Good Luck, Kray-Z K

TWIT would like to wish good luck to my good friend and [as of now], former coworker, Kray-Z K.  Her last day at work was Friday, and yesterday she and her two big dogs set out for Virginia Beach, VA for the next chapter in her life.  Her daughter, Squid, was already there.  She graduated with honors a couple of weeks ago from Officer Candidate School and is now an officer in the Navy.  She'll be stationed in Virginia Beach, and in April will be deployed on a destroyer ship.  

I admire Kray-Z K for having both guts and faith to leave a secure job and basically start all over in a new state and city.  But as she told me the other day, "I didn't have a job when I came to Louisville."  With her skills and education, I'm sure she'll have a job in no time.  

It won't be the same next April at The Taste of Derby Festival, the annual event that Kray-Z K and I always attended, but maybe we can talk her into making a visit to the 'Ville that week.

Good luck, Kray-Z K and Squid - you all always be a part of our family.  

 

Another Broken Record

It's 1:19 as I type this, and I've already made three separate trips to the grocery store.  And I can't rule out at least one more trip before the day is over.  Another record has been broken.

Gratitude Challenge Day 3

Day 3 of 3 Gratitude Challenge

1. Grateful for all of my families -- my blood-related family, my heart-related family, my work family, my church family, my school family

2. Grateful for my old red Blazer for still being faithful and reliable and getting me where I need to go

3. Grateful for my favorite TV shows and movies that I can watch over and over and still laugh just like I did the first time I watched them

My 3 day Gratitude Challenge is over, and now it's time to pass the torch. I challenge Barb Gowen, Michelle Spingel, and Linda Chase Bonora.

Gratitude Challenge Day 2

Day 2 of 3 Gratitude Challenge

1. Grateful for my best friend since my teenage years, Stacy, and her unconditional love  

2. Grateful for my friends that I've had since my infant years, including Shannon and all of her family (and that's a lot) 

3. Grateful for my parents and grandparents for instilling in me the love of music and encouraging me to play and sing

Gratitude Challenge

In addition to the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, a friend has challenged me for the Gratitude Challenge.  For three days, I have to post three things I am grateful for.  This is so easy it should be a shame. 

1. Grateful for forgiving, loving and gracious Heavenly Father
2. Grateful for still having my two sweet, hard-working parents
3. Grateful for a job that I love

We're Famous!

We're famous here at The Compound!  Last night, our beloved local TV news celebrity and hood neighbor Dawne Gee stopped by The Compound so she could get a mess of green tomatoes to take home and fry up.  We were thrilled to death that she would take time out of her busy schedule to visit The Compound.  We made sure she had plenty of green tomatoes and some red ones, too, for her and her parents.   

As soon as she got home last night, she fried up a mess of the green tomatoes, and proudly took a pic of them.  Believe me when I tell you I would given anything if she'd brought a plate full back here to The Compound.  The Old Man and I would have cracked open a cold Bud Light and ate a few pieces.  But I digress.

We were tickled to pieces that Dawne Gee took time to come here and get some tomatoes, and then later, take more time to post pictures on Facebook.  And she made a point to give each of us a big hug.   She is more than welcome to stop by anytime she wants for tomatoes.

Monday, Monday

For the second weekend in a row, I've had a digestive system issue, but today, I think we're back to normal.  Or whatever normal is supposed to be. 

Normal at The Compound:

The Old Man is out stressing over his tomatoes, and is picking a mess of green tomatoes for a friend to stop by and pick up.

My Sweet Mother is stressing over the kitchen being clean enough when said friend comes by later to pick up their tomatoes.

Me, I'm just on cruise control and am happy I'm not at work.

Another Broken Record

Today is the last day of the Kentucky State Fair, and for the first time in my life, I did not go.  I am on exagerrating when I say "for the first time in my life."  My first trip to the state fair was when I was seven months old.  And I've gone at least once every year until 2014. 

