Farewell, 2016

Dear 2016:

You'll be gone in about 12 hours, and your descendant 2017 will take over where you left off.  I honestly can't say that I'm glad to see you go, but I know a lot of people that are going tell you good riddance.  

You were pretty good to me and my family.  You helped see Mom and Dad through another year of being healthy and happy, and for that I'm thankful.  

You helped me make it through another year at work, which in itself, was a pretty big feat.  There were a few times this year when I was one step away from typing out my letter or resignation, but you challenged me and helped me to change my attitude to hang in there.  And for that I am thankful. 

You gave me the opportunity to start a new venture.  I never thought that when I painted my first barn art quilt pattern picture that it would snowball into a side business.  You gave me and Dad the opportunity to work together. And for that I am thankful.  

You reminded me that things aren't always what they seem.  When I bought our used 99 Ranger truck this summer, we thought we were getting a good deal.  I wish you'd also reminded me that if something seems too good to be true, it usually is.  But you taught me to be aware. Yes, I will be the first to admit that I got screwed over buying the truck, but thanks to lessons learned from one dishonest mechanic, and from one very reputable and trustworthy mechanic, it's roadworthy and ready to haul home more plywood for us to paint in 2017.  And for that I am thankful. 

Farewell, 2016.  Welcome 2017.

Happy National Bacon Day

TWIT and I would like to wish you, faithful readers, a very Happy National Bacon Day.  

It's not too late to celebrate.  All you need to do is stop by your favorite grocery store and pick up a pack of bacon and come home and fry it up and eat it up in your favorite way. 

The 'Rents and I have celebrated by having bacon with our pancakes this morning, and again having some slices crumbled up on our baked potatoes tonight.  And we will keep the celebration going tomorrow morning with breakfast. 

Bring On My Mini Vacation

It's only been a three-day week at work this week, but I sure am glad that I am off for the next four days.  All I can say is bring on our next mini-vacation.  That's about all I can say tonight.

What A Day, Part 2

It might be silly to some, but I am still reeling from losing my wallet yesterday.  It wasn't the fact that I would have lost a lot of money; I had a twenty dollar bill and a few coins, but it's the fact that I would have had to call and cancel my debit card, my HSA card, my AAA card, and get new Anthem insurance cards, library card, and a couple of gas station rewards cards.  And I would have had to get a new drivers license, and a new conceal carry license, which I just got last Thursday.

But it all turned out perfect.  I am giving the credit to answered prayers from the Lord.  I had quite a few people praying about this yesterday morning.  

I'm hoping I will calm down enough and get a good night's sleep tonight.

What A Day

Thank the Lord that this day ended up better than it started out. 

I stopped at Walmart on my way to work this morning, only to realize that my wallet wasn't in my purse. At first I thought it was in the bottom of my purse, so I didn't think much of it.  When I got to work, I dumped my purse out onto my desk, and when I didn't find my wallet, panic set in.  I ran out to the Blazer and looked in the front, back and hatch and didn't find it. I came back in and attempted to work but I couldn't focus.  

At 9:00, I called home like I usually do every morning, and asked the 'Rents to look on the kitchen table and around the house, but they didn't find it either.  Then full-fledged panic set in. 

The last time I knew for sure I had my wallet was when I picked up our carry-out last night at Tumbleweed.  I called them at 10:00 this morning, and the person that answered said that nobody turned in a wallet yesterday.  By this time I had been to the bathroom and thrown up a few times.  

On a whim, I got on Facebook at the Dixie Highway page, and posted a picture of my wallet with a note about where I thought I lost it.  A few ladies on the page shared the post.  One of the ladies that shared the post's mother happened to be a manager at Tumbleweed and saw the post.  She saw the post and called her daughter and told her to get in touch with me because she found my wallet and had put it in the restaurant's safe until they could get in touch with me.  What are the chances????

It turns out that as I was leaving the carry-out area, my wallet fell out of my raincoat pocket. A few minutes after I left, another customer came in and saw my wallet and picked it up and handed it to the manager.  Once again, what are the chances?

I picked it up after work, and not a dime or card was missing.  Once again, what are the chances?

My faith is restored, and I am lucky, blessed, overjoyed, ______ fill in the blank, at what happened.  There are still some honest people in this crazy old world.

Happy Boxing Day

TWIT and I would like to wish a very happy Boxing Day to our Canadian faithful readers. 

It originated in the United Kingdom, and is celebrated in a number of countries that previously belonged to the British Empire and Canada. It is the second day of Christmastide.

Regardless, happy Boxing Day to all.

Merry Christmas

The 'Rents and I would like to wish you, faithful readers, a very Merry Christmas.  

I hope that you are able to spend the day with the ones you love - whether it's in person, or by phone or text or the iternet.  

Happy Christmas Eve

TWIT and I would like to wish you, faithful readers, a very Happy Christmas Eve. 

I'm sure that your day will be filled with running last minute errands and shopping trips, but please take time to remember what Christmas is all about.

Happy Birthday, Susan Lucci

TWIT and I would like to wish Susan Lucci aka Erica Kane, a very happy birthday.  The awesome actress is 70 years old today.

 

Happy Festivus

On behalf of the show "Seinfeld", TWIT and I would like to wish you, faithful readers, a very happy Festivus!! 

I hope you are able to make the  most out of your Festivus holiday by getting your holiday groceries from the supermarket, buying and wrapping last-minute gifts, and just generally having a great day. 

This Day In Terms Of Numbers

14 - packs of sugar that I saw a guy pouring into his 12 ounce cup of coffee at the convenience store by my place of employment

10 - packs of non-dairy creamer that I saw the same guy previously mentioned pouring into his 12 ounce cup of coffee

11 - empty small airplane bottles of Fireball in the back parking lot of the hood liquor store this afternoon

4 - stores I visited today that did not have buttermilk

1 - great neighbor who climbed up on our roof in the cold, evening air to clean out all of the gutters on the house

Midweek Anxiety

This morning when I went to work, I had one item on my grocery list - coffee.  When I left work today and headed to the store, that one item had quickly morphed into 14 items.  

Unfortunately the store I went to for coffee didn't have any good fresh fruit nor did they have buttermilk, so I will need to make another trip to the grocery store tomorrow.  And I'm pretty sure that the list of those two items will also morph into a list of 5 or 6 items easily.  

Foods Mentioned In Christmas Songs That You've Probably Never Eaten

Christmas Is Coming

Christmas is Coming, the goose is getting fat
Please put a penny in the old man's hat

We're used to eating turkey and ham on Christmas day, but people used to eat goose (and some still do!). The lyrics are referring to the fact that farmers wouldn't harvest a goose until after freezing weather (which is associated with Christmas time). When geese are exposed to cold weather, they start putting on a layer of fat that keeps it warm but also makes it taste better. We don't eat goose as much now because the animal has a preference for grazing, which makes it harder to raise them in factory farm conditions. It's much more likely that you'll enjoy turkey for your holiday feast.

Feliz Navidad

One of my oldest (not in terms of years old) friends, SDF, and I had our annual Feliz Navidad fiesta at our awesome hood Mexican Joint tonight.  It was a great time.  We had a blast just sitting there and talking for a change.  Ordinarily, we're at work and there are others talking to us and around us, and we seldom get a chance to just talk amongst ourselves, so we treasure our times at the Mexican Joint where we can just sit there and chat over a cray cray margarita. 

