Happy Thurby

TWIT would like to wish everyone a Happy Thurby.  In case you didn't know, Thurby is the Thursday before Derby.  And apparently this year, "Thurby" is an official Derby Festival day.  Yeah, I didn't know either until a few days ago.  But I digress.  

At any rate, go out and celebrate and have fun  like we are at The Compound.  We've all had a couple of glasses of wine with dinner, and I'm pretty sure Dad and I will be having some Bulleit bourbon on the rocks later to celebrate. 

Sorry - I Don't Work Here

I had an interesting event at my 'hood Krogers' this evening. I stopped on my way home to pick up some butter.  I was wearing my work uniform clothes - today's uniform was khaki pants and a dark blue golf shirt with my company logo on it. I guess people thought I was a Kroger employee. Two people stopped me as I was getting my butter and asked me questions about where the whipped cream and the aluminum foil were. I directed them both to the correct aisles and then quickly went to the self-check-out so I could get out of there before I had to do more work.

It Is What It Is Update

The friend that I mentioned in the It Is What It Is post did make steps today to repair our friendship.  She first apologized to me for dissing me and for treating me the way she did, and then she poured out her heart, telling me about a lot of bad stuff happening to her right now.  She told me that I was a true friend.  I wish she'd realized that sooner; it would have saved us both a lot of time and trouble.  But I digress. 

Before we ended our conversation, she asked me to pray for her.  I told her that I had never stopped; even though she hadn't spoken to me for almost two months, I never stopped praying for her.  Now, she needs prayers more than ever.  

The Hunt For Hogzilla

The Hunt for Hogzilla is officially on at The Compound.  Dad declared that if we didn't get Hogzilla, there would be no need in putting out a garden this year, given the fact that Hogzilla ate up half of the garden last year.  

Dad is afraid that using the trusty shotgun (aka Old Thunder) would possibly hurt his ribs and breastbone that are healing from his surgery, so he has passed the baton, er, shotgun, down to me to try and get Hogzilla. 

I was outside last night for about an hour trying to get him but to no avail.  And today, Dad and Mom made a couple of blinds for me to stand behind in hopes of getting a good shot at him, but he was just too tricky for me tonight. 

Never fear - I will not get discouraged.  As soon as I post this, I will pick up Old Thunder and go back outside to my post. 

As always, stay tuned. I will keep you posted. 

Saturday Recap

I apologize for missing a post yesterday - I was busy cleaning in preparation for the quasi-Family Reunion happening in a week and a half. Try to keep up with our schedule if you can:  on May 5, a Tuesday evening, my cousin from California will be flying in for a week and a half visit.  The coming Friday, her son, his wife and their two little kids will be driving down from the land of the Boilermakers, West Layfayette, IN for the weekend.  And on Saturday, my cousin from Alabama and his wife will be driving up for a visit for a few days.  So on that weekend, we will have a whole mess of kin folk converging on The Compound for a visit. 

Due to housing constraints, only the California cousin will be staying with us; everyone else will be staying in a hotel.  But the hotel is near-by so they won't have far to travel to get to The Compound.

Stay tuned - I'm sure I will have lots of interesting stories to post.

I Can Only Hope

Literally, there is a cart full of plaques for a bunch of my coworkers in the office and factory that are retiring in the next few weeks.  I sure wish my name was on one of the plaques. 

Manic Thursday

Sorry to be Debbie Downer, but today was also a Manic Thursday.  I will be the first to say that MSD and the Louisville Water Company could not have possibly made their accounts any harder to figure out.  All of the red tape you have to go through to make a change is more than enough to make Mother Theresa cuss.  

Team Bud Update

This was another big step in Dad's recovery -- tonight, we went to the grocery store. And it was his idea, which made it even better.  We needed a few things from the store, and instead of me picking them up on my way home from work tonight, he suggested that we all go to Krogers tonight and get the stuff. 

The trip went off without a hitch, thank goodness.  He didn't get out of breath or overly tired going to the drugstore and then to the grocery store - for that, we are so thankful.  To most people, this wouldn't seem like much, but to us, it's a huge milestone.

