Happy Thanksgiving!

This week I read a post with ~ what I assume is a 20-30 year old woman ~ ranting over how we've all been fed (haha) a bunch of baloney about Thanksgiving.  That the history in the books is wrong.  And I had to agree that the history books of my childhood were not based on fact, but a not-so-subtle twisting of how it really was so that all of us immigrants can feel good about ourselves.  However, I did bristle when she highly criticized basically all Americans for celebrating this holiday which is, as she explained it, based on lies.  Then the shit storm hit facebook.  Some agreed with her but the overwhelming majority supported Thanksgiving as more than just a continuation of a historical fabrication.  In fact I would feel confident in saying that it's something different to all of us.

For my family, who had very few "traditions", it meant we had turkey, dressing, gravy, vegetables of some kind, bread and then a selection of pies.  Pumpkin.  Pecan.  Apple.  We sat down after Mom cooked all day and ate that beautiful meal in what ~ 15 to 20 minutes?  If we had company then there might have been conversation, jokes, laughter that might have been lacking when it was just Mom, Dad and us two girls.  It all depended on how well Mom & Dad were getting along on that day. 

Mom would then dutifully put up the Christmas decor the day after.  Of course my sister and I helped with all that stuff.  Cooking, putting up the tree, making cookies before Christmas.  But my Mom wasn't a happy woman.  And her unhappiness showered down on the rest of us.  So, although my sister and I weren't depressed or sad all the time, we certainly were not as happy as we might have been if our parents didn't despise each other. 

I'm sorry!  This is supposed to be about Thankfulness ~ and I am so very thankful of all we have.  We had a great dinner today. The turkey was good (ok, it was just a tad dry on the legs).  The dressing was excellent.  The focaccia bread ~ which I thought was good ~ Romeo didn't really care for.  But we have a nice home, that's warm and homey, our health ~ when others are struggling.  Life is good.

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Love to you all!
365

Sort of just another Friday........

Today was a regular Friday ~ work until 2pm, come home all cranky because I haven't had any lunch yet, because we work straight through w/no lunch break.  Which is ok because I'd rather get off an hour early.  It's Romeo's Friday off from putting my lunch together, which he does the other work days. 

Remember Ms. Loud?  (how can one forget, ha ha) The week before this one she came into work sounding sick.  Coughing, and stuff.  Well, she came over to my desk, leaned in REAL close to do something on my computer, and bingo ~ I end up with strep too.  She did apologize, but that doesn't give me back the time off I had to take on Tuesday.  And I had all my vacation days planned to the minute, with a carry over of 2 days for next year, which will now be one.  Wah wah wah, I am just a whiner, but it still ticks me off.  If you don't feel good at work please don't make certain your coworkers will end up with whatever plague you might have, will ya?

This week it seems like I suddenly realized that Thanksgiving is next week, so I scrambled to find my teeny tiny turkey ~ and found a 7.3 pound one.  Perfect for two of us.  Since our family doesn't travel much, and Thanksgiving is basically a long weekend, it's always just us two.  I don't want a 12 - 16 pound turkey where we end up with way too much in left over turkey.  A few days of leftovers is great, but 8 more meals is too much.  So, I scratched that off my list, but it isn't making much of a dent ~ this is the start of the silly season after all.

Well, enough bellyaching for now.  Enjoy your weekend!
Love, 365

Happy Friday & more about the end.....

Believe it or not, this is a burial ground.....

Yeah, I apologize to all of you that really, really don't want to discuss our inevitable end.  All of us will die someday.  That doesn't mean we want to think about it much less talk to our families about it.  It's an uncomfortable subject.  Maybe we just don't want to be overwhelmed ~ & believe me, it is overwhelming.  I had to change my final wishes due to religious reasons.  But the idea of being "preserved" with embalming frankly grossed me out.  In my research for a natural burial, I discovered that New Mexico has a burial ground just south of Albuquerque.  No embalming.  No fancy caskets.  Much more affordable than the traditional funeral home service ~ after adding everything up, it is more than $5,000 less (because the plan I had discussed last week didn't include a place to actually bury in).  There may have been something I failed to add in, but it came to just a tad over $3,000. The only sticky wicket is that you are buried within 24 hours or so.  Obviously.  So if you have family out of town, they will likely miss it, but since they include GPS coordinates, they can always go out if they want to.  I know this sounds very depressing to some.  But I will feel so relieved that Romeo won't have to make these plans if I die before he does.  I'm doing it for him and the rest of the family. 

