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 |  A Journal of our Adventures in Country Living.... |
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"Home is where the heart is" and this is the continuing story of our life on the farm....where our heart is and where we make our home. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** I want to thank janieruthryals for this wonderful Merit Badge: ![Merit Badge in Nature
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For the wonderful visit to your farm, all through the words in your blog.](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/genre-Nature-1125.gif) |
| There is one thing that my mother taught me early in life, that is what denotes a "Great Day for Hanging"!!! Now she didn't mean hanging my dad or brother... although sometimes I think she would have liked to do that.... no she meant hanging laundry out to dry. My father bought my mom a dryer, but she very seldom used it. She loved to hang clothes. I can still picture her out in the side yard, with her clothes basket and bag of clothes pins, her house dress whipping around her legs in the breeze, hanging clothes. My family consisted of my Mom and Dad, brother, sister and of course myself. There were always clothes to be washed, and clothes to be hung. I would always help her drag the heavy basket of wet clothes out to the line. When I was real young, I was in charge of hanging towels and washclothes. My mother had a specific way to hang blouses and slacks, and I was not allowed to do those articles until she thought I could do it right!! It was a proud day when she let me help her with those!! Same thing went for taking the dried clothes off the line. They had to be folded in a particular fashion, so as to not encourage wrinkling. My mother explained to me that on hot humid days, it would take the clothes longer to dry and they would become crisp during the process. Sure enough, I would go help her take the clothes down, and they would be rather on the stiff side!!! She would whip them several times before folding them and putting them in the basket. This would remove some of their starchiness!!! But on low humidity days, especially when there was a breeze blowing, she would wake up in the morning and exclaim: "Great Day For Hanging" The washing machine would be put to action, and I would drag the heavy basket full of wet clothes over to the miles of clothesline my father had put up for my mom. Our clothesline had no rhyme or reason to it. It didn't cross the yard in neat parallel lines like most do. Instead of pounding post into the ground to run line from, my father used every available tree. Our line, if viewed from above, looked like the scribblings of a two year old child. But it didn't matter to my mother, as long as she had line to hang from. The clothes would gently wave and sway in the breeze, the sun reflecting off the whites and flashing about the colors, making our yard look like a mass of flagships had docked for the day. It didn't take long for the drying to take place, and with a few hours, I would be out there at my mothers side pulling clothespins off and folding clothes again. The clothes would be soft and wrinkle free, the wrinkles being beat out of them by the wind. My mother even hung clothes out in the winter, on the few sunny days we would happen to have. They would actually freeze dry. I was always amazed by this feat. I would bundle up and crunch through the snow and sure enough, the clothes would actually be dry. And they still picked up that 'fresh' outdoor smell that I grew up to love. What brought this subject to mind, is that I woke up this morning to a beautiful sunny, breezy morning. Its cool outside and the humidity is low. I had a load of clothes sitting in the washer waiting to be put in the dryer. Instead I piled them into the basket and took them outside to hang. I hummed a tune to myself as I maneuvered up and down the line, pulling clothes pins out of the basket, remembering my mom. When I was a child, it was a common sight to see clothes hanging in someones backyard. My mother would NOT hang any piece of clothing on the line that she would be embarrassed of. If our socks were to dirty, or underwear stained.... they did not touch the outside line. She had a line strung from wall to wall in the laundry room to hang these sad pieces of clothing. I mean, she did have her pride to think about!!! I realized that this is a sight that you don't see to much today. In fact, I don't think I have seen laundry hanging out to dry in a persons backyard in several years now. I guess, some subdivisions even have rules that don't allow it. How sad!!! Do young people today even know what it feels like to crawl into a freshly made bed with sheets and pillowcases that have been hung outside to dry. You bring in some of the sunshine that rains down on them during the day, and it smells so heavenly!!! |
