2014 Is Going Out With A Bang

As I type this post, the 'Rents and I have the wicked influenza virus going around.  Mom has gotten a bit better.  She had more energy today and said that taking a long hot shower pepped her up a bit.   I'm still tired and congested but not coughing as bad as I was yesterday, and unfortunately Dad has it the worst. I gave him a dose of Nyquil and he's all snuggled in his bed sleeping, which is the best thing for him.   And before you even suggest it, you should know by now how stubborn all of us are, so we haven't gone to the doctor.  

As for New Years Eve festivities at The Compound, looks like there won't be any.  I know we'll need to eat something to keep up our strength, but right now, nothing sounds or tastes good.  We might get crazy and have some ginger ale but that will be the extent of our partying.  We will be doing good to stay up till 10:00 probably.  I just pray that we all three get better soon, especially the 'Rents.  They're more stubborn than I am.  

Help Me Make It Through The Night

Let me preface by saying that Mucinex Maximum Strength Fast Max is deadly.  The only positive thing from my 16 hour period of taking it was that it did help to break up some of the congestion.  

I started getting this crud Sunday afternoon and by yesterday morning, it was full-blown. So I stopped at WalMart on the way to work and got a bottle of Mucinex Maximum Strength Fax Max.  Big mistake.

The first major side effect was running to the bathroom to pee.  As the day went on yesterday, I had to go pee more and more frequently.  I had only been drinking a normal amount of water – nothing excessive like I really should have been drinking, like dr’s recommend for a cold.  I ate maybe 3 spoon fulls of navy beans and one hot dog for supper, but the iced tea tasted best of all.  I laid down to watch TV but never was able to take a nap during the evening even though I was tired because of the damned stuff.  Yet I didn’t feel all that bad in the evening – just tired.  I went to bed at 10 and read for a bit and turned out the light at 10:30 and then it started.  I was up every 15 minutes to go pee which scared the hell out of me.  Then at about 2:00 I had a full blown anxiety attack. I just prayed for the Lord to help me.  I was sweating like a whore in church, and my heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest.  At one point, I turned on the light and looked around my bedroom for a paper bag to breathe into as I was hyperventilating.  After the anxiety attack subsided and I had my wits back about me, I grabbed the iPad and looked up the side effects of this type of Mucinex and there it was – frequent urination, anxiety, restlessness.  At one point, I couldn’t lay down, and when I would sit up in bed, I would get restless again, so I just walked through the house for a bit.  I came back and laid back down but no dice.  So by this time it was 4:00 and I got my pillows and propped myself up and dozed off for about an hour sitting up in bed. I had taken my last dose of the hallucigenic stuff at 10 when I went to bed, so it was slowly starting to wear off because by this time, I was only going to the bathroom every hour. 

During the anxiety attack, I honestly started to call Diva Stacy and tell her if I exploded from this stuff, for her and the kids to move in to our house and take care of The 'Rents. 

When I got up at 6, the first thing I did was find a box of Coricidan and took a dose of that.  It won't make me start to trip out like the Mucinex. 

So the moral of this story is to never take this type of Mucinex.  NEVER.  

And on a related note, Mom still has this crud, and now Dad has got it.  Pray for us, America.

Christmas Wrap Up (No Pun Intended)

After five glorious days off, it was back to work today.  But I work two days, get off two days, work one day, and get off two days.  The week of 1/5 will be a lonnnng week.  But I digress. 

It was a great Christmas holiday - the 'Rents and I had fun watching movies and eating and drinking and just enjoying being together.  Yep, it was a great holiday until yesterday when Mom and I came down with the cold/respiratory crap that is going around.  Neither of us had a fever, thank goodness; just an annoying cough.  Mom's crap started out as a stomach bug - she was sick at her stomach yesterday morning, but perked up in the afternoon, just in time to start coughing. My cough started Saturday night and progressed throughout the day yesterday.  I stopped on the way to work today and got some Mucinex (the fast acting version) and started taking that as soon as I got back to the car.   Neither of us are achy, thank goodness. Well, I am a bit, but that's a whole other TWIT entry for another day. 

Half of the people I talked with at work today either caught it over the holiday or still have it.  So I'm sure it will keep making the rounds in the office.  We sprayed lots of Lysol today in my office and out in the cubicle, so we're hoping that will help keep germs at bay.  

I'm posting this and going to lay down for a bit.  As always, I'll keep you posted. 

Link Of The Week

2014 is growing to a close, and TWIT is going to give its two-cents worth on the "Best Of" for the year.  Please take a few minutes to visit this page at AOL and see some of the best photos taken in 2014.  They're pretty amazing, and they'll either make you put down you camera and never take another picture again or they will challenge you to keep on taking more pictures till you get that one shot.  Visit http://www.aol.com/article/2014/12/28/2014-the-year-in-photos/21121783/?icid=maing-grid7|aol20-os|dl6|sec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D589968 and check it out.

Security Tip Saturday

First of all, I apologize for not posting this before you, faithful readers, started doing online Christmas shopping, but it's better late than never.   Here's a couple of tips to help keep you safe while you shop online. And I will try to remember to post this again in about 10 or 11 months, to remind you before you start your Christmas shopping.  But these tips are things that will help keep all of us safer throughout the year.  If you're like me, it seems like I buy something online every week or so.  But I digress. 

First of all, if possible, do your online shopping on a desktop computer.  The internet connection is much more safe than using a wifi internet connection.  But if you don't have a desktop computer anymore, you can still be safer - use your smart phone for shopping online.  Just turn off the wifi and use your actual cell phone connection.   

Second, when you go to a website to shop online, look up at the search box at the top of the screen for the URL address of the website.  If it starts with "https", then it is a secure site.  The "s" designates it is secure.  If the web address of the online store just has "http://www..." for it's address, it is not a secure site, and you should avoid it.  

Stay safe. 

Flashback Friday

It's the day after Christmas, and when I was a kid, I would have spent all day playing with the new toys and things that Santa brought the day before.  And if I know me, by this time, I would have probably broken at least one thing I got for Christmas.   

As a 51 year-old, there's not much to play with today.  The majority of the things I got for Christmas are practical - the 'Rents and I each got two packs of new 'wears -- something that we all need.  Not much fanfare there.  When I was a kid, if I'd gotten a pack of underwear for Christmas, I would have probably had a meltdown.  Now, we love it when we get new 'wears.  And I got a new polo shirt.  Once again, nothing to play with.  Santa left some Sensodyne toothpaste and a pack of replacement brush head for my Spinbrush in my stocking.  Somehow, Santa always knows exactly what to put in your stocking.  And I did get a cool Bluetooth keyboard from the 'Rents to use with my Surface Pro and iPad, so that's at least one thing I can officially "play" with.  But right now in my life, I'm just happy that the 'Rents and I are healthy and able to enjoy being together for the holidays.  That's really all that matters.

Merry Christmas

TWIT would like to wish all of you, faithful readers, a very Merry Christmas.  I hope you have a peaceful, drama-free day with your family and friends.  And I hope you eat lots of good foods today!

Why Didn't I Think Of This?

A security firm has graciously donated the use of GPS tracking devices to churches for their nativity scenes.  It seems that thugs are always stealing the baby Jesus from the nativity scene.  Thanks to Brickhouse Security, churches can track the stolen nativity scene figures.  Way to go Brickhouse.  Keep up the good work.  You can read more about it here http://www.gospelherald.com/articles/53668/20141219/security-company-offers-free-gps-tracking-to-stop-baby-jesus-theft-from-church-nativity-scenes.htm

Happy Christmas Eve Eve

I am very happy to report that I did not stop at a single store of any type today -- be it on my way to work, during lunch break, or on my way home from work.  And when I got home tonight, the 'Rents didn't mention me needing to go to the store to pick up anything.  It's going to be an awesome Christmas Eve Eve with not having to do anything.

It's Time For A Break

I'm not sure about you, but Santa Puddin is tapped out.  Every trip I've made to the store in the past two weeks has cost me at least $30, and most of the time, twice that.  And on occasion, three times that.  With trips to the grocery store, drug store, big box stores, and other stores, I'm tapped out.  I'm glad that Christmas is just three sleeps away.

