Melissa's birthday, and the day after.

That's my first egg, that became a child of mine. The wild child, herself. Melissa Paige, last name Darling, at this time. I love her energy.

My sister and I ended up eating buffet Thanksgiving at the casino. It was pretty darn good! And we had alot of fun playing different machines. Ended up there for 5 hours or so, and I had to be dragged out, pratically by my hair. Lucky my second & third eggs were here to feed the horses for me. They tell me I owe them. Ha.

It's cold outside. 18 degrees this morning, but supposed to warm up to 50. That's not warm. I don't wanna go out there.

Thanks-giving 2010

This is where I would be oh so thankful for. Black sand beach in Hawaii. I can't even dream of being able to go there. Melissa went there on her honeymoon. Can't even go to my Dad's for the holiday cause my car isn't reliable.

I didn't mean it, Monte! I love you!


Mom is in San Diego (I could say something snarky about that), and my ungrateful children, spawned from my unreliable eggs (I believe the older eggs had degraded somewhat, and the earlier eggs had some slight genetic alterations), are feasting with their OTHER families, leaving only my steadfast sister and myself, on our own for the day. No cooking this year. We did that last year, and sat across the table from each other with a mountain of food, too tired to eat it, knowing we had to clean it all up.

No we're going out. Golden Corral is offering a Thanksgiving buffet this year, and the casino may be calling our names.

4 days off is a gift, and I intend to use it.

Here comes a holiday

This cunning trio played a Halloween trick. They went upstairs, changed into costumes, went out the back door and around the house, and knocked. The dogs went wild. I dragged Dickie into my room, and Cheryl answered the door. When she yelled at me to let Dickie go - I knew. They didn't get candy, they got a rock.

Thanksgiving is next week. Mom went to San Diego for 2 weeks. The kids go to their dad's. Last year it was my sister and I across the feasting table. This year, it seems it will go that way again. We've kicked around some ideas to have an interesting day, but we probably won't make a hard decision until the day before. Mel's birthday is the day after, just like the year she was born. I'm knitting a second panta for her. The first was given to someone else who requested it. Since she's lent me thousands of dollars of horse training dvds, it was my pleasure.

Got a load of hay on Thursday morning. I'm feeding soaked alfalfa cubes and cutting back on the hay, so let's see how long this lasts.

We're done with the WM CRS at work. Our plant rocked it in November, but I hear the bonus will be pitiful. And the xmas party will have snacks instead of dinner. There will be door prizes, but I wonder. I signed up for me & Rob to go.

Got to schedule IF on Friday, which is dang hard for one day going into a weekend. But it was fun to talk to everyone there again.

T - if you're reading this, thanks for being my solitary reader. I will try to be more consistent and quite more entertaining from now on. Love you.

Old times.

Had to be about '78. Mel about a year old. My old green Pinto. Cheryl driving, just like always. My best friend Jean in the backseat. Mom had this picture in a photo album, so she mst have taken it for some reason. Don't know where we were going.

Timberly's birthday on Monday. I took it off as a vacation day, she has the whole week. We're going on a shopping trip in Topeka with Melissa, and having lunch. I caught a huge head cold, so am resting up to make sure I can go tomorrow.

Life is just crazy.

Kentucky was a good time. Melissa at the one mile marker. Have no idea what this means.

Dad at the table. Last time, he only went from bed to chair to bed. He is doing exercises now, and really seems stronger.

Steve bought a whole prime rib, cut some steaks off for later, and cooked in the rotisserie. Excellent! The girls shot guns, rode a 4 wheeler, and we creek hunted with buckets. I knitted on my simply african violets scarf and passed where the pattern stopped. Had to finish my commissioned piece when I got home, but I'm back to working on it when I do watch tv in the living room.

I got a 3.something percent raise, and they've changed the pay periods. I get less on each check but there are 2 extra ones during the year. Have not caught up quite yet from the 5 day check period though. My raise was an exception, and I thanked my boss quite well. After all, they did save a whole salary paycheck by moving my coworker out, and I absorbed a good part of her job.

So I'm making good money, but don't want to go to work. That's crazy.

Bobbi is going to Johnson County, and working part time at the plasma donor place as a tech. She has some crazy stories to tell. And she hates pretty much all of it.

Kenny is doing his senior year online. He is still in trouble for crashing into a house. So I'm still in trouble for crashing into a house. Now, you have to admit, that's just CRAZY.

Timberly is doing beautifully at her job. She is doing special training, and she being reluctantly sucked into advancement. She loved her job as it was. That's crazy, and a good job, if you ask me. Mine used to be like that.

Cheryl finally got a medical card and gets $100 a month for 24 months, from the government, for support. That's your lifetime benefit. Crazy much? Also, when she gets her back disability pay, which is what they expect, so why they gave her the card, any medical expenses will have to be paid back from her back disability pay. Government freakin backwards politics crazy. And the new healthcare shit hasn't even gone into effect yet.

We had a tornado watch last night. Storm came in with rain and wind. Didn't hear the rain, but sure heard the wind. Went out to feed the horses this morning in shorts & flops, and skidded out of my flops into the mud. The fence has been lit and on every day. This morning, not. This afternoon, I go out to the front lot, and that tree lost another huge heavy branch and took out the 2nd and 3rd wires. Not the top or bottom. Got it lined out again, but need strong kids with strong backs to move the branch off the neighbor's fence. Tornado watch in September. That's just crazy.

Thanks, Teej, for following. I feel like a better writer, with an audience.

Labor Day Weekend!

The plant is shut down ALL 3 DAYS! Haven't done THAT in years. Some very happy hourly staff. I have alot to do. I have all my laundry from traveling last week. Dad seems better, stronger, less confused. It was great. Spent some time with Melissa, which hadn't done for a long, long time. Had dinner in a fancy Italian restaraunt, and 2 glasses of a Reisling white wine. Everyone at the plant was really nice. Nice customer meeting too. Haven't uploaded pictures either, yet. And my room is a mess. Hay coming tomorrow morning at 9. Hope this is a short easy day.

Dear Diary,

That damn addicting facebook... that's all I can say. But I'm going to try to keep this up, now.

Leaving for Evansville tomorrow with Bix. Tuesday is to be Logility web training, and dinner with the Unilever team. Wed is the Unilever customer summit meeting. Wed night, my sister and 2 of my daughters will drive in Bobbi's truck, spend the night with me, and in the morning, drive 2 hours to Dad's in KY. Sunday we will all drive back. I've got the company laptop and am getting the air card from Machell tomorrow. I'm mostly packed. Need to pick a knitting project to take with me. Oh, I'll just take the lady eleanor to work on. That's all for now.