... you can feel your teeth corroding as you eat one... why parents let children have these things is beyond me. But I got a pumpkin one today and it was really tasty. Now I don't need another one for the next 20 years or so. (Said Whoopie Pie had nothing to do with above-mentioned inspiration! It just added to the experience.)

I went out around 4 PM to sit down and take a five-minute brain dump... just let my mind wander away from work so I could soak up the atmosphere without interference... best five minutes of the day, right there. Everyone was gone; it was quiet except for the wind blowing across the roofs. I could smell wet grass, saw a kestrel clinging to a power line with his feathers blown up over his head like a fur hat, heard a killdeer screeching as it claimed its new territory, felt the chill of the air in contrast with the sun's rays... and gave a bit of thanks to He who created it all.

My Hero!

Forget the crack-ferret. I love Scrat!

Tried to embed the video but it wouldn't work for some reason. So here's the link:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6736485077799381484&q=gone+nutty&pl=true

ZZZZZZzzzzz wha...? Oh, hello.

Lost a couple hours tonight to the Couchmonster. I sat down to sort some stuff and next thing I knew, my husband was home and asking how to cook pork chops. Even though I thought I was dreaming, turns out I wasn't; he really wanted to know. (I found out later he meant "which way" as in baked, fried etc... should have realized if it's meat, he can cook it. Usually better than I can.) I got up around 7:00 to find the kitchen clean and the table ready, but he was still waiting for me to actually make supper and had fortified himself in the meantime with cheese danish. Poor guy... I told him he really should be more assertive when trying to get me to wake up, but he replied that if I didn't hear him washing the dishes, as he wasn't being quiet about it at all in hopes the noise would get me up, then I probably needed the sleep.

That's the thing about being so amped most of the time. When I keep myself focused I can go like a ferret on crack, but once I lose that focus I crash pretty hard. That's one of the reasons I avoid the living room. Comfy surface + mind-numbing television = I am out within 60 seconds, usually. Can't sit and watch TV unless it's incredibly riveting or I'm in the mood for funny videos; usually I watch a minute, go do something else, come back, go away, etc. Same thing happens at work. As soon as I sit at my desk for five minutes I start to nod off. I had to turn down an office job last year because of that... a manager asked if I wanted to help get the new system ready, but I had to be honest and tell him there wasn't enough caffeine in the world for me to sit at a desk all day and do data entry. Just the idea itself made me sleepy.

Another bad thing about crash-and-burn effect is that I don't bounce right back, bright-eyed and bushytailed. There is no such thing as a ten-minute power nap for me. Once I'm out, I can sleep for 12 hours straight, if circumstances allow. Sometimes more. From crack-ferret to tree sloth in the blink of... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

*Above photo courtesy of HubbyCam.

I love piano!

Someone in the downstairs apartment is playing Black Sabbath. "Ironman" played on an upright piano is interesting. Much better than "Heart And Soul" in an endless loop!

As I was walking up to my porch, my dad drove by and honked. It must be spring because he was driving the '73 Electra. That 455 sounds soooo good... you can actually hear the dollar signs chinging at the gas pump when he hits the accelerator. He keeps trying to sell it to me, presumably so he can go buy a Nova. Or anything else that doesn't have a big-block which only runs on premium.

For the first time this year I had to close the shade blankets in the middle of the day to protect the plants from that odd bright thing called the sun. Caladium burns easily and after living under clouds since they were bulbs, the poor things were falling over once the sunshine hit. Many of the employees broke out their shorts and t-shirts today so there were a lot of pasty white legs running around. Tomorrow it's supposed to be in the high 60s and all the way to 70 on Friday. That means 80-90 in the hothouses. Guess I better find my shorts and start working on my sock tan. (Can't wear open-toe shoes there. Every year I get a nice tan on my legs, except for the ankles down, which makes me look as though I stepped in a bucket of white paint. When I wear sandals or heels on my days off it looks ridiculous, but even sillier is trying to use self-tanner on my feet and turning them orange... YES I've done it. Shut up.)

Piano stopped. Drat, she had a nice bass thing going on... I was about to go into the bathroom to listen better. Great acoustics in there and the downstairs sounds are amplified, especially if one sits in the tub. (Which I do, on occasion.) I don't think it works the same for them, though. Their bathroom is on the other end of the apartment, under the old attic stairwell. Good, cause I don't think they want to hear me playing mauling my harmonica too often!

Tuesday is my Monday

And I'm rockin' the typical return-to-work headache. I'd take a Tylenol but with all the dope the doc wants me on I'm unwilling to add anything else. He called me to say my thyroid levels had gone high enough to warrant a low-dose thyroid pill. Oh goodie. That's 4 pills a day, one of them twice a day, and I'm not even close to 40 yet. *Sigh* At least two of them are over-the-counters and not serious pharmaceuticals.

I want to just dump them all. I mean, I hate putting stuff like that in my system... I know it's doing some good, but still... I don't even like taking aspirin if I can avoid it. (Only thing I'll swear by is TheraFlu, and only when I actually have the flu.) I'm going to switch BC and get off the hormones this year, so that's one less thing, but I just wish I could can it all and chew roots and herbs or whatever instead.