| Tor is the center of my life. I love the man with my whole heart and soul. We met over the internet, being introduced by a common friend who happen to belong to a MSN Community that Tor belonged to, and also to a Community that I belonged to. I had been divorced for almost 20 years, committing my self to getting my son raised and not ever finding 'true' love. Tor had been divorced about 12 years with the same committment toward his son and feeling that he would never find that 'special' person out there. But then found each other!! We communicated over the internet for a while, then started calling each other on the phone. The phone calls became a nightly routine and we finally decided, after 6 months, that we needed to meet in person. I agreed to fly down to Houston (I lived in Michigan at the time)and made the arrangements, bought my ticket and packed my bags. My son had join the Army and was gone from the house, so I just had my dogs and other critters to worry about. My mother was frantic. "How in the world can you fly half way across the country to meet some MAN you hardly know?" she asked. "He could be an AXE MURDERER as far as you know," she stated. I assured her that I would be ok, and off I flew to the great state of Texas. Even though we had sent pictures back and forth to each other, I was worried if I would be able to recognize him in person, once I got there. "No problem," he said. "I will wear my cowboy hat, boots and a western shirt," he explained. I'm glad we have that all worked out, I thought. It should be easy to find him. BUT WAIT.... I AM FLYING INTO HOUSTON, TEXAS.... THEY ALL WEAR COWBOY HATS, BOOTS AND WESTERN SHIRTS!!! Now if he were to fly into Detroit dressed like that, he would have stood out like a sore thumb!!! To make a long story short, we found each other, spend a wonderful week together, and I think we both knew that we would really like to spend the rest of our lives together. He flew up to Michigan, I flew back to Houston and we finally set a date and got married. I moved to Texas as I just knew, in no way, could Tor survive a Michigan winter. I mean, this is a man who puts thermal underwear on when the temps get in the 50's!!!! I don't know what he would have done the first morning he walked out to his car and couldn't find it for all the snow that fell during the night. Not only the snow, but with the temperature hanging right around -15!!!! Having to get a heated dip stick for your oil and plugging it in nightly, scraping an inch or two of ice off your windows every morning, slipping and sliding to work.... NO... TOR WOULD NOT SURVIVE!! Tor flew back to Mich. and helped me pack up my car, and off we went, driving across country to the land of the Bubbas!! I put a bit of a feminine touch on the apartment he had at the time. He came home from work on afternoon and asked me what the heck that was hanging in the windows... I said, "Honey... they call those things CURTAINS"!!!! Now up until I moved in, this apartment had been inhabited by THREE MEN... Tor, his 21 yr old son and his 14 yr old son, and I don't think any of them knew how to operate a broom or dust rag. I went out and bought a broom and handed it to Tor. He got this really weird look on his face, looked at me and said... "um, sweetie... I think this broom is for right handed people," (he is left handed). I said, "Oh silly me, how stupid of me to give you a right handed broom." So I grabbed the broom and turned it around and handed it back to him..."there honey, all fixed." I think that was the first of his many, many growls that I so dearly love!!! Remember, I hadn't been married or involved with a guy for approximately 20 yrs. I had forgotten the strange language that they speak. Like all foreign languages, it comes back to a person pretty fast, once you start living in a house where it is spoken all the time. Take for instance when a man says: ITS A GUY THING!! This really means that there is no rational thought pattern connected with it, and you have no chance of making it logical. CAN I HELP WITH DINNER Really means, Why isn't it already on the table? UH HUH, SURE HONEY, YES DEAR This means absolutely nothing. Its just a conditioned response. IT WOULD TAKE TO LONG TO EXPLAIN TO YOU Means: I have no idea how it works TAKE A BREAK HONEY, YOU ARE WORKING WAY TO HARD Usually means: I can't hear the game over the vacuum cleaner THAT'S INTERESTING, DEAR Translation: Are you still talking? YOU KNOW HOW BAD MY MEMORY IS Translation: I can remember all the movies that Angelina Joli stared in, I can remember the name and address of the first girl that ever kissed me, I can remember the scores and plays of football games from 10 years ago, but I forgot your birthday. HEY, I'VE GOT MY REASONS FOR WHAT I AM DOING Translation: I sure hope I can think of something soon I CAN'T FIND IT Translation: It didn't fall into my outstretched hands, so I'm completely clueless WHAT DID I DO THIS TIME Translation: What did you catch me ? WE SHARE THE HOUSEWORK Translation: I make a mess, she cleans them up!! I am sure you know more of this language. There