The sun is out, the snow is melting and I accepted the early retirement package offered at work! Can it get any better? I sure hope so.
I work with great people for a great company, but I am burnt out with customer service. Better I go now, then go down in flames.
I'll have to get another job, but not for awhile, and only part time. I am looking forward to this spring and summer so much. I just handed in the paperwork last night, so will find out shortly when my last night will be. I'll clean up my pending files and that will be it. It's been a good run, 16+ years, but it's time for a change.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
The snow is melting, melting!
Oh frabjous day! Calloo Callay!
It's good news I have to say.
Rosie is once more subject to our desire:
No longer sailing over the wire.
No more escaping to freedom,
ignoring our commands to 'come'.
But, we see her eying the shorter gate,
So we will have to watch and wait
To see if she is really stuck inside
our lovely fence when she's outside.
It's good news I have to say.
Rosie is once more subject to our desire:
No longer sailing over the wire.
No more escaping to freedom,
ignoring our commands to 'come'.
But, we see her eying the shorter gate,
So we will have to watch and wait
To see if she is really stuck inside
our lovely fence when she's outside.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Pouting
I just want to whine a bit about having to work today. I usually work 6 hours shifts, but on the weekend it's 8. So, instead of starting at 5, I need to go in at 2:30. Pooh. Ruins the whole day.
Plus I'm the only one in my department, so it's busy, busy. Although that does make it go faster, it really stiffens me up having to sit there for 8 whole hours! Waa.
As a coworker would say : Call the waambulance.
Plus I'm the only one in my department, so it's busy, busy. Although that does make it go faster, it really stiffens me up having to sit there for 8 whole hours! Waa.
As a coworker would say : Call the waambulance.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
St Patrick's Day
A day late and a dollar short. Oh and now it's past midnight so it's two days late!
Marrying into a very Irish family drove home the importance of St Patrick's Day early on. When we first started dating, that was the first family party J took me to, although his aunts thought I was a friend of his sister- Probably because he brought me in and dumped me with the womenfolk to avoid questions.
J's maternal grandparents emigrated from Ireland to Rhode Island and his father's family was Irish as well, I'm not sure exactly when they got here though. Good Irish Catholics, J is the middle child of 10, and all of them love talking, singing, dancing and laughing. Our kids grew up listening to Tommy Makem and the Clancy Brothers, and marveling when their milk and J's beer turned green on March 17.
This is the first year, I think, that no kids have been around on the holy date, hence no one to take pictures, since I was at work when J's 'friends' showed up for the annual bash. He convinced them to pose for me today so he would have pics to send the family.
Here are J and his ghoulfriends:
Can you guess that J's other favorite holiday is Halloween? These guys normally see the light of night just once a year! Every year, J gets to buy an accessory when they go on sale, to add to his collection.
I do have some Irish blood in me as well, but it's, shhh-from the Protestants. My father used to wear an orange shirt to school on St Pat's in his youth, just because he thought it was funny. My family also likes to laugh, talk and sing- not so much the dancing. And while we do love to sing, we don't do it very well. In fact, lots of us are tone deaf. But, as long as it's only us singing, we don't hear how bad we sound.
A new in-law who happened to sing for a living heard us one night, when even the piano was out of tune- She was horrified and asked her husband if we knew what we sounded like? I guess it's sort of like being the only sober person at a party- you're the only one annoyed by the drunks.
I must say my kids can carry a tune decently, lucky them. My son Shoeshine once sang a bit of an Irish favorite for his answering machine message.
"I'm a rambler and a gambler, and a long way from home, and if you don't like me, then leave me alone" An apt choice.
Marrying into a very Irish family drove home the importance of St Patrick's Day early on. When we first started dating, that was the first family party J took me to, although his aunts thought I was a friend of his sister- Probably because he brought me in and dumped me with the womenfolk to avoid questions.
J's maternal grandparents emigrated from Ireland to Rhode Island and his father's family was Irish as well, I'm not sure exactly when they got here though. Good Irish Catholics, J is the middle child of 10, and all of them love talking, singing, dancing and laughing. Our kids grew up listening to Tommy Makem and the Clancy Brothers, and marveling when their milk and J's beer turned green on March 17.
This is the first year, I think, that no kids have been around on the holy date, hence no one to take pictures, since I was at work when J's 'friends' showed up for the annual bash. He convinced them to pose for me today so he would have pics to send the family.
Here are J and his ghoulfriends:
Can you guess that J's other favorite holiday is Halloween? These guys normally see the light of night just once a year! Every year, J gets to buy an accessory when they go on sale, to add to his collection.
