Christmas Decoration 2018 Update

We spent over an hour last night putting together a two and a half foot tall wire lighted rooster for the back porch, and today, my two elves put up the Christmas tree.  So progress is being made.  Tomorrow morning I will make multiple trips and down the basement stairs to bring up the many boxes of ornaments and decorations for my elves to put to good use.  

Stay tuned. 

We're Thinking It's Going To Begin To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Now that the Old Man is on the mend, we can focus our attention on getting The Compound all Christmas's up.  I got one of our favorite pieces of decoration, the Christmas Deer made out of tree limbs, out of the garage and in its usual place in the side yard.  It's a start.  And I've located the Christmas tree in the garage, too, and will get the wagon out tonight and lug it up to the house for the two elves to hopefully put up tomorrow.  Then on Saturday morning I will make probably a bazillion trips down to the basement to bring up box after box of Christmas "stuff."  So we aren't decorated all up like a lot of people right now, but at least we have a plan and one week to get our Christmas on before my Favorite Cousin and her Dear Husband come to visit for a few days.  

Stay tuned. 

Update On The Old Man

After the Old Man dealing with the mystery rash for two and a half months, we were finally able to get him in to the dermatologist today.  It took about 30 seconds for him to diagnose what the Old Man's family doctor couldn't.  It's something called ballous pemphigoid.  He said he sees it a lot in the eldery.  Anyhoo, the main thing is that he prescribed meds to get it cleared up.  

On the way home from the doctor, it broke my heart with the Old Man said "You don't know what agony I've been through over the past two months."  No, I don't.  But I can't tell you how many times I prayed that the Lord would take his rash away from him and give it to me instead.  But He didn't.  He knows best.  

Now it's time for healing, and to be able to enjoy Christmas at The Compound. 

Pray For Me, America

As I type this, I'm listening to a local TV channel's weatherazzi giving the current weather report: light snow and some ice pellets are falling now in our area.  The roads are too warm for it to stick, but that won't stop things from making this morning's trip to work Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.  Jesus, take the wheel. 

It Figures

Wouldn't you know it?  It's Sunday evening and I'm feeling much, much better - just in time to go back to work tomorrow.  Go figure. 

Small Business Saturday

TWIT and I would like to ask everyone to visit a small business today and buy something from them, even if you didn't need it.  Today is Small Business Saturday.  And I'm thrilled that Good Shepherd Security Consulting had a contact today on Small Business Saturday. 

Keep it local. 

Black Friday

Today sure seemed like a Black Friday to me.  The extent of my Black Friday shopping was buying toilet paper on sale at Walgreens.  I was on the couch on or on the bed most of the day fighting a cold.  If it weren't 7:00 right now I'd go on to bed.  

As I've said before, pray for bettah dayz. 

Happy Thanksgiving From The Compound

The 'Rents and I would like to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving.  We hope you all get to have a fun, happy, drama-free holiday.  

Thanksgiving Trivia

In case you didn't know, we have Thanksgiving to thank for the invention of TV dinners.  

Swanson created their frozen dinner meals in 1953 because they had 260 tons of extra turkey that year. Unsure what to do with it, a salesman suggested packaging it onto aluminum trays with other sides like sweet potatoes. (Airline meals are also said to have helped inspire the trays!) Regardless, we hope that Swanson employee got a big bonus that year.

And for that, we are all thankful. 

At Least Today Seems Like Thursday

It's Tuesday and with our holiday this week, it seems like it's Thursday.  Only one more morning to get up early and then four days without having to go do work. 

And on a side note, as I mentioned the other day I've been fighting a cold.  This morning I woke up with a sore throat.  It feels like I swallowed razor blades last night.  I'll be making multiple trips to the bathroom today at work to gargle with trusty warm salt water.

Stay tuned. 

Monday, Monday

I apologize for not posting yesterday.  I was a bit under the weather dealing with a cold.  I rested all day, and am feeling better today.  Thank the Lord we only have to work three days this week.  Yes, I am truly thankful for that. 

Sad News From The Compound

I am very sad to report that our beloved Willie the rooster is gone.  He was here Wednesday night when I came home, and he was in his usual spot on the top of the chicken pen.  But it was the start of the freakish ice storm.  When I woke up the next morning, he was nowhere to be found.  

I've walked through the back fields of our property and through the property of neighbors on both sides of us and still no sign.

The Old Man says that he came here on his own, and he believes he left here on his own.  We hope and pray that during the ice storm Wednesday night, Willie remembered his former home, and hopefully he left here to go back to where he was dry and warm.

In the meanwhile, we're sad.  We had quickly grown to love our Willie boy.  

Flashback Friday

Today, I am flashing back to two weeks ago, when I met with our retirement fund gurus at work, and the guy told me that I could retire in three years and two months and start drawing from my ZCO retirement account.  The countdown is on.  Be warned that this will most likely be a weekly post.  Just saying.  

