Back in the saddle...

Bike saddle, that is. I went for a bike ride today. The first in a few years. It was a beautiful day here, and I decided it was perfect for trying out the stylin' new helmet I got for Christmas (purple stripes and lots of air holes). I had to get the bike out of the shed, pump up the tires, dust off the seat,
















get something to tie up my loose pantleg,


















and adjust the new helmet.


















But I did it; I got out and rode around the neighborhood. And it was good.

Ten years ago, I went with Wayne on a week-long bike trip across Michigan. I did okay on the trip, but I think it was a bit too long for me. My goal this time is to be able to ride a reasonable mileage on the weekend CNC Spring Ride in April. The shortest route is five miles...I think I can surely do at least that by then.

Today's ride was only a half hour, mileage unknown (I also got a new bike computer but didn't have it today), but it was a start. Another option on my list of healthful activities...and this one I can do with Wayne...extra benefit.

Lost and found

I think most states have them..."lost money" departments for unclaimed property, usually the state treasurer's office. I've seen ads in the paper and on TV for them. Never really thought much about it.

Awhile back, my brother let me know I was on the "lost money" list for Illinois (thanks, Clint). I printed their forms, filled them out, and submitted my proofs of identity. The identity thing can be a bit tricky. The lost money was in my maiden name at an address where I lived 21 years ago, but I had to prove that I was that person at that place at that time.

While I waited for a response (about three months), I checked the sites for every other state I've lived in and any other family members I could think of - no other hits at this time.

Finally, today, my lost money has been found. I received a check for $30.25. Yeehaw!! Not like it's the pot o' gold at the end of the rainbow or anything, but thirty bucks is thirty bucks!

Thing is, I still have absolutely no idea what this money is from. The check came with no explanation. I guess lost money can also be mystery money.

Y'all better go and check out those sites....

What I Do - Part 1

So...I work in a library. I know, you probably have a mental picture of me now...conservative dress, hair up in a bun. Well, my clothes are pretty plain and functional, but there's no way you're getting my hair in a bun. I work behind the scenes. Not with people but with a machine. And books. Of course books. Some days lots and lots of books. Oh...videos, cassette tapes, CDs, and DVDs, too.

My principal job is operating a book sort machine. You, the patron, drop your book in the book drop, and it makes its way back to me using a series of conveyor belts. Once in the processing room, the book is sent into the book sort machine, sized, scanned, resensitized, rough-sorted to a specific cart, removed from the cart, and finally fine-sorted and ready to shelve. All this to get the books back to their spots, ready to be checked out once again. So, you, the patron can start this process all over again.

Just to keep the days interesting, a myriad of hitches can occur. Because those conveyor belts take 90-degree turns, things can get stuck along the way. Sometimes in the ceiling. We have lots of ladders. Don't worry, I've had the official ladder training. Because the system is 10 years old now, some things just plain wear out. Because the whole kit-and-kaboodle is computer driven, well....we all know about computers and their moods. Because some people don't like to follow directions, bad things can happen. Gertrude (as we've named her) is always thinking of new ways to keep things interesting.

It's my job to keep Gertrude happy--or pull my hair out trying (now you know why it won't go up in a bun). I write procedures for operation and train new folks how to handle those operations. I troubleshoot the issues, fix what I can, and I have learned who to call when I need help. I've become the jack-of-all-trades in library processing. Never in a million years would I have guessed I'd be a book sort machine operator, but it's all good. I actually like my job. Seven years and counting....

Running dog

On Black Friday, instead of us running around town and in the stores, we let the dog do the running. We took her to the local bark park. This was her second visit, the first one being a bit overwhelming and strange for her. On this outing she was willing to venture a little farther from her people, though not too far. We, her humans, congregated on benches in a corner. It was interesting how she started to guard that piece of the park as her own territory. Every dog that ventured toward us was thoroughly sniffed and screened. It was a good outing for us, too. Walking to the park, getting fresh air, and sitting in the afternoon sun. Much better than fighting the shopping crowds. I think we'll be taking her there again.

First "snow"

Yesterday we had snow! The first of the season for us. It was enough that the schools had a 2-hour delayed start.

We have lived here for nine years and this is still hilarious to me. We had barely enough snow to cover the grass. I don't remember ever having a delayed school start when I was young. You either went to school or you had a snow day. And it certainly took more than a dusting to make that happen. Snow in the south is handled much different than what I'm used to. When it snows here, everyone stays in their house and everything closes down. Just the mere mention of the "S" word sends everyone running to the store for bread and milk. ??