I do have some Irish blood in me as well, but it's, shhh-from the Protestants. My father used to wear an orange shirt to school on St Pat's in his youth, just because he thought it was funny. My family also likes to laugh, talk and sing- not so much the dancing. And while we do love to sing, we don't do it very well. In fact, lots of us are tone deaf. But, as long as it's only us singing, we don't hear how bad we sound.
A new in-law who happened to sing for a living heard us one night, when even the piano was out of tune- She was horrified and asked her husband if we knew what we sounded like? I guess it's sort of like being the only sober person at a party- you're the only one annoyed by the drunks.
I must say my kids can carry a tune decently, lucky them. My son Shoeshine once sang a bit of an Irish favorite for his answering machine message.
"I'm a rambler and a gambler, and a long way from home, and if you don't like me, then leave me alone" An apt choice.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Side by Side
The fence situation has not improved. I had great hope when it rained and the snow pack lowered a little. Not enough, though. We have had to tie Rosie to a porch post when they are sent outside, unless I walk out with them, Which kind of defeats the purpose of the fenced in yard.
I also found out that Rosie does not want to pee where she is tied, so that purpose is also defeated. Bummer. There has been one bright moment in all this. I will start by saying no one was hurt, which is always a great beginning.
The first day of the rope use, I opened the door to see both sitting side by side on the steps. Rosie got up and walked over, with Boomer on her hip. Not walking beside her, on her hip. Feet off the ground, tied to her side, by the rope wrapped twice around his middle. As I said in my family email, I rarely wish for a cameraman to document my life, but this would have been the time!
It hasn't happened again, but I have noticed that Boomer attacks the rope any chance he gets now, even when Rosie is not on it.
We had a long walk yesterday, down the road to a snowmobile trail that winds around back to our pasture. That tired them out nicely, and they can run free on the trail. Boomer follows Rosie until he gets 50 feet in front of me then races back, throws himself at my knees, and scampers back to follow Rosie again. I would think, oh how nice, he will come back to me, then I remember Rosie did this too at 6 months.
It was touch and go whether she came back to me to get the leash on for the last 500 feet along the road. In the summertime, we would go up the field, but now we (I) have to stay on the trail of packed snow, and go down the road. Rosie was almost back home, along the woods, while Boomer and I waited for her to come back. She finally did, and after tormenting Boomer (since he was already leashed) by racing by several times, let me grab her collar. This is progress.
After raising four kids, and going on four puppies, I have learned to accept gratefully progress of any type, no matter how small. And that most stains come out. As J likes to say, this too shall pass.
I also found out that Rosie does not want to pee where she is tied, so that purpose is also defeated. Bummer. There has been one bright moment in all this. I will start by saying no one was hurt, which is always a great beginning.
The first day of the rope use, I opened the door to see both sitting side by side on the steps. Rosie got up and walked over, with Boomer on her hip. Not walking beside her, on her hip. Feet off the ground, tied to her side, by the rope wrapped twice around his middle. As I said in my family email, I rarely wish for a cameraman to document my life, but this would have been the time!
It hasn't happened again, but I have noticed that Boomer attacks the rope any chance he gets now, even when Rosie is not on it.
We had a long walk yesterday, down the road to a snowmobile trail that winds around back to our pasture. That tired them out nicely, and they can run free on the trail. Boomer follows Rosie until he gets 50 feet in front of me then races back, throws himself at my knees, and scampers back to follow Rosie again. I would think, oh how nice, he will come back to me, then I remember Rosie did this too at 6 months.
It was touch and go whether she came back to me to get the leash on for the last 500 feet along the road. In the summertime, we would go up the field, but now we (I) have to stay on the trail of packed snow, and go down the road. Rosie was almost back home, along the woods, while Boomer and I waited for her to come back. She finally did, and after tormenting Boomer (since he was already leashed) by racing by several times, let me grab her collar. This is progress.
After raising four kids, and going on four puppies, I have learned to accept gratefully progress of any type, no matter how small. And that most stains come out. As J likes to say, this too shall pass.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Don't fence me in
Oh, woe is me.
Rosie has found she can jump out of her yard. 6 foot chainlink fence is not a problem when there is 2 feet of packed snow on the ground. There was a section that gave a little- just a little!- when she leaned on it, and I believe she crawled up and heaved herself over. I refuse to believe she can jump that high. She is not a deer, for Pete's sake!