I am thankful that I have the money to spend on the 'Rents and a select few for Christmas; that's not the point.  The point is I'm tired of shopping and want a break.  I made what I hope to be one final stop on the way home today.  A week ago, I made a major list of all I wanted/needed to buy before Christmas - be it presents, food, beverages, etc.  I visited all of the appropriate stores and checked off each item.  Today when I left Walgreens, there was nothing left on my list.  It sure was a good feeling and a relief.

Tomorrow, the 'Rents will be going to the grocery for fresh fruit for our traditional Christmas Day fruit salad, but other than that, bring on the holidays. 

Welcome Back, Ole Cockadoodle

We interrupt the regularly scheduled Link/App of the Week to bring you breaking news from The Compound.  Yesterday afternoon, we found Ole Cockadoodle (pictured here).  He'd been missing since last Christmas.  Mom found him in a box of Christmas decorations where they evidently put him last year when they were decorating.  

Welcome back, Ole Cockadoodle.  We sure missed you.  

Security Tip Saturday

I'm not sure if this person has ever seen one of my posts on Facebook or on Blogger, but it did my heart good today at WalMart to see a woman use the little straps to fasten around a small kid in the grocery cart.  She did just as I mentioned months ago - she took one of the straps and put it through the straps on her purse, so in the event that someone tried to grab her purse, they couldn't.  I only hope that more more women are doing this if they bring their purses into the stores.

As always, stay safe. 

Flashback Friday

There is a rare phenomenon happing today here in the 'Ville:  the sun is out! Yes, the sun is shining.  After weeks and weeks of cloudy days, we are able to see blue skies and sunshine.

We've had a lot of rain and drizzle in the past month, and if my memory is correct, I heard one of the weatherazzi say that it's been cloudy almost every day since before Thanksgiving.  I sure believe him.  As we were experiencing gray day after gray day, I couldn't help but think back to the summer and early fall when it was sunny.  I would have never thought I would wish for summer but here lately, I did.  

I'm meeting a dear old friend for lunch today, and then the 'Rents and I are going out to do some shopping, and we will all be enjoying the sun. 

Early New Year's Resolution

Today is my 25 year anniversary at work.  It's hard for me to believe that 25 years ago today, I walked up that long stairway to the 2nd floor of the old United Furniture building (which is now part of our office parking lot).  It some ways it seems like 125 years, and in other ways, it just seems like a few years ago.  But I digress.  

Since it's my anniversary, today is when I get my new allotment of vacation days.  There is a maximum amount of vacation days that you can carry over.  If you're hourly, you can get paid for any extra you don't carry over.  If you're salaried, well, shame on you for not not using them.  I decided yesterday that my New Year's Resolution is to start using more vacation days and personal days in the new year.  And what a better than to start using them right now! So I took off today and tomorrow, and again next Friday.  And I'm already planning my annual birthday vacation week in January.  

It sure felt awesome not to work today.  And I know it will feel just as awesome tomorrow. 

Quote Of The Week

Said by yours truly, and I quote:

"The older I get, the less patience I have."  

Lesson To Be Learned

I'm going through a difficult sitch right now.  I'm sorry to tease you but for confidentiality I can't give many details, other than I know for sure that this is going to be a lesson to be learned from God.  I've done my part, and now it's up the the other people to do their part.  It could turn out great, or it could turn out not so great.  Either way, I know there is a lesson that I am supposed to learn from it.  So instead of worrying about like I have been for the past few weeks, I'm letting go of it, and whatever happens was meant to happen.  

Thank Goodness It's Over

I'm home now, and 2014 Year End Inventory is over.  Stick a fork in it because it's done.  

It wasn't pretty or smooth, and the day was filled with problem after problem, but it's over until next year.  All we can do is learn from the mistakes from this year and move forward.  

I'd Wear This

Way To Go, Me

Yesterday at our company-wide Christmas party, I received my pin and certificate for 25 years of service to the company.  Yep, I've been at Zoeller for 25 years.  25 long years.  My actual anniversary is on the 18th, but they gave me my service award a week early.  

I'm not meaning to brag, but in this day and age when people job hop so much, it's very rare to find someone that's worked at one company this long.    At times it feels like 125 years, and at other times it feels like it was just a few years ago.  

I'm just thankful that I have an awesome bunch of coworkers who are great and loyal friends.  It makes the days bearable.  

Way To Go, Presentation Academy

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending Presentation Academy's annual Christmas Program.  At the start of the show, the principal said a few words, and said that 98% of the school's students were singing in the program tonight.  That statistic blew me away.  That meant that 2% of the students didn't want to sing in any of the choirs.  

I didn't know what to expect, with this being my first time seeing Presentation's Christmas program, but it was great.  One of the first songs they sang was one of my all time favorite Christmas songs, "Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming."  I could have left after that song and been totally content.  

Thanks to the choir director and the many others that helped make this program an awesome success.  And many thanks to all of the girls that want to sing.  You rock.  

Count This

We're deep in the midst of year-end inventory at work right now.  The past three weeks have been a blur.  We'll be working a full day on Saturday to count and make adjustments, and then Monday afternoon the auditors will be in for the Big Count.   As Prissy sang in "Gone With The Wind", "A few more days to tote the weary load."  I guess I should change that to "count the weary load."  

Back To Normal?

Things are back to quasi-normal this evening at The Compound.  This morning, our couch and two recliners were delivered.  Today's delivery completes the Family Room Renovation Project At The Compound.  

For the past month, we've been cleaning, painting, and re-doing the family room there at The Compound.  And for the past month, we've been without a couch and recliners, as we got rid of the old ones to prepare for the new.  It's been slightly uncomfortable, especially for Dad, but Mom and I have adapted pretty well.  But tonight, the 'Rents will be sitting in the utmost comfort in their new recliners, and I will be lounging like Cleopatra all sprawled out on the new couch.

It's dark now and the lighting would be terrible, so I will wait till tomorrow afternoon when I get home from work to take pics of the new furniture to show you.

Thanks to Winner Furniture for having such an awesome couch and recliners, and thanks to your delivery guys that brought them to us today.  They were awesome.  

Way To Go, Aaron Rodgers

TWIT would like to congratulate Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers on his 100th start in last night's game.  He had 293 yards passing in the game against Atlanta, which means he has more passing yards than any player in NFL history over his first 100 starts.

While he's not my favorite NFL quarterback, he gets my vote as one of the most handsome quarterbacks.  

Keep up the good work, Aaron.  And please don't get into trouble with the law like so many of the NFLers that you play against.  

Thank You, Target

Thank you my local Target store for having such awesome popcorn in your concession stand/snack bar.  No trip to Target is complete without getting at least one bag of their awesome, freshly popped pop corn to take home.  We enjoyed our bag tonight while watching Monday Night Football.  Keep on popping, Target.  

Link Of The Week

The Old Man is in full force baking mode right now.  He's baked cookies for the past three weeks, and I don't see him stopping until after New Year's Day.  He's been baking our favorite oatmeal-raisin-chocolate chip-pecan cookies, but he's ready to try something new.  Have we got a website for him.  He can visit http://www.christmas-cookies.com and find almost 600 cookie recipes to try. 

Keep me posted and give me a review if you try any of these. 

Security Tip Saturday

This morning when I checked email, I opened an email from the "Amazon.com Team".  It looked very legit, and it said that I was selected at random by Amazon to get a coupon for 90% off any one item at Amazon.com.  Now, just from reading that, if a dozen red flags don't pop up immediately, then we need to talk.  The email looked official - had all of the Amazon logos on it, and at the bottom of the email, it even had 5 different authenticity logos, to give you more credence that it was in deed legit and very safe and secure.  I immediately sent it to AOL's Fraud department and deleted it.  I did a quick Google search and there were tons of hits about this being a big identity theft scam.  No telling how many people got all excited and thought that Amazon was giving them a great deal a few weeks before Christmas, only to find that their Amazon log-in info had been stolen by these identity thieves. 

We all know that when something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.  So be safe this holiday season with emails and scams. 

This Day In History

On this day in history, back in 1933, the 21^stAmendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, repealing the 18^th Amendment, bringing an end to the era of prohibition of alcohol in America.  Prohibition began in June of 1919.  Now that’s what I call quite a dry spell. 

To celebrate the continued end of prohibition, have a drink tonight, just because you still can!

