Just Another Day In Paradise

Well, Well, Look Who's Fifty

2010-08-18T08:15:00.003-05:00

Today I turned 50. I havent really been looking forward to this day, but if the good Lord let me live this long, I am thankful for that.

I look back over my life and wish I had a couple hundred do overs. I am not entirely happy with a lot of decisions I have made over time. In fact, I am down right ashamed of a lot of things. The only solace I have is that I have learned a lot of lessons. Lessons that needed to be learned and have made me a lot wiser. And a lot more cautious. I used to live on the edge and that is not attractive to me anymore. Living on the edge the way I used to hurt myself and a lot of people around me. But I do like fun now--dont get confused because I am all about some fun!

Today, I am content with my life. For the first time I can remember I am not afraid. I used to get afraid when I got content. Afraid that when the next shoe fell the rug would be pulled out from under me and everything would be gone.

My life is simple and some people would say boring. But I am not bored. To be able to go outside and appreciate the things around me is a wonderful thing. To have the love of my friends and my family is the best gift I could be given. There was a time when I would not have been able to feel or see that.

I have been known to say I have the body of a 60 year old and the mind of a twenty year old. I think young. But I cant do the things I did physically at twenty. If I think about it that is not a true statement. I dont think like I did at twenty. Cause I wouldnt do the things my 20 year old mind would do! But I can say that I am a very open minded, forward thinking person. I love everyone that relates to me for who I am and I do the same for them. I move toward the kind, honest and sincere people of the world regardless of their color, nationality or sexual preferences. I recoil from the person who is dishonest, mean, liars and self centered people that only want what they can get from a person or situation. I always try to be a good friend and appreciate the value of a good friend.

Being 50 may not be so bad. I just dont want my life to be one year closer to the time I am gone. That is because I feel like I have just begun to appreciate what God has given me. I was told a long time ago and told more than once--Live in the day. Always remember that what I do today will directly affect my tomorrows. But enjoy the day!

Hummingbirds

2010-08-14T11:26:00.004-05:00

For days now I have been trying to get pictures of the Hummingbirds that are coming to our feeder. They are fast little things and fly away just as I am getting ready to take a shot. Then when I put the camera down they will come back and hover for minutes on end and eat and drink to their hearts content.

FINALLY this morning I got a few shots in. This is not easy with a Kodak Easy Share camera by the way. But this may be the best I can do so I share them with you.

What Is That Smell?

2010-08-11T13:50:00.002-05:00

I have had a busy week. Im not sure what I have done but I am exhausted so I must have been doing something. The heat is horrible, the humidity is worse. This is the way it always is in August down here. Absolutely unbearable. This is the time everything turns brown from a lack of rain and an over abundance of sunshine.

Mother is still scheduled for surgery the 24th of this month. I am not quite as worried as I was. Her PET scan came back clear of cancer except for the one in her mouth. That is a real good thing. Now to just get over the hurdle of the surgery and the doctor plans to harvest some lymph nodes and make sure there isnt any microscopic cancer in them. Better safe than sorry. I worry how much if any of her tongue will be taken out. How hard it will be for her to eat and how long that will last. I hate she has to go through this, but I want it to be over as soon as possible.

Lester fell at work. He slipped on ice in the freezer and landed on his hips and back causing whiplash to his neck. He is going to be okay. The problem is he wants it to be more than it is. He faking his symptoms. His family is encouraging him. He says he cant hear but he can. He cant lift anything, but he can. He cant drive, but he can. He cant sit, but he can. He cant stand, but he can. He is dizzy, but he is not. None of those things is wrong with him. His neck and shoulders are slightly stiff. That is it. He says he is suing and going to get rich. I cant get it through his head that he has no law suit. He wasnt even prescribed medication. He has no long term disability. He has nothing to sue for. What is going to happen is he is going to lose his job if he doesnt co-operate with Workman's Comp. That is what will happen if he doesnt straighten up.

He wants me to play the game and lie for him. I cannot do that. I refuse to do that. He says I am negative towards him and changing towards him because I wont play the game. Honestly, I am extremely disappointed in him right now. Very disappointed.

I have a lot on my plate. Between work and what is going on with Momma, I am not up for a lot of bullshit. And this is bullshit.

And bullshit stinks.

Not My Momma

2010-08-04T11:22:00.003-05:00

I found out about two weeks ago that Momma has this thing in her mouth, on her tongue. According to her it wasnt a big deal, and she never paid much attention to it. When she went to get her bottom denture plate repaired the doctor noticed it and send her to an oral surgeon.

This little thing in her mouth as she described it is quite large. It is about the size of a freakin spoon and it is growing from under her tongue up and over the top of the tongue. It is HUGE. She cant eat or taste anything. A biopsy was done and it is cancer. This "little thing" has been there for some time. This is what she says now.

So now a black cloud is coming on the horizon and I am terribly worried. There are more tests to be done to see if this has spread any where else and it will have to be removed and along with that a few lymph nodes to make sure it isnt there also. She will stay two nights in the hospital.

My mind keeps screaming that she is almost 85 years old. She has lost a lot of weight lately from not eating. I worry because she has let it live there for so long and just get bigger and bigger. I am trying to understand why she did this but I have to realize that a lot of people try to ignore these things and hope they just go away.

Tomorrow she will have the scan to see if it has spread. So there is a knot in my stomach and sometimes I panic and feel like I cant breath. Waiting for the results is horrible. It seems like forever until we know everything and where she stands with this.

I cant lose my Momma right now. I am not ready. For the past few years as she has gotten older and less active I have tried to prepare myself for the time when she may not be with us. I know that time is not on our side at her age. But when I am faced with the fact that she has cancer in her mouth and it could have spread it scares the shit out of me. I feel like a little child that is still so very dependent on her Momma. That is weird but I think it proves you never stop needing your Momma.

The Best Flea Control I Have Ever Used

2010-07-26T09:33:00.003-05:00

Fleas have been a huge deal this summer for my dog(s). I say dogs, I really only own one but Orso is Lester's dog and it seems that over time he has become my responsibility. That's okay, I love Orso and he loves me so it is all good. A sweet boy, he just wants to jump on you all the time.

But back to my point. The fleas are HORRIBLE. About a month ago I went out and discovered that despite all that has been done for them, they were still being eaten alive by fleas. When I say eaten alive, that is exactly what was happening. We have tried everything known to man. Frontline used to work well, but I think this year it has only encouraged the fleas to breed. I have tried that, I have tried that coupled with home remedies like garlic. Just for the record, the only way Lucky will eat garlic is if I stuff it down her throat. This only makes her run from me when she sees me coming. That is a battle I hate to take on in a 100 degree heat and a broken foot. Needless to say she wins every time.

So I have almost pulled my hair out trying to figure out what in the world to do. I have surfed the net, I have bathed them almost daily, I have watched them scratch until they bled, I have listened to Lucky cry. Literally cry.

Then along comes a suggestion from a friend at work. Confortis. I think that is how it is spelled. But it is a once a month pill that costs about 20 bucks a pop. Initially that may sound expensive for 2 dogs, but hey, not when you have gone through what me and the dogs have been through it sounds good. So I gave it a shot. Shoved the pill down Lucky's throat because she wasnt having it, and just gave it to Orso. He loved it and begged for more.

The next day I went out and WOW! NO FLEAS! I was doing a happy dance and the dogs joined in. I can not believe it. It worked like a charm. If you do this remember to give the pill on a full stomach. But it is an awesome thing.

Try it if you are having flea problems.

The Heat Will Cook You Like A Roast In The South

2010-07-17T09:05:00.002-05:00

This is one hot ass summer. The temperatures hit 100 at least 2 weeks ago and the humidity is extremely high. You just cant get cool no matter what you do. August is just around the corner and that is usually the hottest month of the year so I expect it to be miserable. The other side of hell I call it. It wont rain either. Thank goodness the garden is about done producing except for the melons, one other planting of corn and tomatoes. That may be manageable enough. If the sun dries up my melons I am going to be pissed off. I have been impatiently waiting on those melons since they were planted.

I go out to those melons almost every day. I watch the progress from the time a bloom comes on the vine until they get ready to pick. Some sugar baby melons have already gotten ready and I have eaten those up. Now for the big guys. I noticed today there are two melons that I can probably pick Sunday. CANT WAIT!!!!

I noticed one thing about this garden. EVERYONE wants something. EVERYONE. People we dont even like and they dont like us suddenly become your best friend. I get very irritated about it because people we have sweated bullets out there in that garden. I had to just about fight this one guy off my melons! At the time I hadnt even had a melon yet and he was determined to talk me out of one. I might be prone to kill over a watermelon. Just try something like that on a bad day for me.

Our garden was big. REALLY big. When I broke my foot and Alvaro got deported, it was almost too much for Lester. I felt bad about it. I think we have gotten over the hard part now though. My foot is better and like I said, a lot of the vegetables are done for this year. Unless he decides to plant a late harvest. If he does that I dont want to hear any complaining out of him.

None NA DA

Today Is Weird

2010-07-11T11:19:00.002-05:00

A lot has been going on around here. One--I broke my foot and Im crazy bored. Thank God I get to go back to work Wednesday. Two-Our other roommate, Alvaro, got deported on Friday. He was in jail for DUI and after his court appearance he was taken away by immigration and headed to Louisiana for the first boat back to El Salvador.

I dont want to step on any toes, but I am going to say how I feel about this. I like Alvaro. Really, I do. But what did he and everyone else expect? He was ILLEGAL. I watched all this go down with a very non-upset heart. He shouldnt have been drinking and driving either. This trouble was the result of his own making. He was supposedly planning to home in December, so--what the hell--he goes a few months early and gets a free trip to boot.

But Lester is down and out about it. He says he isnt but he is. Also, there is something else wrong. I cant put my finger on it, but something else is going on. He isnt talking. He was yesterday but he isnt today. I have tried all day to hold a conversation but he isnt participating.

He is also worried because of the lost rent. A big total of $150.00 a month. I mean, COME on! If $150.00 bucks is going to break you maybe you were living a little too close to the edge. And why have I been paying twice that much? No wonder he likes me. He is talking of selling chickens, horses, dogs. Crazy as hell. When he said something about the dogs I had to bite my tongue to remind him that I buy all their food. I take care of the dogs, he doesnt. But from his mood, it may not have been a good idea. I may still do it if things dont lighten up. There is only so much of this cry baby shit I can take.

I think the best thing for me to do is stay in my end of the house and leave him the hell alone until this storm in his brain blows over.

Another example of how men make my eye twitch sometimes.

Sometimes Men Just Make My Eye Twitch

2010-07-08T18:52:00.002-05:00

I think this broke foot and triple digit heat is making me very irritable. At least it is part of it. What do you do when your favorite person has hired someone to help him out and then when they are through sends them in for me to pay them? That wasnt so bad except I was going to have to go to the store to get the cash. Cause as we all know, I havent gotten out much because it is a pain in the ass to do so with a broke foot. Then my favorite person said to pick him up some cigarettes and a cold drink. Okay, getting a little irritated. I asked could I use the truck. My car A/C is on the blink and it is triple digit hot and I have a rug around my leg.

That is when my favorite person turned around and said, "I guess, since I just filled it up with gas and I will let you run it out."

WHAT THE FUCK!

HE is asking ME to go to the store for HIM and PAY his worker too!

I took my own car.

And my eye twitched to the whole time.

Broke My Foot

2010-06-30T14:22:00.002-05:00

Yes, I broke my foot. Crazy and painful. The next time I decide to go running after a horse that was doing something it wasnt supposed to do, I will think twice about it.

I step in a hole and rolled about 4 times. I knew immediately my foot was broken. One--I heard it pop. Two--the pain was horrific. I was really in a bad dilemma. I was laying on the ground, covered in sweat and dirt, no cell phone, home alone and a long way from the house. So I cried. For a little while anyway. I figure what the hell, just take a moment and cry. You entitled to it.

My pony Gracie has got to be the sweetest, gentlest think in the world. When I fell and rolled she came over to me. Not to check on me because she was concerned, no she didnt care about that. She was hoping I had something for her to eat. She is sweet but she is a little pig also. Always looking for a treat. I spoil her like that though.

Gracie was standing directly over me, all I could see was her chest and feet. All I could think was that she could easily step on me and that would only make everything ten times worse and I would be laying on the ground crying even longer. Because I would have been entitled to it.

But she didnt. I pushed her away from underneath and she just moved away. You cant touch some horses just anywhere without them giving you a kick in protest. But Gracie didnt seem to mind at all that I was shoving her in her chest and under her belly.

I had to go to the ER. I didt manage to get into the house by crawling and get to a phone to call Lester. He sent his sister-in-law that I had never met. She is very religious and straight forward person. So I had to mind my gutter mouth and not smoke at the same time all the while in tons of pain and could have smoked a whole pack of cigarettes and cussed like I had never cussed before. But I didnt. After all, she didnt even know me and she was very kind to come and rescue me.

It looks like I am going to be a cripple for a bit. I am not very happy about it. I probably will miss another week of work. I am not exactly sad about that but I would rather be off work and able to walk around. See there are a lot of things that are hard to do with a broke foot. Things you take for granted. Like taking a bath--not easy anymore. Forget getting in the garden. I tried that and it didnt work out at all. Cant feed the dogs either. They would knock me down, they are terrible about jumping on you and since I have failed to teach them otherwise, they would most definately knock me down and then there I would be on the ground again.

So, I am stuck with limitations that I dont like. I have gotten so used to doing things around here. Hopefully in a week or so it will get better.

My Day Off

2010-06-20T22:17:00.002-05:00

Up at 4:30 am. Then off to the Mountain Top Flea Market by 5:00 am.

A long ride there with Lester and his kids. We walked and shopped. After about an hour of walking through the flea market everything began to look the same. Puppies for sale, socks for sale, ugly framed pictures (my personal favorite a man and a women lounging on a couch while he fed her strawberries. Everyone wants one of those.), veggies for sale. There was car parts, locks, nuts, bolt, purses, panties, bras, junk, junk and more junk. I bought 3 navy blue tee-shirts for work, diabetic socks, candied jalapeno peppers from the Amish and lots of big huge tomatoes grown in Alabama. We rode 2 hours for these treasures when all could have been bought in a 10 minute drive. But it is the adventure that counts.

And I sweated. Buckets.

Then back home by 11:00 am.

Off to the grocery store and then back home to prepare lunch which consisted of hamburgers, fries and I ate some of my candied jalapeno peppers. Yum!

Then back off to the store to get a hose pipe (or water hose if you prefer) and back home and we washed 3 cars.

And I sweated. Buckets. (Lester kindly sprayed me down with the hose pipe. I loved it.)

Next set of chores:

1. Feed the chickens, gather the eggs.
2. Feed Gracie the old bread. She loves that crap and she wouldnt accept it when it was gone. She followed me for the next 20 minutes nudging me with her nose wanting more. She got in my way but I would not have it any other way. gotta watch her though, she almost accidentally stepped on my feet. BTW-Gracie is my fav miniature pony we have.
3. Feed the dogs and fill up the swimming pool for them. And dont forget the ducks and their pool, I filled it too.

And I sweated. Buckets.

After a smoke break I picked the garden. Green beans, squash, cucumbers and peppers.
Tomorrow the peas will be ready and the green beans will need to be picked again. The garden is an everyday thing once it starts coming in.

And I sweated. Buckets.

After the garden I had to snap the green beans, and put the other veggies away. I got 4 quarts of green beans put away in the freezer. As Grandmother would say, "These sure will be good this winter."

And I sweated. Buckets.

I lost track of the timeline people. I finally got into my room and writing this blog at 10:00 pm. Im tired and dehydrated.

Go figure.

This was my day off work. No rest for the weary.