When I got home and was hanging up the Christmas card photo of her family, I was thinking back to actually how many years we've known each other.  I guess you could honestly say "since we were born."  That's a pretty darned long time, SDF.  

I am already looking forward to next year's fiesta, my friend.

Happy Anniversary To Me

Twenty-seven long years ago today, I made the walk up a very long flight of stairs into the old United Furniture Building on the Zoeller property into the "office" for my first day of work.  Yep, it's my anniversary.  

In some ways, it seems like just a few years ago.  In other ways, it seems like a life ago. 

But all in all, it's been a great ride.  The job has provided a great income for me to be able to have a fun-filled time with the 'Rents, my Friend Of A Lifetime Stacy, my friends, and family.  It's not been an easy ride; there have been some days where all I wanted to do was come home and type out my letter of resignation, but I'm tough and I'm still there.  And I plan to still be there for at least nine more years.  

Foods Mentioned In Christmas Songs That You've Probably Never Eaten

Today's food that is mentioned in a Christmas song that you've probably never eaten is pudding.  And no, we are not talking about the Jello kind. 
  
Over The River And Through The Woods

Over the river and through the woods,
Now Grandmother's cap I spy!
Hurrah for the fun! Is the pudding done?

Although the word sounds familiar, you likely haven't eaten the kind of pudding Lydia Maria Child was referring to in her 1845 poem, "The New-England Boy's Song About Thanksgiving Day," which evolved into a Christmas song in the 1870s. (Here's a fun fact: The reason Child talked about sleigh rides through the snow at Thanksgiving was because New England in the early 19th century was enduring a Little Ice Age that had earlier winters.) 

Just like in "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," Child was likely referring to figgy pudding. But unlike the more recent evolution of figgy pudding that you saw in the first song—which is made in a pudding basin—by the looks of the illustration that accompanied the 19th-century poem, this round pudding was made in a cheesecloth bag that was "boiled for several hours in a pot," as detailed in the History of American Cooking by Merril Smith.

**Sigh**

All good things must come to an end.  Actually, all things - good or bad - must come to an end.  But I digress.  My week off from work is drawing to a close, and I really don't want it to end.  I wish I was able to retire tomorrow.  

It's been a very busy week off.  My Favorite Cousin from northwest Indiana and her awesome husband came down and spent the week with us, and we had a blast.  We didn't do all that much, other than go out to eat two times, and have a quasi-mini-family reunion one evening, but we had a great time just being together.  And I had a great time not being at work. 

I'm already dreading Re-Entry on Monday, but at least I have the holidays to look forward to - we work four days next week, three days the week after that, and four days the week after that.  So it will be almost mid-January before we have to work a full week!! And I'm already thinking about taking off the last week in January for PuddinPalooza aka my birthday.  

 

Foods Mentioned In Christmas Songs That You've Probably Never Eaten

Today's food mentioned in a Christmas song that you've probably never eaten is chestnuts.

The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like Eskimos

Sleigh Ride

We'll be singing the songs
We love to sing without a single stop
At the fireplace while we watch
The chestnuts pop; Pop! Pop! Pop!

We don't know about you, but our pantries are mostly filled with already-shelled almonds, cashews, and walnuts—not chestnuts. According to a 2006 story published in the magazine Performing Songwriter, the "chestnuts roasting on an open fire" lyric was inspired by songwriter Bob Wells's childhood in Boston: He remembered when street vendors used to serve up paper cones full of roasted chestnuts around Christmas.
It makes sense that it was inspired by his childhood, considering his song (The Christmas Song), as well as Sleigh Ride, were written in the 1940s—right before the American Chestnut species went extinct after succumbing to a blight that started in the early 1900s, according to the U.S. non-profit American Forest Foundation. That explains why you don't see the sidewalk snack as much. If you ever do see chestnuts, they're likely imported from Italy.

And A Good Time Was Had By All

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to take off this week because I needed to use up 5 vacation days or I would lose them, and I sure as hell wasn't about to let that happen.  I mentioned it to my Favorite Cousin who is just three hours away in Indiana, and she and her husband were all too happy to come down this week for a visit.  One thing led to another, and before we knew it, the Old Man's two cousins and their spouses from Breckenridge County were coming up and we had a Holiday Gala on our hands. 

Last night was one of the most awesome holiday gatherings I've ever been a part of.  The food was awesome, but just being together was even better.  We sat around the dining room table, laughing and telling old stories, bringing up old memories and making new memories.  When the last relative left, I told the 'Rents that we could take the Christmas tree down right now, because to me, I've already had my Christmas. Next to celebrating the birth of our Savior Jesus, being with family is what it's all about.

Foods Mentioned in Christmas Songs That You've Probably Never Eaten

Today's food mentioned in a Christmas carol that you've probably never eaten is sugar plums.  Actually, they are not mentioned on a Christmas song, but in "Twas the Night Before Christmas", as in "visions of sugar plums danced in their heads" or in The Nutcracker's "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy."

If you could hazard a guess as to what sugar plums were, you'd likely probably guess that they're those purple pieces of gummy candy or sugared plums (the actual fruit)—but you'd be wrong. Sugar plums are not plums, but they are sugar. The now obsolete term refers to a type of candy called "dragee" or "comfit," according to The Oxford English Dictionary. It's a sweet made from layers of sugar hardened around a central seed, nut, or kernel—like a modern-day jawbreaker. Traditionally, sugar plums would be made with either an almond or a caraway or cardamom seed at the center. The "plum" part of the candy likely refers to the fact that the sweet was a similar size and shape of the fruit.

Flashback Monday

The 'Rents and I spent the morning Christmas shopping, and while we were waiting in line to check out, something popped into my mind.  Back in the day, whenever we would go to one of the department stores during Christmas, Grandma or Mom would always ask for a box.  And in later years when I would be driving and they would send me to one of the department stores for a Christmas errand, they would be sure to remind me to ask for a box. Those days are long, long gone. 

Today, you're lucky if you can find what you want in a store, much less expect them to have a box.  Today, we lucked out and found what the 'Rents wanted, but we didn't dare ask for any boxes, because we know they would have looked at us like we had three heads. 

And on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning, you'd better not have torn up your box as you were opening it up, because those boxes needed to be saved for use next Christmas (or on birthdays).   Today, we normally don't have boxes that our gifts come in, and instead, we save any gift bags.  

But all in all, it's the thought that counts. 

Foods Mentioned in Christmas Songs That You've Probably Never Eaten

Today's food that you've sung about in Christmas carols but probably have never eaten or drank is wassail.

Here We Come A-Wassailing

Our wassail cup is made
Of the rosemary tree,
And so is your beer
Of the best barley

Although you probably haven't had a traditional cup of wassail, you've likely had something quite similar—mulled cider. The name for the drink came from a greeting, "Waes hael," meaning "Be well." It's what people would say while they held up a mug of spiced cider to toast to a good cider apple harvest for the following year. In Shakespeare's time, wassail was a mulled punch that was made by boiling mead (an alcoholic beverage brewed with honey) with crab apples.  

The End Of One Era, The Beginning Of Another

Today is bittersweet here at The Compound.  This morning, our dear neighbors of 15 years moved to Bullitt County.  We really hate to see Bev and PS leave us.  They were more then neighbors; they were family.  We knew that we could call them any time of the day or night, and they would be there if we needed them.  I know it's not like they've died or moved across country, but still; you know what I mean.  