Thanks Again, AARP

This is the second day in a row that I was reminded that I am eligible for AARP.  Today, it was from AARP themselves. 

Never mind that I've had my AARP card for awhile now, but AARP wanted to keep on reminding me.

Enough already.

Thanks, AOL

I would like to thank AOL for reminding me that I am eligible for AARP benefits.  I know I'm getting older.  And part of being older is forgetting.  So thanks for reminding me that I'm getting older.

Giving Tuesday

As most of you knew, yesterday was World AIDS Day – a day for people around the world to unite in the fight against HIV.  December 1 has been this designated day since 1987.  

 

As most you probably do not know, today is Giving Tuesday.  It’s a day dedicated to giving back – whether through donating money, food, clothing, or toys, to donating your time and talents.  

 

This year, the folks at Bank of America are getting in on Giving Tuesday.  They are partnering with Feeding America in the Give A Meal campaign to help the 50+ million Americans who go hungry every day.  If you visit any Bank of America and make a donation, Bank of America will match your donation two-for-one.  You donate twenty bucks, Bank of America will donate forty bucks.  

 

So for all of you disgruntled Bank of America customers like me who have been gouged over the years with their fees and charges, let’s stick it to them today and let them peel for a very worthy cause.  

 

Ohio Valley Weather Update

It was very cold last week, and then on Saturday it started warming up.  Yesterday, the high here in the 'Ville was 72 degrees.  The temps dropped during the night, and this morning when I was getting ready for work it was 42 degrees.  It rained pretty hard most of the day, and the temps dropped once again.  As the kids say, it's cray cray. 

Who knows what's in store for the rest of the week.  Stay tuned, because the forecast will change. 

Link and App Of The Week

My name is Puddin and I'm an Amazon-holic. Yep, I'm addicted to Amazon.com.  During this Thanksgiving break, I've bought two CD's, a stainless steel butter dish, a Christmas present for Mom (can't mention it here in case she reads this), and a set of Bluetooth wireless ear buds.  I got a great deal on all of these items, not just due to my savvy shopping, but in part to Savings.com.   Just enter the URL to the Amazon web page for the item you're interested in buying, or enter a few key words about the item, and Savings.com will let you know if Amazon has the lowest price.  You can access this through the website, http://www.savings.com or you can download the app if you want to shop on your phone.  

Happy savings!

Small Business Saturday

If you have any money or room left on your credit cards after doing your Black Friday shopping yesterday, please go out and visit a small business today.  In case you didn't know, today is Small Business Saturday.  As a small business owner, I'm thrilled that people want to support small businesses enough to make the last Saturday in November Small Business Saturday.

Even if there's nothing you need to buy from a small, locally owned store today, you still have to eat.  Instead of visiting a chain restaurant, visit a local restaurant or local pizza joint and show your support.  

Way To Go, Frost Brothers

Police: Home invasion turns deadly for suspect when homeowner shoots him

ORANGE COUNTY, IN (WAVE) - A home invasion suspect ended up dead in rural Orange County after encountering the homeowners.

According to Indiana State Police, Jacob Grimes, 23, of Paoli entered a home in the 7900 block of South County Road 700 East in Hardinsburg around 1 a.m. on Nov. 25. The homeowners, brothers Barry Frost, 59, and Terah Frost, 61, heard the break-in and moved their mother, 86-year-old Yvonne Frost, into a bedroom to protect her

The brothers went downstairs to try to locate the intruder but couldn't find anyone, so they began looking for tools to repair damage done to the door.

As Barry Frost opened a cellar door, he encountered Grimes who punched him and engaged him in a physical altercation, police said. Terah Frost entered the room and observed Grimes, wearing a hooded sweatshirt, a bandana over his face and in possession of a knife, fighting with his brother. Terah shot Grimes with a handgun.

Grimes was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy was performed later in the day in Bedford. Charges are not expected to be filed against Terah Frost. 

Well done, Frost brothers.  Well done. Grimes was a thug and if he hadn't broken into their house, he wouldn't have gotten shot and killed.  If more people were like the Frost brothers, and if the media reported these types of news stories, maybe home invasions might happen a little less.

Happy Thanksgiving

TWIT would like to wish you, faithful readers, a very happy Thanksgiving. 

I have a challenge for you.  Please take time and call, text, or email five people and tell them why you are thankful for them.  You will be glad you did.  

I am thankful for you, faithful readers, because you take time out of each day to check in and see what I'm thinking.  For that, I truly believe I have the best faithful readers in the world.  

Happy Thanksgiving!

Public Service Announcement

To the radio station traffic reporters and to the people doing commercial voice-overs:

The name of the by-pass interstate that goes around most of the city is I-265; aka the Gene Snyder Freeway.  Please note that it is called the Gene SNYDER.  Not the Gene SCHNEIDER.  

Thanks for listening!

Your listener,
Puddin

Quote Of The Month

Spoken by Colonel Sherman Potter on an episode of "M*A*S*H" that I was watching as I was getting ready for work this morning.  And I quote:

"You don't have to love it here; just tolerate it." 

Well said, Col. Potter.  Well said. 

Dear AT&T

Dear AT&T:

I appreciate the fact that you all are trying a very hard sell on your U-Verse, but please give me a break.  For the past few months, every time that I've received information in the mail about U-Verse, I've taken the papers and put them in the postage-paid envelope and sent them back to you.  And every time you've called my house, I've told you repeatedly that I am not interested in getting U-Verse.  But some how, you aren't getting the message.  

When I got my new iPhone last month, you tried a dozen times to get me to switch over my internet and home phone to U-Verse, all to no avail.  You tried, but did not succeed.  And even once when I had to call your customer service department, before I could even tell them my problem, they were already trying to get me to switch to U-Verse.  

And tonight while we were eating supper and were in the middle of a very serious family conversation, one of your people was banging on my door, begging me to switch to U-Verse.

So now, the tables are turned and I am begging you to please leave me alone.  If I wanted U-Verse, don't you think I would have gotten it by now?????

I'm in the Do Not Call registry, and as of tonight, the next call I get from AT&T is going to be reported, as will any solicitor that comes to our door.   

Ugg Boots!!!!

On the way home from Diva Stacy's tonight, I had to make the obligatory stop at the grocery store.  This time, it was for bread.  It was pouring rain.  As my favorite uncle Roy would have said, it was like pouring piss out of a boot.  Whatever that means.  But I digress. It was pouring rain.  I had on my trusty Coleman rain coat and some rubber shoes so I was fine and dry.  But most of the women that I saw going to and from the grocery store were wearing Ugg-type boots, and wading through an inch of water in the parking lot.  I ask a question of you, faithful readers:  are Ugg-type boots totally waterproof, or do they just keep you warm in cold weather?

I will confess that I know nothing about Ugg-type boots.  All I know is I saw a lot of women walking through a lot of water in the grocery store parking lot tonight, and I couldn't help but wonder if their feet were as dry as mine. 

Snowvember Was Short-Lived

Snowvember is just a memory now.  Yesterday morning when I got up at 5:00, it was 19 degrees.  Today, it was up to 64 degrees.  Just another crazy-ass weather week here in the Ohio Valley. 

Flashback Friday

As I've mentioned before, Friday is my early day at work.  I go in two hours earlier at 6:00 but that means I get to go home at 2:30 if there are no dramas going on in the department.  I've been lucky, and for the past two Fridays, I've been able to leave at 2:30. 

Today when I got home, there was a cup of coffee and warm cookies just out of the oven waiting for me. 

This isn't a flashback for today; it will be a flashback in the future. 

Reflections

Yesterday morning started out great - I put on a new pair of pants and looked very cute for work.  But things took an unexpected bad turn when I went out and discovered that I left an interior light on in the old Blazer and the battery was dead as a door nail.  Now, let me say for the record, I do not know precisely about door nails.  That having been said, the battery was dead.  I fooled with it for a while in the 14 degree temps in the garage, and after our battery starter wouldn't work, I came into the house and called AAA.  In about 30 minutes time, the Rescue Ranger was here and started the Blazer with a very cool portable battery starter. 