are always new phrases and partial sentences that Tor comes up with all the time. It usually doesn't take me long to figure them out. But as long as I understand him and he understands me... that's all it takes!! My language differs slightly from his.... it is big, long and tapered at one end and makes a great resonating sound when it hits his head. The plastic bats are great, as they don't leave marks!!! I remember one time, Tor was teasing the heck out of me. Just getting me down on the floor and tickling and picking on me. So I waited until he went to bed and took a big rug needle and some yarn and sewed him in between the sheets while he was snoring away. Then I took my plastic baseball bat and started whacking the heck out of him. It was so funny seeing him trying to come out from between those sheets. But I had to run like the devil once he did get out...hehehehehe Speaking different languages is fine in a marriage, as long as you both learn them and understand their meanings. Now the one thing I haven't learnt yet is this dang Texan twang that Tor has. Just ask Dan or CC about it!!!! |
| Our dog Mollie is a black lab. She has that typical lab personality, she will love you to death, especially if you feed her. She is very food motivated. She is also a smart dog, although Tor might argue about that. Smart and food motivation make training really easy. Mollie can learn just about anything I teach her, in a very short time. My main problem with her, is getting her to settle down enough to understand what it is I am asking. She gets so excited when I go to show her something new, that she does everything under the sun trying to figure it out. She can do the usually doggie stuff like sit, stay, lay down and shake hands. She can also give you a 'high five', she can speak and also sneeze on command. One of the things we are working on now is dancing. Dog dancing (or as the professionals call it 'Canine Freestyle') started out back in 1990 and has steadily gained popularity and now entertains a world wide populace. I happened across it one day while surfing the net. There are clubs dedicated to this sport and world wide competitions where people and their dancing dogs put on quite a show. In Canine Freestyle, the dogs are not doing versions of human dances, but a complicated choreography of turns, twist, side steps and pirouettes. Totally unleashed and free, the dog and owner work as a team maneuvering around the ring to the beat of fashionable music. To see a menacing Doberman dancing to the tune of Goldfinger, or a Bichon twirling and pirouetting to the music of Bach can be strangely moving. I wondered if Mollie could achieve the ability to dance across the floor, her four feet lightly gliding and springing through moves that no other canine dare attempt. Tor said that I would look like a mom who enrolled her child in the gifted program when really they should have been in Special Ed!!! The first challenge is getting the dog focus on your face. Tor said that would be the easy, "just stick a hotdog up your nose". Well, he wasn't far off. To get a dog to focus, you do actually hold a special treat in your mouth. I usually use cheese. Every time Mollie stares at my face, I give her the treat. She learns to concentrate totally on my face. This really was quite easy as the only thing Mollie wants out of life is to be able to eat until she explodes!! She would stare at me forever if I just kept chunking her pieces of cheese. After I gained the attention of Mollie, all I had to do was step backwards. She followed quickly. I gave her a treat. Then I stepped into her, and she quickly backed up. Another treat. On and On it goes. Forward, backward, sideways. Now circle and jump. It gets a bit more complicated, but I haven't made it that far yet. You see, Mollie has a problem. She seems to have an inability to simply walk in two diagonal lines. She triped up faster than Tor did when I tried it with him. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. And it really turned out that dog dancing did bring us closer together. It made me realized how well matched we really were. I was as lazy and uninterested in turning her into a champion dancer as she was in becoming one!!! Here is a link to a video that shows 'canine freestyle'. There is a place to click on for dial-up or DSL. I hope you can watch it, it is really neat!!! http://www.manbottle.com/video/Dog_Dancing.htm |
