Sweaty hands and feet....

Mesa Verde

***Ugh.  I committed myself to not talking about work, so although I'm dying to write about what's happening, I won't.....but it's killing me to keep quiet.  

I have been working on my resume.  Had I ever mentioned that I hate writing them?  Yeah, well, I do.  It's agonizing.  How to make myself sound good without sounding overly-good.  You know?  I was working on it a few minutes ago, and my palms are still sweaty.  I think I may have some anxiety issues!  Plus, I worry about finding a job.  I figure if I quit tomorrow, we would be OK for about 3 months.  Then, things would get very difficult.  And I worry that it very well may take more than 3 months to find another job.  I did apply with Costco, simply because I want to do something different, and I have read reports that they treat their employees well.  No point in going from the frying pan to the fire.  I am also planning on applying at Trader Joe's, as I have heard the same about their company.  Might as well put my considerable customer service skills to use.  

If anyone out there has any suggestions for me, please let me know.  

Love, 365

A belated Father's Day post....

New Mexico sunset ~ from my backyard.

A week ago, I read the Boston Herald piece written by Suldog.  It was a wonderful tribute.  And I considered writing one about my own father.  But, in the end I honored my own husband and decided I would write about my father later on.

~He passed away 5 years ago.  He was undergoing lung cancer treatment, which metastasized to his brain.  It was quick and relatively painless.  My sister, my two boys and I had gone to visit him, because his wife had called and told me that if I wanted to see him, I'd best do it soon.  I had not seen, nor spoken to him for nearly 10 years, and only sporadically for the 15 years before that.

  It's a long and painful story to tell.....why we hadn't spoken to each other....one that I don't want to elaborate on.  Neither my sister or I had any idea that he had been battling cancer, as he never called us.  His wife Lucy, (not our Mom, as you may have guessed) treated us with disdain....because she had no idea of the history we shared.  It doesn't matter now, but at the time there was a tiny part of me that wanted to explain so that she wouldn't have such a low opinion of us.  When she posted his obituary, she neglected to mention that he had two daughters and four grandchildren.  It was as though we didn't exist....but I understood, because she thought that he had tried to call us from time to time, and apparently "we" never returned his calls.  It's all water under the bridge.

  My father was in the Air Force.  Spent 3 years in Vietnam.  He had an abusive father, which he then worked out of his system by being abusive himself.  However, that last visit, I had the opportunity to hug him, and whisper to him that I forgive him.  I wished him peace.  That was the last time I spoke to him, and you know?  I am so glad I was able to say goodbye.  So even though Lucy was unkind, she managed to give me closure, and hopefully, a measure of peace to my Dad.  

Love, 365

And I have made a major decision about my future......

Scottish Terrier puppy...Bing images

As I write, I can feel my heart pounding, my palms are slightly sweaty, and no small amount of adrenaline is coursing though my veins.  I have decided to find a new job.  After nearly 19 years at my current one.  I'm excited and nervous.  It's a perilous thing, looking for a new job while working at your current one.  Hopefully current boss won't find out I'm looking, which is somewhat a risk when you send off your resume (another thing that makes me nervous, I hate writing resume's).  If anyone has any suggestions on how to word "please don't call my boss until you're sure you want to hire me", please feel free.

I deserve happiness.  I deserve to feel good about going to work everyday.  

Ok, here goes...........

Love, 365

Happy Father's Day!!

I was going to write about my father, but changed my mind (I'll write about that later).  This post is dedicated to my husband.

~Thank you for:

-always being there

-being calm when the situation is chaotic

-helping with homework, all the way up to helping with fixing the teenagers car

-your support and advise

.....and lots of stuff that just goes along with being a Dad, like teaching your son how to grill a good steak, and the finer points of changing the oil in the car.

When the car my son's grandmother gave him finally crapped out, my husband found & bought this for our youngest:

(although this isn't it...this is a photo from bing images, and doesn't show the hardtop).  It didn't have seat belts (we had to put them in), but did have an 8 track ("what is that thing???").  He loved taking it out 4 wheeling, but hated the fact that the top speed was around 55, so he couldn't take it on the highway.  When he was in an accident in it, I was terrified....but the other car ended up being totaled, and his truck only had a dented fender.  Oh, how my husband loved that vehicle....he should have kept it for himself when it was finally sold for a Toyota.  