When I got to work and hour and a half late, I was all out of sorts.  Not because I missed time, but because it just wasn't my normaly morning routine.  But things started to pick up.  My old friend, coworker and former sales rep Chris was at the office and he brought me a case, yes a case, of awesome Choc-Cola!! Then to make things better, my old family friend Robbie took me to lunch, and in the afternoon, another coworker Wendy Jo gave me some very kind words that I needed to hear.  So a crappy day turned into an awesome day. 

Thank you, Mom

I'd like to publicly thank my sweet Mother for making one of my most favorite things tonight for supper -- banana croquettes.  I'm sure most of you are clueless, but they are simply banana pieces with mayo spread on them, rolled in crushed peanuts.  They rock.  Most southerners know what I'm talking about.  Thanks, Mom for making them tonight.  They, and you, rock. 

Snowvember Continues

This morning as I was getting ready for work, at 6:00 a.m. it was 16 degrees here at The Compound.  Yep, that's way too cold for November.  Even too cold for Snowvember. 

Never fear - the forecast is for temps in the low 60's by Saturday.

Snowvember

When I awoke this morning, we had approximately 2 inches of snow here at The Compound.  Thank the Lord that all of it was on the grass and none of it was on the long driveway or on the roads.  But it was snow nonetheless.  And of course, they cancelled school here in Jefferson County and surrounding counties here and in southern Indiana. 

And here I got out out my snow boots for nothing.  I don't think I stepped in any snow this morning on the way to work nor this evening when I ran errands on the way home from work. 

BOTS

In case you don't know, BOTS means "bring on the snow."  And that's what the weatherazzi is doing tonight.  We're getting ready for what is forecasted to be our first accumulating snow of Winter 2014.  The weatherazzi has upped their forecast and are now calling for 3-4 inches here in Louisville. While the actual temps are cold enough for snow, I'm thinking that if we get anything, it will just be on the grassy areas and not stick on the roads.  But I could be wrong.  The snow is expected to start at midnight.  I just checked Doppler radar at the NOAA site, and the snow front is just now moving through Evansville.  

I'm ready for whatever tomorrow morning brings.  I stopped on the way home from Diva Stacy's and bought a box of the Pine Mountain fire logs so the 'Rents can have a fire tomorrow if they're snowed in.  We have plenty of milk, bread, beer, soft drinks, and just about any other food we could want.  I've got my snow boots out and sitting by the register in the family room so they will be good and warm if I need to wear them tomorrow.  I already took my work bag out to the car, so all I have to lug out in the morning is my purse, lunch bag and my beloved green coffee glass. All I can say now is BOTS.

Something You Don't See Every Day

You have to admit that a monkey dressed like a cowboy riding a dog is something that you don't see every day. 

Fall Cleaning At The Compound

A couple of weeks ago, the 'Rents started a big Fall Cleaning here at The Compound.  This translates into more work for me.  I'm resting up tonight because I know they have a long list of Things To Do for me tomorrow.  

As always, I'll keep you posted. 

We All Agree, It's Cold

Last night on the 6:00 and 11:00 local news, the leading stories was about the (and I quote) "severe cold" that we are having right now.  It made me want to pull an Elvis and shoot the TV.   Let's use some common sense right now - yes, it's cold.  We all agree on that.  And it's not normally this cold at the first week or two of  November.  But it's cold right now.  Deal with it.  Get your winter coats out and wear them.  

I know the weatherazzi likes to glamorize all of this, but give me a break. It's cold - we all agree.  Quit making a big deal out of it and let people just dress warmly. 

I don't even want to think ahead to Saturday/Sunday, when we have a chance of snow in the forecast.  I'm just thankful that I got bread and milk last night on the way home from work.  

I Feel Like Scarlet O'Hara

For the past week, and especially the past few days, I've felt like Scarlet O'Hara in the climactic scene where she returns to Tara only to find her mother has just died, her father has gone crazy, and the Yankees have stolen the livestock and everything else of value from Tara.  In the scene that I am reliving, Scarlet has just come out of the room where her mother's body was laid out.  As soon as she walked out of that room, her father, two sisters, and the two remaining slaves are all clamoring around her asking her a bizillion questions.  Scarlet told one of the slaves to go tie up a cow that she had stolen, only to be told by the slave "We's house workers, Miss Scarelet."  Yep, that's what I feel like. 

Happy Veterans Day

TWIT would like to wish a very happy Veterans Day to my favorite veteran, my dad.  He served in the Navy during the Korean War - one of the wars/conflicts that often goes unrecognized.  But TWIT is sure as hell especially recognizing the Korean War veterans today.

Thanks to all veterans for your service.  You rock. 

Look Out, January

According to new data just released by NOAA, it looks like the coldest day of winter for us here in the Ohio Valley will be during January 21-25.  I'm going to write this down and keep track.  I will be posting during that time period to see if in deed it is the coldest day we've had this winter.

As always, stay tuned. 
 

Another Reaffirmation

Today is a day that the 'Rents and I look forward to each fall, almost as much as others look forward to Thanksgiving.  It has been a family tradition for about 25 years now to get dinner from a local Catholic church's fall festival.  Their fried chicken dinner is out of this world.  You get a half of a chicken, mashed potatoes, noodles, saurkraut, peas and carrots, and apple sauce.  Now you know why we look forward to it every year. 

Today, I had to drive to church by myself for an early meeting, and while I was on the way home from church heading to the Catholic church to pick up dinner, I passed by a plasma donation joint.  The parking lot was packed, and there were even a few people standing at the door waiting to get int.  It was a very humbling experience.  The money that I spent on dinner for the 'Rents and I was probably the same amount that those people would be getting for selling their plasma.  There's not much else I can say about that, except to repeat that I am thankful for my job. 

You Do The Math

I had to go in to the office for a few hours this morning to work on year-end inventory, and at breakfast, the 'Rents and I went over my shopping list for a few (key word) items we needed from the store on my way home.  Well, needless to say a "few" quickly multiplied and $42 later, I was walking out of the grocery store.  

It's no wonder that parents these days are having trouble helping their kids with their math homework, because something is really wrong with these equations. 

Flashback Friday

Yours truly, circa summer 1965 or 1966, in the middle of my two favorite cousins. 

Reaffirmation Thursday

I got my haircut after work today, and while I was waiting for my hair appointment, I was in my car.  I was parked in the small strip mall where my hair salon is, and tonight I had to park in front of the cash advance/check cashing joint.  The check cashing joint was packed, with about a dozen people standing in line. 

Flash forward to a few hours later.  I was on my way home from a funeral home visit, and stopped at Little Caesar's for a cheap $5 Hot and Ready pizza.  Once again, I was parked in front of yet another check cashing/payday advance joint.  And once again, this place was also packed. 

It was a humbling experience.  I was thankful that I was in a situation where I didn't have to resort to those tactics.  But we all do what we have to do to get the bills paid.  I'm just thankful I haven't had to go that route.   

Post Election Blues

The election is over, and now we have only one thing to ask -- that the candidates have their people and supporters take down all of the bizillion yard signs.  

Happy Election Day

I hope that everyone got out today and voted, faithful readers.  Regardless of your political afilliation, I hope you voted.  That having been said, something has really stood out during this election season.  Our local, local races in the 'Ville and county have produced a lot of commercials with jingles.  The first time I heard a commercial on the radio a couple of months ago for a woman running for the county school board, the first thing that popped into my mind was how it sounded just like a commercial that would have been on "Saturday Night Live" as one of their satire commercials.  And the local commercial jingles just kept on coming.  

Maybe next election I will come out of musical retirement and write and produce the jingles for the candidates. 

Election Eve

How cool is it that the 'Rents asked me if I would print out the sample ballot for tomorrow's election so they could study it and get through the polls quickly tomorrow?  I was only happy to oblige.  I put the pages back on my scanner and enlarged them so they could see it without a magnifying glass.

Take a lesson from my 'Rents - get out and vote tomorrow.  

Heaven Help the Grandmas and Grandpas

I just returned from my usual Sunday evening trip to Krogers for yogurt and other essentials.  It was a most interesting trip to the store tonight.  Let me preface by saying the kids are out of school tomorrow and Tuesday, and most of the people I encountered in the store tonight were Grandmas or Grandpas who were having the grandkids spend the night with them.  It wasn't a pretty sight.  At least twice I heard "I'm gonna whip your ass and then you ain't spending the night."  Nuff said. 