Manic Tuesday

Today wasn't all that much better than Manic Monday.  I was thrown under the bus at work a time or two today, had to deal with Anthem and Norton's, and had a couple of fair-weather friends asking for more of my time, which I quickly shot down. 

This is also one of the first times in almost 10 years that I am not going to the Taste of Derby Festival, which is being held tomorrow night.  It just wouldn't be the same to go there without my friend Biscuit, who is now in Virginia. It wouldn't seem right to go to it with anyone else. 

Just Another Manic Monday

It was a very Manic Monday.  Things were all over the map today.  I was excited about a former coworker and dear friend who came back to work at my company today.  I was not excited about being in yet another week of computer system training. I was anxious over trying to get the back bedroom cleared out and cleaned up for my cousin's visit two weeks from tomorrow.  I was anxious over Dad's recovery and hoping that he'll have the strength and endurance in a couple of weeks to put out his beloved garden.  Add to that a surprise I did not see coming (not work-related) and it made for one crazy day.  But I can't just shirk it all and go hide in bed; I've got to hit each thing head on and deal with it.  Wish me luck.

Team Bud Update

Yesterday was a pretty big day here at The Compound.  It was the first day that Dad went out to something that wasn't a doctor's appointment.  First, we went to the Dollar General Store to get a few things.  To most people, this would not seem like a big deal, but to us, it was.  It was the first time in over 8 weeks that Dad has been out to some place besides a doctor's appointment.  Then we had to make an obligatory visit to the funeral home to pay our respects and say farewell to our next door neighbor Richard.  After that, Dad said he still felt good and wanted to go out to eat.  So we went to our family fave Mexican restaurant, Pina Fiesta, and had a great time.  Although the food we had wasn't totally heart-healthy, we did get one dish and split it between the three of us.  That's a huge step, because before, one of us would have ordered this dish.  So even though some would scold us for eating out, this was a major step for us.  

Dad is still doing great - he gets out and walks with Mom every morning, and every other day he rides the indoor bike for 20-30 minutes; something that puts me and a lot of my friends to shame.  He still gets frustrated when he can't do as much as he used to, but we keep telling him that with rest and exercise, he will reach that point.  

Happy Earth Day

TWIT would like to wish everyone a very happy Earth Day.  Take some time today to do something earth-related: plant a shrub or some flowers; mow your yard and make sure to rake up all of the mounds of grass clippings, plant a tree, or just get out and enjoy the earth if you don't want to get your hands dirty.

Flashback Friday

Tomorrow marks the kick-off to the Kentucky Derby Festival with Thunder Over Louisville - the world's (what we are told) largest fireworks display.  If you remember, in years past, I would be stressing over this - trying to decide if I was going to Thunder or not with my SF's (School Friends).  The past few years have been a no-brainer.  The forecasted weather was crappy so we sold our tickets.  This year, we sold our tickets a few weeks ago, but when we found out that the weather was supposed to be awesome, my friends regretted selling our tickets.  Personally, I'm glad I sold them.  

The last time I was at Thunder was a total waste.  We parked my Blazer in the parking lot where the RV's and campers were parked, and were crammed in so tight that we barely had room to put up our folding chairs. We had no room to do much of anything, and the time we were in this area was spent sitting inside of my Blazer.   And a couple hours before Thunder started, I went to one of the Port-A-Potties, and while I was in there, a camper was backing out of their parking space and ran into the Port-A-Pottie that I was in.  Thank the Lord it didn't tump over.  But I digress.  

I've said it before and I will say it again - the only way I will ever go back to Thunder Over Louisville is if I have a room booked at the Galt House or another hotel in that area, or if I/we rent a camper or RV and park in the afore-mentioned area during the weekend.  Other than that, I'm happy to watch it from home. 

Coincidence? I Don't Think So

Have You Seen Me?

As you well know, we are in a constant state of search and rescue here at The Compound; we are always looking for something.  

The current missing item: a big white Hefty garbage bag full of various tops and bottoms of plastic ware.  This bag contains not only the cheap, free plastic containers that lunch meat and other things come in, but costly Tupperware and Rubbermaid containers.  You get the picture.  I'm pretty sure that this bag is somewhere out in the southern part of Jefferson County in the landfill, but I can't be 100% sure.  Of course, nobody here at The Compound would take responsibility for the whereabouts of this missing bag.  All I know is that this bag is not anywhere at The Compound.  At this point, I can only start over collecting plastic containers for leftovers and my work lunches.  

