Vacation

No, I'm not going on a vacation. I wont have any paid vacation time for a year, and then it will only be a week, so unless I win the lottery there wont be any vacation in the near, or far, future. Today I received my very last paycheck from the YMCA. My vacation check!! Three weeks of rest and relaxation in the form of cold hard cash. It's the biggest check I've ever gotten from them, and it goes immediately into the "cabin" fund. Not for a cabin really, but for a home of my own. Shovel my OWN walk, cut my OWN grass, have my OWN garden, and when the cops come it will be all for ME. lol

Not five minutes after writing my last blog there was a lot of hoopla around here, complete with the police. I didn't have the TV on, so it was hard to miss the drama. Some one arrived, banged on the neighbors door, said "Can ya help me out?" and went upstairs. Lots of yelling and banging around followed. Two squad cars pulled up, then a paddy wagon, and suddenly the someone who was visiting my upstairs neighbors was fleeing out the back door. *sigh* So all night when I let Sam out I felt uneasy because I didn't know exactly what had happened or if the person on the lam would return.

I did get my snuggler, my dog, my cat, and my snow, but the peace and serenity are a ways off. I am longing for a garden, I want to be able to have a dog(s) full time, I am tired of being semi involved in the neighbors nonsense, and I've had enough of landlords to last me the rest of my life! I want a home of my own dammit!! So now I have a clear goal to work towards, and work I shall. Nose to the grindstone and summer 2012 is not unrealistic.

Little Cabin

It's snowing again! Let me clarify, it is "snowing to beat the band". Visibility for driving on the way home was about two blocks. It's the kind of snow that piles up fast, and makes me long for a mountain cabin, a fireplace, and a good pair of cross country skis! Snowshoes wouldn't hurt either. Add in some good booze, reading material, my dog, cat, a good snuggler, and life would be just about perfect. Ok, it can't be just any old snuggler. I'm still at the point where only a certain one will do. BIG SIGH and rolling my eyes at myself.

That is so not the point of this blog, and it's trying to be. Bah, go away!

The point, or question that is rolling around in my mind is this. Am I a country girl, or a city girl? When I was a child I was a country girl, all tomboy and proud of it! I grew up into more of a city girl, or at least I pretend to be. I love the convenience of the city, but I so enjoy the peace of the country. I admit it, I like to play in the dirt. I loved riding the lawn mower and the four wheeler. Bon fires are awesome! Listening to the wind in the trees and the babbling of the stream, standing on the front steps at 3 am without a stitch of clothing on a hot summer night, looking at the stars....... well, you can't do that in the middle of the city! Ok, you could but you'd get arrested. Tossing rotten eggs across the stream into a hole in a tree was more fun than anything the city has to offer me, plus I am the champion. ;)

Maybe the question is not whether I am city or country, but can I commute? That would be a huge stretch for this Queen, who can time to the last second exactly how long she can stay in bed in the morning. I get everything possible done at night so that I can sleep every last second away. A commute would be irritating, especially on a night like tonight with all of the snow. So I guess what we've figured out here in this little chat is that I need to find a way to live in the country, and work in or close to home! Hmmmmm or make enough money to have two homes. Yeah, not being a preschool teacher, that's for sure! Pick up that novel and work on it dummy!!!

I can visualize it. Me, the cabin, pets, snow, fireplace, all of it. If you can dream it, you can be it! You just have to stop dreaming, and start working toward the goal. Eyes on the prize my dear. Eyes on the prize!

Oh say can you "C"

The other day I was chatting on facebook with a friend of mine, Melinda, who happens to be the Mom of a former preschool student. While I did not actually say the "C" word, I referred to it, and she was shocked. Not horrified, "I'm never speaking to you again" shocked, but shocked that I would say anything other than "tartar sauce" or "darn". At Preschool, of course that's all she or the kids here out of me. I have never slipped, not one time. It's funny how parents perceive teachers. *evil grin*

No, I don't use the C word, at all. It really offends me, which is very very hard to do. When Vicki ticks me off I will show her the letter C in sign language, and that's as close as it comes. The F word on the other hand gets a lot of use around here. It is my go to word for sure! Dumb ass, used to be quite popular, but then I got divorced..... ha!