But with them moving away, this means that another family has moved into their home.  It's none other than their oldest son and his awesome family.  They are great, loving, kind and helping to everyone they meet.  So they will be a perfect fit here in The Compound. 

Foods Mentioned in Christmas Songs That You've Probably Never Eaten

Today, we start a new recurring feature in TWIT, titled "Foods Mentioned In Christmas Songs That You've Probably Never Eaten."  We have a half dozen of these to educate you, faithful readers, about.


Today's is the infamous Figgy Pudding

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

Oh, bring us a figgy pudding;
Oh, bring us a figgy pudding;
Oh, bring us a figgy pudding and a cup of good cheer

Surprise! Figgy pudding neither resembles the gelatin vanilla or chocolate pudding you're used to, nor does it contain real figs.  It's also known as "Christmas Pudding" or "Plum Pudding"—but there are no plums, either. According to experts,  "The 'plum' was a pre-Victorian generic term for any type of dried fruit, but most specifically, raisins." It's also called a pudding in the British sense (i.e. it's a dessert), not in the American sense that's known as gelatin. Specifically, figgy pudding is a steamed cake made with 13 ingredients (for Christ and the 12 apostles)—including raisins, currants, suet (raw beef or mutton fat), and lots and lots of brandy. It was traditionally made weeks ahead of Christmas as the alcohol would essential act as a preservative and help draw out more flavors.

A Sad Reminder

It's a sad, sad day when restaurants have to post signs in their bathrooms reminding their employees to wash their hands before they leave the bathroom.  

 

Never Forget

Merry Christmas, Again

We're deep in the Christmas season, and we're also deep into the holiday season here at The Compound.  We're gearing up for a Mini-Gala next Tuesday, with relatives from north and south converging on The Compound to visit, eat, laugh, and enjoy the holiday season.  

I've got to use 5 vacation days before the 18th or I will lose them, so I am taking off next week.  I'm not about to give up 5 days to the company.  Luckily my cousin and her husband are going to be able to come down and visit us all week, so we are looking forward to having a very large time with them. 

I'm also getting geared up for our department Christmas party pot luck tomorrow at work.  We've got a big spread coming, courtesy of the Scheduling and Purchasing departments.  Yours truly just spent an hour in the kitchen making some festive tortilla roll-ups.  




Stay tuned.

I'll Drink To That

On this day in history, way back in the ancient days of 1933, Prohibition was repealed.  It was a pretty darned long five-year dry spell, literally.  

In honor of this occasion, you still have time to have a drink today.  Or two.  

The 2016 Christmas Price Index

PNC released its annual Christmas Price Index on Friday, and it showed that prices for items from the Christmas carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas" rose by 0.7% from last year. That's slightly up from the 0.6% pace in 2015.

The cost of everything on the list, from the partridge to the drummers, totaled $34,363.49, an increase of a few hundred dollars from last year. The "core" index, excluding volatile swan prices, rose 1.1% to $21,238.49.

 

Strange Saturday

This has been a Strange Saturday.  I slept in until 10:00.  That is something that I haven't done in decades. And it sure felt nice. I went to bed at my normal time last night, and it sure was good to sleep in and get some much-needed extra rest. 

Then after I ate a carton of yogurt for breakfast, it was game on.  I had my Saturday Errands to run, and I just now got home and had a snack with the 'Rents.  

I think an afternoon nap is in order.  All of our painting it is up-to-date, so there's nothing I'm slacking about on that.  The groceries for the week have been bought and put away, so I'm good there. 

The 'Rents are in their recliners with a glass of their favorite wine, and are watching WK hopefully win this afternoon. 

Yep, a nap is in order.

Flashback Friday

If you'll remember, for the past few years, here at The Compound during the holidays, we've had our own version of The Elf on the Shelf, with our own little elf Junior English.  During the day while I was at work, one of the 'Rents would hide him somewhere in the house, and it would be my job to find him.  They found some very ingenious places for Junior to hide, but I was always able to find him.  Until today.

One of the 'Rents [note: they stuck with their story and didn't say who hid him this morning] hid him so well, that I can't find him and they can't remember where they hid him.  

It's going to be a long holiday season, faithful readers. 

Link Of The Week, Christmas Edition

Today is December 1, and a lot of people will be starting their countdown to Christmas calendars.  You know what I'm talking about - you open something on the calendar each day and count down until Christmas.  Instead of getting a piece of candy a day on these kinds of calendars, I'm going to challenge you to make it a Kindness Countdown To Christmas.  

Visit http://maketodayhappy.co.uk/act-of-kindness-24-kindness-advent-calendar/ and follow the instructions for each day.  

Peace.

Merry Christmas

Here is a picture of our dear friends M & B's home in New Orleans.  They stopped by to visit us last week to get the Christmas quilt pattern picture that they commissioned. 

I think this looks pretty darned good, if I do say so myself.

Heaven Help Gatlinburg

Unless you've been living under a rock the past couple of days, you know that most of the city of Gatlinburg has been destroyed by fires. The infamous Hillbilly Golf is one of the many businesses destroyed by the wildfires. 

I pray that they can get some much needed rain today and tomorrow to help put out the fires.  TWIT hopes that the city will be able to rebuild and rebound.

Hurry Up New Year's Day

As you know from time to time, TWIT enlightens you, faithful readers, about National holidays.  Like, National Talk Like A Pirate Day (one of my personal favorites), for instance.  

A few weeks ago, I got a cool 2017 calendar about National holidays.  So never fear - I will be keeping you all posted on any exciting and interesting National days.  

Stay tuned.

WTG Alabama!

TWIT would like to congratulate the Alabama Crimson Tide on their win yesterday over Auburn.  This makes an impressive 12-0 record for the regular season. 



Roll Tide!!!!!

WTG UK!!

TWIT would like to congratulate UK on their win over 11th ranked U of L in today's Governor's Cup.  They beat the Cardinals 41 to 38 in a game that went down to the final seconds. 

I'm pretty sure I can speak for most UK fans in saying that this is truly a Thanksgiving miracle.  But a win is a win. 

BBN!!!!

Black Friday Shopping Update

No, I was not up at 3:30 yesterday morning to do Black Friday shopping.  I slept in until 9:30, and it was awesome.  

My only Black Friday shopping consisted of going to Rite-Aid to buy Kleenax for a buck a box.  Believe me when I tell you that the 'Rents and I went through many boxes of Kleenax the past four weeks while going through the Ohio Valley Crud.  At least we've got our Kleenax supply built back up. 

Happy Thanksgiving

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

I am thankful that you've spent a few minutes of your day with me over the years reading my thoughts and rants here on TWIT.  

This Day In Music History

On this day in music history, "Stand By Your Man" by The First Lady of Country Music, Miss Tammy Wynette, was #1 on the country charts, where it would stay for three weeks.  

The song was written in just fifteen minutes by Tammy Wynette and her producer Billy Sherrill.  

Tuesday, Tuesday

I am already dreading tomorrow.  The forecast is for 100% chance of rain all day long.  This means that traffic on the way to to work tomorrow will be crazier than when it is snowing.  We haven't had any rain in months, so people will have forgotten how to drive in the rain.  

I can only hope for a better commute home tomorrow afternoon, with a lot of people taking off and a lot leaving early, hopefully our afternoon commute in the rain will be drama-free. 