Have you ever set out on a task, a simple task, and hours later you realize you never completed it? It happened to me this morning. A simple thing like wash my hair. I do it all the time. Easy. Simple. Yeah right!!!! Tor left for work around 6:15 this morning. I signed on to WDC to check my email and my stats. Ok, I need to wash my hair as I am running over to Huntsville to check out a few jobs this morning. I lazily walk into the bathroom, yawning from the early morning solitude that still wraps itself around me. I notice that there is whisker debris in the sink, and soap splashed all around the cabinet and mirror. I grab the spray bottle of cleaner and proceed to clean the sink, polishing the faucets and wiping the mirror. I then see that the toilet rim is spotted and needs to be wiped. As I turn around from that chore, I see that there has been a hefty soil ring building up in my bathtub, so I take the time to get down on my knees and clean the tub. Ok, back to my hair, I need to get it washed so it will dry in time for me to leave this morning. I happen to look up and see this enormous dust web waving to me from the corner of the bathroom. Well, I might as well knock it down while I am thinking about it. So I go in and grab the broom, and sweep the dust web down, along with the rest of the cobwebs and stuffage I find clinging to the walls. As I go to put the broom back in the kitchen, I sweep the walls down in the hallway and livingroom. Oh no... gawd, look at the dirt and crap on the ceiling fan blades, that looks terrible. So I grab the ladder and wipe the blades off the fan in the living room and dining room. Now the cats are playing with the dust bunnies I knocked down. I grab the vacuum and go over the carpet real quick. Ok, I really need to get my hair washed. I head back into the bathroom and see that the cat has drug socks out of the bedroom. She does this all the time, I guess she wants something to mother. She will carry a sock in her mouth, dragging it between her two front legs while emitting this sorrowful meow. I will have 4 or 5 socks strung out all over the house by the time she gets done. I pick up the socks leading into the bedroom and notice that Tor has left some dirty clothes on his side of the bed. I pick them up and drop them in the laundry basket and decide to go ahead and get that load done and out of the way. So I put them in the washer. I look at the clock... shit... I need to get my hair washed. The dogs bark and I look out the window. We live next to a 'highline'... tall towers that carry electrical lines across the land. The electric company maintains the right-of-way, cutting the brush down a couple of times a year. They were out there cutting. I brought the dogs in and realized that there was some garbage thrown on the lawn from cars going down the road. Since I am right there at the door, I head out and pick up the crumpled McDonalds bag and drink cups and put them in the garbage can. Ok... back to getting my hair washed. I walk back into the house, and the dogs are begging for a treat. I give them each a doggie bone treat and fill their water bowl. The bird is jumping around, so I give him a treat too. Now the cats are all around my legs wanting to know why they are being left out.... ok, ok... you guys can have a treat. As I bounce around in the kitchen, I might as well do the few little dishes left over from this morning. Oh, and I have to get something out of the freezer for dinner. Gawd, I have to get my hair washed... so off I go back into the bathroom to jump into the shower. Let me just check WDC one more time to see if anyone has posted a new blog. And I might as well check my stats again so I can tell Tor if I stop by WalMart on my way home. I HAVE TO GET MY HAIR WASHED. So I force myself up from the computer and head back into the bathroom... I made it that time... finally!! I got my hair washed. Does that ever happen to you? It happens to me all the time... I have this tendency to get sidetracked real easy. I start out to accomplish something really simple, and before I know it, everything else is done except for the one thing I started out to do!! Oh well, I've got to run...... I'M LATE!! |
| I awoke this morning at 2am. The blinds were open on the bedroom window and the bright light from the full moon was streaming in casting shadows on the bed. I quietly crawled out of bed, trying not to disturb Tor or the two sleeping dogs stretched out on either side of us. I walked into the dark living room, and could see the cats all taking slumber on their favorite chairs in the silver illumination from the moon outside. The house itself seemed to sleep, the hushed atmosphere causing a gentle quietness to fill the rooms. I stepped outside onto the front porch and softly sat down in the chair. I felt like I was intruding on something sacred, glancing at a healing of the world "as CC put it in his comment to Dan" . The air was still, the night demanding a respect that a person feels when stepping into a church, a soul gripping respect, one almost of worship. There was not a sound coming from the earth. All was hushed as the silver light of the full moon cascaded down upon it. I sat there and prayed to my God, thanking him for the beauty of the night, thanking him for allowing me to see it, not only with my eyes, but with my heart and soul. While the people slept, the earth healed. I like that analogy (thank you CC). The air was crisp and refreshed, preparing for yet another sunrise and the beginning of a new day. The full moon in October is known as the HUNTERS MOON. Since the fields have