OK... I'm thinking about this now... what else am I putting into my system? Additives, preservatives, food dyes, more than likely chemicals and fertilizers at work, city water (mmm! chock-full o' chlorine!), processed sugars, hybrid and hormonally enhanced vegetables, and Pop-Tarts. A couple pills probably aren't anywhere near that bad now that I think about it. The Pop-Tarts alone are worse, I'll betcha. Let's not even start on cocktail weenies.

In other news: I'm searching for an elusive Unicorn. #121 for those in the know. I'll trade an Elf Queen and Cleopatra... and throw in a Pirate for good measure.

My darling hubby pulled one over on me last night. He wanted to stop at his sister and BIL's house; I didn't feel like going in, as I was tired and sore, so he did the visiting while I catnapped in the truck. When he came back I was informed that 1. he invited them over soon to play the CSI board game we gave them and 2. since they were coming over, he told them to bring their recent vacation photos so I could scan them on the computer and adjust them. And then he said they have a bunch of them...

Thanks hunny!... ?

So... I have to not only make my house presentable (no big deal, just give me a deadline) but I've also been volunteered to be a photo editor for the evening. I don't really mind because that will give me a reason not to play the CSI game. (I don't watch the show and probably wouldn't get it.) I like visiting with them though. Nice folks. Wonder if he volunteered me to cook supper too? I want to make some pulled-pork BBQ, sounds like a good a time as any. Show these Yankees what real BBQ is. And it AIN'T sloppy joes!

Sunday Morning Comin' Down

I am frustrated with the lack of 24-hour food establishments here. There are two, neither local: one is Denny's and the other is a truck stop. There's a diner over in the big town but it closes at night and when it's open it's either full of college kids or their visiting relatives. DINERS AREN'T SUPPOSED TO CLOSE! I guess that one does to avoid drunken frat boys from trashing the place at 3 AM. That's reasonable. They trash the streets enough as it is.

We need a Waffle House. Not here, in my town, but in the new development near the truck stop. Or even better, an IHOP. While I'm dreaming, how about a good buffet-style restaurant? The new Chinese one by the new Wal-Mart sucks; we'll drive 30 miles to eat Chinese rather than go there again. But I'm talking Old Country Buffet or Ryan's or something like that. Preferably a place with a breakfast buffet. One can GET breakfast at Denny's, Cracker Barrel, etc. but there are no breakfast buffets in the area.

Tomorrow morning we are going to get up, get in the vehicle, and drive to a city an hour away in time for OCB's breakfast. I have a mad craving for scrambled eggs with cheese and mushrooms on top. And silver dollar pancakes, and fruit and danish and grits and stuff. Now, we're on a shopping mission as well, so it isn't a frivolous trip. I need work shoes/boots and jeans; hubby wants to price tires for both trucks, which we're going to need soon; and of course we're scoping out all the car dealers as usual.

That's what we're going for. What will happen: we'll have breakfast, head for the flea market, look at cars, lose track of time, and wind up at either Best Buy or Wal-Mart since everything else is closed. I'll try on three pairs of jeans and none will fit right. If we make it to Gander Mountain before they close, they'll have the exact pair of work boots I want, but they won't be on sale (or will be, and they won't have my size) and I'll end up writing down the brand and searching for them on the internet, only to find that everyone is out of stock. Then two weeks from now I'll walk into Boscov's and pick up a different brand on sale for 75% off and be out the door in 10 minutes. (Oh who am I kidding? It's BOSCOV'S! More like an hour, if the Auditorium is open.)

That's what ALWAYS happens, but I keep trying anyway. I like wandering around in Gander Mountain. They had these sweaters... felt like clouds... I could never afford one, but I'd pick one up and carry it around the store with me like a stuffed animal just because it was so incredibly soft and wonderful. Only time I can recall ever wanting a white sweater. Boscov's had some robes like that too. I wanted to climb in the middle of the rack like I did as a kid and just stand there feeling all light and fuzzy. Now I'm imagining a memory-foam mattress and a warm, soft chenille blanket. I have neither, but I'm so tired I think I'll let my imagination take over.

The hubby and I went up to my dad's tonight. My stepmom's sister and her daughter are in town; they drove stepmom's mother up and are flying home Saturday. My step-grandma will be here for the next 6 months. She's OK, a southern genteel woman with a classic drawl. It's her little dog... "Jakeypoo" is 50% poodle, 50% bichon, and 100% annoying. He yaps, he piddles when he's scared, he yaps some more, he jumps around or waves his widdle paws like bichons do, and he yaps. When he yaps, the other two dogs bark. When the other two bark, he runs yapping even louder. And SG is so paranoid that the big dog (Rott/Lab) is going to eat Jakeypoo that she starts with the worrying and fussing. It's a cacophony only the deaf could tolerate.

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Dad saw a mountain lion tonight! Pennsylvania doesn't have any, according to the Game Commission, but there have been random sightings. Dad, stepmom, the neighbor, and one of the guys putting on the neighbor's roof have all seen this cat at one time or another over the past few years. Tonight Dad said it crossed the lower part of the driveway when he was pulling in. How cool! I wanna get a picture of it. I haven't seen any wild cats since I've been here, except the ones at wildlife exhibits and a rescue habitat. Neat that one of the rare big cats is on our property from time to time. There used to be a family of bobcats up on the ridge behind the house; I heard them once or twice but never saw one myself. Dad's seen them with two kittens in the field. Goal this year: photograph a wild kitty. Preferably from a distance!