Monday, Monday

Today was a better Monday than I had expected.  I was busy all day, but it was better than I was anticipating.  Which means Tuesday will probably be worse.  But it is what it is. I've got a lot of friends going through a whole lot of crap right now, and compared to what we have going on here at The Compound, we are doing great.  Our only real drama right now is fitting in time to get The Compound decorated in between painting and working.  But it will all even out.

Another Ohio Valley Weather Update

Everyone I came in contact with today said the same thing -- on Friday, they had their a/c on and on Saturday, they flipped it over to the furnace.

We woke this morning to a very cold November day.  We were wearing our winter coats, and everyone had the furnace on. 

I'm hoping that when I get to heaven, the temperature will be perfect, and there won't be any flipping back and forth from a/c to the furnace.

Ohio Valley Weather Update

Thursday and Friday, the highs were 80 degrees.  Last night, a front moved through and today's high is 46, with lows of the 20's expected the next few nights.  Recap -- people went from having their a/c on to having the furnace on.  It's crazy.  

We are all hoping for the few nights of temps in the 20's to kill all of the germs in the air.  As of now, half of Louisville is sick with the same coughing crap that the 'Rents and I had for three weeks.  And if the below-freezing temps don't kill the germs, the other half of Louisville will be sick.

Flashback Friday Not

It's been a rough week at work, and a busy week here at The Compound with tons of painting that we need to do to fill orders, and as I sit here at the computer, I'm not able to come up with a Flashback Friday moment.  If my mind wasn't too full of stuff, I'm sure I could come up with something.  For for now, I got nothing.

The End Of The World As We Know It

Today, we had a major, major change in our Production Scheduling Department at work.  Everyone's work hours changed.  

 In order to have coverage early in the morning before night shift leaves and when day shift gets in in the factory, our department has to have someone there to cover.  We had someone that volunteered to be there at 6:30 every morning, until today.  

I spent over an hour today trying (key word) to make a schedule so we would have coverage, and first and foremost, to make sure it was fair for everyone.  I think we have it figured out.  For December.  When January comes, that's another ball game.

Lost and Not Found

It's been a while since we've been on a hunt for a major lost item here at The Compound, so we were well past due.  

Tonight we are searching for my blue Aluma Wallet.  It's the little wallet that is virtually indestructible, and has the lining to keep the hackers from stealing your credit card info.  This one doesn't contain credit cards; it is full of something much more valuable -- a dozen rewards cards from various stores and restaurants.  Now you know why it is so valuable. 

We are going to continue the search tonight until we either find it or get tired.

I'll keep you posted. 

UPDATE:
The missing blue Aluma Wallet was found about 5 minutes after I posted this last night.  I'm thinking my Faithful Readers gave me good karma. 

Public Service Announcement

Dear local Wal-Mart:

Why on earth did you take down every single wall rack of women's socks and put them all in two four-foot square boxes?  

I spent 30 minutes this afternoon trying to find a couple pairs each of brown, black, navy, and gray socks.  Trying is the key word.  The only thing I accomplished was spending 10 more minutes helping a woman find her watch that fell off while she was digging through one of the big boxes of socks. 

This is the main reason why people, including myself, will spend more money to shop online.  

Your former favorite customer, 
Puddin

WTG, Team

I would like to publicly thank my security and medical teams at church for an awesome job yesterday.  After Sunday School and before the church service, we had a medical emergency, and everyone did great.  They knew what they were supposed to do and where they were supposed to be, and 99.9% of the congregation didn't even know that we had a medical emergency going on.  

This is why we have procedures and plans in place.  We hope that we never need them, but when we do, we are ready to roll.  

And as a P.S., the lady involved in the medical emergency is fine, thank the Lord.

Business is Booming

This morning at church, I got not one but two orders for quilt block pattern pictures.  We've also got a backlog of orders that we need to fill.  But with all of us being sick with bad colds for three weeks, we all didn't feel like working.  I know that sounds like an excuse, but we're not going to attempt to work on a picture that some is paying their hard earned cash for unless we are able to give it 100%.  

I had enough energy and a steady hand this afternoon to finish one of the pictures in our backlog, the Texas Star, and I think it's going to be one of our prettiest ones yet.  I will be sure to post a picture when it's completed tomorrow. 

Anyhoo, other than all of us hacking and blowing our noses for the past three weeks, that's pretty much all that's been going on at The Compound.  

We are praying for bettah dayz.

Craft Festival Update

Pap's Barn Art had a booth at my church's annual Christmas Craft Shop, and I am very happy to report that we sold two pictures, and received orders for two more!  It was a great day.  I really enjoyed visiting with the couple that had the booth next to ours. They were telling me that I should get a booth at a fair the first weekend in December at a Catholic church in the east end of town.  If I can get some pictures painted to replace the ones sold today, I think I'm going to go for it.

Happy Veterans Day

TWIT and I would like to wish an extra special happy Veterans Day to my favorite veteran, my daddy. He proudly served in the Navy during the Korean War.  

You rock.  Thank you for your service.

WTG, Mama

I would like to personally say way to go, Mama, for fixing an awesome supper tonight.  She fixed a big pot of Great Northern beans cooked with a big ham bone, a marinated pork loin, and a big cast iron skillet full of corn bread.  

With all of the turmoil, bitching, gloating, and protesting going on today, I think this is something that we are going to celebrate.

Election Thoughts

Like about half of the country, I am still in shock about the outcome of the presidential election.  I'd like to think it is just a bad dream, but unfortunately, I think it turned into a nightmare; a reality TV personality is going to be the next President of the USA.

All I am going to say is that while Donald Trump is going to be our new President, God is still God, and He is still in control, regardless of who is in the Oval Office.

Happy Election Day

As I type this, the polls on the eastern third of the country are closing in about five minutes.  Then we can get settled in for a long, long night of election coverage. But enough of that.  I want to talk about something odd that happened this morning when the 'Rents and I went to vote.  There was a black cat running around the polls.  It would first walk around the people standing in line to sign in, and then it would go walk around the little voting stands.  Either way, it was disturbing.  Someone is going to have bad luck today.

Trivia Update

I am very, very happy to report that Team Divas came in first place tonight at the weekly trivia game.  

It was a very rough night, and I'm not ashamed to say that coming to the final round, the Divas were in last place.  But thanks to our knowledge and our wagering, we came in first.  

It's been a long dry spell since Team Divas were in first place, and we are going to bask in the glory until next Monday night.

Fall Festival Update

Pap's Barn Art had a booth yesterday at a local Catholic church's annual craft and Christmas festival.  I'm happy to report that we sold one picture and one hand-painted purse.  At least the sales covered the cost of my booth.  

Not being one to get discouraged, I'm going to be back at it again next Saturday at my church's annual Christmas Gift Shop.  Who knows? Maybe I'll slip up and sell another picture!

While my festival sales have been very disappointing, my online sales through Facebook have proven to be fairly profitable. 

All in all, I'm not giving up.  We started this venture as a family project - something that we could all do together.  We're already planning on what we will do this winter. We'll be looking for new quilt patterns and will be ready for the spring festivals. 

Quote Of The Month

A quote from the great Native American Tecumseh, before the Battle at Tippecanoe.  And I quote: 

First Smart Phones, Now Smart Toilets?

Happy National Sandwich Day

TWIT would like to wish everyone a very happy National Sandwich Day.  