been harvested, the leaves have fallen and the deer have put on a nice layer of fat preparing for the coming winter, hunters can easily see their prey in the light of the full moon. The Native Americans, mainly the Algonquin tribes located in New England and the Great Lakes, named the Full Moons to keep track of the seasons. There are a few variations, but in general, the same ones have been kept throughout history. Januarys Moon is known as the Full Wolf Moon. Wolf packs would howl hungrily outside the Indian villages during the cold deep snows of January. Thus the name given to this moon. Februarys Moon is known as the Full Snow Moon. This moon gained its name from the heavy snows that fell during the month of February in the Northeast. It is also known as the Full Hunger Moon since the heavy snows made hunting very difficult. March is the Full Worm Moon or as the Full Crow Moon. March brought on the thaw and warmed the ground which brought about the worms. Also the crows started gathering and the sound of their cawing signaled the end of winter. April was labeled the Full Pink Moon. Pink Phlox grew wild in the Northeast, and their profuse blooming in April gave the land a pink haze. May was known as the Full Flower Moon, or the Full Milk Moon. The soft spring rains and warming sun coaxed wild flowers into bloom. The land was full of color. The cattle, goats and horses were giving birth and milk was flowing freely, not only giving nourishment to their young, but to the Indians also. June is the Full Strawberry Moon. In the Northeast, Strawberries burst forth their fruit in June so this moon was christened with its name. July was known as The Full Buck Moon or The Full Thunder Moon. Bucks were seen with their new velvety antlers pushing through at this time. Also the summer thunderstorms became numerous and strong during July. Augusts moon is know as The Full Fishing Moon or The Blood Moon. The large fish of the Great Lakes were more readily caught during this time of year. Also, the full moon takes on a reddish tint as it rises through the sultry dusty haze. September is the Full Harvest Moon. The full moon rises early during this month, allowing the gathering of the harvest to linger long after the sun has gone down and way into the night. November was The Full Beaver Moon. The beaver had developed their lush fur for the coming winter, and this was the time to trap and tan the hides before the hard winter set in and ponds froze. December was named The Full Long Nights Moon. The short days and long nights of December were responsible for the Indians giving the moon this name. It was also called The Full Frost Moon since the nights were heavy with frost all the time now. Being from Michigan, I grew up with the names of the moon. I couldn't remember them all, and had to do a little bit of searching to refresh my memory. I love to sit in the light of a full moon, on a quiet night. Maybe its because I feel like I am being healed also, along with the Earth. My soul is refreshed and cleansed by the magic that takes place on that special night. Oh, for those of you who didn't know, a Blue Moon is when we have two full moons in one month. This doesn't happen to often, which is what makes it special. The second moon is called the Blue Moon. |
| Gawd, I have this terrible sinus headache. Do you ever get those? Not only do you have a terrible headache, but your whole dang face aches. My eyeballs hurt, my cheekbones hurt, even my teeth hurt!! Just to cough or sneeze makes my head feel like its going to explode. I would say its almost a migrane, but not quite. Then on top of it all, eat anything or even drink a small glass of water, I get real nauseous. I can't even take a sinus pill without bring it back up. I HATE THROWING UP!! I don't know why. I know its a very unpleasant body function that most everyone dislikes, but you don't understand.... I HATE IT! I will lay there all day fighting it, when I know that once I do, I will probably feel a whole lot better. But I won't, unless absolutely forced to by my body. I felt so bad yesterday that I didn't even give Tor any trouble. I usually harass him at least a few times a day, just to hear that wonderful growl of his. But not yesterday. He didn't know what to do! He kept asking me, "are you sure you are ok? Is there anything I can do for you? Why don't you go lay down honey, maybe you will feel better." Then he would tread so lightly through the house, looking in on me every few minutes. He hates it when I get sick. He is not use to having a pleasant afternoon all to himself with no teasing. I have to tell you about this one time I really got him, well there were a few times, but this once... He was hogging the computer one evening and wouldn't let me near the keyboard. 