Alan Jackson - Drive (For My Daddy)

2010-06-19T17:51:00.003-05:00

It is Father's Day again. I wish I could see my Daddy--just for a minute. I would be walking on sunshine if that were possible. But I have my memories and they are so wonderful. I can still remember everything about him. Even his smell. Such a good man and such a great Father.

This song is for you Daddy.

If you havent done so - hug your Daddy today. You wont be sorry you did.

My Me Day

2010-06-14T12:26:00.004-05:00

It has been a long time since I took time for myself. For one I havent had a haircut in about a year. Yes, a year. I thought I might like my hair long but no. It is just not for me. It is heavy, hot and I shed. I shed worse than a dog. So I just cant do long hair. Today was the day I decided to chop it off and color it again.

This is before. A real mess for sure. Not the two toned look I had going for me. Nice. Really nice.

This is after. Kinda hard to get a good picture when you take it yourself. But you can see my hair is now shoulder length and one nice color. No gray. I like it better.

I just need to do something about the fat factor. Maybe that will be next.

People Who Throw Out Animals Suck

2010-06-08T16:01:00.004-05:00

We have acquired three baby kittens! At first it was only one. For a week we were enjoying this one:
We named him Socks. He wandered out of the woods in front of our house and we took him in. After a week he left for 3 days and came back with this one:

We named this one Spot. Obviously his brother. Neither one have an entire tail. Very stubby little tails.

After a couple of days, low and behold this one appeared!
She has a tail and is calico. We named her Lena.

At first me and Lester just thought Socks was going and telling his brothers and sisters he found a neat place to live. We just couldnt figure out how they came to our house at intervals like this. Then the neighbor told us her grandson saw a lady putting them out of here car. In fact, there should be another kitten but it hasnt shown up yet and I hope it is okay.

So, we have three new cats. Sometimes I think there is a sign on our house that says bring all your strays here. It seems at least once a month someone brings something they no longer want or need.

But it is cool. We will take care of these babies. They wont get thrown out or hurt or starve.

They are some of the lucky ones. So many arent.

I Havent Seen One Of These In Years And

2010-06-01T10:23:00.002-05:00

I dont care if I ever do again.

Lester paid money for this. He loves it. I am not allowed to touch it. Not a problem for me. It was okay though when I got stuck in it and it fell to the floor and became stuck to my shoe. That was funny to him. It seems no matter how hard I try I get stuck by it every day. It was hung in a bad place.

People this is no way to get rid of flies. The only thing it does is catch the ones that have the misfortune to fly into it. It does not attract them in any way.

It simply hangs there looking disgusting over beside our table on the back porch.

I hate it.

2010-05-31T07:47:00.002-05:00

Momma came to visit this weekend. She stayed 4 days and this was her first trip to see where I live.

We had a great time. The first night we went out to eat and had Margaritas at the Mexican restaurant. Momma likes Margaritas a lot. Then after dinner we went up and she got to see the little ponies and Gracie's baby. The baby didnt disappoint. She put on a little show. She has started wanting to eat Sweet feed and she put her head in the bucket and got it hung around her neck. She ran and bucked and carried on like the devil trying to get that bucket off. After we all got done laughing we caught her and took it off. Now she wont go near a bucket! It was really funny to watch her.

The next evening we cooked out. I grilled pork chops and ribs and weenies. In the south, you never crank up a grill and not put weenies on it. No matter what. We also had corn on the cob, slaw and cantaloupe salad. It was really good. We sat on the front porch and mother told stories about the past. How things were when she was growing up and how me and my brothers were when we were growing up. I think Lester could have talked to her all night.

Friday and Saturday me and Lester worked on the dog pen and put an electric fence around the bottom of it. They always dig out. Mother sat and watched us and watched the chickens all day. She also swatted a lot of flies. For some reason she liked that and I havent figured that one out till yet. It was really hot working on that fence but after we got it done it was worth it. The little dogs had to figure out that they couldnt go under the fence. Now THAT was funny! They would try and try and try to go under and every time they would get popped. And then they would yell and run around the yard like they were getting murdered. I think they finally figured out that they cant get out. They stay about 4 feet from that fence at all times. Now Orsso, the big lab, he knows. He knew the minute it was turned on. He has had a lot of experience with electric fences and he just went under the shed and would not come out. He stayed there all day and when he does come out he keeps his head and body low to the ground. He does his business and eats a bite and goes back under the shed. Im sure in a couple days these dogs will return to normal, but until then we have a bunch of really quiet dogs.

Sunday we took Momma home. Lester drove us in his new Volkswagen bug. He is so proud of that thing. It doesnt have much trunk space so I had to ride in the back with Mothers walker. Kinda cramped I might add. Ninethy miles one way of cramped. But we got her home and she told us that this was one of the best times she had ever had.

Im glad she had fun. Mother will be 85 this year. She deserves as many good times as we can give her. We plan to bring her back in August or September. I think she is already counting the days and planning what she will wear.

A Little Culture Can Go A Long Way

2010-05-24T22:23:00.006-05:00

When I moved in with Lester I also moved in with his roommate. He is from El Salvador. He speaks very little English but we get by pretty well. I have come to realize that third world countries do things a lot differently. One of them is how they look at food.

Armadillos to be exact.

We have a lovely huge garden. It attracts a lot of wildlife.

One evening I came home late from work. In the metal barrell outside a horrible noise was coming from the inside of it. REALLY loud. I couldnt imagine what was there but when I went into the house I allerted Alvarro and he told me it was an Armadillo.

My first thought was why in the world did he put it in the can while it was alive. My next thought was I was going to have to listen to the thrashing all night. A little irritating but around here you roll with the flow. I mean there had to be a reason for this - there always was.

The next day the Armadillo was gone and so was Alvarro. Hmmmmm. I asked Lester about this deal and he told me the Armadillo was eating the garden and Alvarro had taken the Armadillo to his friends house and it was going to be dinner.

DINNER! A RAT WITH A SHELL!

Did you know there are actually recipes for cooking armadillo?

Yes. Yes there are.

I can prove it.

Armadillo Tacos

~ 2 armadillos, cleaned, skinned and cut into small pieces
~ salt
~ pepper
~ oil
~ corn tortillas
~ salsa or pico de gallo
~ your favorite taco toppings, cheese, lettuce, etc.

In a large "cazo" (outdoor cooking pot) or dutch oven, heat a small amount of oil. Add the meat and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cook until done stirring as needed.

Remove and drain.

Serve on corn tortillas with your favorite taco toppings.

Enjoy.

See I told you so.

Is Anybody Out There?

2010-05-21T09:21:00.002-05:00

I think me and Denise stayed away so long we have been forgotten!

I have said that I blog so that I can come back when I am 100 and still have all my memories that I most likely will have forgotten by then. I also want to remember the online friends I have met along the way.

So if by any slim chance anyone is still out there let me know!

Babies Are Us In Childersburg!

2010-05-20T08:31:00.002-05:00

Remember the poor distraught Momma chicken? Remember the stolen eggs I gave her?

The HATCHED!

How awesome is that?

Learning Curves

2010-05-10T08:01:00.002-05:00

I have been living on the farm for almost 9 months. It really seems like forever, until I do something to prove Im new at this.

We have chickens, lots of chickens and they are mostly located up the street with some of the other horses. We used to have a lot here at the house, but with the garden we moved most of them except for a couple. Chickens love to eat the garden. Chickens love to eat most anything, even other chickens.

So I was out gathering eggs the other day. I got 14 from the backyard and 22 from up the street. I was so impressed! Not bad for a days work. I did pause and question the 14 from the backyard and then just assumed no one had gotten any in the last few days. But I was one proud lady about those eggs. Yes. What a productive bunch of chickens.

Lester came home and the eggs I had gotten from up the street were on the kitchen table. So the discussion began about how many eggs I had gathered that day. When I told him 14 from the backyard he just looked at me. Then he said where in the backyard? Well, from under the awning of the red shed you silly boy! He then informed me that the chicken had been sitting on those eggs for about two weeks. They were about ready to hatch.

Ooops.

He asked where they were and I had to tell him they had been in the fridge all day.

Another Ooops.

Eggs no good. Baby chicken embryo dead. Eggs in trash can. Chicken outside sitting on golf balls. Took eggs from up the street and put under chicken. Eggs most likely wont hatch. Distraught chicken mother.

Another day on the farm.

The Spring Babies

2010-05-06T10:23:00.003-05:00

Spring brings new life and we have two beautiful new babies in the house! They are wonderful and growing happily. This is my first spring on the farm and I have totally enjoyed watching these babies being brought into the world.

This is Shyanne. She was born May 5, 2010 to Gracie our miniature pony. She looks just like her Daddy.

This is Abigal. She is a mule born to Sylivia and Jasper. Jasper is a donkey. I learned that a donkey and a horse make a mule. I never knew that one. She was only a few hours old when I took this picture. I have pictures of the actual birth on facebook and have been told they are a little grafic but I didnt think so. I left them off here just in case. Abigal was born April 5, 2010 exactly one month before Shyanne.

Sylvia is now pregnant again and we have Mary Elizabeth also pregnant. I think if Gracie continues to do well, she will be bred again. So next spring will bring more babies!!!!

Meet Honey

2010-05-04T14:49:00.004-05:00

On March 31, 2010, we had a wonderful surprise in the early morning hours. Mary Elizabeth had her baby! Mary Elizabeth is one of Lester's miniature ponies. This is the first miniature pony that Lester has bred. It was so exciting. Tons of pictures were made and below is just the tip of the iceberg. Everyone in the community came by and had their look.

There was a problem though. At first we didnt realize how big the problem was. Well, we knew it wasnt good but felt like we could get the problem solved. This was Mary Elizabeth's first baby and she wouldnt take her baby. She hated her baby. As long as we stood over her she would feed it. But she always kept trying to kick it and bite it. We were determined to turn this around and it has been done in the past. It was going to be a big job but from what I have learned sometimes these things happen.

Mary Elizabeth didnt get much of a chance to bond with the baby. When the baby was born we werent there and the neighbors (well meaning) went up and saw the baby was born and that the other horses were curious. This baby was very tiny. VERY tiny. Miniatures are. So, they took a towel and washed the baby off and took it to their house and called Lester. I dont think that was the best move and things went down hill from there. Mary Elizabeth need the horses removed from the area so she could quietly get to know her child.

This pony was so sweet. She let you hold her. In hind sight I think we should have found that to be a red flag. It isnt natural for a horse to lie in your lap. But we were so thrilled with her and we wanted to love and pet her as much as possible. Mary Elizabeth could have cared less. She did not want to be a Momma. Not at all.

So we spent the entire day with Mary Elizabeth and her baby, we named her Honey. We had a ton of fun. After that we went home to eat dinner. Lester went back to check on the situation and it wasnt good. The baby was lethargic and had diarrhea really bad. He called the vet and raced to meet her with Honey. Unfortunately Honey died on the way. The vet said she had a bacteria that sometimes a pony gets when it is born. With her being so small there wasnt much that could be done. Plus when we add the months up that Mary Elizabeth was pregnant, she had that baby early. Honey went down really fast.

Enjoy the pictures. While it is sad she didnt live long, we did have that one great day with her.

Honey with Mary Elizabeth.

Honey sitting in a neighbor's lap taking a nap.

Lester was so proud and happy.

Honey was laid to rest in the ealy morning hours of April 1, 2010. She is buried in the pet cemetary on the farm.

Not Missing in Action

2010-05-03T10:28:00.002-05:00

I have been inspired! Denise finally blogged and I know I have been lacking in this department. Well, actually I havent been lacking, I have been non-existent. Life gets in the way of so much sometimes. Time is short and there arent enough hours in the day.

Things have been busy. I am only working one job now but I wonder how I did everything before when I was working two of them. The difference I think now is that I have two roommates and life on a horse farm is hectic. Those buggars expect to be fed and watered and such. I love the horses. I love being around them. I havent gotten the courage to ride yet, but just being around them satisfies me to no end. I would post pictures but I lost my darn camera and need to get a new one. I am totally lost without that camera. I have no idea where it is, I have done everything except dismantle the house to find it. It is a goner.

I will be posting more often. This is for me. I have lots happening and I want to look back one day and be able to read all my memories. How I was feeling and what was going on.

One thing I can say is that life with Lester is fantastic. He is my best friend. We laugh, we play, we fight. And we eat a lot too. I am so glad he is in my life.

Rainy Days and Mondays Always Get Me Down

2010-01-30T08:35:00.004-06:00

It has been really weird lately. It is like things around the house are changing and I guess that could be a good thing. But for me change is almost always somewhat painful. Me and the roommate have many common bonds and here lately we seem to have found the differences also.

Lately I have been miffed, angry and distant and I know that he has too. It has gone mostly unspoken. Just last night I realized the dogs hadnt been fed. Please know that I expect no one to feed the dogs, they just always have been since I lived there. But last night I asked and he said he thought I would have ed them that morning. So I fed them. And they got in a fight. They never do that so it made me wonder when the last time it was they had gotten fed. So I asked if they had been fed the day before and was told he thought I would have fed them. These past few days I have worked evenings and havent even been home at feeding time. So no, I hadnt fed them and obviously no one else had either. I feel like if you dont feed them just let me know and I will. But to say nothing is unacceptable! So I was angry. But I didnt say anything.

There as been a lot of not talking lately that is not normal for me and Lester. When we do talk it is almost like it annoys him. At least that is how I feel. We can be talking about anything and it seems like he is annoyed. So I stop talking. Been spending a lot of time in my room.

Not sure what is going on. Not sure why it is going on. But Im pretty sure it will all come out eventually. I love him to death and it hurts me and bothers me that something is wrong and when I dont know what it is I cant fix it. But so far I havent had the guts to approach the situation. I have just been hoping it would go away.

I guess everyday cant be a sunny day!

Just a Word Or Two

2010-01-21T08:46:00.002-06:00

Well it seems like I never find time to blog anymore and I dont know the reason why. I think Facebook may be replacing my blog thoughts. I never thought it would but I am on Facebook more than any other thing. My profile page is now my home page on my computer. Im a little obsessed with it.

I wanted to blog today because I have some things on my mind. I am mad at Lester for the first time. It is really no big deal except that I am mad. Over little things that in the end makes no difference to anything. I do that a lot, let little things piss me off. He is just being a smart ass and I over look that most of the time because people arent perfect, especially myself. But he can be a bitch and has been here lately and this conversation threw me over the edge I had been holding onto.

Last night we were just talking about he stroller recall where babies are getting hurt. Well he made the comment that nothing like that ever happened with his kids because he was so overprotective when they were little. He said one time his wife cut his little girls fingernail into the quick and it bled and that was it for accidents when they were babies. (How lucky he was as a parent! SARCASM) Then I made the comment that you could just bite their little nails when they needed cutting and it would not go into the quick. Well--that set him off. He said did I think he didnt know that?? I just looked at him and said well I was just saying that was what we did. He saidI raised two kids I think I know these things and you think you just know everything!!!!!!

WHAT AN ASS HOLE COMMENT! It took me by surprise! I just responded that I was just trying to have a conversation and just forget it. Then I thought about getting up and going to my room but I stayed and didnt talk anymore. He knew I was pissed--he tried to talk to me after but he got very little (but polite and distant) response from me.

I am pissed. Over almost nothing but it pissed me off and he is going to get a real good letting alone for few hot minutes. If he makes the mistake of asking me what is wrong I am going to tell him he hurt my feelings and I thought he was being a bitch to me. I am also going to tell him that in order for me to avoid his bitch wrath that I wont be talking a whole lot or contributing anything I know to a conversation. Period. From this day forward I dont know a damn thing about anything.

I will get over it, but it hurt my feelings and it is still stinging this morning.

So that is why I blogged today. I needed to get it out of my mind and on paper.

Deck The Halls

2009-12-21T12:46:00.002-06:00

December is such a hectic month. It has to be the toughest month for those of us working in retail. It is getting to that time where shoppers are getting desperate and in such a hurry. Time is running out, or so they think.