The first winter we lived here, it snowed a lot. By any standard it was a fair amount of snow. The first storm dropped four to six inches. Our reaction - get out the snow shovels and start clearing it off. It wasn't until I had been out shoveling for awhile that I realized something - no one else was out in the neighborhood. Turns out nobody here had snow shovels (I did hear later that one neighbor was using a spatula to clean off her front porch). The procedure for snow management - wait until it melts.

Here's a few pictures from early yesterday morning. I apologize for the darkness. I had to take the photos early as the snow disappeared here as soon as the sun came up.

Extinct instinct

I wrote earlier about my four-legged personal trainer. She's still trying to do her job and get me out walking, but the colder weather has made me more stubborn. Forseeing that this was coming, I joined the local Y about a month ago. My thinking was that I could do weight training there as well as walking on the track in cold weather. I am still doing Zumba once a week and I still walk with the dog on moderate-weather days. It's actually been working out well. I enjoy having a variety of activities. However, it has made me wonder....

Why do we have to work so hard to stay healthy? It takes a lot of planning and effort to pull this off. Sometimes we're successful and sometimes we're not. What happened to our ability to instinctively do what's best for us? It's gone. We don't always eat real food, we aren't always as active as we should be, and yet it can feel so natural. Is this an early step on the path to our own extinction? Survival of the fittest is taking on new meaning.

Fallish camping

Gosh, I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted here. Sometimes time just disappears. Last weekend we did some camping. We had been wanting to do some fall weather camping. It was fall, even if the camping wasn't exactly what we had pictured. The campground wasn't all bad, there just wasn't the piles of leaves around we had imagined.


The homestead.

The view from our front door.

Regardless, I was happy that we were all able to get together and spend some time just hanging out together. It was a welcome lazy weekend. They say that home is where you hang your hat, and it doesn't much matter where that is.

Dude. Cool...

appliances, that is. We have had a deep freeze and beverage fridge in the basement for eons. We're not sure of their ages, but they have to be each at least 25 years old. They have certainly been faithful and put in their service. In the interest of hopefully more efficient energy use and updating things before they die, we did freezer/fridge shopping about a month ago. Gathered prices, looked at models, decided what we wanted...then did nothing.

Today I suggested that we go to the store and actually purchase the new stuff and set up delivery. Quick, easy trip. We already knew what we wanted, so this should be a no-brainer. We finally get the attention of the sales guy (he was much busier trying to sell some higher-end stuff). We tell him what we want and that we'd like it delivered. Well...we don't normally deliver these 'cause they're sitting in our storeroom in back (and you're not spending nearly enough). Delivery will be around $110 and we might be able to get there about Tuesday. Hmmm... OR, he says, you can rent our flat bed truck for $20 and take them home yourself right now. Well, THAT certainly sounds like the better deal. We only live 10 minutes from the store and the rental is for 75 minutes. No problem!

We dash home and start the moving process. We very soon find out that old fridge is MUCH heavier than we though. Luckily, our neighbor Phil was out working in his driveway. He had offered to help if needed (wonder if he'll do that again) so we sent Amy screaming over there. We need help! After much finaggling and rearranging, rope use, and grunting, we (all four of us but mostly Wayne and Phil) got the old stuff out of the basement and the new stuff in.


Hmmm...rectangular peg through a square hole. How did they (the poor movers) get this down here, anyway?


Take off the doors, take out the shelves, take out anything that's not glued down. Take off the handrail. Clear off the stairs. Take off the hallway door.


Fridge is out. Hopefully the freezer will be easier...


Fridge inerds (and some well-hidden mouse-stored acorns) strewn about the lawn.

Our new yard art. Some would say we now fit the NC stereotype.

The new ones in place, looking all shiny and sleek. I sure hope they live up to our expectations. We all know...they don't make things like they used to. Wonder if these will last 25+ years.

Mega thanks to Wayne and Phil for orchestrating the moves and to Amy for reassembling/putting things back in place afterward.

P.S. We went over our 75 minutes and had to pay for an extra hour.

:-)

Chicken and other animals

The weather here has turned markedly cooler the last couple days. Using the oven and stove add welcome heat to the home and the body.

Tonight that meant "drunk" chicken, roasted vegetables, and homemade applesauce.

Some fall-like mums helped to round out the table.

Oh, BTW, the reconstruction project is now complete. The animals have all been discharged from the infirmary. We will, of course, continue to monitor closely for any relapses and address accordingly.

Sharing and fairness

I'm getting a cold. Amy's cold. Headache, sore throat, and a cough. When the girls were little, we taught them to share. Who knew then that would sometimes be undesirable. Oh well...At least we taught them well. But, I will likely not be staying home from work tomorrow. It's rather confusing, but with my benefits, I only earn sick time at 2/3 the rate that I need to use it. The same for my vacation time. For example, I earn 60 hours of vacation a year. That's three weeks for someone who works part-time 20 hours a week. But...since I work part-time 30 hours a week, that's only two weeks for me. We earn at the same rate, but have to use at different rates. Anyway, bottom line, I have to ration all my time off. Vacation and sick time. I'm not sick very much, but I currently only have two days' worth. Sick days are usually saved for GI issues or fevers. I hear and read a lot lately that we should listen to our bodies and take care of them, but we're not really allowed to do that. Not fair....