'Ok, I can fix this little problem' I thought to myself. I went in and took a bath and got my robe on. Then I walked back out to the living room where our computer desk is sit up and very politely ask Tor, "honey, can you run out to the car and get my book, I've just gotten out of the bath and have my robe on already.' "Sure honey," he innocently replied. He gullibly headed out the door. The second that door closed, I locked it. Then ran around and locked the side door. Hehehehehehe I sat down at the computer and saw that he was in a chat room filled with our friends, so I told them what I had done, and started yakking with them. They just laughed and hooted over the fact that I was telling them that Tor was banging on all the doors and windows trying to get back in the house. I heard some very interesting words come out of his mouth that night, while I had a blast in the chat room with all our friends!!! I finally let him back in. You know, we really need to get another computer!!! Oh, and there was the time I hid the mouse on him. Put it in the refridgerator down in the cheese bin!!! I told him it would be where any smart mouse would hole up!! Took him forever to find it, while I just sat there watching TV and snickered!! Gawd, I can't help but love the man. He is so much fun to play with!! Oh, don't feel so sorry for him, he does get me back with a vengence!!! lololol |
| Being a normal human being, I like a nice rum and coke occasionally, or a cold beer on a hot summers eve. Neither Tor or I drink much or often, but once in a while we will take the 15 mile trip to the liquor store to buy some refreshment. You see, we live in a dry county. Being a Yankee from Michigan, I didn't even know dry counties existed any more. I had studied about them in history books, but never thought I would actually experience living in one. It wasn't until I moved to Texas that I became aware that these outlandish ideas were still alive. For those who may not be aware of what a dry county is, you can not buy or sell any type of liquor within the county. You can travel out of the county and buy and bring it back in for your own use only, but you can't buy or sell it within the county. It really hurts when I find a great recipe that I want to try, like the Bourbon Sweet Potatoes I wanted to cook last Thanksgiving, but could not buy the Bourbon without having to drive 15 miles there and back for a small bottle. It just seems like a ridiculous law, and the young adults don't mind the drive at all. So all the neighboring counties are raking in the liquor sales from the business they carry on with Polk County residents. Another silly law here in Texas is the fact that you can not buy a sex toy or be in possession of more than six of them. Now again, I enjoy a good sex life and have owned a few toys in my life... but for someone to tell me I can't buy one or own more than SIX... now come on!! Are the men out there really threatened by their wives or girlfriends buying a toy or owning more than six? Is this only a TEXAS thing??? I mean, guys like toys too, especially when used by their girlfriends or wives in a seductive manner!!!! They arrested a poor clerk just the other day for an infraction of this rule. You see, he worked in an ADULT STORE, and they had a few SEX TOYS for SALE. They can sell all kinds of books, magazines and videos depicting sexual acts of all kinds... but don't you dare offer to sell a toy!!! You can walk out of such a store with a armful of explicit videos, but you better not have bought a TOY!! Quote: "Prosecutors argued that it is illegal to sell an item designed to be used for a sexual act." So not only does the "SIX" rule apply, but you can't even sell "ONE"!! So you can't buy a toy in Texas, and if you go out of state to buy, or go online ... don't you dare buy more than six!!! Gosh, I wonder if they are allowed to ship them to you? I will have to check the small print on the on-line sites and see if it says: "can not be sold or shipped to you fools in Texas"!!!! lololol Oh how wonderful to have to stand up in front of a judge and be charged with 'buying a sex toy' or to have 'more than six sex toys in your possession'. Oh Gawd, I could really come up with some good explanations as for my reasons for the above infractions. Sorry I got hung up on this today in my blog. I just sit here and shake my head at things that are so absurd and foolish that its actually funny!!!!! |
| I sit here at the computer today full of apprehension. I need to go out and find a job. Why does that elicit fear in me? I have worked all my life, worked hard jobs that required both mental challenges and physical challenges. I trained horses professionally for 15 yrs, then became an executive secretary for 3 yrs before divorcing my first husband and moving back to Michigan. I have worked in a Medevac office, doing payroll, scheduling our EMTs and working as a liaison between the county and our office over our medical services. I have worked in a candy wholesale business as secretary, accounts receivable and payable and warehouse control (it was a small company). I worked as a custodian for a school system in Michigan, being a shift leader over our midnight crew (12 people) at the high school, and then moving