I guess I am either getting old or I just have came to believe that Christmas is so much more than what is under the tree. I am really looking forward to Christmas day this year. I am staying home and we are going to hook Rosie to the wagon and others are going to ride horses and we are going to take a trip to downtown and all around. We plan to stay out of the kitchen and just enjoy each others company and be happy we have what we have. I know when people see this group us they will have to smile. I will be smiling that is for sure because this is something I have never done and it will be simple and fun. I dont want my Christmas to be spent focusing on making everything perfect and then having that downward spiral I have felt in the past hit me because after weeks of preparation it is over in a few short hours.

I look back over this past year and things have changed so much. Last year I went to mothers and came home after dinner and crawled into bed early and felt very lonely in that house with no one but me. Really pitiful, that is what I was. This year is different. I have friends and people who love and care about me all around. I am as important to them as they are to me. I will still see Mother and spend time with her only it will be a couple days after Christmas. She is very understanding about it because she knows how hard I have been working these past weeks and knows I just need a break. Mother and I are planning to go out to eat when I see her and not be in the kitchen either. Screw the kitchen this year! It just isnt worth it. It is toooo much work!

I hope everyone has a great Christmas and I hope you all have a lot of fun and enjoy the time you spend with your family.

I Got Artistic With The Animals

2009-11-30T19:31:00.000-06:00

I made a collage of my animals!

I am a professional!

Please do not try this at home!

That Time Of Year

2009-11-26T17:06:00.003-06:00

Yes, it is that time of year for me to look at all the things I am thankful for. There are so many. This year has seen many changes and all of them have been blessings, some blessings were obvious and some were not. It has been a good year for me.

The things that come to mind all at once are:

1. My Momma. She is my rock and I am so glad she is still with me and I have had the time I have had with her. Regardless of how old I get, she remains my Mother and she teaches me new things every day. I can tell her anything and I always find in her the comfort and support I need. I hope I have many more years with her.

2. Denise. What can I say? She is absolutely the best! We share our lives long distance on the phone and computer. We have an unconditional friendship and it seems as if I have been in her life forever. I wouldnt take anything for her and I know that the day we are face to face it will be just like we have always been together living close by hitting the dollar stores and having margaritas on the porch on a daily basis. I love her.

3. I am grateful to be able to face each day and appreciate the beauty around me. There have been times in my life where that was not possible and I am so happy those days do not exist anymore.

4. My job--it is Walmart and it is tough. Some days seem so long and I dont even know if I can get through them. But so many people are not fortunate enough to have a job and I know how blessed I am to be able to work and make a living. The friends I have made through my job at Walmart are priceless and I wouldnt take anything for them. There are some really, really good people working in the store I work at. We can laugh at ourselves and we do so everyday.

5. My health. Some days are better than others. Fighting Diabetes and Depression isnt always easy. I dont intend to let either win the battle and right now things are good. It just takes dedication to do the things I need to do. Overall I feel better than I have for some time.

6. I am grateful that Lucky has only killed one chicken since moving in with Lester. She didnt mean to kill that one, she just wanted to play.

7. Lester--I am so grateful for him. His friendship is so important to me. We are like two peas in a pod and we enjoy hanging out. We laugh and we talk and we are great companions. I just love him and I never thought I would meet someone who made me feel so safe and secure. I believe Lester would do anything for me and I would do the same for him. For instance, just this morning I lovingly removed the callouses from his feet. I mean, thats pretty great of me dont you think?

8. I sleep through the night now. This is like awesome! I know the reason I do it is because I do feel safe and secure and I dont worry like I used to.

9. Kenzy and Owen. These two own my heart and watching them grow up is a continuous and fascinating journey through their eyes. They started school and since that time they have really grown up. They go to a Christian school and I asked Kenzy the other day what she was learning in school and she said- "I learn about him." Do you mean Jesus Kenzy? "No! That is JESUS, I learn about HIM!" I think she thinks it is two different people! Whatever! LOL! They are also learning their numbers and letters and how to be in a controlled environment so that when they start kindergarten they will understand how to act. Maybe they will learn how to act. LOL!

10. I am also grateful that we live in a country where we have the freedoms we have. This is a great country and despite the fact there are areas of improvement, I know we live in a special place where we can enjoy freedoms that other countries cannot. God Bless America!

I hope everyone had a safe and Happy Thanksgiving. Hug your friends and family today and tell them you love them. To all the troops out there fighting for us--be safe and come home soon!

There Are Bumps But you Keep Going

2009-11-24T09:26:00.006-06:00

Bethany

Miss Daisy

It has been a while since I posted last and there is a lot to say and I am wondering where to start. For one thing my life is so good. No, I havent gotten rich or anything like that. In fact, I have had a couple disappointments. But I am still extremely happy.

Living in the country with Lester has only gotten better. Everyday is fun. I am experiencing things I never thought I would or even considered experiencing. Lester is teaching me all about horses. I have begun to learn to train Daisy. Daisy is a half Belgian horse--she is almost two. Still a baby in the horse world. She was born and turned out to pasture with her mother and when Lester got her she was practically untouched by a human. She is learning to trust us and I am learning to get rid of my fear. I am not afraid of trained horses but an untrained one is afraid of me and that makes her skittish and she tends to want to do the opposite of what I want her to. Watching me try to get her to lead is very funny. Im pulling her and she is pulling me with her feet planted firmly on the ground. I have to win these battles or she gets the upper hand and I will never be able to do anything with her. I win, but I know I will have to do it all again the next day. She has these big feet that I am afraid she will kick me with. She hasnt ever done that, but you never know. Hopefully by the spring or summer she will be ready to hitch to the wagon and ride us around. If you have never ridden a wagon, you must do it sometimes because it is awesome! So addicting.

Rosie pulls the wagon right now. We went riding on the wagon the other day. I had a beer in hand, a straw hat on and just relaxed while Lester drove. People would pass by in the cars and stare and wave us on. Funny thing about the country, everybody waves when you pass by whether you are in a car or on a wagon.

Everyday the horses have to be fed, the chickens, the dogs and the birds. It is quite a job because we have horses in three places right now. We got rid of some chickens, got some more with 24 hours and then got 18 Turkeys. All saved from being Thanksgiving dinner for somebody. Eventually we will pass the turkeys on to someone else, but they are interesting to watch.

I applied for a job at an insurance company the other day. The potential for more pay was huge. Not to mention this is what I love to do. The interview went extremely well and the pre-testing was a snap. I just knew I had it. But they check your credit. My credit sucks. When you lose a high paying job and then your house and two vehicles behind that, it hurts your credit not to mention you heart. I didnt get the job. I was only slightly disappointed. Any other time I would have been crushed. But I think that because I am so happy in my personal life, it was only a bump in the road. Besides, I can stay at Walmart. I have tons of friends there, Lester is there too and money isnt everything. I will keep trying for better jobs, but not until after the holidays.

The other horrible thing that has happened is one of my good friends Bethany died last week. She was 29 and lit a room up when she walked into it. A beautiful person and mother of 3 children. I can still hear her laughing at me. The last time I saw her she was doing just that. Bethany went to sleep on a Thursday night and woke up in heaven on Friday morning. She wasnt sick that anyone knew of. We all miss her really bad at work. It was so shocking and even after the funeral I found it hard to believe. I dont know when I will stop missing her. But I know she is laughing somewhere at all of us.

Life has set backs and I have experienced many. But just for today they are only set backs and not the gripping catastrophe they used to be.

Happy Birthday Momma

2009-11-10T09:25:00.006-06:00

Mother celebrated her 83rd birthday with me in Guntersville State Park this past weekend. It was just beautiful with lots of great scenery and lots of cool shopping in Boaz, AL. We shopped till we dropped! There arent as many outlet stores in Boaz as there used to be but we still managed to find some deals. There is an Unclaimed Baggage store there. This is where all the lost and unclaimed baggage comes to from all over the U.S. You had to pilfer through it all because some things were overpriced but there were still some killer deals. We also went to the Levi/Vanity Fair outlet and I got some nice cool jeans for $7.99! Gotta love that! I also got a bra and panties. For some reason I always desperately need underwear.

Then there was the coolest store of all called Little Lots. Im talking cheap, cheap. I got a bag full of makeup that would normally sell for $16.00 a jar for $1.50. ALL the makeup was $1.50. So I loaded up on enough makeup to last 2 years. I heard this one lady say you could store it in the freezer, the powder I am assuming, so I bought it as much as I could justify. They also had perfumes really cheap. They had everything cheap--from dog supplies, furniture, clothing, tools, housewares, etc. I could have stayed in there all day. And I practically did.

The first night we were at The Lodge in Guntersville State Park, me and Mother went to the lounge. It was me and her and the bartender. Quiet place, perfect for a couple of margaritas and nachos. Totally fun.

Im glad I took Momma. She had a ball and so did I. Spending time with Momma is awesome and it seems like as the years go by it gets more and more awesome.

Her are a few photos of our trip. I want to point out that all the scenery of the mountains and lake was the actual view from our hotel room and The Lodge.

The Wagon

2009-11-04T09:37:00.002-06:00

As much as I love the horses I know I will never actually ride one. I just cant get rid of the fear of climbing on the back of an animal and trusting it to do what I tell it to. Petting the horse is good enough for me. I love talking to them, feeding them, and loving on them.

Yesterday I got a new experience with the horses. Rosie to be exact. Rosie if one of my favorites and she has learned to pull the wagon. Lester and I got her hooked up and we took off down the road for an hour and half wagon ride. The sun was shining, a little breeze in the air and fall colors everywhere. I had a Smirnoff's Green Apple Ice (well a six pack) and it was totally awesome! I loved it! I think I am addicted to it.

As we road Lester pointed out different peoples houses and told me stories about growing up. Cars drove by and people waved. Rosie was not disturbed by the traffic at all. Dogs followed us for a bit when we would pass by the yard. One mother had her toddler outside and it was a big thrill for that baby. A little girl ran out and watched screamed "Have a nice day!"

It didnt seem like an hour and a half. But it was great. Rosie did great, Lester is great and life is great.

Kinda scares me a little.

My Newest Friends

2009-10-31T09:57:00.010-05:00

I have been taking a few pictures of the animals around the house. There are MANY more animals but I have a few I wanted to share.

This is Elsie, the 6 month old colt. Her Momma is in the background. She is a little doll. She loves, loves, LOVES to be petted.

This is Gracie--one of the miniature ponies. we have since cut her mane off because she had a terrible Tina Turner look going for her. You cant really tell how bad it was because her head is down. We also believe she is preggers.

Meet Willie--the father of the possible baby Gracie will have. They are in love and you cant separate them. If you do, Willie goes nuts. Also, he will most likely be losing those nuts very soon.

This is Orso. He is Lucky's newest friend. Sorry about the penis being out, at the time I didnt realize he was so excited.

One of our black chickens.

Sweet little Jasper the donkey. He is the biggest baby I have ever seen and I think he is just beautiful. I love him. When I go outside and he sees me he comes running and he yells the whole way.

The cock of the walk. He is about 3 years old and pretty much rules the chicken yard.

The ducks. They are fun to watch. When I go out and change the water in their pool they play and play and play.

As always, my Lucky. Notice she is no longer chained and she is sooooo happy. She has only killed one chicken and I think that was by accident. She just played with it a little too hard. We are learning not to do that anymore.

This is just a few. We have a lot more horses and I am going to take more photos. There are two more horses where these animals are - which is the pasture in the backyard. We have 2 other locations with horses and I cant wait to share these horses with you. Oh, and we have 2 doves also that I will get pictures of. They are really sweet babies too.

Chickens, Rats, Horses, Dogs and Men

2009-10-20T13:24:00.003-05:00

It has been a long time since I last posted. See, my hard drive died. I buried it a week ago and got a replacement so now I am up and running again. Life without a computer leaves a lot to be desired. I love being online. I dont think I would ever tire of it.

I am settling down in my new place. There is a lot to be learned when you live around animals and have to take care of them. I have a list. I love lists.

1. Chickens will eat anything. Even chicken.

2. Horses love to eat sweet oats. They will run over you to get to the oats.

3. Gofer rats love chicken feed. I know this because we may have to burn the chicken house to get rid of them. Shotguns work but they dont kill but one at time. We have too many to count.

4. A gopher rat can kill a small chicken.

5. Since I hate rats, the gopher rats make me have nightmares.

6. I can live easily with 2 men. Why havent I done this before now?

7. Lester can eat 4 BLT's with chips on the side in one meal. With 4 pieces of bacon to a sandwich you would need a little over a pound of bacon for Lester alone.

8. Hispanic TV is not fun to watch for me.

9. Roosters crow all day long. Sunrise is just the beginning.

10. You must wave to everyone you see when driving down the road in my small town or they think you are rude.

These are just a few things I have learned. Everyday is a new beginning. Oh--one more thing--Lucky has learned a miniature horse will kick her ass if she tries to take it's food. She also has learned a miniature horse is not just another big dog.

Peace In My Life

2009-10-04T21:45:00.002-05:00

My first week in my new place has come and gone. It feels so wonderful. I absolutely love it here. I feel like a blanket has been wrapped around me and I am safe and secure. This has been better than I ever thought it would be. It is quiet, fun, beautiful and entertaining. Lester is the bomb and Alvaro is quiet but I can tell I can depend on him whenever I need to.

I got moved in in record time and once I was all settled in I discovered my love for the back porch. It looks out over the pastures with the chickens roaming around. Jasper the donkey and Poncho the mule are always around. They start braying when I come out begging for me to come pet them. If I walk out there they follow me around like dogs. We have a miniature pony named Willie and he is a doll. The other horses are at a nearby location but they get brought down to the house often. However, I think they will stay where they are for the winter. The ducks swim in their pools and they are interesting to watch.

I look forward to going home everyday. Who would have though that my loner attitude would be so content with living with two other people? But I am. Strangely enough I am. They both seem so happy to have me here and I feel as if I have been here forever instead of just one week.

A weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I can financially make ends meet and emotionally I have support from my friends. I certainly dont feel lonely anymore. It is impossible.

Life is good just for today.

Rain, rain go away

2009-09-22T12:03:00.003-05:00

It has rained everyday here now for a long time. Possibly 40 days and 40 nights. I am sick of the rain. It is getting very annoying and not to mention everything is soaked to the bone. Including me. Constant, daily rain makes my bones ache.

Then there is the fact that I am trying to move. Sunday is the official day and I am praying that it stops for at least that one day. I get too uptight when I am preparing to move. I have already begun the process by taking a car load at a time down there. I am very amazed at the amount of junk I still have. The memories I have held on to are being thrown out. I am taking steps to break the final ties to my last relationship. Which, by the way has been over for 4 years. But the ties are still there. For the life of me I dont know why.

Speaking of that old relationship, he called last night to tell me he was in love and getting married. Mind you it was only 3 weeks ago he called and wanted to move back to Birmingham and stay with me till he got on his feet. So this latest news is just another clue that he is running from one thing to the other to make his life right.

I think he wanted me to be sad about the news. I laughed. He was offended. I pointed out to him that he keeps jumping from one thing to the next. This girl is supposed to be the real deal. I asked questions about this poor victim and found out she was a Benefits Manager for a large oil company in Louisiana. Now if that is true, she makes a lot of money. So this only tells me that he has not changed and she is looking like a really soft pillow to fall on when he busts his ass again. I was that pillow at one time and when I lost my big paying job and the money was gone so was he. Like a blink of an eye. So much for better or for worse.

So for all the time that has past by he still is the same.

Out go more memories with little regret. I am keeping nothing to remind me of this painful time except the ashes of his father that he has left in my care. That is out of respect for his father. Not him.