Ohio Valley Weather

On Monday, we broke a record with a high of 85 degrees.  Last night, there were snow showers and sleet in the area, and it got down to the low 30's last night.  Kids had to wear their winter coats over their Halloween costumes as they went trick-or-treating.  It's amazing that we had the air conditioner and the furnace on just days apart.  Only here in the Ohio Valley. 

Flashback Friday

TWIT would like to wish everyone a very Happy and safe Halloween tonight. 

In honor of Halloween, here is a picture of yours truly and my friend/coworker/faithful reader SH, taken on Halloween 2001.  I dare to say we were the coolest Legos around.

Happy Country Ham Month

I am so sorry in waiting until the last day of October to wish you, faithful readers, a happy Country Ham Month.  I just found out today that October was the official Country Ham Month.  

Never fear - you have a day left to get some country ham.  I stopped on the way home today and bought a package of small country ham pieces to put on our biscuits Saturday morning.  So technically we will still be celebrating Country Ham Month. 

I know that the majority of folks out there don't like country ham.  Give it a try.  If you buy a slice, let it soak for a few hours in either Coke (or any cola) or milk.  Then just fry it up in the pan and you won't be disappointed. 

Who Cares?

The title for this post can be both a question, and a statement, sorta, but it fits.  

When I got home tonight, I checked the family room coffee table for any mail that might have come for me today.  The 'Rents put my mail in a certain spot on the coffee table by Dad's recliner.  But I digress.  In the stack was the almost-daily letter from AT&T begging me to get U-Verse, a couple brochure from Rite-Aid, and a greeting card from one of the sweetest little old ladies at church.  After quickly opening the U-Verse letter and putting it along with the envelope inside the postage-paid envelope so I cam mail it back to AT&T (which I have been doing for quite some time now out of frustration with them hounding me to get U-Verse), I quickly opened the greeting card from Sweet Margaret.  The front said simply "Thinking of you today".  It made me smile.  I opened it up, and the card wished me a happy birthday.  I smiled even bigger.  Who cares that today is not my birthday?  Sweet Margaret thought enough about me to send me a card, and she is most definitely one who cares.  

I'm keeping this card forever. I wish everybody had someone who cares like Sweet Margaret. 

Tuesday Updates

As I type this, some friends are going through some pretty bad shit right now.  That's the best way I can describe it.  One friend is having surgery on Friday on her ear and the area around her hear, to correct a problem she's had since she was born.  And another friend is having surgery tomorrow to remove a third of one of her kidneys in hopes of removing all of the cancer that was recently found.  Both of these friends are exceptionally strong women; they wear many different hats, and work multiple jobs - for pay and for charitable work.  They both have a very strong support system, and I am for sure that they will both come out on top. 

It's times like these that make my current issues seem so insignificant, and yet make me so thankful.

I am sending out love and prayers to TW and DG, and I know you both will kick ass and be back in action before too long. 

Special Guest Writer Monday

I proudly welcome my Friend Of A Lifetime (FOAL), Diva Stacy, as she brings us today's very interesting post.  I've laughed about this for two days, I might add. 

Businesses love loyal customers. Usually they are willing to acknowledge and thank you for your business. For instance, my friend Puddin gets perks and comps when she goes to the casino boat. When she uses her loyalty card, they recognize her as a high roller (even though she is far from it) but they still treat her like a queen.

My boss is the same way with Kohl's. It's no accident every single coupon she receives in the mail is a 30% off. They know she will be using it and will spend a lot of money. I think her Kohl's credit card is made of platinum. Seriously, real platinum.

Me? I might get a 15% or 20% off coupon from Kohl's. I get nothing at the casino boat. But there is one place where I seem to be appreciated. That place? Kroger. Whenever Puddin comes to my house she is amazed at the really cool glossy magazine type brochures and coupon books I received from them. Lovely works of art, filled with lots of coupons. Puddin always says "We don't get these!" Yesterday I told her "You get your perks at the casino, I get mine at Kroger! You start spending $1000 a month there, they will send you the glossy brochure too!" I guess there could be more glamorous places to be recognized, but we are a busy household and use a lot of groceries. So....anybody want a coupon for a free dozen eggs?

Sunday Reflections

I'm tired today - as I have been for the past few weeks, and actually months - after all of the extra meetings and team projects I've been doing at work, in addition to working on a project for a church for Good Shepherd Security Consulting, and in addition to keeping everyone safe at WSBC on Sundays and Wednesdays.  Add all of that together and you've got one tired Puddin. 

Things have eased up at work a bit last week, and that gave me time to breathe and not feel like I was going to hyperventilate, but I am still busy with the previously mentioned projects. 

I've really enjoyed this weekend to just stay at home and not work on any project or problem.  

I know that this opportunity won't come around again for a long time, but for this weekend, it's been awesome. 

Security Tip Saturday

They're at it again, faithful readers - those unscrupulous, shyster home improvement con artists that prey on the elderly.  Earlier this week, a couple of them were in our neighborhood.  Thanks to our neighbor that called LMPD about them; once the guys heard she called the cops, they left the area. 

Winter will soon be here and these shysters are out to take advantage of the unsuspecting folks, offering to repave their driveways or fix their roofs (that don't need fixing) or a number of things.  As always, be watchful.  If you see something, say something.  Don't let these low-lifes rip off you or your loved ones.  If you see people like this in your neighborhood, write down a description of them and their vehicle and call the non-emergency police department number and report them.  And if you're able, get a picture - that would even be better so you can spread the word about them through Facebook.

As always, stay safe.

Flashback Friday

Since the beginning of June, one of the guys that work for me and I have been coming in at 6:00 on Friday mornings to meet with the night shift supervisors. It's been very beneficial, and I wish we would have been doing this all along; the communication between us has helped us all.  But I digress.  While it's been beneficial, it's also been very tiresome.  On Thursday nights, I go to bed before 10:00 and on Friday mornings at about 9:00, I start to crash.  I wish we had a rest period like we did back in kindegarten and elementary school. 

Once Again, Just My Luck

A partial solar eclipse of the sun is occurring right now, and just my luck, in the last half hour it's gone from sunny to mostly cloudy, so unless it clears up within the next few minutes, there's no chance of seeing the eclipse tonight.  Yep, just my luck. 

WTG KMart

I was thrilled yesterday when I discovered that KMart was once again selling my favorite brand and style of bra.  For the male Faithful Readers, you don't have a clue what I mean.  For the female Faithful Readers, you know exactly what I mean.  I was so thrilled that I bought five of these bras, for fear that in the future they would stop selling them again.  

I will repeat, I was so happy that KMart was selling these again, that I was happy almost all of today, until the last hour when my happy House of Cards colllapsed and I had a huge fiasco to deal with.  

But never fear - when I got home tonight, there on the kitchen table was my box from KMart.  Next day shipping - and I didn't pay extra for it! This made up for the crappy last hour of the work day that I had.

Good Luck, Trisha Yearwood

TWIT would like to wish Trisha Yearwood good luck tonight as she sings the National Anthem at the start of the first game of the World Series.

Anyone that knows me knows that I think Trisha Yearwood has one of the best voices in all of recorded music.  She could open up the Louisville Yellow Pages and start singing the listings and make us all just melt. 

I know without a doubt she will do an awesome job tonight, and I'm praying she will stick to her musical roots and sing the song like she learned it in elementary school. 

File Under: WTF?

I'm very riled up tonight, over a Facebook post that coworker made.  He is travelling to Florida, and his post said "So I'm sitting here at the airport wearing my "I heart Liberia" T-shirt, my Dallas Cowboys hat and my Cavs jacket.... The people here are RUDE! No one will sit next to me at ALL!!!!" 

Maybe I'm being overly sensitive, but I don't think Ebola is anything to be joking about.  I'm not in a panic, thinking I'm going to catch it or anything like that, but it's still not something to joke about. 

I called the coworker out first on his Facebook comments, but it didn't seem to phase him, and then privately in a message.  And what bothered me even more was mutual Facebook friends "liking" his post. 

I'm just sitting here shaking my head. 