on to a head-custodian position in one of the elementary schools. Here in Texas, I worked in child care for a bit before landing a job with a telephone directory business as their sales secretary, handling all the contracts and money that our sales people brought in, going over ad contracts, proof-reading and doing PR work with our customers. I have not worked for the past year, after quitting the above job to take care of a very dear friend of ours that was dying of a brain tumor. But now its time for me to head back out into the working class. But for some reason it scares the dickens out of me. Is it because I have been out of it for so long? I think it is just a case of no confidence. You see, I have never had any formal training at all. Every thing I have learned is by trial and error, and I have always managed to finagle my way through by the seat of my pants. I always feel so inadequate, so 'not' qualified. Its almost like I lying when I put down the things I have done on an application. It would be different if I had been actually trained in something. I have always said that I can do a lot of things 'good', but nothing 'great'!!! My father always told me I had a 'good head on my shoulders' and that I should be able to do anything put before me. That's what I have done, but never felt confident about it. The last job I had was, truly, the most stressful job I have ever had in my 35 years of working. The owner of the company, along with the office manager were screamers. If things weren't done 'perfectly', they screamed... didn't matter who you were, or where you were at.... you could have been sitting in the break room eating lunch with 10 other people, and if they thought you had made an error somewhere... they screamed and banged fist on tables and yelled!! I never saw so many people cry, including myself... over a job before!!! Maybe that's why I am so apprehensive about going out again. But I do have to laugh. Back in Michigan I was an Union Representative. You see, Michigan is a Union State. You almost can't find a job without becoming involved in a union of some kind. Now unions are good, to a certain extent. They protect your job, your salary and your benefits. They have a down side, but that's a whole different story. Texas is a 'Right to Work' State. You can be hired and fired at any time. Now the employer is suppose to give good reason behind firing you, but that's really left up to the wind. They find all kinds of reasons out there to fire you. So there really is no job security, if you think about it. If the boss decides he wants a blonde secretary now, and you are brunette, he will dig up something to fire you. I saw it happen at the last job I was at. Some of the things that I hear people talk about down here, things that their employers have done to them, just get my riles up. It just irks me that they get away with it so easily. Like my former employer and how he and his office manager itimidated people by the screaming and yelling. People never laughed or smiled because they were so scared. Back in Michigan, I would have filed a harassment grievance, and taken it to arbitration if necessary. David is always telling me things that WalMart does that just make me growl. But they get away with it. Unless you want to hire big-time lawyers, pay out big time money, and challenge their work ethics, then there is nothing you can do. I have been told by more than one person, that when I go in for job interviews, DO NOT mention unions, and DO NOT mention that I was a union rep at one time. That will get my job application filed in the garbage can the minute I walk out the door. Oh well. I just have to buckle down and get my butt out there. There are not many jobs available in this small town of ours. I will probably end up driving in towards Houston to find something that will pay decent. I would prefer to find something a bit closer to home, and next week, will go around to some of the state and government agencies and see if they have any openings available locally. Ok, I have been rambling long enough. Anyone got an opening out there? With decent pay, good benefits and a fun working environment? I'm available!!!! hehehe See you all later!!!!! |
| Tor mentioned something in his blog today that I have to elaborate on! Tor does not like birds. Well, about a year ago, I found this cockatiel out in the middle of the road, caught it and brought it inside. Its got a nice cozy home now, in the corner of the dining room, where he can watch me in the kitchen, and also see us in the living room. He seems like a happy bird, fat and sassy. That’s the problem, you see!! When a bird is a happy bird, they have this tendency to chirp and whistle a lot. I happen to like chirping and whistling, Tor doesn’t. While I am bouncing around the house, the bird happily making his bird noises, Tor is sitting there growling and complaining!! He does not like birds!! Well, now that has changed. He has taken a surprising turn-a-bout with this bird. But let