I dont know why I have held on to this thing with Jeff. I loved him dearly and it was without a doubt one of the most destructive times in my life. I dont talk much about the hurt I have felt since he left. I havent because I cannot explain why I loved him so much. Why I could love someone who totally ruined me and left without a word is hard to explain. Since I dont understand these feelings I am sure no one else would. So I have kept a lot of things to myself.

Today I continue throwing out the past. I continue to move past things. I feel like I am going to be free soon.

Did You Know A Horse Wont Move If It Doesnt Want Too?

2009-09-19T08:24:00.002-05:00

The other day I was down at the place where I am going to move, home alone, cooking a little dinner for everyone. Very quiet and peaceful. I just love the atmosphere of where I am moving. You can hear the chickens out back and every once in a while the donkey or mule brays. It is cool.

I am cooking and I take a glance out the window, weird, traffic is backed up. Wow, wreck? No. Not a wreck. Rosie, the horse is crossing the road to get to the other side. Yep. She got out of the electric fence. The fence that is supposed to keep her in. I was assured of that when I asked about it. Because I was going to be alone with horses and mules and chickens and geese and all the other animals and I didnt want ANYTHING to go wrong. What I know about horses you can put in a thimble, I am still learning. So, I had a learning experience.

I go outside and she gets to the other side safely. Thank God! She has her bridle on and I think no problem. Just grab the bridle and lead her back. Easy, cheesy. There was some really nice tall grass over on the other side of the road. Rosie was eating it and having quite a good dinner. By the way, pork chops were frying on my stove and biscuits were in the oven needing to be taken out while this was going on. My dinner.

I reach for Rosie, she moves away. Every time I try she moves further away and gets a little more agitated. She will not even think about leaving that grass. The result is I am chasing her. Along the side of the road with traffic. This could get ugly I could tell. So I call Lester and tell him Rosie is out. Well, he finally lets me in on the fact that Rosie has never been in the electric fence and she must be able to get out. Ya think? I believe I tried to go over the security of the electric fence BEFORE he left. Make a note not to always believe Lester. He and I now have slight trust issues.

He tells me to go get a bucket of sweet oats and she will follow me back to the house. He also tells me to take her to the back yard instead of the pasture and go through the garden. He says I can get through the garden because where it was blocked by this huge gourd vine on the gate, the vine is now gone and I should have no problem. So I went and got a bucket of oats.

Pork chops are still frying and biscuits are still burning. The house will burn but the horse will live. And the mule and donkey see that I grab a bucket of sweet oats and they want some. So they start raising hell.

I go with the bucket and Rosie has to be convinced she isnt being tricked. I finally get her attention and she is hypnotized by the bucket. She loves sweet oats better than anything and the grass on the side of the road was abandoned. I start walking back to the house and she starts running behind me. Now Rosie is young, she is a little hyper and and very excited about the sweet oats. So she is jumping and trotting which is not good because I am scared of the excitement - afraid I will be kicked by accident. Very nervous. I get to the garden gate and to my dismay I noticed that yes--PART of the gourd vine has been removed, but more than half remains. HALF. The gate will not open. At least not easily. Another note about trusting Lester, the minor trust issue gets bigger. I start shoving and working on the gate. Rosie is trying to get the bucket and I wont let her have it, she gets pissed and starts back to the grass. I guess she is thinking while I do this she will at least eat some more grass. This is not the decision I want her to make so I have to beg and swing the bucket under her nose while pushing and shoving the gate with the other hand and praying to God she doesnt kick me.

Pork chops burning and biscuits are still on the stove, more than likely destroyed by this time.

I get the gate open and in we go. Rosie gets her sweet oats, the donkey and mule are still raising hell and I get in the house and save the pork chops and biscuits.

Did I mention at one point during all this I managed to get some sweet oats to the donkey and mule so they would shut the fuck up? And the electric fence got me good on the under side of my arm. The fence works by the way.

Easy, cheesy!

Throwing Things Away

2009-09-12T09:53:00.002-05:00

I know I just moved a little over a year ago. But I still have so much junk!!!! How in the hell do I get this stuff? I have to throw it away because there is no way to take it with me and I dont need it. Maybe this move to someone elses house is a sort of divine intervention.

There are some horrible items. Things like the bags of clothing your mother sends home with you that dont fit or are so horrible you would never wear them, not even around the house. But I keep them because she gave them to me. Or maybe I was just too lazy to throw them out. Whatever, I have a ton of clothing that falls into this category--out it goes.

What to do with that coffee table that has one leg broken but glued back on? It is old and could be refinished and the leg fixed and it would be a gorgeous piece of furniture. I have been meaning to do this for 3 years. Out it goes. I will never fix it. Ever.

My couch. Oh dear I cant decide about it. It needs to be recovered but I could buy a cover and put over it. Couches are expensive. I dont have anywhere to put it right now and the shed may not hold it. I can decide about it and will think about it later.

Shoes--tons of shoes that range fro $1 to $10 bucks. Lots of them and some dont have their mate. I am getting rid of them. I will only keep the ones I wear and that goes for the ton of purses also. See I wear shoes and carry purses until they are falling apart. Then they are thrown in the closet and never seen again. Worthless items that I wouldnt send to the thrift store. So landfill it is.

Pots and pans that have seen better days. Pots and pans that I dont use because the Teflon will come off in your food. Not sure why I still have those. Well, gone but not forgotten.

The list goes on and on. I have stuff like this crammed everywhere. And I brought it with me last time I moved. Not sure what I was thinking. My grandmother was like this and mother always said it was because she lived through The Great Depression and wanted to stay prepared for the next one. I didnt live through The Great Depression but I am poor and cant afford to replace a lot of things. Still, it doesnt make sense that I hoard things that are too worn out to be used and too ugly to put on my back. If I had to wear those cloths out I would just stay home.

I have alot to do, mostly sorting and throwing out. I may not have a lot of crap when Im through. That is scary. Im not sure what I would do without my junk. But I have heard this hoarding thing can become a disease and I sure dont need another disease. I guess I should think of this as a kind of cleansing of my heart and soul. Throwing away bad memories and tough times to look forward to a better day. Because that is my hope, that this is the beginning of a better day for me. I know there will still be hard times, but I am HOPING that those times arent quite as often or nearly as hard. I am also hoping there will be a friend that is finally close by to listen to me in person and not from miles away. I want this to be the end of all the lonliness and I want to have some joy that comes right out of my house where I live and I dont have to go somewhere to find it.

Before I leave you I also have several lamps that no longer work if anyone is interested. They used to be really nice.

Getting Started Doing What I Hate to Do--MOVE!

2009-09-09T11:52:00.003-05:00

I started packing today. I hate packing. Absolutely hate packing. Even though I wont be leaving till the end of the month, I know this has to be done. Plus, I get so stressed when I move. My mind just spins constantly with anxiety. It doesnt take much to get me overwhelmed. It helps to go ahead and work toward my goal.

This move is going to be different than the previous moves. I am moving into someone else's house. I wont be using all my stuff. So I have to figure out what I want to keep inside and what will go outside in the shed. I dont want to just go in a take over the house. Although I can tell you, since it is a man, there is a lot of room for improvement. But my mind tells me that any changes I make will have to be slow ones. I dont want to offend. Lester really likes this one horrid picture hanging in his living room. Not only is it horrid, it is hung all wrong. Just stuck in the middle of the wall. A big wall, with a small picture, right in the middle. Nice shit. I am already devising a way to keep it there for him but to put other pictures around it to make it more appealing. But again, that will be later on after I have settled in and kind of let everyone get comfortable with me. I think about a week. That should do it.

I am also nervous because I havent lived with any one in 3 years. I'm not counting the disaster of Mandy moving in with me for 2 weeks. That doesnt count. I think this particular decision will work out. I have given it a lot of thought and we have been discussing this for some time. I have no problem with male roommates. They are different than women. And my friend is a good man. He is kind of quiet and works really hard at his job and with his farm. We have different hours, our time together will be limited. I do enjoy his company though. We laugh the entire time we are together. I am also lonely. You all know how often I have talked about this. The loneliness is getting bad. I want to be around people more. I have become a computer freak and my only socialization is online playing Mafia Wars with the clan I am in. I talk to them live on Ventrillo and they have saved my sanity more than once when I was depressed and lonely. But it just isnt enough. I also think there is something unnatural about not having real life live friends. My clan friends said it best--"There is something wrong with all of us in one way or another or we wouldnt spend so much of our time here" I think that is right. Not that Im ditching them or anything, I just need a little more. Cyber friends cant hug you when you are down, or go out to eat with you, watch a movie with you, etc. You get the drift.

So today is a day of packing and Im loading my car up and taking it down to the farm tomorrow afternoon.

So it begins. My new adventure!

Football Season is Here!

2009-09-04T10:48:00.002-05:00

Are you ready for some football? Hell Yeah!

Alabama vs Virginia Tech--kick 8:00 pm est at the Georgia Dome.

Here we come!

Moving to God's Country

2009-09-01T09:43:00.003-05:00

You see those pictures in my previous post? They are beautiful. I love that area. Next month I am moving there.

Big step for me. I will be rooming with my friend for work and we are both extremely nervous. He has roommates all the time. I dont. He is nervous because he never has women for roommates. I am nervous because I want to make sure I can stand to live with someone. I am also afraid Lucky will eat his chickens. That would be terrible and it is highly likely she will.

I am also excited because I will be able to live on my salary down there. I cant do it right now. Things are really tight. So tight that buying a soft drink is a debate to decide what I will give up for the soft drink. So tight I cant buy tires for my car or contact lenses for my eyes. That is not a good thing. This solution will help me out tremendously.

Lester has been after me for some time to move in down there. Purely a platonic relationship by the way. He is a good friend and I like hanging out with him.

We are going to make more plans for the big move today. Figure out the boundaries that shouldnt ever be crossed. And we both have them and I know I can respect his and he is the type of person that will definitely respect mine.

His kids are grown and I have met his son. His son calls me the Superstar. Funny! I have no idea why but he does and I think it is cool.

Sights from Childersburg, Alabama

2009-08-25T23:04:00.008-05:00

I had this really great day in the country. I went to visit my friend and he took me around his farm. I got lots of pictures of his horses and some of the land surrounding his home. It was a peaceful, relaxing day so I thought I would share some of the pictures I took. These are just a few.

Menopause Did It To Me

2009-08-24T10:58:00.003-05:00

Ever since I hit 47 my desire for sex has been gone. TOTALLY gone! I was kind of worried about it but Im not anymore. I think there are things that can be done about it but I havent pursued any of it. I just no longer care at all about anything remotely to do with sex. I think it is menopause, but it might be because of menopause and the fact that during my lifetime I have had enough sex for 10 people. I was a real whore when I was younger. Im not proud of it, but I was.

We were talking about dating and sex in the breakroom at work. First of all, I still have no idea why when a group of people get together the conversation turns to this topic. Some things are just better left unsaid, especially in the break room at work. This may not have happened a lot to other people but it happens to me all the time. I think the reason it does is because I am very vocal about not caring if I ever have sex again and that surprises a lot of people, especially other single women.

The topic had worked it's way around to how often do you think is enough for sex? And how long? Really. That was it. People ranged from twice a week to everyday, from 30 minutes to five hours. FIVE hours! Gimme a break! FIVE HOURS? Not on a good day! Something is wrong with you if you have to have sex for 5 hours and you want me to believe that you like that! I just would not do that. Nor would I have sex everyday. Twice a month is enough for anybody.

I mean, who in their right mind wants someone all over them pounding away for five hours? Really? And I dont care how good it is! Nothing is that good for five hours. NOTHING! Not even ice cream. If you cant get it done in 30 minutes to an hour, then you got to get up off me and get out of my house never to return again. NEVER, EVER.

For the record, I would like to date again. I like the companionship and sometimes every once in a blue moon I get lonely. But dating someone would eventually mean having sex. And I dont want sex. I have lived long enough to be able to say I dont want sex and not feel guilty about it. So I guess I wont be dating for awhile. Because not only do I not want sex, I dont care that I dont want sex.

Another Year Older

2009-08-18T11:53:00.009-05:00

It is my birthday today!!! I am 49 years old and not incredibly happy about my age but glad I havent experienced the alternative to that.

In honor of my birthday I have done something that was quite fun. I year booked myself!!!! I had such a good time. It is a neat website, really it is. You should go there and play. http://www.yearbookyourself.com/

There are tons of images and you can go through the years and be whatever image you want to be. Totally easy and tons of fun!

I had a good laugh!

Close Only Counts In Horse Shoes

2009-08-13T11:26:00.004-05:00

I have been trying for two weeks to quit smoking. I have gotten down to 1-2 smokes a day. I cant seem to let those 1-2 smokes go. I do okay as long as I have those.

I used to to tell people that claimed they had to have at least 1-2 a day that they may as well go ahead and quit. That the 2 smokes they were having couldnt possibly mean that much. I take that back now. Now I know what 2 smokes can do for you. It can keep you from chewing your fingers off. Prevent murder. Keep your breathing regular.

No shit. It can.

I am going to keep on trying to quit and hopefully I can throw away those 2 smokes I am using as a safety net. I am doing everything to get rid of those last 2. The pack I have is in my car in the blazing heat and sun. They are stale. They taste like crap. I still smoke them and gag while doing it. Amazing isnt it that you will continue to smoke them even though they are old and taste like crap?

I am not planning to replace this pack. There are about 10 left in it. "Not planning" being the operative word here.

What do I plan to definately do is keep on trying.

The Wedding

2009-08-10T10:40:00.007-05:00

I had a great time at the wedding on Saturday. It was simple and quick. The way I personally think it should be. I dont think John could have handled anythong long and complicated. For all his eagerness to get married he was scared shitless. When I got there he was taking deep breaths and pacing and I had to help him with his cufflinks. He had no idea how to get them on the shirt sleeve.

Below is Amy-the bride. Her hair kept fallin down so they were trying to fix it. This was after the wedding.

This is John. The wedding is over at this point and he was relaxing. He cleans up really good.

Another picture of Amy. I think she is just beautiful and always smiling and happy. Of course Saturday was no exception.

John and his son Zach, right before the wedding. John literally was about to faint. He wouldnt admit it but he was.

And this is Momma before we left for the wedding. She was looking pretty in that yellow jacket. Unfortunately, I had to smoke a cig while I was with her. I was so up tight and on edge from not smoking I got afriad I was going to hurt her feelings. My patience was thin. So I did smoke just to keep from being mean. Because there was no reason to be mean. But I could see it coming and she could too.

It was a good day! I havent had a long day to relax and be with family and friends in a long time.

I love working only one job! I almost feel like Im on vacation or something!

Wedding Bells

2009-08-08T07:26:00.002-05:00

Going to a wedding today! My best guy friend in the world is getting married. The down side of it is he was my backup husband. Since he was NEVER going to get married he had agreed to marry me at 50 if I wasnt married yet. This was so we could be sure we would never be alone and never be labled divorced losers. Hmmm. Now he is getting married today, Im 49 and running up on 50 real fast! Friends always let you down dont they?

But seriously, I am excited that my John is getting married. She is a wonderful person and when I first met her I instantly knew she was perfect for him. She didnt even have to open her mouth. I am so excited I even painted my toenails--Denise you would be happy to hear that! It is definately an occasion to get girled up and that is what I plan on.

I going to take pictures so I will post them in the next few days. This is going to be an awesome day!

No Smoking In The House

2009-08-04T07:05:00.002-05:00

I really wasnt going to write about this right now. Cause I just started trying and didnt want a public failure on the record. But I decided to go ahead and spill my guts on my latest quest.

I am trying to stop smoking. Yes. I am. It is hard. I cut way back yesterday. My cigs are in the car so if I just have to have one, I must go get it from the car. Very inconvenient since I usually smoke in the recliner with the ashtray by my chair. Also, when this pack of cigs is gone Im not buying anymore. Since I smoke a pack a day and they are around 4 bucks a pack, I stand to save a lot of money. If I lived in Australia I would really be saving, a friend of mine told me cigs start there at 16 bucks a pack! WOW!