I heard an interesting way to refer to someone as a "C" the other day, funny enough to share with you, and that's what Melinda and I were talking about the other night. You say "See you next Tuesday." Get it? C U Next Tuesday.

Well, that's all I've got today. Odd, I know, but that's what you get. See you....... later. :)

Stats

Wow! I have recently started checking my stats on the blog and I average five readers a day even when there aren't new posts to read. When I do post something new the number goes up to at least 20 a day! I have folks all over the world reading what I have to say. There are readers in Canada, Russia, Slovenia, England, Ireland, (I got a BIG kick out of that one.), France, and then of course the good old USA. So I guess you like me! You really like me! Ugh, the pressure.....

So HELLO to all of you that I've never met! I would love it if you'd leave a comment or even just a "cheerio" when you visit the site. I will try to write some witty and exciting things to keep you all interested. :) At the moment I'm too tired.

Milkie says "meow". She wants you all to know that it is one month today since she came to live in the lap of luxury, and she's loving it! Although drinking out of the toilet is still frowned upon. She does miss her Papa and Sam, but she does get some visitation. It seems to be working out well. She is a very different cat from Misty and Pepper. Independent and spunky, and that's alright with me! Something I can relate to. lol

Champions!

GO PACK GO!

It has been a wild season, and almost every game has been a nail biter. Today's battle against the Chicago Bears was no different. While it wasn't the game I expected to see, with Jay Cutler's non performance, and ultimate exit from the game, it ended up being too close for comfort anyway! I actually felt a little bad for the little third string quarter back guy. Yeah, I don't remember his name. However, I think we'll see him again down the road.

Clay was quiet, Woodson too, but Raji did a great fat boy dance in the end zone! Aaron Rodgers didn't have his best game, but it was enough to win the Championship. This isn't college, so a win is a WIN, no matter how pretty. This game really is the ultimate for me. We are the Champions of the NFC. Not the Vikings, not the Bears, the GREEN BAY PACKERS! A super bowl win would just be the icing on my cake!

So now I'm rooting for the Jets! I can't help but want a GB/Jets Superbowl that does not include Mr. Favre. How are you liking the purple now Brett??? Karma, it's a beautiful thing!

Chocolate Chips

"Friends are the chocolate chips in the cookies of life."

I've seen that quote many places, and it's so true. Nothing can make me feel better than an evening spent visiting with a group of my friends, or an unexpected phone call from a long distance pal!

My facebook page is mostly filled with people I grew up with, family, and then friends I've made along the way. There are one or two of the parents whose children I've cared for in the past, but they are there because we've become friends through that experience. Only a handful of people are there because they collect facebook friends like stamps, and yes, I knew them at some point so I accepted their invitation to be "friends." I love facebook. I love seeing what people are up to these days, watching their kids grow through pictures, etc. We all started in this one little community, and now a good portion of the friends I grew up with are spread out all over the country. I am not a fan of reunions, they are such a mess of people trying to put their best self (real or otherwise) forward to impress. I'd rather be a small part of the real lives they lead.

I get the biggest kick out of having a chat on facebook with someone I haven't seen in twenty (or more) years!

Girls night/ happy hour came to a screeching halt for me last fall, due to a falling out with one of the girls. Instead of remaining friends we are now mere acquaintances, and I guess I'm fine with that. I do miss her, but I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. I was very hurt by her behavior. The details remain between us, because some things in my life are still private. Yep, one or two! I miss the weekly get together, even though I could really do it bi-weekly and be content.

Anyway, I have been trying to get together with Lisa for happy hour, or dinner at least once a month since then, and every time we schedule something I have had to cancel. I was sick several of the dates, and then the last time we tried to go out I came home to Misty being so sick. Finally last night I was able to get to happy hour with her and Christina and it was awesome to be able to visit and catch up. I also work in the same building as Lisa now, so I can see her in the hallway!