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Met another "Greenhouse God" today. Ron Derrig, horticultural consultant, makes an occasional tour through one of our sites; this time it was ours, and I was invited to go along on part of the tour. Although I've seen him before (and read his tour notes and articles whenever I get them) I never got introduced until today. This man is a walking horticulture encyclopedia. Most of our techniques and rates come from his notes and suggestions and if we have an enigma he's the one our head grower calls. I learned some valuable info about PGRs (plant growth regulators) today and was very happy to listen to him speak. Would have loved to go on the whole tour but even my supervisor had to break away... lots of work to get done! Gearing up for a madhouse weekend... again, not enough people and a lot of ground to cover, plus the potting crews will be working Saturday so we lost another "catch-up" day when we can spray or do other things without people driving carts or setting new plants down all over the place. Spring has sprung and we're sproinging around like crazy... and it only gets springier from here!

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Stepmom's sister is from down Bama way, and she made REAL southern sweet tea up at Dad's. I had to... just half a glass... after some South Carolina muscadine cider I took up there. Yeah, I was in liquid heaven tonight.

Sweet tea rocks. That is all.

Flashback Post

I love this picture. I must have been really ticked about something!

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Work is picking up rapidly. They're opening our last greenhouse tomorrow so we'll be spread pretty thin covering it plus the other two. Four people + eight acres = busy! Our company president was in today... he got sidetracked in one of the other plants, so I didn't get to meet him. Boss said we might be asked about how we're achieving our K.R.A.s (Key Results Areas), which include efficiency, productivity, and order fulfillment... the site manager quizzed me about it, and I said K.R.A. stood for Kick Royal A$$, which is what we're going to do this year... she laughed. I didn't come up with that, either; another co-worker did but I think it will be our motto for Spring 2006. K.R.A! K.R.A! Last year's was Git 'Er Done. (props to Larry the Cable Guy.)

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Toasted Marshmallow Jelly Bellys rock. That is all.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all my fellow Irishpersons! Sláinte!

May you always have work for your hands to do.
May your pockets hold always a coin or two.
May the sun shine bright on your windowpane.
May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

When we drink, we get drunk.
When we get drunk, we fall asleep.
When we fall asleep, we commit no sin.
When we commit no sin, we go to heaven.
So, let's all get drunk, and go to heaven!


ERIN GO BRAGH

Dinner of Champions... or just us.

Breakfast for dinner is a wonderful thing. I'm not a morning-breakfast person, never was, and besides the last thing I want to do when I get up is cook. Putting on the full spread at a more reasonable hour is a lot more fun, and I have less tendency to burn myself!

On a whim, I called Dad and my brother and invited them over for "breakfast" tonight, causing momentary confusion on my brother's part. He did get the part about "come over and eat" and that was all he needed to know! Standard fare... pancakes, sausage, toast, hash browns and dippy eggs. NOT the healthiest of meals, but since I rarely eat that kind of thing I guess it's OK.

I made the best dippy eggs I've ever cooked! Didn't break a one, and they were perfect. Funny since I don't eat them that way. I scramble mine and put ketchup on them. Everyone else likes over-easy so I had to learn to do 'em up right.

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Work was interesting today. I learned that over the past 2 days, a water main for our floor heat came apart (with a whoosh!), one fertilizer injector stopped working again (On Saturday I had canceled the work order to get it fixed), production crew hung the wrong group of baskets before they were rooted, all the environmental changes I'd made on the computer had to be redone due to the loss of floor heat, two mini-injectors are broken, and the only two ATVs that are rigged with hitches to pull our 200-gallon sprayer aren't running. Boss has been gone since Thursday and he'll come back tomorrow to a stack of notes on his desk. Oh, I love a busy day! Absolutely no sarcasm there... in spite of the nonfunctioning items, I get a rush when things go awry. It makes me think of ways to get around them and still get the work done. Thinking outside the box was one of the Leadership exercises we did in that meeting and it's one of my specialties.

I picked up another dead snake in one of the hoophouses today. Poor little guy. Looked like somebody squished him... wish they'd leave the snakes alone! :-( I also taped a "No Critters" sign to the trash can by the office. The people in there tend to dump mouse carcasses in the can instead of outside in the dumpster, and we don't find out about it until we smell it. Ew.

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Fazermints ROCK. That is all.

The Party

Not as many people as I expected there. Met some of hubby's family I'd never met before. One aunt is a minister who goes around to retirement homes to preach. Another aunt and uncle told us about a house for sale by owner, which we're going to look at; then we got to reminiscing about Sequoia Park. Food was OK, the sister who organized the party went a bit overboard so our share came out to be twice what we expected. But Dad's only turning 60 once! Might as well make the most of it.

We called B's grandfather to see if he was coming. He was, and did, and it was nice to chat with him again. The man is a riot. Case in point:

FYI, the bottles were not actual liquor, but the gun was an actual .357 Magnum. (Unloaded of course.) Pop wanted to see it so I grabbed the camera... he's 92, by the way. Just now starting to "slow down a bit." Gotta love him! (Sidetrack: this photo reminds me of Grandma Mazur shooting the turkey in a Janet Evanovich novel. If you've read the Stephanie Plum mysteries you're laughing to yourself right now.)

Hubby, his sister's boyfriend, and the kids had fun target-shooting with the .22 and his crossbow. They plinked coffee cans hung from a tree. Somebody brought out a shotgun and decimated the cans. This is what one of his family parties entails, y'all. Food, weapons, and endless banter among the guests. And usually at least one drama... this time it was subdued, but the drama was there nonetheless. Ah well, makes things interesting.