At this moment I am very edgy, nervous, high-tempered (the TV is making me mad) and it almost physically hurts. I am holding out on my morning cig because I know the longer I hold out the better off I will be. Going cold turkey is right around the corner because I think there are like 2 cigs left in that pack. So it is getting ready to be rough.

Wish me luck, because Im not sure how well I will do with this. And whatever you do, dont be disappointed if I fail. Not setting myself up to fail mind you, I just already know what a hill this is going to be for me.

As a 49 Year Old Woman There Are Some Things You Hate To Admit

2009-08-03T09:23:00.002-05:00

I think I posted about my obssession with Facebook. I am totally ashamed of it. I said I would never let it happen. But now it has really turned ugly. I was only obssessed with Mafia Wars and now it has gotten worse. Farm Town. Yes. I have a farm. In between being the ultimate fighting warrior for my clan in Mafia Wars, I have to tend crops, water flowers and compulsively rearrange my farm to look as much like the utopia I dream of.

I have a small cottage and a white farm house. I have tons of flowers and fruit trees that are just beautiful. A barn with pigs, horses, cows, chickens, cats, dogs, squirrels, bunny rabbits, rooster and turkey. Oh-and a donkey. Cant forget the donkey, I chased him with my cursor for days trying to get him in the corral. Stupid donkey. I also have a river that runs through my farm and a windmill. I am working on this area to get it just right with flowers growing along the edge of the river. Sooooo nice.

There is a constant stream of crops coming in that have to be harvested almosted all the time. My friends do the harvesting most of the time. But sometimes I have to hire strangers when my friends arent around.

True story about that. I went to the market to hire a harvester because none of my real fake friends were around. So it was a stranger. I gave specific instructions that I wanted my crops harvested but not my fruit trees. My fruit trees are beautiful and you never have to harvest them and they are full of fruit. They are my pride let me tell you! This chick chatted me up in the market. Yes, she would harvest my crops. She would not harvest my trees. Please hire me! How are you today and a whole bunch of kiss ass she laid on me.

We get to my farm and she stops talking to me. No more chatting with me. She went about her harvesting in silence. My first thought was that she was just busy, no big deal. She made about 50 grand off my crops which is a nice haul. I thought she would say thank you. But nooooooo! She started harvesting my TREES!!!!

And there is nothing you can do to stop someone from doing this once they are hired. NOTHING.

Picture a little miniature avatar designed to look like me. Picture this avatar running around behind the fruit thief/harvester yelling:

STOP HARVESTING MY TREES!

I ASKED YOU NOT TO HARVEST MY TREES!!

STOP! STOP NOW!

I am right behind her in the trees running almost up her ass.

GET OFF MY LAND!!!! LEAVE NOW!!!!

IF I COULD BEAT YOUR ASS I WOULD!!!

I HATE YOU! YOU ARE A BITCH!!!!

And so on it went with her never saying a word. I still hate her to this day. I am harboring a major resentment against her.

Yes, I will be 49 on August the 18th. And I am a very immature 49.

No More - Never Again Will I Work Two Jobs

2009-08-01T20:38:00.004-05:00

I quit my part time job Tuesday. It is MUCH sooner than I thought it would be. I had enough. Without going into a lot of detail which involves a lot of mean crap, lets just say my schedule had become way too hard for me to deal with and apparently way too hard for my boss to deal with. It just wasnt working anymore.

Since November, 2007, I have worked 70 hours a week and for the last three months I had not been able to work in an off day. I am beat. Tired to the bone and my diabetes is acting all goofy. I have about 3 sugar lows a day and that was not good. I am certain this was from exhaustion. This is for the best.

My plans will change of course. I wont have the extra money I had wanted to have. I vow to make it work. I can always spend more time looking for a better job and I can work towards bettering myself at Walmart in the mean time. Im not worried. I feel almost as if a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I guess it has.

So now I can rest and regroup.

I am doing just that. Im just too old for this hard core work shit.

Light At The End Of The Tunnel

2009-07-28T11:00:00.002-05:00

I think there is light I see down there. I dont want to hope too big. But my car is going to be paid off this Friday!!!!!!!! OMG I am so excited! Excited because I will have more options. One of the biggest is to decide if I will continue much longer doing the 2 job, 70 hour a week thing. I have been doing that since the end of November 2007! I cannot BELIEVE I have been doing it so long. I just cant. There have been times when I thought I was going to die I was so tired. But I have done it, one day at a time. Most of the time when I get up in the morning I dont even know what day it is. Twice I have reported to work at the wrong time. It's no wonder either. I refuse to beat myself up about it even though I am anal about being on time. It is just that I got confused because that is what happens when you dont know which is end is up half the time. But I can quit the office job after this week if I want to. Except................

1. I need to get a little mainenance done on my car. The back tires are wearing out on the inside very badly. So it either needs an alignment, struts or shocks. Or maybe all of the above. Or maybe something else. Need a diagnosis fast. I want to get htis done without putting me in a financial bind. With my salary that is easy.

2. Im saving to take mother to Guntersville State Park in November. The leaves will be turning and she is sooo looking forward to it. So am I. So am I. There are also these really great outlets stores there and there is also The Unclaimed Baggage Store there. The Unclaimed Baggage Store is where ALL the unclaimed baggage eventually ends ups from every airline in the U.S. Now how freakin cool can that possibly be? I must go. Somebody lost their stuff and I want it.

3. Lucky needs her shots. So does Lucy. They need full check ups. That costs money and I cant let that be an obstacle to their well being.

I can do all this if I have to without the second job. But with the second job I would still be able to do things like eat. That might be a good thing, to be able to eat. If I look at keeping the job it will only be until October 1. Not too bad, I can still see the light. It is there --- waaaay down there, but it wasnt there at all 2 months ago.

If I get too pissed off and tired, I can quit at any time and pack up my bags and toys and go play at home. Easy cheesy!

I have options. Finally I have options.

I am so excited!

New Pictures Of Owen and Kenzy

2009-07-21T10:28:00.005-05:00

These are pictures of Owen and Kenzy on their first trip to the zoo. I didnt get to go but they look like they had such a good time. There were many more pictures but you cant post them all. These are a few of my favorites.

I was able to go over and see the babies the night before their trip. They were so excited about it. I kept hearing from them both about all the animals they would see and how great it was going to be. They acted like it was Christmas or something. Kids are so easy and fun.

Enjoy the pictures! I sure have!

A Little Pitty Pot

2009-07-09T21:11:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I feel so alone. Basically I am. Outside of my online friends there is no one around me except my work associates. That blows. I talk on the phone to my friends but most a far away. My life is a merry-go-round of work and home. The dog and cat and my computer. I would most likely go crazy if it werent for the computer.

Today I am depressed about all this. My best friend who I have known for years stopped by last night on her way home from the airport. She spent the night and we had a great time. With Tina there is nothing special you have to do when she comes. We lay around and chat, most of the time I get the only back rub I ever get and she does too. We are just so comfortable around each other no matter how long it has been since we have seen each other. I havent seen Tina since last year before Thanksgiving. We had a great time and she left to go on home today. I didnt want her to leave and it made me very sad when she did.

Seeing her and having her around caused me to realize that I am really missing out on a lot of life by not having anyone in my life. No one. I havent seen the babies in forever. I havent seen my Mother in 3 months. Forget about friendships and relationships - that isnt even something I consider anymore. It is just depressing. Totally.

I dont think I realized until right at this moment that I am lonely and depressed. I have been too busy to think about it.

But I am.

My Thoughts On Thongs

2009-07-01T19:46:00.000-05:00

This is hilarious!

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-20T21:27:00.002-05:00

It has been over 18 years since Daddy passed away. Well, died. He died. He didnt pass away. He is gone and there isnt a nice or good way to say it.

I still miss him just as bad as I did the day he died. If he were here, there are so many things I would want to tell him. For one, he was right about EVERYTHING! He always was right no matter what and the reason he was is because he had lived his life and experienced things I hadnt and he knew what he was talking about when he gave me advice.

The second thing I would tell him is that I always felt his love. Daddy was a really good father. He was kind, he was honest as the day is long, he was wise, very wise. Daddy worked hard all his life to give us the things we needed. At Christmas, I can remember opening presents and he would just sit there waiting to see the look on our faces as we opened our gifts. All he wanted was for us to be happy and yelling and screaming for joy over what he and Momma had gotten us. That was his Christmas, knowing how happy we were.

Daddy, I wish you were here. I wish you could see what Amber has done. She has gone and went and given birth to twins! Two of the most wonderful children. Kenzy is just like she was and Owen is a ton like TJ, but I have to admit he is more like Ken. You would love these children and get just as much joy out of them as Momma, Me, Kim and Amber does.

If you were here I would come over and watch old westerns with you and pretend to want to change the channels while we watched them together. I know how you loved Gunsmoke and Bonanza. I like them too but enjoyed messing with you and the remote. Good times.

I would also get down the cereal and milk and we could eat it together. I still love cereal as much as you did. Then me and you could take a nap. I think naps are the bomb and you never missed one either.

I would also tell you about all my ups and downs. The fact that I still have not married and Im beginning to wonder if I ever will. But I would also tell you that I have come to believe that not being married does not dimish who I am. I am still Lynn Averett and I am still a good person and my life still means something. I think that is all you wanted me to believe, was that my life meant something. You tried to teach all of us that. It has taken a long time for me to believe that.

It is the little things I miss the most. Your love of ugly flowers and gawdy Christmas decorations. The way you loved Momma was huge. I could be so lucky to find someone to love me like you loved her. It still amazes me when I think about how much you both loved each other and in turn, that love wsa passed on to us, your children.

You were with me through thick and thin. I didnt hold back anything, I put you through a lot! But the one thing I knew, I knew you would always be there no matter what with the unconditional love you held for me and Chris and Kim. It was there, and it was real. Your love for us was deep. We were very fortunate. You never criticized us, you always disciplined us with a loving hand and words of wisdom.

You were a good man.

I still love you so much.

I Swear I Will Never Marry Again

2009-06-08T16:23:00.002-05:00

It has been said that common law marriage doesn't mean a thing in Alabama. That common law marriage is useless and doesnt mean anything and it is not valid. Well, I learned just the opposite Thursday of last week. What I learned was that maybe common law marriage isnt valid unless it benefits the State of Alabama. Maybe.

Last Thursday at 8:00 am I got out of the shower to my dog barking like crazy and my phone ringing. I grabbed the phone and it was my boss calling to say the sheriff was on his way down to my house. Obviously he was already there because the dog was going nuts So there I am naked, dog barking and very confused as to why the sheriff was soon to be at my door. That is to say if he got by the dog.

The sheriff had a letter to deliver to me. An important one I supposed to myself since he was delivering it and not the post office. It was addressed to Lynn Jolly, a name I have never carried. This is Jeff's last name. It informed me that as of May 21, 2009 my wages would be garnished for income taxes due the State of Alabama. Very to the point except I dont owe any taxes to the State of Alabama!

After a call to the State, I was advised that in 2006 Jeff owed the State of Alabama $200.00 in income tax. They had been trying to reach me and him and they had no success. Not sure why they couldnt find me, but I know why they couldnt find Jeff. He doesnt have any known addresses because he lives a stealth mode so no one can find him. Since they cant find him, and since we had previously filed together as married the 3 years before, I am tied to him as married and I, therefore, will be paying the taxes owed to the State!

I AM FURIOUS!

What's more its a done deal. The amount of $382.00 will be taken out of my check until its paid plus any other interest that accrues. At 25% of my gross pay. I dont make that much money. I can not afford this.

Too bad so sad the State of Alabama says.

So dont let anyone tell you that a common law marriage is not valid in the State of Alabama. I just found out I am legally married and I am not a happy wife.

I am Such A Neglectful Blogger These Days

2009-06-02T10:43:00.002-05:00

I have totally been neglecting my blogging duties. But I went so long with nothing but the same old same old happening. My life is very predictable. There is some good news--I got a full time position at Wal-Mart. I never thought I would say that full time at Wal-Mart is a good thing. But, at least now I will get benefits and a full check. The down side could be that I will work more. But I think it is going to work out that I work less everyday. I mean, I wont work both jobs everyday. Which is kind of a good thing.

Speaking of both jobs, I have had to cut my time back at the office. I wont go into any specifics, but I think this full time job is not allowing me to be flexible enough for the office. So it may turn out that they hire someone else. If that happens I will be strapped for money until the car is paid off, but hell, it pays out in August. The first week of August as a matter of fact. I think my bosses are finding out that the less I work, the more they have to. Lets dont mention that I got pissed about my pay. After working many times over my scheduled work hours, the first week I worked 2 hours less than normal, they cut my pay. I have since let them know how I feel about it. I got no response and I know they think they are right and I am wrong. The bottom line is I will no longer do favors beyond my duties. No longer. So when that garbage bill of mine comes in I am going to ask for half of it from them. Because they use my garbage pick up rather than buying their own. Never have I asked for a dime toward the bill. I am a vengeful bitch. I truly am. I also will not be answering the phone for them to ask me questions after I get off from work and I am resting peacefully in my bed. So dont call. I also will not come in one minute before 8:30 am and I will not work 1 minute past 1:00 pm. Dont ask. I will not go on errands to get your lunch every day. Dont ask. What I will do is my job. I will do it well. That is it. If they need to hire someone else, they have my blessing.

So there goes that rant. There is a lot more to it, Denise knows the whole story. If I tell it again, I will only getting madder than I already am. So I will drop it with those words above and let it go at that.

On a lighter note, I went to visit the babies the other day. Soon I will not be able to call them babies because they are growing up really fast. I had bought them the video Monsters, Inc. I had never seen it and I dont think they had either. So we gathered up to watch it. At one point something funny happened and I laughed out loud. So the babies laughed. I got to noticing every time I laughed they would laugh hysterically. Its was totally funny! I decided to test their laugh machine. I would laugh for no reason. Nothing funny. They would laugh HYSTERICALLY just because I was! So it got funnier because I was laughing at them. Soon we werent even watching the movie, we were just laughing!

Arent babies so cool?

A Little Laughter Goes A Long Way

2009-05-20T08:18:00.002-05:00

I got this in an e-mail the other day and found it kind of funny. Just thought I would share it.

AMAZINGLY SIMPLE HOME REMEDIES
Avoid cutting yourself when slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop.

Avoid arguments with the Mrs. about lifting the toilet seat by using the sink.

For high blood pressure sufferers: simply cut yourself and bleed for a few minutes, thus reducing the pressure in your veins. �Remember to use a timer.

A mouse trap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button.

If you have a bad cough, take a large dose of laxatives; then you'll be afraid to cough.

You only need two tools in life - WD-40 and Duct Tape. �If it doesn't move and should, use the WD -40. �If it shouldn't move and does, use the duct tape.

Remember: Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.

If you can't fix it with a hammer, you've got an electrical problem.

Daily Thought:
SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES; NOT REALLY GOOD FOR ANYTHING BUT THEY BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN PUSHED DOWN THE STAIRS.

Wanna See Some Cool Pics?

2009-05-18T20:53:00.006-05:00

It's a zoo in Singapore. Amanda went to it while she was in port. I think she said most of the animals in this zoo are free roaming and you can actually pet most of them. I thought the pics were great!

The snake is pretty in color, but I would never hold it. I'm surprised she did. Snakes arent my thing.

This little fella sucked a pacifier --adorable isnt he?

Elephants are beautiful/

Yes--those monkeys are real. They roamed free in the zoo and they are all eating fruit right now.

Love the zoo pictures, would have loved to have been there.