Tonight my sister and my best OLD friend Vicki are coming over to chat and have hot buttered O's, and probably play the "Sorry" game I got the goovers for Christmas. Vicki and I spent many hours in her mother's kitchen playing "Sorry" TO THE DEATH. OOOOHhhhhh! I even have an UNO game around here somewhere. It will be lots of fun and laughter, with some stories and even a little sadness thrown in. Like it always is when old friends get together.

Vicki and I have known each other since I was three. It's funny to go from spending every waking moment possible with someone to just seeing them three or four times a year. Maybe only during one of those times do you have any "alone" time where you can really talk. I can't email at work, heck I don't even have comp access and never have had. She has a hard time chatting on the phone in the evening because she has young kids who she is away from all day long. So we catch up in snippets, and I wait for the day her kids become teens and can't stand her, so I can have her back.

Hmmm.... I wonder if I have any little bells around here for the "Sorry" game. When we were kids we saw people on a commercial playing the game and ringing a bell every time they said "sorry" to someone and sent them back, so we snuck bells out of her mothers HANDS OFF collection while she was at work and used them in our game. Hope Barb doesn't read my blog! It was Vicki's idea. Really!

Miss Muffett

I have no tuffet, I'm not even sure what that is. I really enjoy a good cheese curd, but I'll pass on the whey. The spiders? They like to shower with me. Yes, I have peeping spiders. It is 5 degrees outside, and there he is lurking on my bathroom ceiling. "Hey Daddy -O!" That's what I like to call them when I climb in the shower, look up and to the left and see one hanging out. It's always a daddy long legs, and always the same corner. They are more prevalent in the spring and fall, but I do get the occasional winter peeper too.

When the last fellow visited me I wanted to blog about it, but life stepped in and the incident was forgotten. If you know me, you know I am NOT a fan of spiders. However, if the shower peepers stay where they belong they live to peep another day. I have an eight foot ceiling, so they are safe up there in the corner.

One fall day, I hopped into the shower, and noticed the peeper in the corner. "Hello Daddy-O. You just stay there in your corner and we'll all be good." He did not listen. All of the others have listened, this must have been a rouge. He proceeded to crawl back and forth across the ceiling directly over my head. Can you imagine trying to shave your legs while keeping an eye on the ceiling? Then came the hair washing. I wet my hair, he's back in the corner. I lather my hair, he's off on a ramble. I rinse my hair, he's gone. Gone????? Panic mode sets in, and I look at the shower wall to my left. There he is, right at my eye level. I scream bloody murder and SPLAT. The end of the rogue peeper.

I read somewhere that there are so many spiders in the world that you are never more than 6 feet away from one at any given time. To say that creeps me out is an understatement. However, I've kind of gotten used to the peepers. As long as they stay in their corner, that is!

I am

I shovel, therefore.... I am. :)

This has been a regular old fashioned winter in the Northland! No global warming for us, thank you very much. While I have enjoyed the winters of fifty degrees and no white menace, I am really liking the snow this year. We had another five inches of fluffy snow last night, and it is a sunny, breathtakingly beautiful, crisp winter day. By crisp I mean three degrees. If I wasn't hacking my head off, and my ski poles actually lived with me it would be the perfect day to tottle around on the old cross country skis! I had hoped to blaze a few trails out in the country this year.... yeah, well. I guess not.

There has been light snow off and on all week, snow that finally picked up while I was running errands after work yesterday. While it did make the road slicker, and it was trying to ice up on the car window, it was the big puffy Christmas snow that we all love. Even if you are a snow hater, you know you love the Christmas snow. Admit it. While walking toward Target to pick up supplies for my cold, and Milk Bones for the dog, I was overcome by the need to catch the big flakes on my tongue. So there I stood, like a five year old, outside the big doors catching flakes, grinning like a nut.

I have Sam with me again, because of the snow. Leon works for the city on the hill, and is on the sub list for snowplowing. So let it fall! Sam is a snow dog. She loves the snow more than just about anything. Right behind her Papa, Me, and food. No matter how cold it is she sticks her head right in it every time, and she rolls on her back to make snow angels, which I call Sam angels.