Miscellaneous

• The fish fry was good, except for a couple of things. One, my friend H. stood us up, which she's never done before, and didn't call to tell us she wasn't coming. Apparently she had some home issues and wanted to go hide for a while. Understandable. It just wasn't as fun without her. Two, my husband remembered to tell me that my uncle had a stroke. This was several hours after he learned about it from my dad. Of course I called Dad and found out that it happened three days ago and Uncle was home already. Gotta love the "oh, by the way" mentality of people up here. *Shakes head* Hubby's family is the same way.
• The gall of some people... we got separate checks for our group of three and our friends' group of four. Their tab was over $50 and they each pitched in a dollar for the tip. We took up table space at a popular restaurant for two hours and had a great waitress, and they left her four bucks. I swapped it out for a ten and some singles, all the cash I had, combining the tip on our smaller bill with theirs to make the minimum 15%. And I still felt bad. She deserved 20%.
• Got a new washer and dryer! Totally unexpected. A woman Hubby delivered to asked if he knew anyone who wanted her W/D set, as she'd just bought a stack unit to make more space in her laundry room. He looked at the set: Kenmore Elite, less than 2 years old! Oh yeah, he knew someone all right. We swapped out our ancient almond-colored set for these newer white ones and finally our kitchen appliances are all the same color. I had to figure out the controls because I've never had one that didn't have knobs and dials before. All electronic push-buttons... wow. Praise the Lord, we won't have to fix the old dryer every six months anymore. Bless that woman.
• The Leadership meeting ran a half-hour over. It was fun, in a way. The site manager at one point was talking about giving concise instruction to trainees, as most people's attention span is about 20 seconds before they start to tune out. Very ironic since we were in a 4 1/2 hour meeting, and she kept interrupting the training to go on and on and on about whatever. I don't remember; my attention wandered and I tuned out. ;-P They had a couple of logic excercises with prizes. I won a nice Day Planner. I love logic puzzles!
• Off to Dad's birthday party now. Hubby wants to go over early to help set up; if it wasn't raining and if I could afford to waste the gas I'd wait and go over in a couple of hours by myself. I just don't like being over there waiting. Never was too comfortable at his brother's house. He's taking his .22 and some targets so if the rain stops at least I can go out and shoot something. Whee!

New Blog!

Since I like to talk about cars so much, I started a blog just for that purpose.
www.alteregomutters.blogspot.com

Going to post the car stuff over there from now on. Check it out, feedback welcome!

In other news... well, there isn't much, actually. Next two days will be busy at work; tomorrow I have a Leadership meeting to attend for four long hours, but at least lunch is provided. Saturday there's only two of us in my plant so I expect to be running around like crazy all day. I wish I could skip that meeting to get some work done in advance but I guess it's mandatory attendance. Fooey.

I won't be able to take St. Patrick's Day off this year. Double fooey! I haven't been to a real St. Pat's Day celebration since I lived down south, when I'd go to Savannah every year. One of these years I'm going to book a plane ticket just to fly down for a couple of days. I just want to hang out and soak up atmosphere, listen to the street musicians, eat crawdads, and people-watch. This year I'm working Friday and Saturday so catching the parade in Wilkes-Barre is out. Might just go have a wee nip of Bailey's or Irish Mist with my dad and toast our Irish heritage. Did you know that there are more people of Irish descent in the U.S. than there are in Ireland? Faith and begorrah!

My mother got a really great deal on a cool old chair, gold curved frame with red cushions... she calls it the Throne... I'd love to have a place for something like that. It would go well with my planned Victorian-themed room. I have the rug and draperies (and bay window!) but haven't moved up to actual furniture yet. Or the actual room to put said furniture in. Someday...

Booked a table for eight at an all-you-can-eat fish fry tomorrow night. The Creekside has the most delicious fish, it's cheap, and we've got a group of friends to catch up with over dinner, so that should be a nice evening out. The restaurant is insanely popular; they have a Trash Bash every Sunday which involves huge piles of food- BBQ ribs, chicken, fish, fries, corn, baked beans- being served on metal trash-can lids. (Not lids used for real trash cans, of course.) I love discovering places like that. Nothing against the chains, but the best food is where the locals eat!

Impeccable Timing

Previous comments about dragging home a 1965 Barracuda were written half-jokingly. I pulled that car, at random, out of my head as ONE of the vehicles I've always loved, not the ONLY specific classic that would go over a newer Toyota. (Still... look at that rear window! I've always been a sucker for huge, rounded rear glass on old cars. Ranks right up there with chrome and tailfins.)

Dad just called. There's a red '65 Barracuda for sale in town. He saw it and immediately thought of me... and yes, we're going by to look at it later. Along with a Toyota Matrix, if I can get past the sheer fugliness of the thing.

Dad must be returning the favor. We took him a sale sheet for a '63 Falcon Ranchero yesterday. He drooled... see where I get it from? Even so, he spent our last car confab trying to convince me I needed another Buick, in this case a new Lucerne. *Shudder* I really wonder about my genes sometimes. Will I someday be trying to convince my own kid that he/she needs a Cadillac instead of the hydrogen-powered MitsuToyoMazDai that they want?

