Ice Ice Baby

Sometimes you can't truly appreciate how bad wind chill can affect the temperature.

This is the gas station I stop at every morning:



You may notice that you can't see in the doors. That is ice- on the inside!

Snowing AGAIN today. I am so done with driving in this shit. I'm taking all next week off, so I'm sure the driving conditions will be wonderful until I return to work!

She Said What?

A couple of blog entries I have read today just crack me up, and they have to do with exercise. The Smartest Man in the World makes plans to go to the gym but conveniently forgets his gym bag.
And AWTM is going to yoga.

But what really made me laugh at her post? I wasn't wearing my glasses, and when she wrote "...getting there is half the battle" I read it as "BOTTLE".

Once again, a perfect analogy for life is found on the intrawebs.

Getting there is half the bottle...I should change my blog name.

Oh Balls

Just checked the weather forecast for the umpteenth time today and it SUCKS. It's in the 40's at the moment, but the temperature is supposed to fall all day and the winds will be gusting up to 45 mph. With significant snowfall.

So all the snow that just melted and is puddled everywhere is now going to flash-freeze and get snow-covered. This is SO not a good situation. The wind isn't going to be any picnic either.

I had already decided to take next week off and start the Home Makeover-Jack Ass Acres Edition. I may be starting early.

Waiting...and Hoping...and Praying

I really try not to read any more news than necessary lately. There's enough worry going on here that I don't need to devil myself with more. But I happened across this article this afternoon, and, that crushing weight that lurks constantly around my heart was right back: Bomb Kills 5 US Soldiers.

Young SGT was on mission today.

My Beloved DIL has assured me that all is well; she hopefully would have gotten a knock on her door before this ever became news. But still, that feeling of not being able to breathe.

And some other families WILL have to go through this for real.

Damn it.

Shhh!!

My parents' 50th anniversary is this Saturday. My sisters and I have planned a rather large surprize party for them (oh sorry, my brother is helping too- he gets to pay for the open bar). Along the way, my mother has stated that she does not want a party, and planned a trip with Dad to Mississippi, which fortunately ain't gonna happen.

Parents, what do you do with them? This ought to be interesting.

My mom, at 70, is a dynamo. She is on the go constantly, always dressed to the nines. We are not much alike except in looks. My dad, on the other hand..

The other morning, I was leaving for work about 5:00 and Dad is already cruising town in his pickup. I was right behind him, so I called.

RM: Hey, what are you doing up so early?
Dad: I can't hear you.
RM: DAD, I SAID WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT SO EARLY?
Dad: I can't you hear you!
RM: DAD, IT'S RM, WHAT ARE YOU DOING UP?
Dad: (stops in the middle of the highway) Mother, I'll have to call you back, I can't hear a word.

We had invited my dad's sister from Nashville. Elsie is getting close to 80, I would imagine, and we didn't expect her to come up.

That was stupid on our part.

She checked into chartering a plane, but since that was going to cost $13,000, she is having her housekeeper drive her up instead. My aunt is just a bit of a diva, and I'm sure she will be high-maintenance once she is here. But I can't wait to see her, she has always been one of my favorites. I could listen to her talk for hours, and not for any reason you might think.

See, Elsie has been deaf since she was a very young girl. She had rheumatic fever when she was seven. And ever since I was little, I have loved listening to the deaf talk. It has never ceased to fascinate me. It will be good to talk to her again.

I'm sure I will have more to post as the day gets closer. I have no idea how we are going to pull this all off.

The Angels Must be Singing

Did you feel a disturbance in the Force this weekend?

Hell freeze over?

SOMETHING must have happened, because...



I have ONE WHOLE WALL of drywall!!

People, I have waited well over a year for this! Granted, there is a lot to be done yet, and Old Sarge isn't known for his trim carpentry skillz, but danm, I have a wall again!!

And, anyone who collects old square-headed nails, let me know. I have tons. Kinda makes me wonder just how old this place really is.

Happy Birthday Princess!

My daughter is **sniff**sniff** 25 today. Twenty-five on the twenty-fifth.

Seems like just yesterday, honey. Have a wonderful day!

Chuck On a Roll

Chuck Z has a way with words that I am most envious of. He has a post up wondering who to vote for now that Fred Thompson has dropped out of the race.