There are a few other perks of winter cold, like hot toddies, and soups, stews, chili, etc that just don't appeal to me when it's warmer outside. I purposely put dark chocolate truffle in the coffee maker today so I can have a warm cup later with some Bailey's in it. So my plan for the rest of this cold day is to:

1. Take care of my cold.
2. Find the stupid mailing tape.
3. Have left over Chinese.
4. Watch an old movie or two.
5. Try to remember to turn on the dishwasher.
6. Watch some Packer football!
7. Have a hot toddy!!!
8. Popcorn. At some point there must be popcorn.
9. Oh yes, and play with the cat.
10. Let the dog out, let the dog in, let the dog out, let the dog in, let the... you get the picture.

It's a good day to be me!

Hand me the Cream

A few weeks ago, when clearing out my desk at the Y I put a large tube of hand cream into my purse. When I did this I thought "Don't put it there, you will never remember to take it out and something bad is going to happen." Why do I never listen? I am so stubborn I wont even listen to myself!

So of course I go into my purse and take out the wallet to pay the AVON bill online, and when I get back to the desk I notice a white smear on the front of my sweater. I think, "What the heck did I get into from the table to here?" Then I smell it. It happens to be a return that I kept for myself, and I don't really care for the smell. Lucky me. Off I go to investigate the damage. Already I can see that the wallet has a bit on it, and that's where I picked it up from.

I have at least 20 pieces of random paper in my purse, so I figure I'm safe. Do I not know how these things always go? I thought maybe the top came off, and just a little came out. Sometimes I amaze myself with my naivete. The entire end of the tube blew off when I clunked my purse (or feed bag as it has been called) down at some point. Not one piece of paper in my purse had even a speck of hand cream on it. It was all on the calendar, calculator, brush, comb, and the little purse for feminine supplies that I keep in there. That got the worst of it. The inside of my purse also had a liberal supply smeared around on it. How did it miss the paper??? Well, if we play the Pollyanna " Glad" game, at least I have a clean purse. What a day. Pass the rum please.

Wild Card

Are you ready for some football???

My team, the Green Bay Packers, are up against Michael Vick and the Eagles today. I used to be a fan of the Eagles, but I am no fan of Michael Vick. Some people deserve another chance, some don't. I hope he continues to make the most of his, but not today!

While my parents were not football fans, I have always loved the game. Sunday's were spent down at Vicki's house watching football with her and her dad. We called him Pop. He was a huge Viking fan, as is Vicki. This never swayed my love for the home team, Green Bay. It was fun rooting against the Vikings while I grew up, and it has continued with Vicki to this day. We used to have a super secret bet on the Packer/Viking games, but that fizzled out a few years ago. If her husband checks this blog (and I doubt it) it is secret no more.

I really enjoyed watching Brett Favre's career grow at Green Bay. He is just two weeks younger than I am, so I really appreciate all the Grandpa/age comments floating around out there. :) We kind of "grew up" together, he actually broke the touchdown record on my birthday a few years back, and it broke my heart when he decided to play for the Minnesota Vikings. How could it not be a slap in the face? How? He knew full well it would be. I loved watching him play for the Jets, a team I could root for. While I admit I enjoyed watching the fall of Favre after he joined the Vikings, it sickens me that this is how his career ends. Instead of the fresh face young man running around like a nut on the field, winging the football any which way AND loose, but almost always to victory, I think of the old worn out Viking and his very questionable morals. I don't judge, I'm just saying how do you not think these things are going to stay quiet???

That being said, I now love watching Aaron Rogers lead this team. He is cool, confident, and gets the job done. Clay Matthews ROCKS, and I'm looking forward to seeing him sit Michael Vick down on his butt several times today!!

Hibernate

It is 7 degrees out right now. The furnace is working overtime, and I am bundled in layers. I should go out and brave this to deliver an AVON book, return some DVDs to the library, get some taco supplies for the big Wild Card game tomorrow (Go Pack!), and get some laundry done at Kate's. None of these errands are essential, but I'm really hungry for tacos! If it were a nicer day I'd already be sitting at Kate's playing with CC. I've been up and at em since 9. I just can't stand the thought of going outside, and my car is in a garage!

This week the kiddos learned about hibernation. Oh, wouldn't that be heaven??? Gorge yourself all during the summer and fall so you could sleep away the cold of winter? Wake up in the spring 50 pounds lighter, ready for swimsuit season! Where can I sign up?