You still have time to get to Penn Station and get a free six-inch sandwich when you buy any sandwich.  

And if you're still not full after that, you can get on over to your nearest Taco Bell and get a free Locos Doritos taco.  Tell them that Puddin sent you. 

Halloween Review

I think I don't want to eat anymore miniature Snickers for a while.  Just saying.  I am embarrassed to say how many Snickers (variety) miniatures we've eaten since Sunday night.  We're glad that Halloween is once a year. 

Happy Halloween

TWIT would like to wish everyone a very Happy Halloween.  

It was a bit disappointing at work today; I thing we didn't even have 30 kids come through the office building today.  And I'm being conservative on my count of 30.  But I digress.

The little ones that did come through were dressed to the nines, and they made our day at work a little brighter.

Happy All Hallow's Eve Eve

It's the day before Halloween, and TWIT would like to wish everyone a very happy Halloween. 

You have plenty of time to check with the sale papers today and get the best deals on the Halloween candy, like I did.  

There's not much else to tell.  Other than be safe if you go out tomorrow night. 

Question Of The Day

Have you ever been to a salad bar that had no lettuce?  

Well, I did, today.  

I went to our new super-duper Krogers to get salad for our dinner from their usually awesome salad bar, only to find that they didn't have any lettuce.  They had some spinach, but no lettuce.  Not even any of the yucky hard-cored Romaine.  Me and a few other people standing around the salad bar were shocked as hell.  Two of the people walked off in search of a manager to complain to.  I proceeded to fill my cardboard container with everything else except lettuce, and then I went to the produce section and bought an 89 cent head of Iceberg lettuce to take home to chop up. 

So I ask again - have you ever been to a salad bar that had no lettuce?

Friday, Friday

Well, my Titans won big last night, and I'd like to give them major props.  And the 'Rents are still battling their colds, but seem to be doing a bit better today, so for that I am very thankful.  I'm still dealing with sinus and congestion issues, but I would gladly take on what the 'Rents are dealing with, just so they wouldn't have to be sick.  

There's not much else to tell today.  The three of us are in our pajamas and it's just a few minutes after 7:00.  We are hoping for a good night's sleep to help get rid of this sinus crap.  Stay tuned.

Cold, Cold, Go Away, Again

I'm much better now, but unfortunately The Old Man has caught my cold.  At least he doesn't have the coughing like I had, but he's been sneezing non-stop since yesterday.  And being the stubborn Old Man that he is, he won't take anything for it. Believe me when I tell you I'd gladly take the cold away from him and have it all over again.

Pray for me, America. 

Back In Action

I'm very happy to say I'm about 75% back in action today.  I still feel very tired, but have been able to bust a move at work and at home tonight painting.  

There's a lot I would like to write about tonight, but it's something that's really close to my heart, so I think I'll be able to talk about it tomorrow.

Back Among The Living, Sort Of

I feel like I'm back among the living today, sort of.  I had a fairly decent night's sleep, and only woke myself up one time coughing, so that was pretty good.  And I only had two major coughing attacks today, one at work late afternoon and one about an hour ago, so that's much improved.  I still feel tired, but I am on the mend.  I actually felt good enough to do some much-needed painting tonight on some of our quilt block pictures.  I'm hoping for an even more active day tomorrow.

Seriously - Cold, Cold, Go Away

On top of having this nasty cold, last night I caught a very wicked stomach bug. Today, I look like a character from any of the "Living Dead" movies - just about every blood vessel in my face and eyes have burst from throwing up so much last night.  Sorry, I know that's gross, but it happened.  

As quickly as the stomach issues came, they left, and I was able to eat a nice warm bowl of oatmeal this morning with no problems.  I haven't been coughing as much as yesterday, and I've gone through about half a box of Kleenax blowing my nose.  Once again, I know that's gross, but there's really only one way to get rid of head congestion.  

At least I'm able to watch my two favorite NFL teams play today while I lay on the couch.  Go Titans, and Go Pats, and Go Away Cold.

Cold, Cold, Go Away . . . And I Don't Mean The Temperature

Unfortunately, sometime in the last three days I've developed a nasty cold, complete with an annoying hacking cough and head congestion.  All I did today was either lay in bed or on the couch.  And it's not even 10:00 and I'm getting ready to officially go to bed.  I'm hoping to feel more lifelike tomorrow.  Stay tuned.

Pre-Winter Report

I saw my first pair of quasi-Ugg Boots today.  The high was upper 50's.  So to the Ugg Boot wearer, it was cold enough to get her Ugg Boots out and wear them.  Good for her.  As for me, when I got home today the furnace was on. I immediately turned off the vents in my room as fast as I could, in hopes that it would cool down before bedtime.  

I'm not giving into winter this early.  This means no fires in the fireplace, no Ugg Boots or anything resembling, and I am going to wear my shorts until I freeze.What are people going to do when it really gets cold, as in the 20's or low 30's? 

So Happy It's Thursday

As I type this, my head is ready to split open like a ripe melon, and my throat feels like I've swallowed some razor blades.  I coughed all day long, and I'm sure I royally annoyed all of my coworkers who heard me hacking all day.  I've got my pajamas on, and just took some cough meds, and I'm getting ready to get in bed and hope for a cough-free day tomorrow.

Way To Go, Cleveland

TWIT would like to congratulate the Cleveland Indians on winning a spot in the 2016 World Series.  I would like to give a shout out to some of my favorite people in Cleveland, Chipper and Gail - the people that got me on board with the Indians over 25 years ago.  

I will be rooting for Cleveland in the Series regardless of who they play.  

Go Indians!!!

Trivia Update

After a dry spell, I am happy to report that Team Divas came in at a respectable 2nd place in Monday Night Trivia.  It was a well deserved win. 

There was a record 8 teams playing last night, and they all had at least 3 players, so the Divas held their ground. 

Monday, Monday

Sorry to repeat, but it is another Monday, Monday here at The Compound.

There are various things going on right now that I am trying to take care of.  

Stay tuned.

What A Great Sports Sunday

It was a great NFL Sunday, with both my Titans and Patriots winning.  The Pats got off to a shaky start but Tommy Boy got in his groove and they beat the Bengals. 

The weather was gorgeous today, and in between games we spent some time outside.  

The 'Rents and I just enjoyed some awesome corn dogs before we got to see the first pitch of tonight's MLB playoffs between the Dodgers and the Cubs. The 'Rents and I are going on record and saying we are rooting for the Cubs, given the fact that the Dodgers are our beloved Reds' nemesis.  

The Beginning of a New Era

Today is very bittersweet here in The Compound.  Today, Painter Steve and Bev's son Fireman Shawn and his family are moving into their house.  Yep, they will be our new neighbors here in The Compound.  We're very happy about that, but at the same time, we are sad that that means Painter Steve and Bev will be moving away from us.  They found a new house out in Shepherdsville, and will be moved in by mid-December. 

As Painter Steve said this morning, it's the end of one era, and the beginning of a new era.

Another Sweet Potato Update

The 'Rents spent another day out pulling up more sweet potatoes.  We haven't taken the time to weigh and measure today's crop, but just from looking at them, I'm pretty sure that a couple are well into 7 or 8 pounds.  We'll have the actual proof tomorrow.  

In the meanwhile, we enjoyed another batch of mashed sweet potatoes at supper tonight. 