A Recollection

I bring this up after reading on a friend's site that his father recently passed away. I was a bit more surprised than I expected to be, maybe because I'm one of the few friends who ever met and interacted with the man. I bought one of the best cars I've ever owned from him, talked about getting better gas mileage out of a Cadillac, laughed at some of the things he mailed to my friend. But the first thing that popped into my mind was the time I scared his real estate agent.

His house was a big expensive one in a nice neighborhood. He didn't live there. The house was on the market; my friend was staying there in one room until it was sold. I happened to be homeless, and in my mind all those empty rooms in that beautiful house were going to waste while I was sleeping in my car in the WalMart parking lot. My friend would let me crash there sometimes but if his father was coming to town I had to go elsewhere. He didn't want others staying there (understandably) and I don't think he liked me all that much anyway. More than once his car would pull in unexpectedly and I'd have to act like I was just visiting. I don't think he ever believed it though.

There was one time... I'd been without sleep too long and had no other place to go, so decided to stay in the empty guest room at the house. There was a bed with a blanket though I'd have been fine with a patch of floor at that point... I was sleeping more soundly than usual and didn't hear the realtor, potential buyers in tow, arrive the next morning until they came in to look at the room I happened to be in. I finally heard them and bolted straight upright in the bed, hair and blanket flying. Until that point they hadn't noticed me at all... whoops! There were some exclamations and muttering from the group and a hasty exit to another part of the house. In my waking discombobulation I thought the best course of action for me was to hide, so I dove under the bed, pulled my bag with me, and stayed there until I heard the cars leave. I always wondered what the agent said to the father about that little incident.

I really miss that car, and that neat house. I still have one of the garage-door remotes. And a memory of an odd man who probably let me get away with a lot more than he could have.

Weekenders

• I think I'm going to get a Toyota Camry or Corolla instead of another truck. With two 4WD vehicles in our family already, a third would be pointless, when what we could really use is a newer vehicle that gets better than 15 MPG. I still want that Tacoma but it can wait. For once I'm going to be practical instead of emotional. (Check back in a couple months, when instead of a Camry I've dragged a 1965 Barracuda home from Carlisle... if you know me, you know that's more than a remote possibility.)
• Blue Diamond smoked almonds rock. Almonds are supposed to be great for lowering cholesterol, but I'm pretty sure that refers to plain nuts, not the salt-and-smoke-flavor-covered ones. It's the thought that counts, right? Same with oatmeal and cholesterol... is it defeating the purpose to eat maple & brown sugar oatmeal? Or iced oatmeal cookies? Probably. I don't care.
• I tried some fruit water flavored with Splenda and had a NutraSweet gag reaction. I reallyreallyreally hate aspartame. To this day I can taste those sampler gumballs NutraSweet sent through the mail in the 80s to get consumers to try their new sugar alternative. It's not a good memory. Splenda brought that back... don't think I'll be buying it anytime soon.
• Almost over that persistent flu at last! Except for the bronchitis symptoms. The random coughing will probably continue for another week or so like always. Flu shot? No thanks. My extreme dislike for injections is greater than a week or two of feeling like I've been hit by a truck and had cement poured into my head.
• My husband is not only a mind reader, but must truly love me. Love is when a guy who never frequented Taco Bell will agree to eat there to satisfy his wife's cravings every two weeks. True love is when the same guy will go pick up burritos on his way home without waiting to be asked. He did it of his OWN FREE WILL. You could have knocked me over with a spork. This is the man that will never suggest Taco Bell if there is any other viable alternative within 15 miles. And by "viable," I mean "vaguely food-like." (I kid... he likes the Bell, just not as much as I do. Nobody likes them as much as I do.)
• Hubby's dad is turning 60 and the family is throwing a major shindig. The most interesting reason to go, besides Dad himself: B's brother invited "a couple of Dad's girlfriends" to the party. Dad's a widower, so he's entitled I suppose, but I asked Bro if the two women had met each other yet. There was a long silence on the other end of the phone... and then Bro said in a cheerful voice, "Well, if they haven't, nobody's gonna be bored at the party!" Dad knows lots of women... I'm sure these two are just friends... but just in case, I'm not missing it for anything. Anyone know where I can buy Hai Karate cologne? We need a birthday present. *grin*
• Skipped out on bowling tonight, hubby's back was bothering him so we're opting for a quiet night instead. Maybe I'll be in the mood to go see a movie. It's been so long... they still have movie theaters, don't they? With popcorn and sticky floors and all that? Will I need a loan to see a film? Too bad the local drive-in isn't open for the season yet. We have several in the area; my goal this year is to hit the one with three screens for the triple-feature. Funny how I know about that one but have no clue where the closest actual theater is.

Take Five

Random lists.

5 food items you will almost always find in my lunchbox at work:

1. instant oatmeal
2. vanilla yogurt
3. granola bar or Pop-Tart
4. couple hard candies or mints
5. Gatorade, juice, or water

5 non-food items in same lunchbox:

1. chapstick
2. set of Allen wrenches
3. pencil stub
4. loose change
5. emu oil hand lotion

5 work items I couldn't do without:

1. slip-joint pliers
2. pocketknife
3. sunscreen (SPF 15 at the very least)
4. pencils
5. Micro$oft Excel

5 things I found in my coat pockets today:

1. leather gloves
2. custard-flavored "Peanuts" lip balm
3. tin of Orbitz mints
4. half a roll of wintergreen LifeSavers
5. Fireball wrapper

5 things I will eat too much of, given the opportunity:

1. Mom's potato salad
2. Ellen's cheesecake
3. any cake (except chocolate) with cream cheese frosting
4. avocados/guacamole
5. rice and gravy

5 celebrities I think are overrated:

1. Paris Hilton
2. Jessica Simpson
3. Brad Pitt
4. Tom Cruise
5. any reality-show actor/actress

5 modern (last 10 years) automobiles I like*:

1. Toyota Tacoma TRD
2. Subaru Baja
3. That boxy-looking Scion thing
4. Cadillac DTS or STS, Luxury Performance packages
5. Pontiac Ram Air Firebird (black, of course)

*Off the top of my head. I will own one of the first two in a year's time! Yay!