Huskies are notorious for digging, climbing and jumping out of pens. Unfortunately, now that she has succeeded, she won't give up. Rosie prowled the perimeter, checking each section, while I was out 'fixing' it. She got out again today, so now she is tied until the snow thaws.
This is not a little yard. Each side is 100' long. Plenty of room for running and frolicking.
The only good thing is that she has come to me both times, of course this is after she has been out who knows how long?
Rosie has found she can jump out of her yard. 6 foot chainlink fence is not a problem when there is 2 feet of packed snow on the ground. There was a section that gave a little- just a little!- when she leaned on it, and I believe she crawled up and heaved herself over. I refuse to believe she can jump that high. She is not a deer, for Pete's sake!
Huskies are notorious for digging, climbing and jumping out of pens. Unfortunately, now that she has succeeded, she won't give up. Rosie prowled the perimeter, checking each section, while I was out 'fixing' it. She got out again today, so now she is tied until the snow thaws.
This is not a little yard. Each side is 100' long. Plenty of room for running and frolicking.
The only good thing is that she has come to me both times, of course this is after she has been out who knows how long?
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Very random
I logged on because I wanted to write something down before I forgot it and I waited too long. Hmmm, what was it?
It wasn't Boomer, although he is doing well. Off the antibiotics and the honeymoon is over. I became a little lax about watching him and he has peed on the rug a few times. My fault, he had been wandering and I ignored the signs. Of course we have carpeting in only one room, and that's the one he chooses.
It wasn't work, because why would I want to do that? It wasn't the weather because that's been nothing new- just another 10 inches of snow on Monday.
Ah ha! I remembered! And it was nothing earth shattering. Just that I have been re-reading Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series. We saw an episode of The Legend of the Seeker on TV and Ameranth and I are not pleased with the casting. Kahlan is ok, but Richard is not. He is not tall enough and too soft-looking to carry off some of the decisions he makes. And Zedd is just, just, too much. Too loud when he does spells, and not the right look, in my opinion.
So, I decided to go through the series again to see where the show was taking liberties. I own the first 7 books, and had read Phantom when that came out. Sectaurs said he thought the series had been finished, so I checked online and saw there are 11 books! I checked my library yesterday and they have let me down, owning just 2 of the books. I counted on them to get each one as it came out but no. There was a major change in personnel there a few years ago which may account for it.
Now I am waiting for inter-library loans to arrive and hope that Chainfire doesn't arrive last, since I must read them in order. These books are very good, with social commentary woven in the excellent fantasy story. I have been getting through one book a day, but that is only because I have read them before and skimmed certain parts this time.
Boomer just wandered in and looked like he needed to go outside. This time I noticed and let him out. Good dog. I think Rosie finally caught his cold- she is moping about on her chair and doesn't want to go out and play. No sneezing though. I wonder if I can get Boomer out for a walk alone without hurting her feelings.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
It wasn't Boomer, although he is doing well. Off the antibiotics and the honeymoon is over. I became a little lax about watching him and he has peed on the rug a few times. My fault, he had been wandering and I ignored the signs. Of course we have carpeting in only one room, and that's the one he chooses.
It wasn't work, because why would I want to do that? It wasn't the weather because that's been nothing new- just another 10 inches of snow on Monday.
Ah ha! I remembered! And it was nothing earth shattering. Just that I have been re-reading Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series. We saw an episode of The Legend of the Seeker on TV and Ameranth and I are not pleased with the casting. Kahlan is ok, but Richard is not. He is not tall enough and too soft-looking to carry off some of the decisions he makes. And Zedd is just, just, too much. Too loud when he does spells, and not the right look, in my opinion.
So, I decided to go through the series again to see where the show was taking liberties. I own the first 7 books, and had read Phantom when that came out. Sectaurs said he thought the series had been finished, so I checked online and saw there are 11 books! I checked my library yesterday and they have let me down, owning just 2 of the books. I counted on them to get each one as it came out but no. There was a major change in personnel there a few years ago which may account for it.
Now I am waiting for inter-library loans to arrive and hope that Chainfire doesn't arrive last, since I must read them in order. These books are very good, with social commentary woven in the excellent fantasy story. I have been getting through one book a day, but that is only because I have read them before and skimmed certain parts this time.
Boomer just wandered in and looked like he needed to go outside. This time I noticed and let him out. Good dog. I think Rosie finally caught his cold- she is moping about on her chair and doesn't want to go out and play. No sneezing though. I wonder if I can get Boomer out for a walk alone without hurting her feelings.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
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