Of course, parenting is one of those things that teaches the parents lessons that they never expected.  It's wonderful and terrifying.  

Happy Father's Day to all of you Dad's out there!  We love you for all you do!

Love, 365

King Ranch Chicken ~ San Antonio style!

Bing images ~ mine doesn't have corn in it.....

I was having a little trouble finding my recipe for King Ranch Chicken, so I was looking online for it.  I did find my own recipe (my Mom gave me a ladies club cookbook, of which I don't recall the name of, unfortunately), and my recipe is definately superior.  If you've never tried it, here's the recipe:

King Ranch Chicken

One 3 lb chicken, cut up (I use 4 chicken breasts-skinless & boneless)

1 med onion, chopped

1 rib celery, chopped

2 tsp salt (although I don't put any in mine, because the soup & cheese have plenty of salt)

One 10 oz can cream of chicken soup

2/3 cup canned tomatoes with chile (Rotel)

1/2 tsp instant coffee ~ this is the secret ingredient.  Do Not Omit!!

12 corn tortillas, cut into 1/2 in. strips

2 cups cheese grated (cheddar, or a mixture of cheddar & whatever...)

1 cup onion, chopped

**Cook chicken in simmering salted water, seasoned w/onion & celery until chicken is tender.  RESERVE 1 1/2 cups of the broth.  Skin & bone chicken (see, that's why I use the chicken breast, it's easier) & cut into bite-size pieces.  To make sauce, combine chicken broth, soup, tomatoes & instant coffee.  Heat & season to taste.  In buttered baking dish, layer chicken, tortillas, cheese, onion & sauce.  Repeat layers, ending with cheese.  

Bake for 1 hour at 400 degrees.  Serves 8

This recipe has a bit of preparation, so I usually make it on the weekend (like Sunday dinner).  You could cook & chop the chicken the day before & then finish & cook on a week night (unless you are blissfully free during the week ~ retired, or something).  

I love this recipe, so wanted to share.  

Love, 365

P.S. It's even better as leftovers!

Ahhhh, the cast is off!!

Chaco Canyon.....Zen with clouds

Finally!  I had my cast removed on Tuesday.  It was everything I hoped it would be.....complete with a slightly withered appearance of my forearm and flaky, scaly looking skin.  The orthopaedist said it wasn't completely healed yet, and suggested I wear a splint when I am doing something, and leave it off if I'm not doing anything, and to gradually wear it less often.  Then they asked me to sign a waiver for the splint "in the event that insurance does not cover the cost, you will be responsible for the $299.00 price tag".  Uh, OK.  I suppose that's why we have an FSA account, to cover shit the insurance doesn't want to. Oh, yeah, never mind that I broke my wrist.....and yet I rant for no reason (yet) because I don't know whether or not it will be.  I think they will...but I will call and make my displeasure known if they don't.  Not that that will do any good.  I like to apply the "if you don't ask, you certainly won't get it" philosophy.  As the Dr. didn't really say anything about physical therapy, I purchased a set of squishy balls (snort!) that was advertised to be a "hand therapy kit" from Target...cost about 15 bucks, and have been working with it.  The most painful part is stretching out the tendons...they seem to have tightened up and I can barely bend my hand up.  It's also very weak, so racquetball is out for another few weeks at least.  By the time I get back to it, I hope I will be able to hit the damn ball....

On Friday when I got to work, the boss let me know that someone had stolen all of the copper tubing/pipes on three of the buildings in our complex (ours was one of them), and we didn't have any water.  The happy consequence was that I was off by noon, ready for the weekend.  It's a terrible thing to have people so desperate that they will steal copper pipes & wire (and risk being electrocuted) for a few bucks.  Desperation is never pretty.

Yesterday I treated myself to a pedicure at a different salon than my usual place.  It was more $$, but wow, they do a lot more too.  I figure that its about $7 more than they other salon, but they did such a great job.  If it lasts longer then I'm certainly going to switch.  