5 classic automobiles I like:

BWAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!! Yeah right, like I could narrow it down to 5. Easier to say "almost anything built before 1973." I don't think I could pick 5 I don't like. Sheesh.

BlogHopping

You know you've done it... clicked the "next blog" button at the top of the screen to see what comes up. (This is not really a good thing, as a lot of faux blogs contain spyware and/or try to get you to download stuff you don't want.) Most likely you've bloghopped like I do: you're on a friend's blog, click a link to another, then another, etc. It's 6 Degrees of Blogs, or more in my case... once I kept clicking one link on each new site until I'd been through about 30 or so, wound up on a blog from Singapore that I ended up bookmarking. THIS is how you find stuff you weren't looking for that is often interesting and inspiring.

Here's some of the sites I found while bloghopping:

http://ridetheamericas.blogspot.com/
No new posts, but read the blog from the beginning if you're so inclined... it's an on-the-road journal from a man who rode from New York City to Alaska (with pit stops in the southern states for BBQ) on a motorcycle. I read this daily while it was happening and received a nice email reply from Mathew when he got home. (Warning: some profanity.)

http://amishelectricpublications.blogspot.com/
With tongue firmly in cheek, Elijah Yoder shows the lighter side of being Amish. Some jokes I've read before but his spin is quite amusing. Be sure to click on some of the links on his blog, too, for more humor and some (factual) Amish history. Funny stuff!

http://pcjm.blogspot.com/
Pop Culture Junk Mail is the title, which pretty much sums it up. Gael (the author and entertainment editor for MSNBC.com) is always blogging about the comic strip "For Better or For Worse", one of my favorites, so it's amusing to read what snarky comments she's come up with. She also manages to find some of the weirdest commercial products available... Luke and Leia wedding cake topper, anyone?

http://sprinkler5.blogspot.com/
Randomness at its most simplistic. Mostly a collection of links to really odd stuff.

http://trent.blogspot.com/
Total and complete celebrity snarkiness. If you absolutely need to know what Britney Spears is wearing (white trash couture), how skinny Nicole Richie has gotten (very) or what's up with Brad & Angelina or Jake Gyllenhall, visit Pink. It's there. (Some mild profanity on occasion.)

http://members.aol.com/immurdoc/a-team/stuff.htm
"A-Team Oddities." I think I had some of that stuff. Other pages on the site as well, great for nostalgic A-Team fans. Includes a link to Dwight Schultz (Murdock) website. (Note: this isn't a blog, but it was a link on one, so it counts!)

There's more but this is enough for now. I have to go try to recover from the flu so I can work this weekend. Nappy time!

Spring has.... recoiled.

I thought spring was well on its way... all the signs were there... it was above 50 degrees, there were two roadkilled skunks on the way to work, I could see terra firma instead of slush and frozen puddles. Alas, 'twas not to be...

It was pretty windy the last few days, enough that we were all making sure the greenhouse roofs were staying attached and having to open the outside door by bracing a foot against the frame and pulling with both hands. An exhaust stack cover took off like a Frisbee and smacked the back of my car (glad nobody was in the path of that thing! We're talking sharp spinning metal at high velocity.) In spite of the wind, the temps were still fairly reasonable until Friday night. Then it dropped 40 degrees or more. Saturday morning was deceptive... there was every indication that the sun would be out, but by noon there was snow blowing everywhere and causing whiteouts. Didn't last long, maybe an hour, and the wind blew most of it away afterwards. But last night... single digit temperature. The air was crackly-cold, the kind where you can feel the air going into your lungs like tiny little icicles. NOT that I'm complaining, mind you. I love cold weather. But I fell asleep early and missed most of it, and I'm looking out the window right now and the sun is out bright. Only going to be in the 20s today and around 9 tonight, but two days ago it was 60...

I had every intention of going outside to watch the sunrise this morning, hoping the icy air would lend itself to some more halos. But it was shiver-inducing cold in our place, more suited to hiding under the blankets for another hour. If we ever have a house with steady heat we won't know what to do. I've switched from flannel pajamas, wool socks, and a robe to a t-shirt and shorts, and back, in the space of an hour on more occasions than I can count. Anyway I'll try to catch the sunset later, as long as there isn't anything super-interesting going on with the Daytona race.

Yes, it's Daytona Day! The most over-hyped race of the year, the one Dale Earnhardt lost on the last lap in every way imagineable (including hitting a seagull, running out of gas, and even dying... sadly, he's done it all). At least he got one win in there. Since my long-time driver Rusty Wallace retired, I had to find a new driver to cheer for the first time in a decade. Mark Martin will be my guy this year. Always did like him. It's his last year so I hope he wins it all.