Sweet Potato Update

The Old Man and my Sweet Mother pulled up another row of sweet potatoes today, and they yielded another huge (pun intended) crop.  One of the potatoes was a half pound bigger than the six-pounder I took a picture of yesterday.  

A friend told me to check the Guinness World Record site to see if ours would qualify for the world's biggest sweet potato.  I checked and we are not even anywhere close.  The record is 81 pounds, from somewhere in Spain, set quite a few years ago.  

But there's not use in trying.

Bud and the Giant Sweet Potato

You've heard of James and the Giant Peach; now you've heard of Bud and the Giant Sweet Potato.

This bad boy weighed in at 6 pounds and as you can see by the measuring tape, was a foot long.  

They dug up over a dozen this size and even bigger today.  So they must be doing something right in the garden.  

And before you naysayers discredit and say that sweet potatoes that big will lose their flavor, today for lunch the Old Man and my Sweet Mother microwaved a big sweet potato and they said it was as flavorful as a smaller one.  

At least this is one sweet potato that the ground hog didn't get. 

Farewell, Jeffrey

TWIT and I are saying farewell to an old friend Jeffrey.  

Jeffery and I were in first through fifth grades together at Greenwood Elementary School, and became good pals.  We kept in tough through middle school, but when we both got to high school, we lost touch. 

Jeffery's parents owned one of the most awesome pizza parlor's, Angilo's.  At Christmastime, they would always bring us a life-sized gingerbread man that they baked in the pizza parlor's oven.  And throughout the year, they would bring pizza for the class.  

But more so than remembering the gingerbread and pizzas that his parents would bring to our class, I remember the talks that Jeffrey and I would have about business.  Yes, even in elementary school, he and I would talk about being "business people" when we grew up.  I'm not sure what he ended up doing when he got out of high school, because we lost touch.  But I hope that he still became a "business people" like I did. 

I will never forget you, Jeffrey.  Thank you for being a friend.

Crazy Monday

Things are very crazy right now here at The Compound, with me putting away a dozen bags of groceries.  

Tomorrow morning The Old Man will be putting the primer on a whole bunch of boards for me to paint.  

For tonight, we rest. 

Back To Bidness

After unloading the truck this afternoon, we took inventory on paint and plywood, and made a trip to Lowes to restock on primer and to get some picture hangers. Starting tomorrow, The Old Man is going to go through all of the current pictures we have in stock and add hangers to the backs in preparation for our next festival in just 4 weeks.  Tomorrow morning when the lumber yard opens, I plan to call and order 2 more 4'x8' sheets of plywood in anticipation of more sales.  We've got enough boards cut out for our current orders with 3 to spare, but I am being very optimistic.  After all Christmas is coming, and I couldn't think of a better gift to give someone than a custom designed and painted quilt block pattern picture, could you?

Festival Recap

It's almost 8;00, and I just got home from a long day at the Southwest Community Festival.  It was an awesome day, and we sold more pictures than I ever imagined that we would. 

A lot of my coworkers and friends came by Pap's Barn Art booth today to say hello, and it was great to get such awesome support.  

I am already preparing for our next festival in 4 weeks.  

Festival Eve

Tomorrow, we will be set up at another festival, hoping to sell some of our barn art quilt block pattern pictures.  It's been a long, long day but everything has fallen into place. 

One of my "kids" that works for me went with me to the festival site after work and he helped me get the canopy and tables set up.  Then when I got home, we loaded the truck with everything else that goes tomorrow.  

I just now finished putting the bling on our new Christmas design picture, and it will ride in the cab with me on the way to the festival tomorrow, lest any bling should pop off. 

I've gone over my checklist three times and I'm good to go.  I just hope we sell some pictures.  

As always, stay tuned.

Thank You, Amazon

If you know anything about me at all, you already know that I love to shop at Amazon.com.  In fact, I feel totally responsible for the livelihood of our UPS and FedEx delivery people because they come to The Compound pretty much weekly.  

This morning, I ordered a cool hand-held saw tool for The Old Man to use when cutting the boards for our barn art pictures, and it was same-day delivery.  Technology still amazes me because I ordered it shortly before lunchtime, and it was delivered a few hours later shortly after suppertime.  You go, Amazon.

Welcome To The World, Baby Gemma

TWIT and I would like to welcome Baby Gemma into this crazy old world.  She arrived on September 29, and was eight and a half pounds and twenty inches long.  And she is beautiful.

Gemma's dad Timothy is very dear to me.  For a year and a half after college, I babysat Timothy and his twin Paul every day while their parents worked.  I felt like they were my own at times.   And this was back in the day when parents used the cloth diapers. But I digress.

Welcome to this crazy world, Gemma.  We know you will have all of the love, support, and encouragement  you need.  And I can't wait to meet you.


 

Election Blues

Trivia Update

Once again, I am sad to report that that Team Divas came in third place tonight at Monday Night Trivia. 

I will go on record and say that going into the final round, we had one of our highest scores since we started playing.  But unfortunately we didn't get the final question right and lost all of the points that we bet.  

We'll get them next week.

Apologies

I sincerely apologize for not posting regularly as I normally do.  We've been planning The Gala, snd I've been working on quilt block pictures, and I was on vacation last week; spending time with my family was more important than spending time on the computer.  I will get back to my regularly scheduled daily post tomorrow, and will do my best to keep my posting streak going.  In the meanwhile, thank you, faithful readers, for still following TWIT.  You rock.

Flashback Friday

I've been on vacation since last Friday, and today is the last official vacation day.  Yes, I know I have the weekend, but that doesn't count.  But I digress.  It's my last official day of vacation, and I have to be honest and say I'm ready to get back to my daily routine.  Note that I didn't say "normal" routine; we all know that "normal" is just a setting on a washing machine.  

Back in the day when I was younger, I would dread the last day of my vacation. Now that I'm in my 50's, I like my daily routine.  I know what time to get up; I know what time meetings are; I know what time lunch and supper are going to be, etc.  You get the picture.  

It seems like I've been on vacation for a month instead of a week and a day.  That's because we crammed a ton of fun in those days off.  But it's time for me and The 'Rents to get back to our regularly scheduled daily activities.

 

Rainy Days and Thursdays Do Not Get Me Down

It rained a lot today on my second-to-last work-day of vacation (I still have tomorrow and the regularly scheduled weekend) but it didn't matter at all because I was not at work.  The relatives and I did a lot of running around today and the rain didn't stop us from having a good time. 

Do You Believe In Omens?

I am going to share something that has been on my heart for a few months now: I'm thinking about dissolving Good Shepherd Security Consultants.  I haven't had any paying customers in two years, and it's getting very, very disheartening.  

Today, I think I might have gotten a sign to just put an end to it all: one of the GSSC magnetic signs on the Odyessy came off today during our trip to Cousin Wayne's farm.  

Maybe I'm overreacting, but we'll see.  I'm going to give it one more full year (the end of fiscal year 2017).  If I don't get any paying customers, or if I don't get any prayerful answers from God next year, then I think it might time to end it.  

As always, stay tuned. 

 

News From The Compound

TWIT and I would like to thank Cousin Craig for climbing up the ladder and hanging our Pap's Barn Art custom painted Carpenter's Wheel quilt block on our garage this weekend.  We hope that everyone in our neighborhood will see it and want to buy one.

Debate? What Debate?

While most of America was glued to their TVs tonight watching the Presidential debate, my family and I are outside under the gazebo with a fire in the fire pit, enjoying the company and conversation, and laughing and sharing memories.  And making new memories.  This was a much better choice tonight.