Mail Box Surpirse

2009-05-17T10:59:00.002-05:00

It sure has been a long week. I have worked long hours and I have been really tired. Some days I wonder why things have to be so hard. Some days I am grateful to be working. I think it is the day in and day out grind of things that can sometimes get me down. Plus the fact that I fight depression a lot. That doesnt help.

But what does help is when you go to your mail box and there is something very sweet and over the top and you realize that the people in your life make everything worth while. Denise and I met through a love for General Hospital. On a online message board. From day one we connected and enjoyed our beloved soap together. We would laugh and make fun of the actors and writers. We had our favorites. But then we got to know each other and it has been a truly great friendship. We have never met face to face but it doesnt seem to affect our friendship.

Denise sent me a beautiful card and she hand wrote the message inside. I just smiled really big when I saw the card in the mailbox. Besides her note (which was more than enough) was her General Hospital pin. She has obviously had it FOREVER. And she gave it to me. Such a small gesture that meant a lot. It picked me up and made me smile.

I even laughed out loud.

One day when I have money and time--Im going to knock on her door. Watch out California.

This Hopefully Will Be The Last Of The Rodent Tales. It's Been A Helluva Week!

2009-05-08T11:00:00.002-05:00

I think I have a plague.

We have had a TON of rain here in Alabama. Simply a ton. I say this because I think what happened last night is a result of the monumental rain. I got home from work and I put my feet up and proceeded to watch Grey's Anatomy. When I heard the sound--

"Squeak! Squeak!" It was almost a chirping sound.

Must have been my imagination. Back to Grey's.

"Squeak! Squeak!" No, not my imagination.

Lucy is across the room totally in a state of calm, steadfast, ready to pounce, Im gonna get you because Im a mean ass cat mode.

And there it was. A very tiny field mouse. Not a rat. Obviously a field mouse that had lost its way and found itself in terrible danger.

I got up to see if it was dead because it didnt squeak for a while. Then it jumped! It really jumped! It started running and jumping across the room and Lucy started chasing it. It was every where at once! Jumping! Running! Then Lucy stopped chasing it. But it didnt stop running and jumping! I screamed because it got into my area--MY living space--really close to my feet. I get on the couch and beg Lucy not to lose interest.

She doesnt. She kept getting it and she would bite it and put it down. It would lay there and play dead. Then it would jump and run. This continued for about 30 minutes. The mouse finally made it's way to a corner and buried his head there. Lucy stopped attacking and just sat and watched it. All night. Every once in a while it would squeak. Pitifully.

I got up this morning and it was still alive but had not moved. It was breathing but you could tell that it didnt have long. It was really small and tiny. Long back leg and short front ones. A true field mouse. I still wouldnt touch it because after last night and all the jumping I was taking no chances.

I got into my chair and tried to watch TV and Lucy had one last round of slapping it around. It still squeaked but did not move. Im sure after all the cat bites it couldnt-I can only imagine the pain. I started feeling sorry for the damned thing!

So I scooped it up and returned it to the outside world. It never moved. Just squeaked.

But at least he died at home. Peacefully.

It's Over

2009-05-07T11:03:00.002-05:00

I put it off until today--I know I should have probably not done so but I just didnt have it in me. The rat is dead. I pray, oh how I pray he is the only one! He was about 6 inches long. That is a rat my friends.

Glue traps are efficient but totally gross. This guy had used two glue traps. He was laying across them. He must have dragged one to the other because when I laid them out they were much further apart. Can you imagine if he had been big enough to carry off one of those?

So it is over. And I am totally grossed out and traumatized. I will heal eventually from this experience.

My Biggest Fear

2009-05-05T07:32:00.001-05:00

I have a mouse. A rat or something of that nature. Lucy has failed to find it and kill it. The thing lives upstairs in my kitchen. I know its there. I cleaned the counter tops and tried to ignore the fact that the reason I was cleaning them was there were mysterious rat droppings on the counter. So gross! I went back upstairs about 2 hours later to get me something to eat. There they were again. Rat droppings. The ass wipe had returned to my counter tops. I cannot take this.

So out came the glue traps. I put three on top of the counter. I did this last night. Now the only thing worse than finding rat droppings on my counter top is going up and finding a rat in the glue trap on top of my counter.

I dont want to go look.

Queen For A Day

2009-05-02T09:15:00.002-05:00

I love that my Momma is so active and enjoys life the way she does. She is constantly going to one function or the other. Church is a huge thing for her. She is a member Of The Young At Hearts and WMU. She also goes to all the softball games that the church has. They lose a lot of games but she really enjoys it.

It is a blessing that she is enjoying her golden years. I can only hope to be able to do all the things she does. My Momma worked hard all her life and she did the most wonderful job of juggling her work and my Daddy's cancer. When Daddy died it was a real blow to her and I dont think she has ever gotten over it. So now that she finds so much enjoyment in her life with her friends and family makes me very happy. That is all I want for her now that she is retired.

Momma will be 83 this year. I think she is so cute! This picture was taken at one of the many things she participates in. She was crowned Queen of the 50's Ball. She was so proud she had pictures made so me and my brother and sister could have one. She is a Queen in my eyes and it makes me happy that she is a Queen in other peoples eyes. I adore my Momma. She has always been my rock---through all the good times and all the bad.

A Sunny Sunday Afternoon

2009-04-26T20:45:00.005-05:00

Today was a really beautiful day. I went to see Momma and at first I was just dreading the drive because of the long week I have had and how tired I am from it. But as I started down the road I saw how blue the sky was and the temperature outside was about 80 degrees. Summer is just around the corner. It was so relaxing taking this drive down to T-town.

We had a great time. We went out to eat and then came back to her house. Talladega Speedway was hosting the NASCAR race so that was tuned in to the TV. This is a big race and I love to watch racing. I did exactly what I always do when a race is on. I watch the first 30 minutes, fall asleep without realizing it, and wake up just in time to see the end of the race.

It was really a very peaceful day. I got some cool stuff at Momma's too. Two bags of canned goods that I plan to make a quick soup out of tomorrow. A new blouse that is really cute, a Mother-in-Law tongue plant that mother re-potted for me. And last but certainly not least a bookshelf. Not just any bookshelf either. This bookshelf belonged to my Grandmother. It is not an expensive piece and not necessarily the most beautiful bookshelf. It is black with gold trim and it is metal. I know, metal. But it is the memory behind the bookshelf that makes it so special.

Grandmother had that shelf for as long as I can remember. She had it packed full of figurines and what-nots. Not any special theme to it, just lots of stuff. I was totally fascinated by it. Almost every time I went over here I would spend time picking up everything and looking at it. I would even dust it as an excuse to look at everything and play with everything. I loved everything about what was on that shelf. To this day I can remember almost everything that lived on that shelf. I also remember that Grandmother (we called her Maw Maw) never told me I couldnt play with those things on that shelf, even though everything on that shelf could be broken or lost.

Now the shelf is mine. Mine to put what I want on it. Mine to have and look at and remember something that was so simple when I was little, at the same time so special. Because if it hadnt been special, I wouldnt remember it.

Sometimes a bookshelf isnt just a bookshelf.

Ooops!

2009-04-21T11:12:00.003-05:00

I left work last night very tired. When I get to my car the first thing I thought about was that I could have sworn I locked the door. I blew that one off and got in. I put my cigarrets in the cubbie hole of the dash and my cell phone in the console. I like to get everything situated before I drive off. I put the key in the ignition and it wouldnt turn. Im like WTF? So I turn on the inside light and try to figure out what the problem is. Dang! My car is so clean! That is not my stuff in the passenger seat! OMG! This is NOT my car!

Ooops!

If you wonder where I am you can find me here.

2009-04-18T13:44:00.003-05:00

I am such a kid at heart. I am very easily amused. I get obssessed very easily. Right now my obssession with Facebook has turned into an obssession with the application Mafia Wars. I think I mentioned this in a prior post. Bt let me tell you, this obssession has gotten worse. I spend nearly every waking moment that I have free with my laptop open playing Mafia Wars. I multi-task very well. If Im talking to a friend I am most likely still playing Mafia Wars behind the scenes.

In the past two weeks I have gotten 740 mafia members, which means I have 740 Facebook friends - but really I have more because I have my family and friends on there too. I forget about them. I dont even use Facebook for that anymore. Dont even try to IM me becase I cant talk to you, I am busy fighting the good fight of a Mafia clan member. I have so many important duties that I cant talk to you or comment on the pretty pictures you have posted or drink the drink you have passed me. Much less go Easter egg hunting! (BTW, when will that end?) Speaking of more important work, I have become a member of an online Mafia War clan called The Dark Side Mafia--DSM for short. DSM is also our "tag" so other groups will recognize us and have the fear of God instilled in them should they touch one of us. Because if you do we will attack and rob you mercilessly and leave you crying on the floor int he corner of your closet. I have been promoted to weapons distributor for the clan. I fight for them and try to protect every member of the clan that is under me. The head of our clan is getting hate mail about me. And I am proud. My name in this clan is ]o[DSM[o]ClaudiaCorinthos. If you see me run for your life.

By the way, did I tell you I'm 49 years old in August? I am a grown woman that works two jobs and this is what I do with my spare time. This is what it has come to. This, this-THING I cant stop doing.

Easter With Family-Priceless

2009-04-12T19:28:00.006-05:00

I hope everybody had a great Easter! I know I did. I was actually off from work and totally happy about that. The plan was to spend it with Amber, Ken and the kids. Of course. What else would I do? What else would I WANT to do?

I loaded up the easter basket I had made for them and headed that way. I think they turned out really cute for homeade--especially since I am far from crafty. We had a great time. I stopped by KFC and got a chicken finger family meal for lunch. It was really good, and much better than cooking. Besides, I knew it was unlikely Amber would cook. She had already hinted at a burger from McDonald's. I thought not.

Anyway, we hunted eggs, we swang on the swing. We played with the goat. We just hung out in the yard and had a really nice time. The weather was great, this was a relief since it has rained 40 days and 40 nights down here.

Kenzy and Owen both picked up on the egg hunting. They were so excited every time they found an egg. They would run from place to place leaving no stone unturned. After it was over Kenzy announced that she thought it was a really great game to play.

This picture is Owen taking over both easter baskets. He said he was going "home." He likes to go home. But he was home. So I dont have a clue what he meant.

Kenzy ate enough candy to kill herself.

Owen swinging--he was still in his easter clothes here. He was loving that swing.

This is me and Kenzy--it was supposed to be a picture of us kissing but she kissed fast and Amber clicked slow. Why was Owen in my lap? Because he doesnt sit in people's laps. That's how he roles. He also doesnt kiss--you are honored if you get an "air kiss."

We tried to get a really nice picture of them together sitting sweetly. Didnt happen. Shortly after these last two pictures were made they took to hiding behind the bushes and laughed at us.

I wouldnt take anything for days like this one. It makes life worthwhile.

It Sould Be Mandatory To Play This At Work

2009-04-09T11:18:00.001-05:00

You all know I am working some long hours. Really bad ass days. I get tired and frustrated very easily. But I think if my employers would adopt Kat Williams ideas on how to make things better, I would not mind working these bad ass long hours.

And with that I share with you another classic Kat Williams video that always puts a grin on my face.

Redneck Work Of The Day!

2009-04-07T08:00:00.001-05:00

OBAMA

I bought me a case of beer and drank it

OBAMA Self!

And I am so redneck I think this is hilarious!

My Lucky Has a Yeast Infection That Monostat Cant Cure

2009-04-06T15:54:00.003-05:00

My poor Lucky! Her ears have been bothering her. She has been shaking her head so hard she made the outside of her ears bleed. So I took her to the vet today to get it resolved once and for all. All my home remedies have not worked.

Getting Lucky to the vet is not an easy thing. She doesnt do well in cars and it is difficult to ride with a 68lb dog trying to get in your lap. Yes--68lbs. I was surprised because the last time she was weight it was 65lbs. That was last year. My little girl is getting "thick." Thick is the term a lot of guys use down here to refer to a lady that is not exactly fat, but not thin either. LOL!

Anyway, we stopped at the Sonic and she had a burger with just ketchup. I had one too. Then we went to the doctor. $96.00 later, I was told she has a severe yeast infection in her ears. Yeast infections in the ears are supposed to have a bad smell, but hers doesnt because it is waaaaay deep in her ears. It is painful and I feel like a bad mother. But she is supposed to be better in a week.

The doctor also told me that the reason her feet are red and she licks her paws is allergies. So I have to give her benedryll 2x a day. If that doesnt work, then we got to talk about trying to determine what is causing the allergies and that means I need to get ready to spend some money. Keeping my fingers crossed on the benedryl.

I just want my girl to feel better.

Friday Foto Finish Fiesta!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-03T07:23:00.004-05:00

It is hard to get to Friday Foto Finish Fiesta and not post pictures of my great neice and nephew. I like calling them "my great neice nd nephew." Because they are without a doubt the greatest git my niece could have given herself and our family. I am missing these two little people right now because my work schedule has not let me see them in about a week. A week is too long!

I love you Kenzy and Owen!

Come and play Friday Foto Finish Fiesta! Just visit Carrie's blog and follow the rules!

Happy Friday!

This Is Awful!!!!!

2009-03-30T22:20:00.000-05:00

Totally Give Out!

2009-03-30T21:03:00.002-05:00

The past two days have given me a much needed break. The 2 jobs and 16 hour days are really starting to wear me down. I have done nothing on my 2 days off but surf the net, watch TV and sleep. I am still tired and I need a week of this. The next time I am off is 6 days away. I cant look at that and not feel tired.

Another job that pays more is the only answer in sight and jobs are so hard to come by. Everyone keeps telling me that I am blessed to have 2 jobs to go to. I realize that. I dont want to seem like a cry baby or ungrateful by any means. Because I am. That just doesnt stop me from feeling tired.

Things will get better and hopefully soon.

So that is about all I have today.

A Little Tribute To Bruce

2009-03-28T12:45:00.002-05:00

There are people who come into your life that you always remember. This old friend of mine died this past month. I found out this past week. I hadnt seen hi in a while but I remember him fondly. He touched my life and I can tell you he touched many others. He was a frank, no nonense man who had a lot of compassion for the people that passed through his life.

Bruce Walton Barnes
BARNES, BRUCE WALTON, age 58, of Birmingham, AL died March 12, 2009. Born in Alexander City on July 23, 1950, he was the son of William Scears and Alice Belle Worthy Barnes. He was a graduate of Woodward Academy in Forest Park, GA and the University of Alabama where he was a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. After serving in the US Army, he came to Birmingham where he entered the real estate business and obtained his MBA from the University of Alabama. He was a member of Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church. Bruce was extremely grateful to God and the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous for his continuous sobriety for over 30 years. During that time, he expressed his gratitude with his intensive work with hundreds of other people in recovery. He was preceded in death by his parents, and is survived by his uncle, Reginald Barnes of Washington, DC; brother, William Scears Barnes, Jr. (Barbara) of Alexander City, AL and Andrew Dillard Barnes of Jacksonville, FL; sister, Juliet Barnes Harper of Vestavia Hills, AL; nephews, Michael Barnes (Melissa) of Maryland and Dr. John Scears Harper of Portland, OR; nieces, Melissa Barnes of California, Letitia Barnes Capra (James) of Germany, and Katherine Beeland Barnes of Alexander City, AL; and great-nephew, Josh Barnes. The Memorial Mass will be held on Thursday, March 19, 2009 at 10:00 AM at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, with Monsignor Muller officiating. Memorial donations may be made in care of JAFI, 2012 14th Ave. S., Birmingham, AL 35205. Services are under the direction of Ridout's Valley Chapel (205.879.3401) in Homewood

R.I.P. Bruce

The Escape Artist

2009-03-28T08:00:00.001-05:00

It's Lucky. She has gotten out of the fence twice in the last two weeks This means she is going to have to go back on a chain. She did it again today. I put her outside and watched her for 30 minutes to see where she would go to get out. Nothing happened. So I went inside and 5 minutes later she was out. I chased her for awhile and then just went back home. I was hoping she would just come back and she did. I went outside to the backyard to walk the fence line and try to see if I could tell where her escape route was. There she was. Back INSIDE the fence as if she never left.