For starters, I just was not in the mood to go this year.  The price of admission and parking is outragious - $10 for adults and $8 for parking.  Plus I procrastinated and didn't enter anything into the fair, which I was going to do just to be able to buy a book of 10 tickets (good for one adult and parking) for only $20.   And last year they changed the seating for the free concerts and it was crappy so I really had no desire to go this year. 

A tiny bit of me regrets not going - mainly because I missed out on the famous Hodsun's fudge ("fudge like grandma 'tried' to make").  But I won't lose any sleep over it.

Like A Candle Burning

Over the past few years, when I've smelled a particular food or scent here at The Compound, I'd say "I would buy a candle that smelled like that."  

Just in the past two weeks alone, I can list a lot of smells and scents that I've experienced here at The Compound that would prompt me to buy a candle if they smelled like that. 

1.  Homemade salsa
2.  Mom's meatloaf
3.  French vanilla cake
4.  Homemade vegetable soup
5.  Fresh baked bread
6.  Just-fried bacon
7.  Homemade sauerkraut
8.  Homemade vegetable soup

If any of you faithful readers find candles with these scents, please let me know.  

Flashback Friday

During lunch one day this week, my friend/coworker/faithful reader SH and I had a big old laugh over the old school Eastlands aka Bluchers. 

The weren't cool unless you had the shoelaces rolled into the pigtails, as seen in this picture.  I've always had issues with anything like this, so I would always have the Old Man fix my shoelaces. 

The kids today are wearing the Sperry shoes, and I'm not sure that they even sell Eastlands anymore, but I am proud to say that I still wear my pair of Eastlands, identical to the pair in this picture.  I keep them in my office and change into them when I am wearing sandals or other shoes that are not approved footware for our factory.  And yes, I still have the pigtails. 

Critter Update At The Compound

While we don't have photographic proof, we do have reports of sightings from three different people seeing a bald eagle in back of The Compound. 

The three individuals that spotted the alleged eagle are all trustworthy and very reputable.  So we're 99.99% sure that they did in deed spot a bald eagle.

Our spotters have been activated and we will do our best to get a picture of it.  If only it would land in the garden so the Garden Cam could catch it on film. 

As always, I'll keep you posted.

Squeaking By

For the past few weeks, I've luckily squeaked by and haven't been called out in any Facebook or other social media ALS ice bucket video posts.  I hope I haven't jinxed myseld by saying this tonight. 

If someone does call me out and challenge me to the ice bucket thing, I'm not real sure of the protocol.  What am I supposed to, besides have a bucket of ice water dumped on my head?  Am I supposed to give a donation to finding a cure for ALS or what? 

I hope I find out before someone decides to challenge me.

Bumper Sticker Of The Month

Farmtown 2014 Update

This was the scene this morning, after the 'Rents picked tomatoes yesterday afternoon amid rain showers.  Keep in mind that the 'Rents delivered twice this many tomatoes yesterday to our friends at church, only to come home and pick more. 

They used up the majority of these today in canning some tomato juice, and as I type this, they are out in the garden with their old shoes on picking more tomatoes in the mud.  

One person said it best when talking about the 'Rents and their garden.  They said "The Lord gave them special hands to grow such good tasting things."  I have to agree. 

Link Of The Week.

You already know that I am all about a bargain and using a big coupon.  This week I found another way for us to save.  If you shop at WalMart, after you've checked out, download this app and then scan in your receipt.  Walmart will match the price in a competitor's ad, and if the Savings Catcher finds a lower local price, Walmart will give you the difference.  It's worth a shot and only takes a minute or two.  If you don't want to download the app, you can enter the receipt info here at this link: https://savingscatcher.walmart.com/

I hope you save a lot!

Coffee Sign Update

I am happy to report that the last two mornings, the trusty Bunn coffee maker was back in working order, and I had nice hot coffee.  I was sweating for a bit, let me tell you - I thought for sure it was a sign for me to give up my morning coffee.  

I will go on record and say that the Bunn coffee maker is one of the most awesome appliances that we have ever had here at The Compound.  I give props to Aunt D for telling Gram about it back in the early 80's.  After we bought one to try, we were sold.  But I digress.