Another First

I just got home from a two and a half hour quarterly business meeting at church, and I survived.  It was a first for me - I went up on the podium and stood in front of the microphone and gave a report and made some recommendations from the Security and Safety Committee.  It was the first time I'd spoken like this in church before.  Sure, I've spoken in Sunday School, and in the women's group, and in our committee meetings, but it was the first time I'd spoken in front of the majority of the regular church members.  And it was a piece of cake.  I wasn't nervous at all, and even gave a big smile when I was finished with my report.  

After the meeting, a dozen or so people came up to me and congratulated me.  At first,  I said "For what?"  and the woman replied "For standing up in front of almost 200 people and talking." Others said that they were glad I gave them the information.  As I was walking back to my seat, a church member who is a doctor and also part of our medical team, spoke up and said that she wanted to publicly recognize me for what I've done as head of security and safety at church.  She said some very kind words that made me feel great.  But after the meeting, I went up to her and gave her a hug and thanked her for her kind words, and I told her that the recognition wasn't necessary; I do this because I feel this is what I'm supposed to be doing in this part of my life.  She said "Yes, I know that, but people need to know what you do so they can appreciate you like we do."  So with that, I accepted the recognition and told her thanks.  It's not that I've never been told "Way to go, Puddin"; it's just that I've never been told that at my current church before. And it felt great.  But on my way to the door, I was stopped by a few other members who had some security concerns, so my glory was short-lived.  Back to keeping my church and the members safe.

Happy Birthday Belle of Louisville

 TWIT would like to wish a very happy birthday to the pride of our city, the Belle of Louisville. The Belle celebrates its 100^th birthday on Saturday.  It was formerly called the Idlewild, and was launched on October 18, 1814 at Pittsburgh.  It started out as a ferry between Memphis, TN and West Memphis, AR., and then moved on to the waterways from Canada to Mexico.  The Idlewild came to Louisville in 1934 and stayed through WWII. In the 40’s, the boat made cruises and was occasionally a USO nightspot on the Mississippi River.  In 1948, the Idlewild was renamed the Avalon, and moved on to Cincinnati where she became the most widely-traveled river steamboat in American history.  In 1962, the Avalon was put up for sale, and purchased by Jefferson County Judge Executive Marlow Cook for the low price of $34,000 and was renamed the Belle of Louisville.  Since then, she has graced the Ohio River in Louisville and remains the nation’s oldest and most authentic river steamboat.

Flashback Friday

Today's post is part Flashback Friday and part update.  We saw the sun today - in fact we saw the sun rise this morning and as I type this, there is still some daylight left.  We saw the sun all day long.  It was in deed a sunshine day.  The Flashback Friday part is from "The Brady Bunch" show when the Brady kids sang on a song called "Sunshine Day" on a talent show in hopes of winning the prize so they could get a silver platter for their parents' anniversary.  But I digress.  The entire day today was a beautiful sunshine day. 

There's clouds in the forecast for tomorrow and the rest of the week, and for some cooler temps, but there's no big chance of rain, thank goodness.  We've had more than enough in the past two weeks to do us the rest of the fall.

Rain, Rain Go Away Some More

Today is the 13th day out of the last 15 days that we've had rain here in the 'Ville.  I'm officially over it.  I am hoping for no rain tomorrow.  As always, I'll keep you posted.

Rain, Rain Go Away

The Weatherazzi said that we've had rain for 12 out of the last 14 days.  It's starting to look and feel like we're in Seattle.  And there's rain in the forecast again for tomorrow.  But I'm not complaining, even though it sounds like it.  After all I do work for a sump pump company. 

Electronics Update

I am very happy to report that I got an email this morning saying that my  new 32gb iPhone 5S has shipped today!!  I think my insessant calling might have done some good.  Hopefully I will have it in a few days.  And then I can start more incessant calling to make sure that they credit me for the time that I was without a phone.  As always, I'll keep you posted.

Fall Storm Update

As I type this, we're under a tornado watch until tomorrow morning and a severe storm warning until tomorrow morning as well.  They're calling for 2-4 inches of rain here in the 'Ville until tomorrow night.  Let me be the first to tell you we we are not looking forward to that.

We're as prepared as we can be at The Compound tonight, and we pray that the leak in the basement will hold out.

As always, I'll keep you posted.

Link Of The Week

On Thursday, the world lost one of the best comedy and improv actresses, Jan Hooks.  She ranks up at the top of my list of SNL faves along side Gilda Radner.  Like Gilda, she left us much too soon.  But she lft a legacy of characters and scenes on Saturday Night Light that will live in our memories forever.  My number one Jan Hooks sketch was when she was Tammy Faye Bakker on Church Chat.  You can watch the sketch in its entirity here at https://screen.yahoo.com/church-chat-jim-tammy-faye-000000956.html.

RIP Jan Hooks.

Electronics Update

It's time for yet another Electronics Update.  I decided that I really wanted to have all of my iTunes music library on my iPhone, so I went about calling and checking into returning it for a bigger model.  No problem, I was assured; I was within the 14-day return period.  But the problem was that no AT&T store within 50 miles of Louisville had the 32gb phone I wanted, so I would have to return the 16gb phone, and order the 32gb phone online.  So after supper Wednesday night, I connected the 16gb phone to my iTunes account, did a backup, and before I went to the AT&T store to return it, I got brave and backed up my photos and contacts to The Cloud.  I've been nervous and leery about The Cloud, but I figured it was as safe and secure as Facebook, so I nervously moved The Cloud setting to "on" and in a few seconds, my photos, videos, contacts and notes were stored in The Cloud, just waiting for me to retrieve them and put them on my new iPhone.  

I went up to the AT&T store and easily returned the phone and got everything squared away.  I zoomed homed and immediately got online and ordered the phone I wanted.  As soon as the order was processed, I received a confirmation email from the order, along with a note saying that the phone would be shipping sometime between 10/17 and 10/28.  WTF?  I grabbed the trusty land-line phone and called AT&T and told them the situation and asked if there was anything they could do to expedite the order.  The woman said "sorry".  I thought "I'm sure you are."  So then it was time for my next question for AT&T.  I asked if my bill would be adjusted for all of this time that I don't have a phone.  She was quiet for a few seconds and then asked if she could put me on hold.  She was gone for about two minutes and then when she came back on the line, she said that yes, I should (key word) be credited for this time that I don't have a phone.  We'll see about that on the next bill. 

Sure, it's frustrating not having my iPhone, but it's not the end of the world.  It's the phone that I use for my consulting business, and I don't have text messaging on there, so I'm not missing texts; I just call the number a couple of times a day to check and see if there's any voicemail messages.  So it's more of an inconvenience. 

As always, I'll keep you posted. 

Flashback Friday

I was totally remiss in wishing you, faithful readers, a Happy Walk To School Day on Wednesday.  It totally got past me.  But it brought back memories from my elementary school days.

I was a Bus Rider, but I wished I was a Walker.  The Walkers got to get out of school 15 minutes before us Bus Riders, which was a plus.  Plus they just looked so cool, walking home from school while we had to take the bus home.

A few times a year during my elementary school days I was able to be a Walker.  My Mom's best friend lived about two blocks from my elementary school, and on skating party days, I would walk home with her daughter Sherry, and then her mom would take us to the skating rink.  It was a grand day to be able to be a Walker.  On a couple of occasions, the night before the skating party day, Mom or Dad would load up my bike and take it to their house, and sometime the next morning, my Mom's friend would take my bike and her daughter's bike to school and drop them off with the other bikes and we'd pedal back to their house before going to the skating party.  Even back in the day, my family and I were pretty darned good with logistics. 

Blood Moon Happenings

Night before last we had a "Blood Moon" as part of an eclipse.  I apologize - I'm not sure if said eclipse was lunar or solar. All I know is that the moon was reddish.  But I digress.  As part of this Blood Moon phenomenon, things were extra bizarre here at The Compound.  And it's carried over into today.  We've had some freakish things happen here today and we are blaming them on the Blood Moon. The biggest freakish thing is the 'Rents losing their Kroger reward card.  It was on a key chain that they have other rewards cards on, and they keep it in a drawer in the Odyessy.  They went to Kroger's yesterday for some bread and used their rewards card.  Today when they went to Krogers to do their big monthly grocery shopping, the rewards card was missing from the key chain.  I'm not even sure where to start to try to explain it.

After we're well into the next lunar phase, we'll see if the freakish things are still happening.