The Gala Recap

Yesterday seemed like a blur, with all of the day-long activities at The Gala.  But it was an awesome day, and the best part was all of us kinfolk getting to be together.

Gala Eve

Just like with Derby Eve, we are celebrating and partying tonight on Gala Eve.  Tomorrow is the long-anticipated Gala, to celebrate my Sweet Mother's birthday.  

We have one trip to the liquor store on the schedule for tomorrow, with a stop at the ice hut, and then it's game on.  

Today, we made the Awesome Beans, Shrimp Dip, baked a Decadent Carrot Cake, and got provisions in for tomorrow. 

For the rest of the night, we're on cruise control and are celebrating my Sweet Mother's Birthday. 

T Minus 2 Days

It's two days until The Gala.  Today, the grass at The Compound was mowed and trimmed, and the carport was pressure washed to get rid of the gigantic oil spot from where our various vehicles have leaked over the years.  The small refrigerator that we were going to throw away was plugged in today and at last check is cooling perfectly (so we might not throw it away after all).  

Two of the guests have arrived safely, and will be staying here at The Compound until next Friday.  

Now it's time for a nice strong cocktail.

T Minus 3 Days

The countdown is on -- it's three days until The Gala.  

My Dad is the on responsible for The Gala.  He named it.  He said it was more festive than calling it a "family reunion." 

As of now, we will have 22 family members converging on The Compound this weekend.  We have them coming from West Lafayette, Indiana, Phenix City, Alabama, Breckinridge County, Kentucky and good old PRP. 

We've planned a day of eating, drinking, and being merry, and most of all, being together.

Something You Don't Hear Every Day

Overheard at least 87 times tonight at a private five-course dinner with a different type of Patron tequila served with each course, and I quote:

"I like tequila."

Happy Talk Like A Pirate Day

TWIT would like to wish everyone a very happy Talk Like A Pirate Day.  

If you have a Krispy Kreme store in your area, if you go there and talk like a pirate, they will give you a free donut.  If you are dressed like a pirate, they will give you a free dozen donuts.  How awesome is that?

Things were crazy busy at work today, and I am sorry that I didn't get to say "Ahoy matey" or "Arrgghh" today.  But the thought was there.

Way To Go, Cards

TWIT would like to congratulate the UofL Cardinals football team on their mega impressive win today over the #2 Florida Seminoles.  The Cards sent the 'Noles back down to Florida with a 63-20 loss.  

It's not secret to those that know me that I am not a huge UofL fan;  I am part of the Big Blue Nation.  It's not that I dislike UofL; I just like UK better.  I will root for UofL when they play anyone except UK and UNC.  

I am giving credit where it is due.  WTG, Cards.  Give me time - maybe I will become part of L1C4. 

The Gala

About twon months ago, The Old Man decided that he wanted to have a quasi-family reunion.  We've never officially had one before, so now is a good time as any.  He named it The Gala. 

Starting next Thursday, we will have family converging from West LaFayette, Indiana, LaFayette, Indiana, Phenix City, Alabama, and Hudson, Kentucky.  Not to mention honorary family from Louisville, KY.  

As I said, we've been planning The Gala for about two months.  We have a timeline for next week -- for things that need to be bought and for all the things that need to be done.  Of course, yours truly planned the timeline.  Because that's what I do -- I'm a scheduler.  But I digress.

 I can't begin to tell you how much we are looking forward to The Gala - to be able to visit with our family.  After all, that's what it's all about. 

As always, I'll keep you posted. 

Congrats, GM

TWIT would like to wish my dear friend and coworker GM a very happy engagement.  This week, he got down on one knee and asked his girlfriend to marry him.  Of course she said yes.  She is getting one of the hardest working men that I know as her husband.  They haven't set a date yet, but TWIT wishes them a most awesome and happy marriage.

I Want My Jams, And I Don't Mean Jelly

Yesterday on the way home from work, I discovered some issues with my stereo (note: that sounds incredibly old school) in my old Blazer.  It would cut in and out, just like it normally did when I was playing a CD and hit a bump.  It got increasingly worse today on the way to and from work.  This really bummed me out. 

After supper tonight, I went out and got a piece of very fine sand paper and lightly wiped over the contacts;  my stereo has the face plate that is removable, so I'm hoping this might fix the issue.  If not, I guess I'll get a new stereo.  And I don't need to tell you that the stereo will probably be worth more than the old Blazer.

Thank You, Krogers

I would like to thank the Customer Service crew at my 'hood Krogers tonight.  They gave exceptional service, above and beyond what was probably required of them.  That's the main reason I do the bulk of my grocery shopping at this store - for the great service.  They were quick to give me rain checks on some items that were sold out, and didn't give any hassle.  

Keep up the good work, crew. 

Trivia Update

I am sad to report that after a two-week hiatus, Team Divas came in third place tonight out of six team.  At least we were in the top half.

In our defense, everyone (even the two teams in first and second place) agreed that the questions were way harder tonight than in weeks past.  

That's fine - we will just step up our game next week.

Link Of The Week

A dear friend and one of the most loved people in the city of Louisville, Dawne Gee, has a charity that is near and dear to all of our hearts.  It's called "A Recipe To End Hunger."  She has put together a cookbook with recipes from celebrities, and the proceeds go towards Blessings In A Backpack, an affiliate of Dare To Care.  The Blessings In A Backpack gives out backpacks full of food on Friday afternoons to kids in school who, without the food in the backpack, might not have a meal until they get back to school on Monday. 

I feel horrible for not posting this last week; this afternoon, a silent auction and concert was held to raise money for A Recipe To End Hunger.  I was very happy to be a small part of this.  And I am already looking forward to next year's event. 

Please visit http://www.arecipetoendhunger.com/ and buy a cookbook.  You will be helping the kids who might not have had a meal on the weekend.

Dog Days Of Summer

Our Krogers occasionally gives us "Best Customer Bonus" coupons - usually for something free based on the items you most frequently purchase.  Once a quarter we'll get a coupon for free Cheerios, Prego spaghetti sauce, etc.  This week, we got a coupon for a free box of Pedigree dog food.  And we have no dog. And I've never bought any dog food at Krogers. But I was glad to get the free box nonetheless, and gave it to a friend who is as cashier at Krogers for her little Shitzu.  Things that make you go hmmm.

Happy National Hug Your Boss Day

TWIT would like to wish all bosses out there a happy National Hug Your Boss Day.  

The morning started out very early; Fridays are my early get-to-work-at-5:45-day, so by the time most others in the office were rolling in, I was ready for a nap. One of the awesome trio that works for me, Katie, came to my office and wished me a happy Hug Your Boss Day and gave me a big ole hug.  I'm here to tell you it was the highlight of my day. 

Are You Ready For Some Football?

TWIT would like to welcome back the 2016 NFL season.  It's been eight long months since the last NFL game (which was the Super Bowl) and we're ready for some football.  Sure, we're have four weeks of pre-season games but tonight is the first regular season game.

As always, I will be cheering for my Tennessee Titans and the New England Patriots,  and will hope that I can give you positive weekly reports on the Zoeller Fantasy Football League.  