Yesterday I was out in the backyard picking up dog poop (a 3x weekly really super fun job!), and happened to look over the cinder block fence, and to my anger and dismay, discovered that our neighbors are picking up their dogs poop and throwing it over.....instead of bagging it and throwing it away.  I had wondered why it stinks so bad when it's hot.  Phew!  So I called the city and posted a complaint, and we'll see.  This, despite the campaign the city has put out there asking people to please pick up after their pets so that when we finally do get rain, it won't wash down the arroyos and pollute the river.  I am so pissed.  How lazy is that?  Both of these individuals smoke, so they probably don't smell the miasma of stinkyness.  Gag......

It is a beautiful day here...it cooled off due to storms we had although we didn't get any rain :-(.    I also want to go & finish watching Djokovic & Nadal battle it out.....

Have a wonderful week!

Love, 365

New Orleans...they have the weirdest ideas.

I've had the last couple of days off, and it's been really nice.  Especially this morning, as I remembered to turn off my phone alarm....

I've not been doing too much....grocery shopping, a trip to the pharmacy, etc.  Today I spent the day cleaning the downstairs (all the bedrooms are upstairs), and by far the dirtiest, since we spend the majority of our time in the living room and kitchen.

***Yesterday when I started this post I kept getting an error message that the post would not "save".  So, after fooling around with it for a few minutes, I figured I would go back later and finish (or start over).  I was rather surprised to see it this morning.....so I guess I will continue on.....

Anyway, I vacuumed a prodigious amount of dog hair, most of which had glommed together into big rolling balls.  I think I might need to replace the bag in my canister vacuum.  It seems that Sioux (my son's rescue who is part lab and part greyhound) is embracing her lab side and shedding to the degree that I wonder she isn't bald by now.  I love dogs.  I would love to have a lab someday.  Perhaps I'll do it just to keep myself active by requiring lots of house cleaning...lol.  After I'm retired & can afford to clean daily.... hmmm.  This is one reason our dog is a scottish terrier....they don't shed much.  The downside is the grooming (which I don't know how to do, and don't really want to learn), which can be a bit pricey.

It is a beautiful morning, nice & cool with a slight breeze & not a cloud anywhere.  I'm enjoying the new screen door and the fresh air.  After gorging myself on french toast and coffee.  I think I'm in the mood to do some yard work.....

Love, 365

Rainy day at the zoo...

Hey!  Bring that umbrella down here will ya?  It's wet!

The baby giraffe was feeling shy....

The birds were unfazed by the rain...

The baby elepant was soooo cute!

The "man" of the hour ~ our new Tazmainian Devil enclosure.  

You go, girl? guy?  I couldn't tell, but she/he entertained us by running around.

We decided that going to the zoo earlyish on Saturday was probably the best idea....to avoid crowds and the rain that might happen in the afternoon.   Ha!  It was packed when we arrived, and began to rain after the first 30 minutes.  I brought umbrellas "just in case".  I would have been more comfortable if I had brought a jacket, as the rain cooled things off quite a bit.  A quick trip in the gift shop showed they were more in tee shirt mode (of course, for heaven's sake it's Memorial Day Weekend, why woud they stock sweatshirts or jackets??).  It wasn't that bad, and we wandered around for a couple of hours before heading home.  

I love the zoo, and always took my kids at least once a year.  I know some people have issues with them ~ the animals have such small enclosures, they become bored with their lot in life, etc.  All this is true.  However, in many cases, zoos provide sanctuary for endangered species (go there for more info), and allow scientists the opportunity to observe and study animals.   Do you want to make the zoo a better place?  Then support them by visiting, or simply donate.  

Love, 365

*@&#&*%%$ passwords

(courtesy of Bing Images)

Is this a funny cartoon?  Of course.  Have any of us ever done this?  Absolutely.  Is there anything more frustrating than formulating or retrieving a password?  I swear.....even with the password help apps and systems, it's still a pain in the ass.  I discovered that I could take another class at CNM (sooo much cheaper than UNM), so decided to check out the fall schedule.  Only to discover that I forgot my password to the CNM login for students.  I didn't use Blackboard (online class) for the statistics class, and our instructor didn't use it for quizzes or tests, and after 4 months of relative inactivity, I forgot my old password.  It wasn't hard to reset it.  It's just the process of having to memorize all of the ones that I have ~ for e-mail, UNM, CNM, banking, bill paying, etc,  Of course I have them written down ('cept for the CNM one of course).  I use to keep them on my laptop, until I had this brilliant thought ~ what if someone hacks into my laptop, and I've conveniently listed all my passwords on it? Uh, that's not a good idea (and I know people who do just that).  So, I have my handy notebook full of all my passwords (again, not the CNM one for some reason).  The only real problem is I don't carry the notebook around with me (kind of a pain to do that), so if I'm at work and take a few minutes to sneak into a website or check e-mail & have a brain fart, I'm out of luck.  