As always, I'll keep you posted.

Calgon Wednesday

Unfortunately, Calgon Tuesday has morphed into Calgon Wednesday for me.  I'm worn out, and once again as I soon as I post this, I'm going to take my bath and put on my pajamas and hopefully relax.

It was another long and hard day at ZCO.  That's about all I have to say.

Calgon Tuesday

In my almost 25 years at my company, I have never been as busy as I am right now.  All I can say is that even after working over an hour today, I'm glad that I have some time to myself before I have to be back in the office.  It's only 6:45 as I type this, but as soon as I post this, I'm going to take my bath, get on my comfy pajamas, and fix me a good stiff drink and settle down to watch some of the baseball playoffs.  I have some work I should be doing for church, Good Shepherd Security Consulting, and for Zoeller, but I need a break and am doing no work tonight unless opening a bottle or filling a glass is required.

I'm Just That Good

When I woke up this morning, I thought it would be just a normal getting-ready-for work morning.  Nope.  I turned on the Bunn coffee maker and checked email while the coffee was brewing.  As I walked from the back bedroom to the kitchen, I stopped in the family room and picked up the remote to open the garage door.  Just as I picked it up, the electricity went off.  I looked around to see if it was just us, but it was dark up and down the street. 

The first thing I did was make my way carefully to the bookcase where I keep my trusty head light.  I slipped it on my head and with a press of a button we had light.  I got one of the battery lanterns and turned it on and set it on the kitchen table, and then got my coffee and headed back to get dressed for work.  I sat another lantern on the bed and had more than enough light to find a matching pair of brown socks. 

The next obstacle was bit more difficult: getting the garage door open.  But thanks to my Sweet Mother who cleared out some stuff over the weekend, I was able to open the side door fairly easily and squeeze through and open the door with the emergency lever. 

I came back in and woke the 'Rents (and I was sorry to disturb their slumber) and told them what was going on, and left one of the lanterns with them in case they needed it.  I'm pretty sure that they were back to sleep before I had a chance to walk out of the back door and lock it.

I kept my head light on until I got in the Blazer, and then attempted to brush my hair out via the rearview mirror.  I didn't look too bad.  

The stop lights were out up at the big four-way intersection, so I made a U-turn and took a back road to get out on the Greenbelt at a stop light, and then made it to work a few minutes quicker than it would normally take me.  And I was none the worse for wear.  And my socks matched.  You can't ask for much more than that on a Monday.   

Parka Sighting

On the way to church this morning, the 'Rents and I spotted the first parka of the season.  It was spotted sitting on a bench, waiting for the bust. 

Let me be the first to say I'm not dissing this guy for wearing a parka this morning.  At the time we saw him, the temperature was 44 degrees.  That's worthy of any type of winter coat.  But you know I have a fascination with parkas and just wanted to say we saw the first parka of the season.

Electronics Update

I've been trying (key word) to get my music synced over from my iTunes library to the new iPhone and it just wouldn't work.  After messing with it last night and this morning, I had an "a ha" moment and realized it wouldn't sync over because there wasn't enough space on the phone.  It's a 16gb phone, just like my old iPhone, but the new operating system and the phone guts (for lack of a better technical term) takes up a lot more space than the older phones.  So now I can either go through my entire iTunes library of over 1000 songs from CD's I've downloaded and pick and choose what I want on my new phone, or I can say to heck with it and go back up to the AT&T store within the next 10 days and return this one and get a 32gb phone.  I'm not sure what I'll do.  I know, I know - some of you are thinking "Do you really need over 1000 songs on your new iPhone, Puddin?"  But it's my phone and if want to have over 1000 songs on there, I can.  But I do know one thing.  Right now, I need to take a break from looking at iTunes. 

Flashback Friday

I know I've said this a few times previously on Flashback Fridays, but I will say it again.  I would love to be back in a simpler place and time without all of the electronic crap that I have.  This is day three of not being able to get my music synced from iTunes to my new iPhone 5S.  It beats the hell out of me. 

Back in the day, all I would have to worry about would be if I had fresh batteries for my cassette recorder/radio.  For the past three days I've been racking my brain over how to get my music library transferred over from iTunes to my new iPhone.  It sure ain't easy. 

Getting My Just Rewards

It's been a good week for getting free stuff at the stores that I frequent.  Thanks to customer reward cards, surveys on the back of fast-food receipts, and store coupons, I've gotten some great freebies this week. 

1.  Three Musketeers Mini's

2.  Egg McMuffin

3.  A bottle of Snapple

4.  Marie Callender's Chicken Pot Pie

5.  A big bag of Doritos

6.  A dozen Grade A large eggs

7.  $5 BP gift card

Technology Updates

We've had some technology issues here at The Compound for a few days.  Last Friday, I discovered that my desktop computer crapped out.  I tried (key word) to install a wireless keyboard and mouse, and in doing so, rendered all of the mouses (sorry - I know that's bad grammar) inoperable.  I took the computer back to the shop on Saturday, and picked it back up last night.  I love this place - when they made the computer for me, it me, it came with a lifetime warranty; all I pay for is labor.  So it only cost me $20 to get it back up and running.  And in the meanwhile, I traded in my iPhone 4S for an awesome5S.  It was a deal too good to be true.  The phone was $99, and they gave me a $200 credit for trading in my 4S.  They took the $99 cost of the phone off of the card, so it really didn't cost me anything.

Tonight, I'm back in my zone.  I'm getting ready to sync the new iPhone with my iTunes library so I can be back in business.  

Happy BelatedNational Coffee Day

TWIT and I would like to wish you, faithful readers, a happy belated National Coffee Day.  Things were so busy and crazy at work, that I didn't even have time to get a cup of coffee on National Coffee Day.  I promise I will make it up for it t morrow.

Link Of The Week

We got our flu shots last week at work, just like we’ve done for every year that I can remember at Zoeller.  It’s an awesome perk of working there – we get our flu shots for free, and don’t have to worry with filing it with our insurance company.  All we do is just show up and get our shots.  But I digress.

The annual flu shots are a sobering reminder that we are on the doorstep of the flu season.  Stay informed this year, by visiting http://www.everydayhealth.com/flu/map/?xid=aol_rss. Just enter your zip code and you can find out info on the flu outbreak in your area. 

Security Tip Saturday

I belong to a Facebook group that is made up of people from my part of town (the good ole PRP area). This week, someone posted pictures of two guys panhandling in one of our shopping center parking lots.  Others chimed in, posting their pictures of these two guys, who evidently were asking for handouts all day long.  As you can imagine, this prompted a very lengthy discussion about how we work hard for our money and shouldn't have to deal with these two guys asking for money.  Someone finally posted a helpful post - she posted a phone number for LMPD (Louisville Metro Police Department) and urged people to call the next time they saw these guys or others panhandling in parking lots or elsewhere. 

The Security Tip is to take a few seconds and Google "non-emergency police department phone number" for the city you live in, and program the number in your cell phone.  The next time you see people panhandling, call the non-emergency number and let the police handle it. 

As always, be safe and secure. 

Flashback Friday

It's been a rough week for all things electronic and mechanical at The Compound.  First of all, the tiller crapped out a few days ago; something happened to the pulley and it keeps breaking belts. Yes, belts, as in plural.  Then this afternoon, the desktop computer decided that it would no longer recognize the mouse.  

I sure Dad is thinking back to the time when farm equipment was a heck of a lot easier to work on.  And I'm thinking back to the early days of computers when I could put the boot disk in and in a couple of minutes I would be up and running.  Today, not so much. 

Not Sure How To Categorize This

For the past few days, I've been mad about something, and have been wanting to pick a fight.  I was one step away from picking said fight tonight, when the person I wanted to fight stepped up and apologized about something.  I had to quickly back down, because honestly I was one step away from calling her out and cutting her out of my life.  

I thank the Lord for the way He moves in our lives.  That's about all I can say.  

Post Birthday Celebrations

It's the day after my sweet mother's 80th birthday, and we're still celebrating.  It's been an awesome, beautiful week to be on vacation, and I have a few more days left to celebrate, and that's what I intend to do.