The coffee gods were smiling down on my yesterday morning when I had to get up at 5:00.  I poured the water in the maker and it worked effortlessly, brewing an awesome pot of coffee.  

Flashback Friday

At lunch today, my coworker JL and I were reminiscing about our days in elementary school when we had a mandatory milk break.  The carton of milk cost three cents.  Yep three cents.  And you had to turn in the fifteen cents on Monday for the week. 

You knew you were one of the Chosen Two when the teacher would ask you and another classmate to go down to the cafeteria and carry back the plastic crate full of little pyramid-shaped milk cartons of milk.  You knew you were one of the Chosen if the teacher asked you to be one of the pair to go down to the cafeteria and carry back the plastic crate of milk cartons for milk break.

Just about everyone in the class had a snack for the obligatory Milk Break.  Most of the kids had the prepackaged Hostess or other brand snacks;  lucky kids had some homemade baked goods that their mother sent with them. 

But everyone in the class hoped their name would be called that morning to be one of the Chosen Two to go down and bring back the milk. 

Is This A Sign?

A dear friend came to visit us at The Compound this weekend, and she wanted to talk to me and the 'Rents about a major decision she was about to make.  She said that she'd prayed about it and asked God for a sign to let her know she was making the right decision.  Well, let me tell you, she got a sign of Biblical proportions.   It's bittersweet because in a couple of weeks, this dear friend will be moving to Norfolk, Virginia.  But I digress. 

For the past three mornings, one thing or another has been wrong with our coffee maker.  Monday, it overflowed and water was everywhere on the counter top.  Yesterday morning, there was no coffee in the filter basket when the water ran through.  This morning, I discovered that the heating element in the water reservoir had gotten turned off so the coffee was weak and cold.  

Maybe the Lord is giving me a sign to give up coffee.  I'll give it another morning or two before I make a final decision.  

As always, I'll keep you posted. 

File Under: WTF:

I made an observation last week.  Yes, I know I'm just now getting around to talking about it this week.   But I digress.

Why is it that the kids (anyone under 30) will not wear winter coats or proper shoes when there is snow or ice on the ground in the winter time, but in the dead of summer when it's 90+ degrees they will wear winter hats (either the knit stocking caps or the old school kind of winter hats with the ear flaps)?  This makes no logical sense whatsoever.  

Tuesday Thoughts

I'm a bundle of emotions tonight. I've got a lot on my heart and mind. Due to confidentiality and respect, I can't say a lot about it.  

I'm sorry that Robin Williams took his own life (allegedly), but that doesn't have anything to do with why me, and the 'Rents are bummed tonight.  A dear friend that has grown to be a part of our family is moving in two short weeks, and we're missing them already.  

As for RobinWilliams, I'm tired of hearing all of the TV and internet news last night and today.  I'm sorry that he felt like his life was not worth living. Please just let this man rest in peace.  I pray that others that feel the same way can get the help they need.  

I know I will sound like a hard ass, but there's more things going on right now that matter more than a celebrity committing suicide.  We've got the situation in Iraq, where thousands and thousands of Christians and other innocent people are being killed daily.  We've got the situation in Syria and Israel.  And we've got the situation in the Ukraine.  

As the song says, let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me. 

Something You Don't See Every Day

This little fellow was beside the Blazer when I left work this evening.  I was pretty impressed with its blue tail.  I'm just thankful it wasn't a frog. 

Link Of The Week

Since our first [and possibly last] attempt at making sauerkraut was successful, I started doing some more research on fermentation, as prompted by my old friend PHD.  She's been fermenting different vegetables and fruits for a while, and she suggested a website.  It's the site of a very cook and knowledgeable doctor who talkes about fermenting and has some great info on making sauerkraut, too.  The site is simply http://www.drweil.com.  In addition to telling the great benefits of eating fermented foods, he has tons of other info on health and wellness.  Please take a look. 