Here's a great halo photo from Atmospheric Optics :
The site has technical explanations and diagrams for various optics, plus photography tips. Very extensive submitted image galleries... check it out!

Weekend Highlights!

Well, Harrisburg area got 5-6 inches of snow... not too bad, and in fact it was quite beautiful. There were intermittent flurries in between squalls. Harrisburg crews seem to be much better about clearing the roads than they are up here so driving, while a bit slower, wasn't as much of a hazard as it would have been at home.

More about the trip later... I HAVE to share what I saw Sunday! The cold air lent itself to some incredible atmospheric optics. About 4-4:30 we were walking across a store parking lot when I saw a rainbow sundog. I should have gone back to the truck for the camera right then, but it was cold... bad excuse, I know... but it started fading not long after I saw it, and by the time we were inside it was gone. That's event #1. We were leaving the same parking lot a while later and of course I was trying to see the sunset through the back window... something caught my eye and I asked hubby to pull into the lot behind the store where there was a better view. Events #2 and #3 not long apart... a beautiful upper sun pillar and my first viewing of what I believed to be a weak, but still awesome, circumzenithal arc! (That's an upside-down rainbow over the sun.) I scrambled for the camera, which I'd foolishly stashed in a bag... I managed to get a few shots of the sun pillar before it went away completely, though my photos were too late for the full effect. Missed the arc entirely, drat it! Here's the tail end of the pillar, as it was fading:

Winter is the best time for seeing halos and anything caused by ice crystals in the air. Pillars can happen any time, I believe, but seeing 3 optics in one day really had me stoked.

On to the rest of the weekend... Saturday, as we were cruising through Hershey, we saw a sign for the Antique Automobile Collector's Association museum. Having a fondness for spontaneous detours, and especially for ones involving old cars, we turned left instead of right and went to check it out. It looked small at first... we were a bit disappointed, and didn't want to pay a lot to see just a dozen or so cars, but when we rode by the main window a 1987 Buick Grand National on display changed MY mind. After drooling over the GN we paid eight dollars each for admission (dollar off with AAA, by the way) and went to see what else was inside. The museum turned out to be huge and chock-full of not just autos but memorabilia, including a service-station diorama and a complete (!) mobile diner from the 50s that you could walk into. There was an antique bus display and part of the Nicola Bulgari car collection. As it turns out, Bulgari (of watch and jewelry fame) just happens to be a Buick aficionado... yay!... And like I am (or would be, if I could afford it) he doesn't buy cars just to show off, he actually drives them! I was pleased. And he owns a GN... *sigh*

Onward... to the Eastern Outdoor Expo... where within 5 minutes I fell in love with a pontoon boat. And a minute later was trying (halfheartedly) to convince my husband to move down South, move into my great-grandfather's empty house, and haul that boat out to my cousin's dock. He actually thought about it for a good 30 seconds before laughing.

There were a million and one things to look at there... we managed to get through about 3/4 of a million... saw a booth for the charter-boat guy who took us striper-fishing on our honeymoon. He wasn't there but it was nice to have that bit of memory pop up unexpectedly.

Had to check out the 4x4 section too. Decided I liked the Toyota Highlander almost as much as the Tacoma. B found a hybrid Chevy fullsize pickup. I could go with or without the hybrid option. Nice idea, but I think it will be a while yet before the technology is streamlined and fine-tuned.

Saw an accessorized van that we decided NEEDS to be in any A-Team remake from here on out. Mr. T would have traded his gold bling for this van:

I also learned why I rarely see red foxes around, and why I've never seen a wild cat (bobcat, lynx, etc). They're all dead, stuffed, and mounted, and put on display at the Expo. Seems like every booth had some kind of mounted critter hanging around. One booth had a revolving rack full of fox pelts. *Shudder* Yes, I hunt. But I eat what I kill, and I don't agree with animals suffering in traps... I hate the idea of trapping them just so their pelts can be sold at flea markets and sports shows. Does anyone really eat fox, mink, or bobcat? I don't think so. And we're long beyond the age where fur clothing is necessary for survival, at least in the majority of the world today. (If you all want to sell critter skins, find a use for groundhog hides and leave the foxes alone, okay? And come up with a few woodchuck recipes while you're at it.)

Off my soapbox now... we bought a new deer drag harness, a really neat one. Hope it works. Got a few samples here and there, crawled in, under, around and through a bunch of boats and trucks... watched two Grizzly bear cubs playing at the animal exhibit, which also had a young grey wolf, tigers, a black bear and a coatimundi... watched the log-rolling and chainsaw show... I recommend the Expo to anyone who likes that sort of thing because it's a lot of fun. Just leave your credit cards at home!

So... between the snow, sky, cars, and Expo, and a couple of ostrich burgers at Fuddruckers, we had a great time. Left with a lingering urge to go fishing and camping but what we need to do first is go wash the salt off the truck. ;-P

Dashing Through the Snow

Okay, more like negotiating highway through the snow... supposed to get more white stuff coming up from the south tomorrow. And naturally, we're driving south, right into it. Hopefully we'll be in the Harrisburg area before it gets bad (preferably before it hits at all).