Read the whole post, but here is the money shot for me:

And unless I am mistaken, not a one of them has said "What we are doing in Iraq is working, I support the reconstruction and rebuilding efforts and the Iraqi people's continued struggle against islamofacism, and I will continue to use the military and intel communities to hunt down and kill every last terrorist and terrorist supporting asshat in the world. Also, Iran is next, unless Syria gets feisty. And I will immediately double all military pay,and not spend one dollar on welfare until the needs of ever soldier, especially our wounded or deployed soldiers, and their families are met. Similarly, I will submit a bill to congress granting permanent tax relief from all taxes to the immediate family--spouse, children, and parents, of any soldier killed in action. Their soldier has paid for them in full the cost of all of the fruits of our nation."

That's what I call supporting the troops and their mission.

Chuck is having surgery again today, I believe. #35!

Great White North

It was -19 degrees outside when I left for work this morning.

It has since warmed up to 0.
But the windchill is -18 .

Tammi, I would shovel your driveway for you, but I'm afraid I would end up being a lawn statue.

UPDATE:

Alas, I have been bitten by the deadly and largely fictional Snow Snake. I must immediately seek the cure.

Or start carrying a hip flask.

I Have a Dream

That one day, Sarge's Tavern will be a reality.

Microbrewery and grill.

Please leave your advice for a business plan in the comments!

Winter Blues

That is what passes for sunlight here in the Frozen North.

After getting about 8" of snow yesterday, (which resulted in me playing hooky) it is snowing again.

There are not enough dryer sheets in the world to take the static electricity out of our clothes at this point.

Despite slathering lotion on myself at every opportunity, my fingertips and knuckles are still cracking.

I love having four seasons, I honestly do. But Winter, she is being a complete BITCH this year!

For The Smokers

I was forwarded this heads-up from State Rep. Robert Pritchard's news letter. Here is the link for HB4814.

The gist of it is, there is a bill being considered that will exempt certain establishments from the No-Smoking Bill. Interestingly enough, and predictably, a smoking license is mentioned.

Bits and Pieces

Sometimes I feel like I have so much to blog about, and just won't take the time to write a decent post.

* I am still staring at the blank paper that should be my resume.

* My daughter has set a wedding date and reserved a facility. My baby is really getting married!

* I have talked to Young SGT- he has been blown up by 9 IEDs in just two months. Whatever we are spending for those new MRAPs, it is worth every penny and then some.

* I gave a short speech last weekend at a banquet and had at least three gentlemen come up afterwards to shake my hand. For content or brevity, I have no idea.

* My granddaughter has turned three, and her sister makes her arrival in eight weeks!

* What is the big deal about Hannah Montana??? My niece turned 5 yesterday, and instead of Barbies, it was all about Hannah Montana.

Emily Post?? Miss Manners???

I think I have so much stress in my life that I invent shit to worry about just to "change the scenery", so to speak.
I got my beautiful red skirt and blouse Friday. It fits wonderfully and looks better than I could have hoped for.

Then I made the mistake of re-reading the required dress for this banquet: cocktail

Shit. My dress is tea length.

Now, I have googled and wikipedia'd myself to a frenzy wondering how bad it will be to wear a longer dress. My knees and legs are scarred and icky and I rarely even wear shorts in the summer- I DON'T show my LEGS!

And I can't find anything to help with the men's dress- it is tuxedo, but red tie and cumberbund. Red? Not black tie or white tie, but red.

I am in over my head when it comes to fashion and etiquette.

The Doctor's Visit

Hate going to the doctor. Hate it, hate it, hate it! But my knee has been causing so much agony, I finally sucked it up and went. And you know what?

It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought!

When I had my right knee fixed over two years ago, Dr. G had to switch mid-surgery from a cartilege repair to removal, the damage was that bad. Thank God I didn't wait as long this time to go, because surgery is off the table for now, and he gave me some interesting options. We're going to start with the steroid injection I got yesterday, and if that doesn't help, there is a procedure to inject fluid into the knee that acts as a shock absorber and helps reduce pain.

The REALLY great part is that I asked if that procedure would benefit my right knee also, and he says it will. So if that's the route we go, I get both knees fixed! Yippee!

Question Please

Does anyone out there know how long it takes for a cortisone shot to take effect?

Pros and Cons of No-Smoking Bill

Illinois passed a sweeping no-smoking bill that took effect on January 1st. How's it doing?