Awhile back I watched the movie, "Sicko." According to that, if you work in France and you get sick, you stay home. Period. No sick days. No allotted number of days. You don't take your illness to work and share it with everyone there. You're sick, you stay home. That's it. Not fair....

So, I remind myself of the same thing I often remind others....Life is not fair.

To thine own self be true

This is something that has come up before around here, and now that Amy and her friends are preparing for college, it has come up again. I always thought/believed/was raised to think that you should do something with your life that you like. Hopefully that's also something you're good at. Apparently this isn't true for everyone. I know we all have different priorities, but... I just can't understand choosing your life's path based on potential salary. Or popularity of the profession. Or because it's what everyone else thinks you should do. Sure, money is important, but should it have that much control over our life? I know there are people who think we are crazy to "let" Mary be an artist. But...that's who she IS. There is no "let" about it. She seems very confident and happy with her choice. And I am very proud of her. Amy is now trying to decide on a college major/career. I hope that she, too, will follow her heart and do what she likes...whatever that is. I just don't understand sticking kids in a career because it's what's the parents have decided is acceptable...

Done deal

The acceptance letter was received today. The enrollment confirmation and deposit check are in the mail. Amy is headed to Lenoir-Rhyne next fall in the pre-nursing program! She was excited, as were the rest of us. It is so nice to have this decided and taken care of. One thing off her stress list.

But that means the last one is almost out the door.... ::::sigh::::

We had another celebration today also. It's Sienna's second anniversary with us! She was entertained by our serenade and then treated to peanut butter Frosty Paws. It can't get better than that! Hard to believe she's been here two years already. She's such a dog!!

We finally had the tilapia and sweet potatoes tonight courtesy of the new oven heating element.

All seems good with the world right now.

Weather report

We don't need no stinkin' high technology to get the weather report...















Warm: Baring belly to catch a breeze.















Cool: Curling up to conserve body heat.















Cooler still: Tail over nose for added warmth.

Not Monday any more

Yesterday was Monday. It was a Monday through and through. Simple as that. In the midst of this, that, and the other, I decided to start fixing dinner. Baked tilapia and roasted sweet potatoes was the plan. Turn on the oven. Go to the sink to wash the sweet potatoes. Hear the water sizzling off the oven rack. Wait...I didn't have anything wet in the oven. Turn around and find white sparks and flames showing through the little oven window. Yikes!! I start yelling for Wayne. Eek, eek!! The element went. Burned cleaned through. No oven. So much for tilapia and sweet potatoes. Mary starts dancing around, "Pizza, pizza, pizza!! I just saw a commercial and now I have a craving for pizza...this is great!" Well....OK...how does everyone feel about pizza tonight? Dominos it was. At least I could take fixing dinner off my list.

When I got home from work today, the oven is all fixed. It's even cleaned (not sure if I'll know how to function with that). Hubby is such a magic man...but then, maybe that's a story for another day.

A day at the fair

Today we went to the North Carolina State Fair for "family day." All four of us. Not something we have a lot of opportunity to do these days. First time we had been to that fair, and first fair we'd been to in a few years.


You know you're at a real fair when they're judging the pound cakes, canned tomatoes, and blueberry muffins.


Ferris wheel!


Apparently this is a new roller coaster to the state fair. They chose the name yesterday...Toxic Shock. Hmm....seems to me a rather odd name for an amusement ride.


Fairs have a reputation for putting everything on a stick. I guess that's true.


We finally found the giant produce. Man...those are some big melons!!


The weather was a little cool, but it didn't rain. We walked and walked but no one complained. We ate our share of typical fair food. A good time was had by all. My favorite part - spending the day together.

Calm

This evening is quiet. Things feel calm here. Mary has come home, safe and sound. Amy and I and Sienna are just hanging out with her. Wayne is due home any time. Things are quiet and peaceful. Not too often that I don't have much to say. :::::sigh:::::

Rant, toned down

Okay, I was really in the mood to rant today. I went to Zumba tonight and now the rant feels more like a whimper. I would just like to know why, why, why can't people do the things they said they'd do, they signed up to do, they get paid to do, they're supposed to do? Seems to me that a person's word doesn't carry the weight it used to. A gentleman's word used to actually mean something. That's it. Toned-down rant. I wasn't this toned down earlier today. Endorphins are a wonderful thing.