Welcome Pre-Winter, Again

When I attempted to leave for work this morning, there were more limbs down on our driveway than there were back in 2009 when we had the big ice storm.  And all of the limbs were from trees that were Neighbor Nick's.  When I was ready to leave for work this morning, I didn't hesitate to knock on his door and tell him that he needed to get up and help me move the limbs from HIS trees that were blocking MY driveway.  He was happy to oblige, and help me get on my way to work.

There are still lots of smaller limbs from Nick's Trees that need to be removed, and I'm hoping he will remove them in the few days ahead. 

Welcome Pre-Winter

I was an hour late getting home today because I had to wait at the car mechanic's shop to get my tires put on and a front end alignment done, in addition to getting upper and lower ball joints,  shocks, and various other things put on.  But I digress.  When I left the shop and headed home it was sleeting bigtime.  It was Mr. Toad's Wild Ride going home.  The roads weren't all that slick, but people were driving very crazy.  Once again, I digress.  They're calling for a tenth of an inch to a quarter of inch of ice tonight.  Not something we like to hear for mid-November.  But hey - I've got new tires, so bring it on. 

Tuesday, Tuesday

It was a long old day at work.  Every time I looked out the window and saw the dismal, gray day, I thought to myself that it looked like it could just open up and start snowing at any minute.  It didn't, thank goodness, but the weatherazzi is starting to get worked up over a system moving through tomorrow night into Thursday morning, that could bring (and I quote) "possible accumulations of snow, ice and freezing rain" into the area.  On an unrelated note, I had to stop on the way home from work today for milk and bread.  Stay tuned. 

Monday, Monday

It's a little after 6:00, and we've had supper and done the dishes and all three of us here at The Compound took a little nap.  And I think possibly a longer nap is in our near futures. 

Happy Veterans Day

TWIT and I would like to wish my Old Man a very happy Veterans Day. Thank you for your service during the Korean War.  Your commitment to keeping our country safe has not gone unnoticed. 

Manual Labor

Today was a day filled with manual labor by yours truly.  The Old Man was still not feeling up to par, so he gave direction, aka told me what to do, and I did it.  

We got the chicken coop all winterized for The Girls.  I cleaned out the coop, gave them new wood shavings in the bottom of the coop, put new shavings in their nesting boxes for when they hopefully will start laying again, and we ran the cords and got their heated waterer and their heat light all connected.  

I'm not sure about the Girls, but I know I will sleep good tonight. 

Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner

I never mentioned this before, but last fall, I joined the Churchill Downs Racing Club and became part (albeit a small) owner in a race horse named Rare Form.  

He didn't do so well in his first three starts, but today he broke his maiden with a big win - he was in the lead from start to finish, and paid a great 7-1 price.   Many thanks to trainer Dale Romans (a South End boy) and to his jockey Robby Alberado.  

Needless to say, this made my day, week, month, possibly, year. 

Oh Happy Day

The investment firm that handles Zoeller employees' retirement funds was at work today meeting with people one-on-one to go over their retirement accounts.  I signed up and met with the guy today, and after the first five minutes, I would have done a cartwheel if I could.  I can retire in just three and a half years and draw from my Zoeller retirement fund until I reach 62 and can start drawing my Social Security.  

The countdown is on.  

Overheard At Work

And I quote:

"I don't drink that much.  But I drink."  

End of quote. 

I'd Like Another Extra Hour

The 'Rents and I are watching my Titans play on Monday Night Football, and the Old Man just said he wished it was Saturday night again so we could get an extra hour of sleep.  I have to agree. 

Happy National Chicken Lady Day

TWIT and I would like to wish everyone a very happy National Chicken Lady Day.  And yes, I am proud to be a Chicken Lady.  

The Girls are still growing in the tons of feathers that they lost during molting, and they haven't been laying.  But I will give them an out since they are molting.  When the birds go into molt, their bodies require every little resource they have to regrow their feathers .If you think about it, their bodies basically rejuvenate themselves in a matter of weeks. That has to take a lot of nutrients and energy to complete this process in such a short period of time.That is why chickens don’t lay eggs while they're molting. They don’t have enough nutrients left during this time to lay eggs and rebuild their bodies simultaneously.

They've been molting for about six weeks now, and you can visibly see the new feathers coming in, so we (and I'm sure they) hope the end is in sight.  They aren't totally naked; just bare in a few spots.

So now you know probably more than you wanted to know about molting from Puddin the Chicken Lady. 

Happy Breeders Cup Day

This year's Oaks Day and Derby Day races went down in history as being some of the rainiest (yes, that is a word) race days ever, but today's Breeders Cup is one of the prettiest race days.  It's clear, a tad bit cool, and no rain in sight according to the weatherazzi.  

Tooth Extraction Update

I procrastinated and waited too long to get an appointment to get the tooth pulled, and the infection set back in.  So I'm back on a week's worth of antibiotics to get the infection gone and then we'll hopefully get the tooth pulled.

Stay tuned.