The Box

Once upon a time in 1970 (or earlier) people had rabbit ears on their television sets. Periodically you would have to move the ears to get reception, some people even had little foil extenders to help the channels come in. I remember ears on our TV sets, but no foil was necessary. We had an absolutely HUGE antennae on the roof. That thing could have picked up messages from outer space if need be. Now I'm wondering if it is still on said house. My brother Jerry still lives there, I'll have to ask him. I don't notice that kind of thing. (I asked and apparently Dad took it down while I was still living there.....see, I'm oblivious.)

So anyway, here I am in 2011 and because I choose not to have dish or cable I have to have a converter box and antennae. Now a few years back I did just fine with the regular old rabbit ears on the TV. I found reception right out of the gate and never looked back, until the box came along. Ahhh the converter box. I hate the converter box.

It was confusing enough to set up, let alone having to deal with a dvd player in the mix, but I prevailed. So I have TV, most of the time. I also have phantom channels that I have to scroll through to get to the real ones. I've tried multiple times to remove them, but no dice. So I just scroll, scroll, scroll, my remote, gently down the stream.... sorry, I'm tired.

The best part of the converter box (sarcasm) is the nonsense I've been dealing with this week, and deal with every time the shows are new. This did not happen during the holidays one time. NOT ONCE! The minute prime time hit on Sunday night the TV started going in and out and I got the no signal message. Every night this week it's the same thing. There is no inclement weather, only new TV programming. Shows like Dancing with the Stars, and American Idol always have break up, no matter how many times I move the antennae.

Do I look like I just fell off the turnip truck??? Do "they" think I'm not onto "them"? I honestly think it's a conspiracy to get everyone to buy television. Now, I'm not normally a conspiracy theorist, but I can prove this! Come on over to watch the television when American Idol starts. You'll miss half of it, but hey, the Goovers gave me a great big popcorn popper for Christmas!

To whom it may concern. I am NOT buying television. Not now, not ev.... well, not in the near future anyway. While I enjoy the Discovery Channel, Hallmark, and catching All My Children at night, it just isn't worth the money for the amount of TV I would actually watch. So go ahead and keep messing with the signal during prime time. I have a whole pile of books sitting right over there (looks to the left) just waiting to be read. :)

P.S. While writing this the news has come on. It has been 15 minutes, and not one lost signal. Not one.

Runnin' on Empty

Wow! I am exhausted. I still haven't recovered from playing Mommy dearest for a few days to my nieces. I should have gone to bed early with the little goovers, but I couldn't resist staying up and having slumber party fun with Ashlyn! Who could turn down Rock Band 3, or Monopoly? We even watched Christmas Vacation, which she had never seen, on Saturday night. That was probably the earliest bedtime for us, somewhere around eleven. If I hadn't been visited by the sleepwalker, the lost pillow child, one cat dropping mouse toys by my head, and another cat just starting nose to nose with me, during the course of the night, perhaps I would be better rested.

My new job is kicking my butt to be sure. I'm just not used to this many kids at once anymore. It's what I used to do every day, so I'll catch up, but WOW. That was all she could say, wow. ( Kids book reference, anyone know it?) I knew all their names by 10 a.m. yesterday, but I still get them confused. I'm used to knowing the kids in my care inside out, backwards, and upside down. These guys are a mystery. One that it will take a little time to unravel, since there are so many of them!

Yesterday I came home and promptly fell asleep. I'd like to take a nap today, but I'll either stay up too late, or wake up in the night like I did last night. I am enjoying getting done at 3:30 though! I'll enjoy it even more in the warmer months.

Skating

Goovers On Ice.... the final chapter?

Actually it's the beginning. The other side bar to the goover on ice story is the fact that their Great Grandfather was the first ever attendant at the rink in Alloueze! My Grandpa Meys lost part of his leg in a train hopping gone wrong when he was in his teens. It was hard to find a job back in those days if you were disabled, but he was eventually able to get on with the City of Superior, and worked as a janitor I believe (?) and also as the Ice Rink Attendant at the Franklin (Alloueze) rink.