You're A Fake

The old school song "Fake" from the late 1980's has been going through my head today - mainly because a dear friend is realizing more and more that her boss is the biggest ball-less fake around.  I know the guy, and I can testify that it is a wonder he is able to walk around up-right because he has no spine.  

I guess I'm mad about it all out of solidarity for her.   But isn't that what friends are for?

It Is What It Is

I'm happy that I personally made some baby steps today in repairing a broken relationship.  Not much was accomplished, but I did make the first move in repairing the relationship.  Now the ball is back in their court, and the next move is up to them.  As for me, I've done all I can do.  If they choose not to move forward, then I will just write this off and move on. If they choose to communicate, I will move ahead cautiously.

Team Bud Update

I am very happy to report that Dad went to church today, and had an awesome day.  He felt and looked great this morning, and made it through the morning just fine at church.  He said he didn't even take a nap this afternoon.  

This morning at church was just what he needed.  He needed our church family coming up to him and giving him hugs and telling him that that they have been praying for him, and would continue to pray for him.  

He rode the indoor bike for 20 minutes today and he also walked to the back of The Compound this afternoon; more exercise than the majority of us have done today.  He said he felt fine! 

Thanks again to everyone for the prayers and well wishes. 

Time To ReGroup

Today is the day to regroup.  It's been a long week at work - with having computer system training most of the day, and doing my "regular work" before and after the training.  Which also means I did a lot of work at home today.  Add to that the regular "life" things that going on every day, along with various doctor's appointments, and this has made for one busy, long week.  I know Diva Stacy is going through the same thing at home and at work, also.  

I'm just glad that I'm at home today and tomorrow and not at the office.  That's about all I can say. 

Flashback Friday

As I type this, I think back to the days in the past months, years even, of being the Production Scheduling Manager.  I had my daily and weekly routine, even though the routine would be interrupted a bizillion times with problems and other things.  But I still pretty much knew what to expect every day.  Not so much today.  This past week, my work world changed.  Starting this Wednesday, just two days ago, my company started the implementation to a new version of the computer system that we use.  And yours truly is on the project team.  This means that every day from 9 to 4, I will be in the system workshops and training from now until probably the late fall.  This means that a lot of my daily work has been added to the three awesome people that work for me, and the rest will get done before 9 or after 4.  As of today, I have a feeling that the "before and after" work will be quite a bit.  So right now, I long for the normal 8-4:30 days. 

It's That Time Of Year

I am very, very happy to report that The Switch was flipped last night here at The Compound with minimal bitching and fanfare.  The Old Man (aka The Patient) flipped it yesterday afternoon, after he and my Sweet Mother were outside chopping down an old dead rose bush and dismantling its trellis.  It was awesome to come home to a humid-free house last night after work.  

I think this is the first time that The Switch has been flipped without me even saying one word. 

Catch Up

I apologize for not posting yesterday - there was a lot going on at work and at The Compound.  The darned rain is continuing, as are the afternoon and evening storms and I am over it.  Not that my opinion matters.  Tomorrow evening is the season opener for my beloved Louisville Bats, but severe storms are in the forecast so I am going to bail now and not have to worry about it tomorrow.  Maybe the storms will clear out by the Saturday evening game. 

Along with these storms have been been very high humidity and with summer-like temps.  Of course, you know I think the a/c should be on right now, but at this point in the game with dad's surgery and with the way his body is recovering, I'm thinking that now, the switch will not get flipped until the temps are in the 90's.  I hope I'm proven wrong.

Team Bud Update

Team Bud Update:

Bud had his follow-up visit with his cardiac-thoracic surgeon today, and after an easy exam from his surgeon, he was released. The surgeon said he was doing awesome, and told him to just keep up the good work. She even said it was hard to believe that it still hasn't been six full weeks since his quadruple by-pass. She told him that he could even get out and start gardening, but to take it easy and not do any heavy shoveling for a couple more weeks. She also told him that she felt it would be ok for him to just keep up his rehab at home -- riding the indoor bike 20 minutes every-other-day and walking daily -- instead of paying $40 a pop to go to rehab up at the heart center. . That was all he needed to hear. She couldn't get over how well his incisions have healed, and how great he looked. 