Me: Lucky, how did you get out?

Lucky: Smiling and tongue hanging out from exertion.

Me: Really Lucky, how? Where?

Lucky: Still smiling and acting all superior.

Me: You need to tell me Lucky. WHERE ARE YOU GETTING OUT?!!

Lucky: I'll never tell.

Friday Foto Finish Fiesta!

2009-03-27T08:17:00.004-05:00

Our annual visitor has come to Alabama again this year. It happens every year about this time and seems to happen overnight. You go to sleep and the next morning you wake up and BAM! the pollen has arrived. Of course, along with it come beautiful blooming trees and flowers. The down side of it is, you get itchy eyes, stuffed up heads, sneezing, and a general feeling of yuck that comes on from allergies. You pray for rain to wash it away just to have it come back as hard and violent as before. These photos are not mine, but I can promise you, they are exactly what it looks like here at this moment.

So that is what it is like in my neck of the woods right now. What is going on in yours? You can share it with us through your fotos. Go to Carrie's blogg and follow the directions. It's fun, fun, FUN!

Things Everyone Should Know When They Visit Alabama Or Maybe Consider Moving Here

2009-03-22T20:45:00.004-05:00

I found this on Facebook and since it is true and extremely useful information, I stole it. Here you go:

BIRMINGHAM:

First you must learn to pronounce the city's name. It's 'Bur-min-ham'.

Driving Information:

Burminham has its own version of traffic rules. The truck with the loudest exhaust goes next at a four-way stop. The truck with the biggest tires goes after that. Note: Blue-haired ladies driving anything have the right-of-way anytime.

To find anything in the city, it is required that you know where Malfunction Junction is, which is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. It may be one of only two 'cloverleaf formation' interchanges in the world. We invented it and only one other city was stupid enough to implement it again Atlanta -- making them only a wee bit dumber than we are.

The morning rush hour is from 6:00 to 10:00. The evening rush hour is from 3:00 to 7:00. Friday's rush hour starts Thursday morning. If the term 'merging delays' is ever used by the person reporting the traffic, even in passing, call in to work and tell them that you will be at least 30 minutes late regardless of where you are in your commute.

If you actually stop at a yellow light, you will be (at the very least) rear-ended, cussed out, and possibly shot. This applies to male and female drivers alike.

You must know that 'I-459,' 'I-59,' 'I-20,' and 'I-65' are the same road. They just loop around, cutting in and out of each other's path. We think this was a ploy utilized to confuse outsiders and discourage visitors after the War of Northern Aggression.

Always, always, always, find out if it is a race or football weekend before you get on any of these highways to travel somewhere. If it is a race or football weekend, stay home. You won't be pleasantly going anywhere else.

Construction is a permanent fixture in Burminham. The barrels are moved around in the middle of the night to make the next day's driving a little more interesting.

If someone actually has their turn signal on, wave them over to the shoulder immediately to let them know -- you can be sure it was 'accidentally activated'.

The minimum acceptable speed on 'I-65' (see above) is 85 mph. Anything less is considered downright sissy.

This is also Alabama's state-highway-sponsored version of NASCAR -- especially during rush hour (see above) and everyone in the city is driving at once, bumper-to-bumper. If you are in the left lane and only going 70 in a 55-65 zone, you are considered a road hazard, and will be 'flipped a bird' accordingly.

Do not gawk at the woman in the car beside you in traffic who is applying make-up, drinking a Diet Coke, smoking a Marlboro, and maintaining a steady speed of 85 mph on I-65 in rush hour traffic. If she is coming from north of Burminham, she might be packing. If she is coming from south of Burminham, she IS packing and is not afraid to use it.

Weather Information:

If it's 110 degrees, Thanksgiving could be next weekend. If it's 10-20 degrees and sleeting or snowing, then watch out. Burminham residents consider this 'demolition derby' day and will be all over the roads (frontways, sideways, etc). Please proceed with caution, as you could be the next target.

Seasonal Information:

If you stick to the seats in your vehicle, it is Spring.

If you need to let the car 'get some air' while standing next to it with the doors open for a minute before you can stick your upper body inside to crank

it and get the air going, it is Summer.

If you are sweating even with the windows down, driving 55 mph, it is Fall.

If you finally turn the AC off and roll your windows up, it is Winter.

General Information:

Do not ever speak during the song ' Sweet Home Alabama ' unless it is to sing along with the lyrics. This is a form of heresy and will erupt in a brawl if everyone doesn't show 'proper respect' to the band who gave us Free Bird. This is especially true if alcohol is present (notice I didn't say 'sold at this event,' but 'present').

Yes, we know that Vulcan is mooning the entire city. It's not that funny to us anymore, and by now we're used to it.

If you ask someone for a 'coke,' they will often ask you, 'What kind?' This is not a trick question. Tell them what you want: Sprite, Dr. Pepper, Root Beer, etc., it is all 'coke'.

All tea is sweet. If it's not sweet, you are in a Chinese restaurant or have crossed the Mason-Dixon Line .
Possums sleep in the middle of the road with their feet in the air.

There are 5,000 types of snakes on earth and 4,998 of them live in Alabama ..

There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 live in Alabama, plus a couple no one's seen before.

If it grows, it sticks; if it crawls, it bites.

Onced and Twiced are words.

It is not a shopping cart; it is a buggy.
People actually grow and eat okra.

'Fixinto' is one word.

There is no such thing as 'lunch.' There is only dinner and then supper.

Iced tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're two.

We do like a little tea with our sugar!

Backwards and forwards means 'I know everything about you.

DJeet is actually a phrase meaning 'Did you eat?'

You don't have to wear a watch because it doesn't matter what time it is. You work until you're done or it's too dark to see.

You don't PUSH buttons, you MASH them.

You measure distance in minutes.

You'll probably have to switch from 'heat' to 'A/C' in the same day

All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, insect or animal.

You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.

You carry jumper cables in your car . . . for your OWN car.

There are only own four spices: salt, pepper, Tabasco and ketchup.

The local papers cover national and international news on one page, but require 6 pages for local gossip and sports.

Friday Foto Finish Fiesta!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-03-20T08:18:00.005-05:00

Cool Fotos is where it is at. This past week Amanda sent me some more--this time from Korea. Above and some of her friends - the view is from one of the temples they visited while in port. A truly beautiful view.

They do a lot of praying in Korea. The elephant gets prayed to daily so Amanda had a foto of herself taken with elephant statues. I dont think this was about praying for her, I think it was more about Alabama Football! Roll Tide! (had to get my plug in! ) They are really cool statues.

The food was less than appetizing - especially for Amanda. She is an extremely picky eater and has been since she was born. I worried a little about what she would eat while in Hong Kong but luckily they do have American restaurants there. They did get adventurous and went to a buffet. The food was interesting to say the least. Below is baby octopus on the grill. Amanda shared with me that while it was cooking it's little brains exploded out of it's head. She didnt eat it. I dont think I would have either!

So there you have my contribution to Friday Foto Finish Fiesta! I really enjoy sharing my favorite fotos with everybody. If you would like to share yours and play along go here and follow the directions! While your there, visit some of the other bloggers and see what they have to offer!

Thanks A Lot Facebook!

2009-03-18T09:42:00.002-05:00

It is one of those things you say you arent interested in. But then you start and you cant stop. Im talking about a game I started playing to pacify a friend of mine on FB. It is called Mafia Wars. I started playing and thought it was about the most lame thing a person could do. But I did it anyway. Now it has become a total obsession!

I wake up and it is the first thing I do. I play every waking moment I am not busy. Granted, that isnt a lot, but I put off badly needed house cleaning for this game! I have also joined a discussion board called "Fans of Mafia Wars" and the benefit is I get all these invites to join people's Mafia. Which, in turn, grows my Mafia. It is ridiculous! I spend my days trying to become a stronger, richer mob boss.

I cant just play like a normal person. I need help.

Another Old Friend

2009-03-17T10:55:00.002-05:00

My weekend was very cool. Not only did I get to babysit my beloved niece and nephew, I got to have lunch with an old friend that I have not seen in 5 years! I got to say, the past 3 months I have reconnected with more old friends than I can count and I am so very happy about that.

This recent reconnection is very special to me. Me and this chick were very close. We lived near each other and we hung out a lot. I have never met another girl that could eat as much watermelon as me. Seriously, I can eat a lot of watermelon in one sitting and she could too! That in itself is a reason for me to love her. You just dont meet that many people that think it is okay to eat half a watermelon at once. But it is. Really, totally okay. Make that a LARGE watermelon too, I dont want anyone thinking I'm a weenie when comes to eating.

I missed her a lot. But, like everyone else I loved, we lost touch because of my own decisions and self-destructive actions. Not only did I miss her emotionally, I missed her having a baby girl and I missed her getting married. HUGE events to miss in the life of someone you love. I cant get that back. But what I can do, is start over and build our relationship again. So, in the same manner as before, we went to lunch!

It was a great lunch. I met her husband and her daughter. They were both amazing! My friend looks as great as she always did and her laughter is still the same. We still have a lot of catching up to do but I look forward to it.

I probably wont get to babysit her little girl anytime soon though. That is because I told her I taught Kenzy to say "Dora the Whora is a freak in the sheets." I know--I'm a bad influence on the kids. Dont.start. It happened in the heat of the moment--okay?!?!?!

But T--I would like to say that if I was ever given the opportunity to babysit your little girl I would not teach her to say that. I also would not teach her that vagina, penis or breasts are the correct words for her body parts. Promise. I swear.

The Best Thing

2009-03-16T08:34:00.003-05:00

I kept the twins Saturday night. But the best thing about keeping them was not all the fun we had. We played a lot of games and they got to eat anything they wanted. They got to get out all their toys and play with them and leave them laying where they left them. We read a book and they watched Sponge Bob even though I HATE Sponge Bob. They got to do that because that is how I roll with the kids. I am the "fun" adult in their life.

But that wasnt the best thing. The best thing happened the next morning when I wasnt there. Amber told me that Owen came and go into bed with her and asked where his Daddy was. She told him. The next thing he said was "Where is Aunt Lynn?"

To me that was the best thing.

Friday Foto Finish Fiesta

2009-03-13T07:09:00.005-05:00

Taking a picture of Owen is very difficult. He wont co-operate very well. Recently he did and in honor of that occassion, I am posting some of the "best of" photos that Amber got of him. He is adorable to say the least. But then again, I am biased!

This expression is one of Owen's favorites, especially when you try to take a picture of him.

I love these two pictures--

Then there is sweetness at it's finest.

So if you want to play Friday Foto Finish Fiesta go here and follow the rules. While you are there, check out the fotos that other bloggers are posting today!

Tagged

2009-03-11T09:00:00.002-05:00

I got tagged by Linda, so here goes:

Step 1: respond and rework -- answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.

1) What do you do for a living? I work all the time, all day and into the night. Life is too full of work and Im trying to change that as soon as possible.

2) What is your biggest fear? Someone I love dieing. I cant handle death. Never have been able to wrap my brain around the foreverness of it.

3) Do you nap a lot? Um, yeah--whenever I get a chance I will nap. Sometimes on purpose, sometimes not. I could sleep hanging on a nail.

4) Who is the last person you hugged? My momma

5) What websites do you visit when you go online? yahoo email, Facebook, Myspace, Blogger, King.com

6) What was the last item you bought? Starbucks Double Shot Coffee drink and a lighter.

7) Who would you most like to meet and talk to? A lot of people, but I think I would most like to meet and talk to God. I got me a few questions.

8) If you woke up tomorrow and were a boy, what is the first thing you would do and why? I would cry. I wouldnt want to be a boy.

9) Has a celebrity's hair cut ever influenced your own hairstyle? Yes, but my hair never turns out like theirs. Probably because they have a stylist and I dont.

10) What is your most embarrassing moment? Gosh! Which one? The time me and my first husband went to the wrong family reunion (his side) and we were eating and everything before someone came up and asked us who we were? That was a pretty embarrassing moment.

11) What was the last movie you watched? Madagascar 2, they played it at work for a month. Cool movie.

.12) If you had a whole day to yourself with no work, commitments, or interruptions what would you do? Sleep and watch TV and play on the computer.

13) Do you like scary movies? Yes I do, very much.

14) What would you want your last meal to be? Seafood and lots of it.

.15) If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be? Probably Italy, it just looks so beautiful there.

I tag Heidi and Coconut and anyone else who wants to play.

Please, I Want The Job

2009-03-10T12:19:00.004-05:00

I think my job interview went pretty good. I have to say the offices are set in a beautiful wooded area. There is a lake with a fountain in it. It looks almost like the buildlng were built around the landscape keeping as much of the nature intact. I felt like I was in a park or something.

There was an aptitude test to take and it was kind of dumb. There were questions asking what words were opposite or similar. They did phrases like that too. There was the inevitable math question that lost me after the third word. Those questions went something like this: "If you are selling bubble gum and you make 1.68 cent in one hour and sold 7 pieces, how much money would you make in 7 hours if you should 20 pieces? WTF? Skip. Yeah--thats what I did, I skipped it because it wasnt even multiple choice so there wasnt even a chance at a guess. Which I thought sucked. I made it through high school guessing multiple choice. I did great on the typing test. I hit 65 wpm which I dont think is bad on an unfamiliar keyboard. I had 98% accuracy.

After this I was sent down to the building where I would be working if I got hired. I had to get back in my car and drive to this building. Now mind you, these parking lots are a bit of a walk. You actually walk a stone pathway through a wooded area to get from the parking lot to the building. It is kinda nice but I am sure rainy days are a drag. And I also thought about snakes. There is bound to be snakes. I liked the building where I went to interview with the managers of my department. I say my department because I want the job and I plan to get the job so I am already thinking of it as my job. They are just going through the motions of interviewing others to put on a equal opportunity hiring thingy. These ladies were very nice and we talked for some time. The job is customer service handling problems on subscriptions for magazines sold through Amazon.com. I thought it sounded kinda cool.

This week I should get a callback for a second interview. During the second interview I will actually be shown the computer system and even do a few problems. This is where I get to dazzle them with my brilliance. They will probably want to keep me all day just to get them caught up on their work. Im just that good.

All jokes aside, I think for all my not wanting to work in an office setting again or not wanting to work for corporate America again, I am ready to go back. I am ready to sit in cubicle land all day and answer phones. I am ready to make more money and work less. I am ready for paid vacations and sick days. I am ready for medical, dental and vision insurance. I am ready to be able to decide if I want to work 2 jobs rather than having no choice. I am ready for a Monday through Friday gig.

Im just ready.

The First Dance

2009-03-10T08:31:00.000-05:00

Dancing With The Stars

2009-03-09T20:53:00.004-05:00

Melissa from The Bachelor is a last minute dancer! Yay for her!

I guess you know I will have to root for her. I want her to win because I just love her and hate that she has to undergo so much disappointment by Jason. They only had 2 days of rehersal together.

I wish the video was on You tube but as soon as it goes up I will be posting it. Because----she was GREAT!

Fleamarket

2009-03-09T18:32:00.005-05:00

Sunday me and Amber went to the Harpersville Flea Market. It is a huge deal down here in Shelby County. People come from far and wide. I dont really know why. I never find anything I want there. But they are open every weekend so it must be profitable or it wouldnt be there. Unless there is just nothing else for these people to do but come set up a booth and sit and around and talk about people.

I took this picture of Amber on the way. She is looking so cute.

This is the entrance to the Flea Market -

Like I said, people come from far and wide. This gentlemen was most happy to have his photo made. He just let his wife go inside and shop by herself. He wanted to sit in the car and listen to some Hank.