Something You Don't See Every Day

Yesterday morning on the way to work, I stopped at one of my favorite convenience stores just down the street from the office. Keep in mind that Fridays are my early day, so it was about 5:30 in the morning when I stopped.  I got an egg sandwich on fresh white bread and made my way to the counter to pay.  While I was waiting for the clerk to wait on me, I glanced over to the front of the store.  They have 3 or 4 sets of benches and tables for customers to eat what they buy at food counter.  Anyhoo, a man was at one of the tables, and he had dozens of lottery ticket slips all laid out on the table.  He had a calculator, a legal pad, and an iPad out on the table, too, and he was working as hard as I've seen anyone work at a desk. He would punch in some numbers on the calculator and then look at something on the iPad and then write down something on the legal pad.  I sure hope he wins something for all of his efforts. 

Flashback Friday

Today is a pretty significant day in American history.  On this day in 1972, the last of the U.S. ground forces withdrew from Viet Nam.  Today, the U.S. conducted a series of air strikes in Iraq.  Just a little something to think about.

Here Come The Naked Ladies

I'm proud to share a great picture of the Naked Ladies here at The Compound. 

We've noticed in the past two weeks that the Naked Ladies seem to have sprouted up in more places than in previous years.  All of the usual places for them were showing twice as many as in years past. 

 

Farmtown 2014 Update

I spent both my morning and afternoon breaks at work today making phone calls to see if I could find anyone that wanted some tomatoes and green beans.  The Rents spent the early morning out at Farmtown and ended up with a bushel basket of each.  I spent a good part of the evening making deliveries.  That's how we roll at The Compound during Farmtown harvesting. 

File Under: WTF?

The 'Rents and I went out Sunday after church to our favorite Mexican restaurant, and I couldn't help but listen to the people sitting in the booth behind us.  A young woman told the server she wanted a particular draft beer.  That was all she said - nothing more. The server told "12 ounce or 22 ounce?" The young woman asked "How big are they?"

Nope, I am not making this up.

Another Sauerkraut Update

I am extremely happy to report that we had some of our homemade sauerkraut for supper tonight.  It rocked.  Off the chain.  We each had two helpings of it.  It was definitely worth all of our efforts.  

We're still going to keep it in the big stone crock and let it continue to ferment for a couple more weeks.  In the meanwhile, I will be researching and finding the best way for us to keep it -- whether it's through canning it in jars or freezing or whatever.

As always, I'll keep you posted.  

Link Of The Week

I'm always very impressed when I go to a wedding reception or other party where the caterer has carefully carved out a watermelon into the shape of some type of basket, and then filled the watermelon with the melon they carved out, along with other types of fruits.  I'm impressed because there's no way in blue heaven I could do that. 

This week, I found a cool site that has pictures of very intricate water melon carvings.  It's worth a few minutes of your time to see what these talented people can do.  Visit  http://mentalfloss.com/article/52522/17-wonderfully-sweet-watermelon-carvings and take a look.

Sauerkraut Update

Five weeks ago, the 'Rents and I started on the Great Homemade Sauerkraut Project.  Since the first day we shredded the cabbage and got it fixed properly in the crock, every few days I would check to make sure there was enough water in it, etc.  It's been a long process, and today was The Day - the day when I would taste it.   

I'm very proud to say that so far, our first (and probably last) try at making sauerkraut is a success.  It's more crunchy than I expected, and it's not as sour as I like my kraut, but it was darned tasty right out of the crock.  The 'Rents tasted and both of them agreed it was pretty darned good.  

We're going to let it ferment for another week and see if that will make it more sour and less crunchy.  Then, we will be ready to either freeze it or store it in jars.  

As always, I'll keep you posted. 

Flashback Friday

With all of the canning going on in Farmtown right now, I wanted to post a pic of the trusty workhorse, our old pressure cooker.  I don't think my Sweet Mother would take a thousand bucks for it.  

If I had a dollar for every canner full of green beans and tomatoes that have been in this pressure cooker over the years, I'd probably be a millionaire.