My Dad taught me how to skate at that rink when I was just two years old. (on single blades, I told you I'm talented) He also taught my brother Jerry, and my sister Kate, and I taught my youngest brother David. I also have taken Ashlyn there since she was about four, and taught her to skate.

New Years day was always a skating day for us. Dad would line us, and assorted friends, up on the couch, put on our skates, pack us into the Volare wagon like sardines, and head on down to the rink for the afternoon. He didn't just sit there, he skated with us. Then he would make home made hot chocolate upon our return. Some other Sat afternoons he would take us to Wessman for indoor skating, but going in the circle has never appealed to me. I had actually forgotten about that until I started writing this.

Mom was not an outdoors woman, of any way, shape, or form. She did take her turn bringing us to skating lessons though, but that was always indoors. One time she got up on my roller skates though. I have some fabulous pictures somewhere of that! There aren't any of Dad skating though. He never brought the camera, and that was a few years before the invention of the cell phone. :)

Creeper

Goovers on Ice part deux!

Once upon a time, three years ago this coming May, I thought Internet dating would be a fine way to torture myself...... again. I met Aaron, who had no photo online, so I broke whatever rule that is. :) I'm too lazy to go back in the early blogs and look. Take it from me, you don't want to break that rule.

I don't have the energy this evening to get into the whole story. There was just the one outing for ice cream. My sister in law, Elise and my niece Ashlyn happened to be in the mall where we were and got a nice view of the red suspenders. As Ash would say, "DUDE!" It wasn't good.

Of course, the creepers always try and get into my space, and I have real issues with people in my personal area. I do not like to be touched by people I don't know. If you come up, start a conversation, and put a hand on my shoulder, you are likely to lose the hand. For whatever reason, kids never set that radar off in me, they are always all over my space, and that's fine. Aaron tried to put his arm around me when we were leaving and I thought "If I am sending any kind of a signal that touching me is OK, there is something seriously WRONG with me!"

So I gave him whatever spiel I did at the time, the friends speech, whatever. I'm always polite, and according to Leon that was my problem. When I finally threatened Aaron a few weeks later, after numerous phone calls, with reporting him to the website, the police, etc, if he didn't leave me alone his comment was "Well, you weren't mean to me." Uh, ok. Why did I have to be? He did, after that email, leave me be. I have to say though, he creeped the hell out of me. The bells were ringing loud and clear in my head, and they did just as loudly a year later when I ran into him.

Ashlyn and I had gone ice skating at the East End rink. I knew he worked a few of the rinks, so we looked out for his car, but didn't see it. We didn't even think the shack was open so we got our skates on in the car. Ash realized it was, so we brought our boots inside and guess who was sitting there? I got out of there as fast as I could, as there were no other adults or kids. We went and skated for a bit, it was a warm Sat afternoon, someone would come and join us at some point. Wouldn't they? As soon as other adults came around we were getting our boots and getting the heck out of there. We skated for an hour and not a single soul showed up. Aaron kept coming out and walking around the outer part of the rink, but Ash and I stayed on the far side. I felt awful inside, totally creeped out, and responsible for a teenager on top of it. At least I was wearing a weapon. :)

For whatever reason I could not face walking into that shack again and spending the time to take off our skates and get our boots on. I figure that I have these warning bells for a reason, so I ended up calling my brother in law Tom, who came and saved my bacon. He went in and got our boots and waited while we changed into them outside.

I knew that taking the goovers skating at Alloueze there was a good chance I was going to run into him again. It's funny how you perceive things as time goes by. My whole attitude is different these days. We ran smack into him in the warming shack. I rolled my eyes at Ash and we got our skates on. Oh, you KNOW he came over to me. "Don't you skate out in South End?" He received the green eyes of steel. If you've pissed me off you know the look. "NO.", was my only reply. Then I promptly ignored him and finished my skates.

As I said to Ash, he either knows that he knows me, but can't remember where from, or he wants to know if I remember him. OH I remember YOU alright, but you don't need to know it. When we got our boots back on he didn't come into the shack, and hopefully that is the end of the creeper story for good.