Happy Birthday, Mom

TWIT would like to wish my sweet mother a very happy 80th birthday today.  And those of you that know her can vouch that she sure doesn't look or act like she's 80.  She goes more and does more than a lot of women half her age; once again, if you know her, you know that's the gospel truth.  

Happy birthday, Mom. 

Security Tip Monday

Once again, I witnessed an act of carelessness that made me cringe.  Last night, I stopped at Kroger's to pick up a few things, and noticed a couple shopping in the same aisle as me.  Let me interject that the woman was sporting what appeared to be a freshly-cut femmullet.  But I digress.  The woman's large purse was sitting in the "child section" (for lack of a better phrase) of the grocery cart, and it was wide open.  You could clearly see her iPhone and wallet in plain view.  She was about five or six yards from the cart, as was her husband in the opposite direction; nobody was keeping an eye on her purse because they were too busy yelling back and forth about their shopping list.  Someone could have easily walked up and grabbed her phone and wallet without either of them noticing it.  

My advice is for women to not even take a purse with them to the store, and if you do, keep it with you at all times.  

Just Proving A Point

This morning on the way to church, I stopped at the same ATM I stopped at yesterday just to prove my point.  I got out $20, and after I took my twenty dollar bill, I sat there a few seconds and then the same message popped up like yesterday when I pulled up, asking I wanted to complete another transaction.  I pressed "Yes" and then all it asked me was what type of transaction I wanted - withdrawal or deposit, and then from where/to where.  It didn't ask for me to put in my PIN number again. So once again, anyone could have cleaned that person's checking out.  And like I said yesterday, the machine takes a picture just as the person is entering their PIN number.  If I'd been a punk ass and cleared out their checking account, maybe the bank might have gotten my license plate number or a good picture of me on their security cameras in the parking lot, but you never know. 

Let me stress again to that we can't be too careful these days. 

Security Tip Saturday

I went to the ATM machine this morning while running errands, and had to wait a couple of minutes for the car in front of me to finish his banking bidness.  When he left and I pulled up to the ATM, imagine my surprise when I saw that he had not finished his banking bidness; there on the ATM screen was the prompt asking "Do you want another transaction?"  Yep, the car pulled off without completing his ATM bidness.  If I had not been an honest, scrupulous person, I could have easily pressed the button that said "Yes" and could have drained the money from this person's checking account without getting caught.  The cameras in the ATM take a picture as soon as the debit/credit card is inserted, so there would not have been a picture of me making the other transaction.

I know we're all in a hurry to get somewhere, but when you're at the ATM, please wait and close out the transaction or else you could get your checking account drained. 

Hogzilla Update

The Old Man has had some sinus/allergy issues this week, and today is the first day he's felt like getting outside.  So today, he was on Hogzilla Patrol. He didn't have any sightings today, but My Sweet Mother spotted Hogzilla when she was doing her daily walk earlier this afternoon.

As of now, the plan is for The Old Man to keep a vigalent watch tomorrow as he has his trusty shotgun loaded and locked.

Trust me - Hogzilla will be subdued in the days ahead.

Farmtown 2014 Update

Dad had some sinus issues the past few days and was out of commission here at The Compound, but today, he was able to get outside and the last remaining tomato plant was taken down.  So as of now, all we have left are the sweet potatoes, and Mom's Mystery Peppers that are growing in her flower bed.

It was an awesome run for the tomatoes, and I think half of Jefferson County got a bag full. 

Sauerkraut Update

I'm not sure what has happened, but tonight we had to lug the heavy stone crock of sauerkraut out to the field and dump it out.  Like I said, I don't know what happened.  Every week I did what I was supposed to do -- I made sure there was water covering the kraut in the crock.  But tonight when I checked, it was just, ewwww.  That's about all I can say.

We learned some valuable lessons this summer.  The first being that we have no business making sauerkraut, especially since it cost me over two months of not being able to fully use my right hand after shredding the cabbage.  Second, why go through all of this trouble when we can buy the kraut ready to go.  

I don't think we'll make homemade kraut again, but I'm glad we had the experience.  I think. 

Farmtown 2014 Update

The mystery at The Compound has been solved.  We have a clear picture of what varmint has been eating the sweet potatoes and other plants:  it's none other than Hogzilla, the giant groundhog.  You can clearly see the big varmint feasting on the sweet potato plants.

To quote The Old Man just moments ago: "His days are numbered."

I can hear the shotgun shells being loaded and locked right now. 

Farmtown 2014 Update

Things can change pretty quickly here at The Compound.  Just when Dad said he was going to keep four of his prized tomato plants, today he decided differently.  He pulled up the remaining tomato plants, and as of tonight, we have one very healthy plant left.  I think he's tired of trying to give away tomatoes.

We still have the very healthy and plentiful sweet potato plants, and as I said the other day, they are looking like they will be as plentiful as the tomatoes.

And we still don't know what we're going to do, if anything, to try and rid ourselves of the giant skunk aka Skunkzilla.  And just yesterday afternoon when Mom was doing her daily walk, she spotted Hogzilla, the giant ground hog here at The Compound. 

I'm thinking we should try and get some of those reality show people to come here and catch those varmints.

Farmtown 2014 Update

We have another update from Farmtown.  We have a picture caught on the trail camera of the varmint that has been eating the beans, sweet potatoes, etc.  It's just what we suspected -- a big skunk.  We got a clear picutre of the varmint Thursday night. 

At least now we know what has been eating the garden. Now, we don't know how to catch it.

As always, I'll keep you posted.  Stay tuned.

Farmtown 2014 Update

After giving countless bags, baskets and boxes full of tomatoes to practically half of Jefferson County, the great tomato harvest at The Compound is drawing to a close.  As I type this, Dad is out in Farmtown tearing down some of the tomato plants.   He's still leaving the stronger, more-producing plants up, in hopes of picking some tomatoes in the weeks ahead but they're all winding down. 

Even though we lost half of the green beans thanks to a critter eating the tops of them, and we lost the squash plants due to bores, we still have had tons of tomatoes.  And the sweet potato crop is shaping up to be as plentiful as the tomatoes. 

I remember for the past two years, they've kept a few tomato plants up into the fall, and were still picking until we had a killing frost.  With as hearty as these tomato plants were this season, I'm thinking we can do the same this year.

As always, I'll keep you posted and will provide pictures. 

Flashback Friday

All week long, I've been quoting lines from "Pee Wee's Big Adventure".  

I had a rough week at work, at home, and elsewhere, and whenever I would quote a line from this movie, it would make me laugh.  Thank you, Pee Wee Herman for this awesome movie.  And thank you for making us laugh. 

It's A Better Day

Today has been better than yesterday was, thank goodness.  I don't feel as disgusted and as mad as I was yesterday, and there weren't a dozen problems attacking me at all levels today.  

The day wasn't perfectly smooth; there were problems but they were manageable, unlike yesterday, that left me totally freaked out. 

I'm feeling stronger and more in control tonight than I was yesterday.  I hesitate to say things are back to normal.  Because we all know that "normal" is just a setting on a washing machine. 

I Just Wanna Be Mad For A While

As I type this post, I'm mad, and I deserve to be mad without having people tell me I shouldn't be mad.  As the country song says, "I just wanna be mad for a while."  Then I will get over it and move on.

A dozen things have gone wrong at The Compound, at work and all around me within the past twenty-four hours that has left me disgusted and mad. I've kept it all to myself because that's how I am.  But I've had my time to be mad and now I am getting over it and am moving on.  No, not everything that went wrong is fixed; some of the things will never be totally fixed, but I will just deal with them and move on. 

I'm hoping for a happier day tomorrow. 

I'm A Failure

For the past four weeks, I've been trying as hard as I can to tweak and adjust our trail camera to take pictures of the varmint that has been eating and destroying our garden.  But for some reason, I just can't do it.  I thought I had it adjusted when I spent time out there Thursday night, but there was nothing on the smart card tonight when we checked; and we know that we've all three plus a friend have been out in the garden and should have triggered the trail camera. 

I'm taking this to heart because I consider myself the technical guru here at The Compound.  And of course, others here are disppointed because the pictures of them and our friend posing in the garden didn't come through.

I'm not sure what else I can do.  I've put fresh batteries in it tonight, when I knew for sure the other batteries still had juice in them.  There's not much else I can do.  I just hope tonight's tweaking and adjustments will work.