A Rough Day At The Compound

This has been a very rough day at The Compound.  The 'Rents have been sneezing all day long, thanks to the unusually high pollen and rag weed counts here in the Ohio Valley right now.  They've never had the pollen and rag weed to affect them like it has this week.  I forgot to take my allergy pill yesterday and last night before I went to bed, all I wanted to do was get my tooth brush and scratch the roof of my mouth. 

I'm hoping we can get some rain in the next day or two to wash all of that crap out of the air. 

Stop The Noise

For the past 24 hours, we've been dealing with an annoying incessant beep coming from our refrigerator.  We've read over the owner's manual for an hour, I've Googled for almost another hour, and even spent 20 minutes on hold just to speak with customer service, who told us to just unplug it, wait 30 seconds, and plug it back in; all to no avail. 

We reset the temperature on it, and the owner's manual said it takes 24 hours for it to reset.  So we're hoping and praying that at this time tomorrow, we will no longer be hearing the incessant beeping.  As always, stay tuned. 

Global Step Challenge Reflections

Our 100 day Global Step Challenge at work ended on September 1, and I honestly will say that the 100 days flew by.  I think the 100 days went by so quickly because I really enjoyed the walking. 

For the week before the Challenge, I wore my Fit Bit to see just how much I walked during the day.  For the week I was around 2500 or more steps.  So when the time came for the Challenge to begin, I made a big goal of doubling my average daily steps to 5000.  It only took a few days for me to start beating the 5000 step by by 1500-2000 steps.  So at the 25 day mark when we started phase 2, I bumped my goal up to 7000 steps.  Once again, I easily met that.  At the halfway point, I bumped up my goal to 7500 steps, and once again, I easily met and exceeded that.  During the third phase, I even had some 10,000 step days.  When the fourth phase came I didn't want to jinx myself so I set my goal at 8000 steps.  Once again, I met the goal. 

I'm not going to lie - there were some nights when I was walking up and down the driveway at 10:00 at night to meet my goal, but I did it.  And there were many evenings when I would go to Wal-Mart and walk around the inside of the store for a half an hour to meet my goal.  But I did it.

I'm proud of myself for sticking with it for the 100 days.  I gained confidence and pride in knowing I stuck with something I started.  I also gained some endurance.  I can walk for a half hour continuously now with no problem at all.  I could probably go an hour if I had the time.  But I also lost something during the Challenge. I lost 30 pounds in the last 100 days, just by walking more every day.  I didn't change much about my diet except cutting back on fast food for breakfast and lunch.  I first noticed a difference when I was able to get up into the truck easier, without having to use a stool to climb up into it.  And this summer I noticed a big difference in my shorts and pants.  They were baggy, and that made me very happy.

So now that the Challenge is over, I'm not stopping.  I'm keeping my daily goal of 8000 steps, and I'm going to continue walking on my morning and afternoon breaks at work instead of staying in my office.  I'm going to continue to park the car farther away when I go somewhere so I will get in more steps. 

I remember how scared I was at the start of the Challenge.  I was afraid I wouldn't make my goals and I would let my teammates down.  But I had a great team full of encouragers, and I think Team 17 for their support.  We ended in 10th place out of 21 teams, so that's not too shabby at all.

Race Relations 101

I went down to the river park tonight to finish my steps for the day, and when I was finished, I went to the pavilion and sat down at the only available picnic table so I could play my Pokemon Go game for a bit.  An African American family was having a picnic/party there under the pavilion and were using the other 4 big picnic tables.  

I sat there and was playing my Pokemon game and gulping down my bottle of water, and a few of the family members came over and asked if I wanted anything else to drink, or if I wanted to partake in their party with some fried chicken and baked beans.  I told them no, but thanked them so much for offering.  I told them I was just on my way home from walking to get my daily steps in and just stopped at the pavilion to play Pokemon.  They even offered me a cocktail with awesome Ciroc vodka.  I thanked them again for the offer, and as I left I told them I hoped we'd meet again down at the river. 

To sum it all up, I was alone and I was the only white woman there under the pavilion, but I wasn't a bit afraid.  And I was thrilled that they recognized me and invited me to be a part of their party.  And to tell the truth -- if I hadn't been still full from my Sunday lunch I would have sure taken them up on their offer for some chicken and a cocktail.

Overheard

Overheard at the store, and I quote:

"You ain't shit." 

Flashback Friday

Game On, Homes

For the first time in my 48 years of living in this house, we are having a feud with our neighbor.  It's not with Nadine nor PS and his wife Bev; it's with Nicky Boy that is directly next door.  Apparently, he does not like us getting on his part of the side yard, and today, he put concrete blocks up to evidently show us the line that we are not supposed to cross.  My bad -- in the history of living here, we've always parked one of the vehicles in the little side yard when we've moved one out of the garage.  Well, today, I guess that is stopping.  

Fine with me.  He just needs to remember that it goes both ways.  The first time I see one of his large dogs on our property not on a leash, it's going to be game on, homes.  All he had to do was tell me "Puddin, if you don't mind, please don't park one of your all's cars there on the side yard."  We would have been happy to comply.  But with him going all Trump Wall on us, I don't know what to think.  

Way To Go, Bats, Again

TWIT and I would like to congratulate the Louisville Bats on another win tonight. They beat the Charlotte Knights 2-1.  It was our last game of the season, which bummed us out a bit.  But at least we won. 

The Bats are in second-to-last place in their division. Better luck next season. 

Go Bats. 

First Chances

I am very bummed tonight.  On Sunday evening, I did my 3 trips around the perimeter of WalMart to get in my daily step quota.  On my walk, back in the automotive section, I saw a plastic container of a leak stop that would work in any of the fluid leaks on a car -- oil, transmission, power steering, or brake.  I made a mental note of it, given the fact that my old Blazer is leaking oil right now.  Fast forward to tonight.  

I needed to get my steps in, so I walked around Wal-Mart 3 times to meet my quota.  Then I walked back around to the automotive section.  I was there 30 minutes trying (key word) to find the bottle of leak stop that I saw two days ago.  Of course there was no need to summon help in the store, because we all know they wouldn't come.  

I ended up buying a quart of Lucas Oil Stop Leak and poured it in.  But I still want to find the bottle I saw on Sunday.

As always, stay tuned.

Way To Go, Bats

TWIT would like to congratulate the Louisville Bats on their 7-2 win over the Charlotte Knights tonight.  It was one of the best games I've attended all season.  Two Bats got home runs, to boot.  

It was hot, but not as unbearable as the weatherazzi was making it out to be.  We all got by with only one beer and 2 bottles of water each.  

It's hard to believe the season is almost over - there's only 4 more games left.  I'll be proudly in the stands on Wednesday to cheer my Bats on for my last game of the season.  And then I'll look forward to Call Up Thursday -- the day when the Majors will be calling up any of the Minor League players they want for the last of the MLB season.

Go Bats!

Back In Business

We took a summer break from Pap's Barn Art but as of today, I am proud to say we are back in business.  I spent the afternoon drawing out a pattern for what I think will be our prettiest quilt pattern picture so far -- a Christmas themed picture with poinsettias and holly berries.  It was challenging but after figuring it out I used my trusty old school protractor and have it all drawn out.  Tomorrow, Dad will cut out some more boards, and get them primed and then we'll start back to painting. 

We've still got a lot of pictures in our living room, but after next Saturday, I hope that's not the case.  I will selling [hopefully] our barn art pictures downtown at the Flea Off Market festival.  Diva Stacy will be there with me selling her homemade jams and preserves.