Thanks again to everyone for their prayers and well wishes for Dad since this ordeal stated the end of February. He is the first one to give all of the credit to the Lord for healing and for answering the prayers. He did say for everyone to continue the prayers - he said he would do his part to get out in the garden and get the tomatoes going, if everyone else would do their part by continuing the prayers for strength and healing.

Happy Easter

TWIT would like to wish you, faithful readers, a very Happy Easter.  

I would also like to introduce you to the latest critter to inhabit The Compound, the White Rabbit.  

I first saw the White Rabbit last Saturday night when I came home after visiting some friends.  It was about 11:30, and I saw it back in the garden.  I kept the headlights on so I could get a better look.  At first I thought it was very light-colored possum, but then I realized it was a big white rabbit.  I was hesitant to tell the 'Rents because I didn't think they would believe me.  But thankfully they saw it the next day, and have seen it all week long.  

We think it's a pet rabbit that either escaped either voluntarily or involuntarily, and ended up here at The Compound, because it wasn't very skittish when I got close with the camera.  Stay tuned for more updates on the big White Rabbit.  Maybe next we will see the Door Mouse or the hookah-smoking Caterpillar.  

Flashback Saturday

On top of flooding in Louisville and the surrounding area yesterday, and with the gigantic building at GE Appliance Park burning to the ground, yesterday was the anniversary of the April 3rd tornadoes - the most deadly and massive outbreak of tornadoes ever.  One thing I remember most about the April 3rd tornadoes was the weather the next day on April 4. 

Schools a and a lot of businesses were closed, and I went with Mom and Grandpa up to the drugstore to pick up a few things.  I remember walking from the parking lot into the drugstore and looking up at the sky - the sky was as blue and clear as it could possibly be, and there was a slight chill in the air.  This morning, it was the same way.  I went outside to fill up the bird feeder, and looked up and the sky was as blue and clear as it was on this day back in 1974. 

Flashback Friday

We had almost two inches of rain yesterday, and from last night to about noon today, we had an additional 5 inches here in Louisville. This brought back flashbacks from August 2009 when the city was flooded in just a few hours time. 

An hour or two after I went to bed last night, my phone started blowing up with weather warnings about flooding and storms in our area.  The storms and rain were heavy, and they just pounded us all night and morning long.  At 3:00, I finally turned off my phone in a feeble attempt to get an hour or two of sleep, which didn't happen.  
 
Fridays are my early day, and I set out this morning on my first attempt to get to work at 5:15.  It didn't happen.  Every road I went down to get to work was flooded out and barricaded.  I went back home, thinking I would just work from home for the day, but after a couple of calls from my boss and after getting lots of text reports on roads, I tried it again and made it to work. 

I will say that my first attempt to get to work was a nightmare.  There was one time when I stupidly drove through water that was so high it should have been coming through my doors, but thanks to the Lord I made it and the old Blazer pulled on through. 

As I type this, there is still a tornado watch for our area, but according to Doplar, the rain has ended for at least a day or two.  

St. Anthony Update

While we didn't find the original hospital bills that we were looking for, I was able to find a copy of them online at the Norton's "My Chart".  So that's close enough.  

 

Help Us, St. Anthony

First of all, I am Baptist - I'm not Catholic.  But I am enlisting the help of St. Anthony -- the patron saint over finding things that are lost.  

Anyone that knows me knows that I am always losing things, and I need all the help I can get.  

Just in the last week, we've lost two Hefty giant trash bags full of various plastic containers and lids.  Granted, most of them were probably mis-matched, but there were quite a few Rubbermaid and Tupperware containers WITH matching lids in those two bags.  But as my Dad is now saying, let it go. 

Currently, we are looking for two hospital bills that have came in the mail in the past few days.  Yep, just in the past few days.  I told the old man not to worry - they would be sure to send him another bill if he didn't pay.