Now that I've written this, it reminds me that I need to change a few....

Love, 365

Gonna kick it back......

Buddies......

Today was our last day of work this week....we are all SO ready to have some time off and relax!  I am off until Tuesday, then work Tues & Wed, and then off until June 4th.  It's gonna be lovely.  At least I know that by June 4h I won't have my cast on anymore.  I am so very tired of it.  On the plus side, my left hand is much better with manipulating the mouse.  I might continue to do it after the cast is off...maybe.  :-)

We're planning a trip to the zoo to see the Tazmanian Devil that our zoo recently acquired.  Apparently they have been affected by a facial tumor in the wild, and are now considered endangered.  They are kinda ugly.  But I think they are so cool....

"Don't mess with me!!"    Bing images

I went to UNM this monday to meet with my advisor.  It was rather a depressing meeting, and I decided to meet with the Anthropology advisor while I was there.  I am happy to report that we made a small change to the specifics of my major and I believe I will find enough classes either online or in the evening so that I will be able to graduate there.  Carla told me they are adding online classes all the time, and chastised me with "Don't tell me you can't do it!".  She is rather hard to read.  I believe she is Navajo, and they are very reserved (at least the Navajo I know and have met).  I was so happy when I left, that I stopped at the bookstore and purchased a UNM t-shirt.  So, thank you, Carla!  You really made my day.  I'm making progress ~ I registered for "Evolutionary Medicine" for the fall & plan to register for another class for the fall....I just don't know what yet.  

Love, 365

It's Sunday, but it ain't gonna be lazy....

I got a kick out of this painting in a New Orleans restaurant..

**Yesterday I went with my husband to get a screen door for the door that takes us into the backyard. There hasn't been a screen door on it for several years...because dear ol' hubby one day got a bug in   his ear and decided to take it off and throw it away.  Why?  Who knows.  He is quircky that way.  So, on a nice day, I can open windows & such, but I can't open the back door to enjoy the breeze (which nearly always blows from south to north in spring & summer).  Have you priced screen doors lately? Wow.  We purchased an inexpensive one for $94, partly because we have no idea if our son's big dog will destroy it (as she has nearly everything in the backyard, ha ha), and partly because I didn't want to spend $264 for the next price point up.  Besides, no one really notices screen doors.....unless you don't have one.  

**While at the store, I began to feel sick.  Long story short, I ended up with a migrane and spent the rest of the day sleeping (after the requisite barfing, of course).  So, we missed our grocery shopping trip, and the restaurant reservations I made last weekend for Mother's Day (not liking very crowded spaces, I figured it would be better to go the following weekend).  Pooh.  This is the second one I've had in a month, and here I was getting used to the 3 to 4 a year I've been getting.  I hope this isn't some sort of trend.  In which case I'll see the Dr (maybe) and see what to do.  I just hate taking pills.  I've never had any luck with any migrane med's, mostly because I don't get a lot of the signs of impending doom.  Ah, well....

**Of course, here's the requisite bitching about my cast - *&#>?(&^< %$%$ #&(().  There, now don't I feel better?  You betcha.

As I've been typing I've been watching and listening to the installation of the screen door.  It must be going well...no door slamming, no cussing, no muttering to oneself of the difficulties.  Of course, I'm inside and they (husband and son) are outside, but I see this as a good sign.  Sometimes these projects produce a lot of irritation and aggravation, but it would seem that this one is going fairly smoothly.  Maybe it's because I'm not helping......hmmmm, food for thought.

Love, 365

A little later.....never mind about the installation going smoothly.....it appears I am out of the loop (thankfully), and apparently there are NO INSTRUCTIONS so it's not going as well as I imagined.  I know it wasn't made in China, because there is an American flag on the side with "proudly made in the USA".  So, there you go.......