I have talked to three bar owners, and their revenue is down significantly. People aren't hanging around as long.

One person was cited down in Dixon for smoking in their car too close to a drive-through window. Really.

Personally...it isn't bothering me much. Old Sarge and I quit 2 1/2 years ago and when I started back, I chose not to smoke in the house anymore. My office has always supposed to have been non-smoking, but everyone did anyway, until now. And at the VF*n*W, it's not that big a deal for me to go outside if I choose to.

Upside, I smoke less than half a pack a day. That is HUGE for me!

But I do have a bitch with the whole thing, and it's that CHOICE thing.
It would have been better to let the bars CHOOSE to be smoke-free or not.
I like the fact that I CHOOSE not to smoke at home.

I sincerely resent having the State of Illinois babysit me.

D*I*V*O*R*C*E

I think that's gonna happen if Old Sarge finds out I used the credit card again.

See, next month is the Voice of Democracy Banquet in Springfield. Very formal event.
And while I have 4 or 5 appropriate dresses, I have worn them there before and this year I am at the head table.

I had to have a new dress, right???



After consulting with my daughter, this might also be a great dress for the wedding in a year. Her colors will be deep red and silver. I hope it's okay for the mother of the bride to wear crimson.

I do have a gripe though. I ordered this through a company that sells plus size fashions. Those of you who know me, well, you know I'm a tad bit LUMPY! If full-figured means morbidly obese, I'm your gal!! So what I really wanted to see was how that dress fit on someone with MY proportions, not a stick figure!

(Maybe because it wouldn't sell if we KNEW how bad we were going to look!)

Creepy Mannerisms

I can be strange, I freely admit that. But there has been something bugging the crap out of me every time I see John Edwards on TV:



Aside from the pouty little curled lip, it's that hand gesture! That thumb-on-top-of-the-fist point that just makes me crazy!

No! I have no idea why!!

Obsession

You would think, wouldn't you, that with all the people coming in and out of my office now (and these are not customers, these are sale-related folks) that I might TRY to look busy and hope to secure myself a position with the new owners.

Good lord, look at my desk.



At the top, we have a very delicate shell-stitch baby blanket in the works. This is for New Baby, who will be making her appearance in March. I have to wear my glasses to work on it, so when my eyes get tired I can switch to:

The new blue afghan, three strands of yarn, single crochet, that will be gracing some Joe's bed in Iraq very shortly. I can do this one without looking.

Not only that, but my mother, with whom I have a rather contentious relationship with, has offered to help me with afghans for overseas. Baby steps, kids, baby steps.

Old Sarge understands and fears the Yarn Fix. Bless his heart.

Sarah, I wonder if there are help groups for people like us?

Random Thoughts

I think I am close to seeing it all...

My 6'3", Marine, rough as a cob son playing Barbies with his 3-year-old daughter.

My daughter has found the PERFECT wedding dress- for $99.
*sniff* *sniff* I am SO proud!!!

My daughter-in-law just moved into her and Young SGT's new house and this was her welcome. Can someone tell me if that is a terrible misuse of the word "victim"???

Old Sarge was in awe yesterday that I could pick out the Voice of Democracy winner before the winners were announced. The girls in jeans? Forget it. The little gal in a nice skirt and sherpa boots? Nope. The young lady that looked like she could have been a poster girl for young Republicans and wore gloves?? Yep, we have a winnah!

I have said for years, if you want to be taken seriously in a serious competition, no butts, bellies or boobs!

Guest Speaker

That's me. Sunday. THIS Sunday. I am the Department's representative at a Voice of Democracy Banquet in Monmouth and do you think I can come up with anything to say??

"Thanks for inviting me, congratulations to all the winners, your roast beef was dry and there are other vegetables than green beans, well, so long, gotta make that 2 1/2 hour drive home!"

Somehow I don't think that would be polite.

But the sooner I get this done, the sooner I can get back to crocheting.

Nuts

The meeting didn't go very well.

I'll be working on a resume for the first time in MANY years.

KBR lists 14 dispatcher positions in Iraq and one in Afghanistan.

Why the hell not??

UPDATE:
I did it! I applied!

Now, since obesity is a disqualifier, where can I find Alli??

Just a Thought

Did you eat icicles as a kid?

As a homeowner now, knowing full well the condition of your roof and gutters, would you ever do it again?