This week's soup...St. Basil's soup...a mushroom/onion soup (looks suspiciously similar to Carol's soup a couple weeks ago :-) ). Easy, easy and yum yum.

Finally...the end of the alphabet

The main part of my library job is operating the book return system (that's a story for another day). I don't like to have idle hands, so I usually have some sort of side project going to mess with in between books. Two years ago, I decided to tackle the job of making sure all the items in our popular collection - fiction, mystery, western, sci-fi/fantasy, videos, DVDs, books on cassette and CD, young adult, and large print - had accurate and present spine labels. This past Friday, I finished. Finally. It took me two years and a month to complete. When I started this, I had no idea how long it would take to complete. Had I known....maybe I wouldn't have committed to it. Maybe. I guess it was good practice in delayed gratification. Probably only a handful of people realize what I've done, or even care. That's OK though, I still feel like I accomplished something. Now...to think up the next project.

Getting things in place

Amy got domestic this morning and turned the Staymons from yesterday's market into an apple crisp. It made the house smell wonderful!! It tastes pretty darned good, too.

Today was my day to do housework. Yuck! Not my favorite activity and one I usually put off as long as possible. There is, however, a sense of rightness and comfort in having my kitchen (relatively) cleaned up and the dishes done. Something I most times take for granted. I'm betting that my mom is looking forward to doing her dishes in her own sink and setting them out to dry on the counter.

"Umpteen" boxes is my dad's description of their house right now. All in good time. Things will soon be again in their right places.

Meanwhile, Amy's reconstruction project continues....

Wonder if one of these animals is a phoenix in disguise.

Fall produce

Farmer's market 10/11/08-1
Originally uploaded by kwvane

I don't get to the Farmer's Market nearly as often as I should or would like to. The best time to be there is in the morning, and a morning person I am not. Never have been and probably never will be. I did get there today, however. It was a nice morning to be out and around. We perused all the offerings, then he got coffee while I went back and did the purchasing. All yummy stuff.

After that I took the mule driver out for her walk. Nice day for that also. Very pretty Carolina blue sky. Then we both had to take a nap.

Dinner tonight? Sausage, potatoes, cabbage, and corn. At the table with the fall flowers. Nice way to spend a Saturday.

There's no place like home...

My parents are finally, thankfully, back in their house. Lightning struck their house and caused an attic fire in early June. They've lived in a hotel ever since. After much frustration, delay, and a massive test of patience, they are finally back home. It's not the same home they left and still needs some finish work, but it is their home nonetheless. Their own space. Their own bed. Their own bathroom. They've gotten through this ordeal with the help of my brother and his girlfriend, other family members, and wonderful family friends. I am so thankful they've had all these wonderful people. I constantly send my positive thoughts and vibes, but I am too far away to be of any real help at all.

Far-flung families are pretty common these days. My family members are not as spread out as many others. Still, there are times that I wish everyone were just a skip away. With my parents facing all those boxes and boxes of unpacking, it would be nice if I could just pop over and help out awhile. When my brother and his girlfriend have a cookout/party, it would be great to pop over and have a beer with them. When my older daughter has a bad week, it would be great to pop over and give her a real hug. For the most part, I'm used to having some of those I love farther away. But...there are still those times that I miss them. There will be more of this separation to come in the future, so I'll keep working on it.

Driven

The pack mule trudges along the path, driving the team, but who drives the pack mule? The dog does!! At least that's the way it works at our house. When I get home in the afternoons, I have barely time for a potty break before the whining begins in earnest. "Take me out, plllleeeaaase take me for a walk, puleeease!!" So, rather than have the authorities come knocking on my door for animal abuse, we go out.



It's a good thing actually. I need to walk. I need to walk a lot. I can make all the excuses I want to not go walking, but she never listens. She's a great workout partner...always ready to go. I guess this is how she earns her keep around here. Somebody's got to keep me in line. Good thing she's cute.

Cool-weather staples

Cool, rainy day. Soup on the stove, bread in the oven, applesauce cooling on the counter. Simple things that even in a crazy week can bring warmth and comfort. I love this time of year!

I haven't always thought that making bread was simple. I consider myself a functional cook, but a baker I am not. Then I happened upon the book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Easy recipes that are hard for even me to mess up. Now, fresh-baked bread (and the wonderful aroma) are common around here.

ZUMBA!!

Man...what a workout! I love to dance. I have done lots of different kinds of dance over the years...tap, ballet, jazz, belly dance, Irish dance, ballroom, contra...this one is high up on the sweat scale. But what a good time! One hour of nonstop movement. Makes exercise so NOT like a chore for me. Great natural high!!

If music moves you, give these moves a try.