I seriously thought about canceling this trip, but my husband was incredulous when I said that. He doesn't see a few inches of snow as a deterrent from anything. Crazy northerners...
I'm thinking about Rte 15, which is full of insane drivers on a good day, and city traffic once we get there. I'm not keen on being in either place in snow. The good news is that it isn't supposed to start until after lunch, by which time I hope to be safely inside the Farm Show Complex, drooling over pontoon boats and custom rifle stocks and Alaska sightseeing excursions. The other good news (?) is that we're only supposed to get a few inches... this can be good or bad. On one hand, that's enough to either be a nuisance or make the roads slippery as all-get-out. On the other hand, our local weather forecasters have a lower accurate prediction rate than Punxsutawney Phil (who is at, I believe, 30-35%). Meaning, we could get anywhere from zero to twelve inches in localspeak.

I wish I'd gone to weather person school. Meteorologists have it made... they study scientific weather phenomena, learn a bunch of technical terms, spend a lot of time on TV pointing out said phenomena using the terms that no one else understands, and get paid beaucoup bucks... and they're wrong half the time and DON'T get fired! What a sweet job that must be.

Heck, I'm more accurate than that... if my husband's hip aches, it's going to be cold. If my hair's frizzy, the air is dry. If I can hear birds outside the window, it's warm. And if it's humid inside, it's raining out. We have a great system at work, too... if we want to know what the weather's like, we go outside and look around. ;-P

Seriously, being a meteorologist would be fun, I think. For me, the best part would be learning and fieldwork. I love studying the sky... am fascinated by storms... have been known to run outside with a camera during a lightning storm or tornado warning... one day last year, as I was leaving work, I heard on the radio that there was a funnel cloud forming not a mile from the road I was on. Anyone who knows me knows exactly what I did... pulled over to watch! I actually wanted to be one of those kamikaze idiot reporters who were on location during hurricanes, yelling into the microphones over the wind and rain and fighting to keep from blowing out of camera range. I wanted to be on the crew that launched "Dorothy" during the movie Twister (up until the end, that is... you can keep the flying cows, thanks!).

That's my alternate-life dream, right there... in a nutshell, I wanna be a stormchaser. How odd, from someone who doesn't even want to drive two hours south because it might snow three inches. *eyeroll* The biggest risks I take nowadays involve driving in the dark through deer territory and the above-mentioned tornado/lightning watching. The latter is because I'm determined to catch one or the other on camera. I WILL get an awesome lightning shot, you just wait and see!

Return of the Sta-Puft Marshmallow Girl!

I got called back in to work a few weeks early, along with a dozen others. Apparently the potting schedule has been changed so much and on such short notice that they're now a week behind. So I got the call yesterday to come in today... no warning, just like the sudden layoffs a month ago, just "Come in." Had I not been half-asleep at the time, I might not have answered the phone and thus gotten in a "readjustment" day. Meaning, now I have to be awake and mentally functioning enough to drive only three hours after I've *been* going to bed. Yeah, this morning sucked.

But I was only on the potting line until 11:00... then my regular supervisor called me back to my usual stomping grounds to prep bays for new plants... Spent the rest of the day in a white suit, boots, and gloves, slinging chemicals around. It actually felt good to be "home." I had to break into my own office, though. Before Christmas, someone ran into the doorframe (twice) with the sweeper (not a vacuum, but a propane-powered industrial sweeper with tires and a seatbelt). The frame was knocked out of whack and the deadbolt wouldn't line up. I didn't have anything in there worth stealing, and probably would have laughed at anyone who stole my prehistoric computer anyway, so I never locked the door. Well, someone decided that computer *needed* to be secured, wedged the door shut, and locked it. My key wouldn't open it because of the pressure against the bolt... couldn't get in the inner door because the knob is on backwards... I'm going to fix that. I got locked in the middle office right after it was switched, since the door locks were on the other sides of both doors. Dumb dumb dumb! First time I ever had to break OUT of the office.

The reversed doorknob sums up the site management. Nobody has any idea why they do things the way they do, and even if something is obviously bass-ackwards to everyone else, there will be ONE person who insists that it needs to be done that way. That person will be in upper management. And after the problem is recognized no one will go out of their way to fix it until it inconveniences upper management. I still don't know why that knob was turned around with the keyhole on the inside. I'm sure someone at some point had a reason for it; they just neglected to tell anyone else what it was. Maybe they were waiting for the radio help call from a hapless grower locked in the middle room, so they could have a laugh. As long as I have a pocketknife on me, it ain't gonna be me making that call.

Back on the potting line tomorrow... it's fun, really. Hard on the legs and back, but fun. Tough to get out of the growing mindset though. We were potting New Guinea impatiens this morning and I kept looking for diseased spots and anything else that might be of concern to a grower. Someone finally said "Look, you don't have to think today. Just pot the plants." Gave me a chuckle! For the first time ever, I felt like I was overpaid for what I was doing instead of the other way around. What a nice (and strange) feeling that was!

Heather V. Graham Harden!

I can't read your email on the website you sent it through, and I haven't been able to get to you on IM. Email me through this blog PLEASE! Or look for me on Yahoo... you know who I am... or even join the LHS Alumni site (it's free), I'm on there too. LHS site

I posted this in case you or someone you knew happened to be Googling your name for whatever reason. I just want to know how you're doing, what you've been up to... just to catch up with an old friend. So buzz me already! :-)

Soy Dung Chow,
Me

It's The Hoff!

I really have no words. I was laughing too hard. Who knew David Hasselhoff was such a comedian? (I think the ooga-chakkas did it for me. I always liked those.)