me back up a bit and explain first! I have no vent/fan hood over my stove to carry away the smoke when you cook. Now most of the time, there is no smoke, but when I am doing some hot frying, like steaks, there is a bit of smoke. I like to sear my steaks in a hot iron skillet, and cook them to a medium rare! Seasoned and cooked like this, they are delicious. But, it creates some smoke!! Without a overhead fan, the smoke has a tendency to fill up my kitchen fast. I open windows and turn on the ceiling fan, but there are times when my smoke alarm will go off. This just last a minute. The steaks are done, the smoke goes away and we settle down to an excellent dinner. Well, the bird has associated me cooking with the smoke alarm, and I must say, he does an excellent imitation of the sound it emits. I mean, he is so good at it, that last week Ricky, Tor’s 18 yr old son was visiting us, and the bird started beeping. Ricky picked up a newspaper and started fanning the smoke alarm. I chuckled and said, “um... Ricky...it’s the bird...not the alarm.” Lately, the minute I walk up to the stove, the dang bird starts sounding off: beep... beep... beep... beep... pause... beep... beep... beep... beep... Etc. Not only is it irritating, but then I hear this roaring laughter coming from the living room. “You must be cooking dinner, Honey,” Tor voices rather loudly. “The bird warns me ahead of time now,” he gleefully exclaims!!! "Gawd, I love that bird," he says with this wicked grin on his face!! Now its my turn to growl!!!! It never fails, every time I walk into the kitchen, the bird sounds the alarm. I think its about time for the bird to move to a more secluded location, like the back bedroom!!!! (just kidding) It is rather funny, and I do think its neat that the dang bird has made that association!!! But... I do have some tales to tell about Tor and Crockett. You see, Tor and Crockett have this love/hate relationship. They love each other, but Crockett loves to cause Tor all kinds of turmoil. Like the time Crockett got lose from his chain and ran down the road chasing the garbage truck one morning. Tor ran out of the house after him. Crockett ended up along side a well traveled road, by the time Tor finally caught up with him. Tor wondered why people were slowing down to look at him funny. It wasn’t until after he caught Crockett, that he realized that he had run out of the house in nothing but his boxer shorts and socks!!!! Hehehehehe (gawd, he will kill me when he reads that...hehehehe) Oh, and there was this one time... well, let me save that for another blog!!! |
| I love rainy days. I rush around and clean my house, dust, vacuum, make the beds and then I just sit back and enjoy the day. We all need rainy days in our lives. Mind you, nothing extreme. No lightening or thunder, no high winds or flooding. Just a nice steady soft rain that hangs around all day. The kind of rain that the good earth absorbs as fast as it falls. A real rainy day, not the deluge that last for a few minutes and then continues on its trek across the country. I mean a rainy day where you wake up and don’t want to crawl out of bed because it is gray outside, and you can hear the rain tapping on your window. You just want to snuggle up with your loved one and let the rain sing you back to sleep. The world seems to slow down on rainy days. People dart in and out of cover, heads duck against the lazy pellets of water cascading down upon them. They gather at entrances and watch this magical event, smelling the wet dampness as it spreads across the land. Umbrellas open, and a colorful parade marches down sidewalks as people splash through the puddles that form underfoot. Sounds are muted as the rain washes them away and replaces them with the drum of its own accord. A soft beating, echoing down the street, bouncing off windows and cars. Sunny days speed up life, with everyone trying to get a million things done before the sun goes down. We speed through life never seeing where we have been or where we are going. A rainy day allows us to slow down, forces us to take a breather once in a while. A rainy day changes the air. We have to dig out the umbrellas, skip our walks, and start a new book. It disrupts our mood and refreshes our spirits, calms our nerves. We say that the grass and flowers need rain, but I think it is really us that need a good soaking rain. That’s what we are having here in East Texas today. It reminded me of the Carpenter’s song “Rainy Days and Monday” Talkin' to myself and feelin' old Sometimes I'd like to quit Nothing ever seems to fit Hangin' around Nothing to do but frown Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down It was driving me crazy. You know what I mean. When you get a tune in your head and hum it all morning long. You try to think of another song, but find yourself always back in the same tune as before - Rainy Days and Mondays Always get me Down!!! Ahhhhhh, I love rainy days and Mondays!!!! |
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