This type of burial is sometimes called "green", and for good reason.  No poisonous embalming fluid seeping into the ground.  No toxic fumes released into the air with cremation.  Even though that's not my main concern, it's good to know.  Ok, so there.  Now you know!
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Howdy!

I am so glad for this 4 day weekend coming up.  I don't have a lot on the calendar, which is why!  Although I do need to find a turkey.......and edible turkey, haha.  Last year I was so lucky to find a small one, I think it was around 8 lbs, which is perfect for the two of us.  Basically it's just a large chicken :-)

The weeks after this one become increasingly busy.  Cookie baking.  Decorating.  Parties (although there are only a few).  Church services of course.  Somehow I manage to dread and feel excited about it all.  Of course included in all this is buying a few gifts ~ mostly for the kids.  Our family draws names at Thanksgiving, so there's only one item to purchase.  Takes a little pressure off.  The pressure is to make sure I get it sent off on time ~ I have cut it very close a few times.  

Enjoy your weekend!

Love, 365

The silly season is nearly upon us......

I know you've seen this too....

 

Oh, boy, here we go.  The Christmas decor is up everywhere.  I noticed it at Costco before Halloween, but I suppose that has been true for a number of years.....the time they put it out is earlier and earlier.  In fact, some people on FB have announced that they've already put up their tree.  Not sure if they did outdoor decorations, but the tree is up!!  

 

Well, I may have started my Christmas shopping, but I am not putting up any trees until after Thanksgiving.  I love fall decor.  And the tree & other decorations gets old.  Why put it up so early?  ARGHHHHHHH.  My sister said it's because there's not as much time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but that sounds a little lame to me.

 

My co-worker was out all week last week with the flu.  I am glad she didn't come in because I didn't get my flu shot until last Saturday.  I've had the flu before, and it wasn't any fun at all.  At the same time, it was rough doing both of our jobs.  The other two co-workers only helped me out after they got their coffee :-( The 7:45-8:30 period is one of the busiest!  I did say something to our OM, and she said I should ask.  Well, the problem with that is, I was so busy I had no time to ask.  Sheesh.  One thing I did do when my moral was at the bottom was look at the want ads.  But as I've said before, I really hate losing all my vacation time.  And I have the maximum amount now that I've been there for nearly 5 years.  Wah wah wah.  I'm really being a cry baby, huh?

 

Speaking of crying, I met with a funeral home rep this weekend to put together a pre-paid funeral.  Although I see the need for it, it is not a fun conversation.  What kind of flowers? (I don't know). What type of casket?  (Uh, that one). What about the limousine service?  (I guess so).  On and on.  Way more details than I ever thought possible.  And, wow, is it expensive.  My original plan was cremation, but for religious reasons, I now need a standard funeral.  What a racket, eh?  It is expensive to live AND die.  

And so, given the "downer" nature of my post, here's something to chuckle at:

 

Have a great week y'all!

Love, 365

This and that......

My daughter-in-law sent this pic of my Grandson in Halloween costume....

The funny part is his name is Frank :-)

Frank-furter?  Lol

The last time I enjoyed Halloween was 25 years ago.  Seriously! I enjoyed it when my kids were young but now it's just a giant pain and too much candy laying around.  I didn't want to wear a costume for work, but I remembered my graduation cap and gown, so I wore it.  Still, I would have preferred to wear my regular work clothes ~ that cap wrecked my hair, haha.  Even though I "participated" in the costume thing at work, my coworkers didn't include me in the photo's they took.  Why?  I have no idea.  I know I am too sensitive, but it kinda made me feel like an outsider.  

Which got me to thinking about how few friends I have.  Maybe Romeo's loner mentality is rubbing off.  Then I saw this:

Loners generally have a small circle of close friends and have higher standards for their friendship and trust. They enjoy spending time with their friends but do not depend on and attach to them like others, though they are highly loyal. ... Funny enough, both introverts and extroverts can be loners.

Yeah, so I'm good.  That's the thing about work.  It's like your in-laws ~ you didn't really choose them, they're just there and it's up to you (or me) to find a way to work with everyone.  Mostly when they are getting together to gossip (by which I mean any conversation that doesn't have anything to do with work and not necessarily talking about someone) and it's not a conversation I have any interest in, I just go to my desk and you know...........work.  Lol.

It's my Friday off.  Unfortunately I don't have Monday off next week like I normally would, because the Doc took (his words) too much time off and wants to make up one of those days.  :-(  Bummer.

Have a great weekend!

Love, 365