There are all kinds of things to buy. This booth struck my eye. Plastic funeral flowers - they last a long time and they are appropriately tacky.

This is a view of a long line of booths.

I quit taking pictures after this. I could have taken a lot more but I think I started looking like a tourist. Harpersville may be a little raw in the butt about tourists right now. I dont know if it made national news but it certainly made local news when this guy was flying over and parachuted out of his plane into Harpersville. He let his plane just keep going on auto pilot until it crashed in Florida. He had put out a distress call just before he jumped. He was faking his death. He stayed over night at The Harperville Motel which is totally a hotel like you would see in a horror flick. You know, one of those cheap roadside hotels where some of its neon lights are burned out. Anyway, it brought a little unwanted attention on Harpersville and I was thinking maybe they dont like tourist anymore. So we left.

There May Be Another Change Around The Corner For Me

2009-03-07T09:00:00.004-06:00

I have a job interview Monday morning at 8:30! It is with Ebsco Industries and it is considered a very good company to work for. This came out of the blue. I had applied with them online back in November and had forgotten about it. The lady called Wednesday and did a phone interview and then called back on Thursday and set up the interview for Monday.

I will have to go talk to their HR department and take a typing test and aptitude test. Kinda nerve racking if you ask me. But I think I can get through that part. After that I have to go interview with the customer service managers. I am up against five other people so wish me luck. This could mean I wont have to work but one job. But, if Walmart is receptive, I would stay there with drastically reduced hours, say like 15-20 hours a week. Im not sure if I would do that but I might.

I gotta go buy something to interview in. My business wardrobe is slim to none. I havent had to work in an office setting of this type in a long time. So what I have is old. I think I would feel more confident if I looked cute and fresh and new. Im not talking about anything grand, just something better than what is hanging in my closet. Im pretty sure that this place is a business casual type of dress.

So wish me luck everyone. Im trying not to get my hopes up. It will not be the end of the world if I dont get it, but it would be nice to be able to make more money and be a little less stretched on my time. The 16 hour a day thing is getting to me and it is also getting to everyone around me.

Friday Foto Finish Fiesta

2009-03-06T00:07:00.001-06:00

It is Friday Foto Finish Fiesta again! It happens every Friday and if you want to participate go here and read all the rules and get started!

I have been getting lots of really cool photos from my Amanda while she is on tour with the Navy. Below is a really cool photo of a bridge going over to the island in Japan. The scenery photos I have been sent amaze me. I wish I could be there, but getting blow by blow photos is almost just as good.

Roommate Gone-Friendship Intact

2009-03-05T08:49:00.004-06:00

I let a friend f mine move in with me about 2 weeks ago. God it seems much longer than that! She moved out yesterday. This was her decision and that was a good thing because I am not suited for roommates. AT ALL.

It was hard for me to realize that I have become such a lone wolf. But I have. I dont do well with someone else in my space. Using my remote, snoring, griping because I dont have this or I dont have that. I dont like to reach for something I bought to eat and it is totally gone and I have not gotten any of it. Dont get me wrong, I dont mind if you have some, but leave me some too! Because my schedule is so tight and I work such long hours I get very little sleep. I got even less with a roommate because she got up earlier than I did. I could almost handle that, but when we are both off work dont wake my ass up at 6:00 am either. That is my day to rest, sleep, smoke cigarettes, watch MY TV shows and be a slug. I also dont want to hear the intimate details of your latest sexual encounter. I can watch porn on the web for that. When I say intimate that may be too nice of a word. Graphic--so graphic it made me sick. Not jealous as some people may think, but really sick. I just dont.want.to.know. I have routines.

For instance, when I come home at night I sit in my chair and relax and watch General Hospital. You cant do that when you have to search for the remote because it isnt where you left it. You have to empty the ashtray because it is overflowing. Your Pringles are gone. Or, God forbid, your roommate is still up and is in the middle of watching yet another Lifetime movie and this means if I try to change the channel to what "my routine" is there will be bickering. So I dont interrupt her movie and I am out of my schedule. This type of thing makes my eye twitch. Especially if you stop watching the movie before it is over and go to bed when I do. At least watch the whole movie if you are going to interrupt "my routine." Dont talk to me when I'm trying to go to sleep, watch TV, talking on the phone, or I am tired. Tell you what, to be on the safe side, just dont talk to me unless it is my off day and I initiate the conversation.

Im glad she decided to move. I was at the point where I was just fixin' to tell her it would be best if she did when she announced she was moving. GREAT! She thought I would be mad. I quickly let her know that I was delighted. At least now we can remain friends and I saw no friendship in the future if she stayed. I will admit, this was my mistake. I knew it in my heart and felt it in my bones. But I was hoping things would have been different. She never realized how irritated I was, she happily went about her days and her business as care free as she could be.

So I am free now. Free to be the reclusive, selfish bitch I want to be.

One Year

2009-03-04T00:06:00.004-06:00

It's been one year since you left. Time doesnt make me miss you any less. I can only remember the happiness you gave me when you were growing up. You were a special person, so much life in you and so much love to give everyone around you. I can still hear your voice and your laughter. I can remember how it felt to hug your neck. I remember that you hated pot roast. But you loved green beans! I was honored to be able to help raise you. You went through so much growing up and you still kept that positive attitude and you excelled at everything you did. Your Dad and I were so proud of you. I talked to your Dad today. He still misses you to. Last week a lady in AA asked if he would speak at a meeting this week. When he found out it was tomorrow, he felt like it would be especially comforting that he would be speaking at meeting on the anniversary of your death. It gave him some peace. Funny how God is taking care of him by allowing him to do what he loves to do. Possibly help another suffering alcoholic. You will be in his thoughts and his heart the entire time. He really loved you a lot.

It doesnt seem like a year since you died. We ask ourselves why a lot and we wonder what and why this happened. We wonder if we could have done more to help you. We arent mad, we are just sad that you were not able to hang on any longer. It is really hard to think about this being forever.

The Bachelor--Season Finale

2009-03-02T19:28:00.007-06:00

This is supposed to be the most dramatic ending ever in The Bachelor history. I think the viewers will be the judge of that and I, for one, do not want to be disappointed. And I have been so far this season. The girls are to meet Jason's family tonight. They are still in Switzerland.

Melissa gets the first date. The first part of the date was with Ty and she got along with him well. That child is so outgoing I think he would get along with anyone that played with him. So I just dont see tihs one date being a testimonial for either girl. I think the test would be after like 3 months with a child and having to help care for him an entertain him. I dont know--that is just me. The day to day grind is what would tell me the most about how someone is going to get along with a child. Jason's family was a little touch on her - especially about the fact that he hasnt met her parents. I sensed that Melissa was a little uneasy around his family. She talked especially fast to his mother. She was definitely having a time thinking she was explaining the situation with her parents to her. I think they liked her even thoug they were really drilling her.
By the way - Jason said he was completely falling in love with her.

Next Molly was up to bat. It was slow with Ty at first but it got better and went well. Again, she says this gave her an idea of how being a family would be. But there is a lot more to it than a day at the beach. Molly has been around kids very much so I wonder if what she imagines is a reality. The family didnt hold back on her either. They liked her but they had some really tough questions. Molly didnt seem nearly as nervous with them as Melissa did.

Both girls got a last date. Melissa told Jason that her parents had called and they did want to talk to him. He made the phone call the next day. I think the call went well, He laughed a little. Molly gave Jason a really sensuous massage on their date. He, um, loved it.

Then here comes Deanna. Bam! She has gained a little weight, just sayin. I am not sure why she was there unless it was to give him advice. He clearly no longer wants her. Bye Bye Deanna! And get that blinking problem you have fixed! There is medicine for that!

The day is here, the ring is chosen. How do you choose one ring for two completely different women? He let Molly go. He was VERY torn up about it. Crying like a baby. In comes Melissa, she is so scared and looking so pretty. He proposes to her!

All is well, for now!

Now it is time for the "After The Final Rose" show.

Update--Jason is still in love with Molly and dumps Melissa on the show! What a cad! He should have done this before now! Kinda angry with the Golden Boy! She calls him a bastard and at the moment I cant blame her. Frickn National TV! He didnt even have the DECENCY to do it in private! But it is all about ratings - Im sure of it!

So he tells Molly about breaking up with Melissa and he asks for a shot with them. She is stunned and all she can say is "what about Melissa?" She is speechless. Rightfully so. How could she trust this? But in the end she accepts what he has to say and they are going to see where their relationship goes.

I am done with this show.

Snow In Alabama!

2009-03-01T07:52:00.004-06:00

It snowed here today. The weather man billed it as a "snow storm". The local TV stations even interrupted regular programing in order to make sure everyone knew it was a "snow storm". He specifically said that Shelby County where I live was getting hit "hard". You gotta really keep your expectations low when you hear the weather man mention snow in Alabama. But it was pretty for about 2 hours. But it didnt rank up there with storms as far as I could see. I must be one of the few people who was just a tad disappointed in the little bit of snow we got. The Sonic which is just a mile up the road closed for the day. So did a few other businesses. I was quite amused and only a little annoyed. See, I wanted some ice cream from The Sonic and I couldnt get any.

I took 2 pictures of our snow storm. Here they are!

Greatest Southern Rock Band Ever

2009-03-01T00:17:00.003-06:00

This was back in the day! Oh the memories!

What's That Smell?

2009-02-28T10:21:00.003-06:00

So this may be considered a really morbid post but this is something I think about from time to time. I dont want to die. What I mean is Im not afraid to die, but I am afraid of and distrust funeral homes a lot. A WHOLE lot. I worry about how I will be treated after I die and before I am put in the ground. I know I wont be there, but I still worry about this.
Case in point:

In a town not far from where I live, a man was arrested for abusing a corpse. He owns a very respected funeral home and he is the director there along with his sons. A family owned business that has been around for years and years. He was arrested because about a year ago a lady came into his business to be cremated. He made all the arrangements with the family and was paid for his services. Unfortunately the family never returned for her ashes. Turns out that was probably a good thing at the time, because respected funeral director never had the body cremated. NEVER. He kept her in the embalming room until she started to smell. Then he transferred her in the crate she was being kept in to a hearse. Said hearse was put in a vacant lot owned by respected funeral director. That is where it stayed until it was discovered this past week because of the stench.

Now-I know a few more details on the story than what was told in the news. That is because I work with a guy whose family also owns a funeral home in the same town and the empty/vacant lot that respected funeral home director owned and made this the final resting place of that poor lady is right across the street from my friend's funeral home. Yes--this is a small town. My friend says the sad thing is this is not the worst thing this guy has done. This is just what he got caught at. Not only that, if it hadnt made the news he wouldnt have gotten arrested. Because he is such a respected member of the comunity. As a matter of fact, a very distinguished person in the community passed away the same day of the arrest and this respected funeral director is handling the funeral. Go figure. He wouldnt touch anyone in my family.

Anyway--people when your loved one dies keep a close watch on them. There is no telling what is going on and if you are getting ripped off or not. I would almost like to see things go back to how it was done a long time ago. Loved ones were taken from the funeral home after they were "prepared" to be buried and the family took shifts sitting up with the body until the funeral service. Sort of a drawn out way to pay your last respects but at least you knew the body was being respected.

Stories like this are common around my neck of the woods. That is why I dont want to die here.

Friday Foto Finish Fiesta

2009-02-27T00:07:00.003-06:00

Well here is a pic of me and Amber about 6 years ago. Can we say that I looked like a vampire? We were going out and I think I may have met Jeffery that night. Im pretty sure I did. I thought I looked so good, I can only imagine how much more like a vampire I looked under the neon lights of a bar.

So it is Friday Foto Finish Fiesta and if you are not familiar with it go here. It's fun to play, you get to see all kinds of cool pics from lots of different and wonderful people.

I Cannot Bitch And It Is Killing Me!

2009-02-26T09:49:00.003-06:00

I was wondering how many people who blog refrain from blogging about things that are really on their mind at the risk of making someone mad or hurting their feelings? Even if the person or thing you refrain from blogging about makes you mad or hurts your feelings? I REALLY would love to blog about some things going on and I cant. Thank goodness I can call Denise or go to work and bitch like crazy!

Most of the time I find my troubles are my own making. Most of the time it is because I made a bad decision and I knew it was bad at the time because I got that little warning feeling in my head and it traveled all the way down to my stomach. But I make the wrong decision anyway hoping against all hope that the feeling is wrong and I'm just a crazy bitch. Then I realize that I should have paid attention to that feeling from the start. Ooops!

That is where I am at. I am not in distress or anything. My world is not going to collapse and Im not going to die and no one else is going to die. I am aggravated beyond belief at the limitations of my patience. I hate that I have no room in my life for my "routines" to be disrupted. I hate that I am going to have to ride this bad decision I made out and not be able to blog about it and I can only hope that I can get to the other side of this situation without making anyone mad or hurting their feelings. That is another unlikely thing by the way, I most likely will NOT be able to get through without flapping my mouth and popping off. Because like I said, I am mad and my feelings are slightly hurt that my wonderfulness has not been acknowledged in the appropriate manner. Like kissing my feet or something. Putting my name in lights. Making a public service announcement about me. I dont know--there are lots of things I could think of that might make me feel better.

Do You Like To Move It?

2009-02-25T11:33:00.003-06:00

If you have never seen this movie--you should. It is great! It was featured on our TV in the electronics department at work. I watched it everyday over and over for about 3 weeks. I never got tired of it.

More Hong Kong and Navy pics

2009-02-22T19:49:00.005-06:00

Here are some more pictures from Hong Kong. Amanda took these and she is a really great photographer in my opinion.

The first is lightning on the deck of the ship.

Not sure what this is. It looks like a hotel--but look at the scenery! Beautiful!

This looks like some type of amphitheater.

This is the ship Amanda is on. Dont know the name of it. I must ask her that question.

How about a plane taking off from the ship! How awesome is that!

Amanda is going to several more places on her 6 month tour. I expect I will have plenty of photos to share. I told her it was her job to make sure of that!

Walmart--Where America Parties

2009-02-21T10:28:00.002-06:00

Walmart is never boring. I have found that one out. We have been really busy. The other night got I was bringing a 32" TV out for a customer. Just as I can from the back onto the floor another male customer was standing there with a tape measure. He started measuring the TV that was in my buggy. I was taken aback for a second. I wasnt sure if this was my customer or not. There had been so many they had started running together. When that happens you just hope the customer remembers who YOU are.

He wasnt with my customer. He was with another guy and they were drunk. I dont know about anyone else, but whenever I got drunk going to Walmart was not on the top of my list. Drunk guy thought he was charming and cute. He was neither. He had that tape measure like I said and started measuring the box. I asked him if he could hold on a second while I checked my sober customer out. He extended the tape measure and pointed it at my face and touched my cheek right under my left eye. He then told me he would like to look at TV's also. Touching.my.cheek.with.the.tape.measure! Yes----he did. I walked past him with my sober customer and let him know I would be right back. He then took the tape measure and poked.me.in.my.back telling me not to forget about him. Well, guess what drunk guy! I havent forgotten about you! You are so unforgettable that EVERYONE in Walmart has heard about you! You are FAMOUS!

I wanted to kill him. I didnt go back to help him. I sent someone else. This was to save his life and save my job.

It would also keep me out of The Tutweiler State Prison For Women. I'm not into a 20 to life prison sentence.

Friday Foto Finish Fiesta

2009-02-19T18:53:00.003-06:00

Once again it is Friday Foto Finish Fiesta! Whoooo Hooooo! Everyone is invited to play and you can go here to get all the rules and stuff. Of course there are rules, every game has them.

This foto ties into my previous post and I saved it especially for Friday Foto Finish Fiesta. This is a public toilet in Hong Kong. You have to straddle it to pee. Im not sure what the procedure would be for the, ehem, other. They do have american chain restuarants that have regular toilets but I understand they are rare.