Last week I kept thinking of things to blog about; I even composed a few entries in my head. Why I never got around to making the posts I don't know.
Wednesday last week I went with Thomas to his company's annual Perfect Attendance Awards dinner. I enjoyed myself. I like seeing some of the people he works with, or meeting some I hadn't met before, and schmoozing with big shots. And that reminds me -- A few weeks ago Eler Beth and I were out and we passed by a local restaurant, a bar and grill down by the river. There were some men standing in the parking lot talking, and I recognized one as our mayor, so I pointed him out to Eler Beth. That night she excitedly told her dad about seeing the mayor.
"But isn't that a place that serves alcohol?" she asked.
We said, yes, it is a bar and grill. There's nothing wrong with having a drink at a bar. And just because the mayor was there doesn't mean he was having a drink in the middle of the day. A lot of people go there for lunch, ". . . and to schmooze." I added.
"What's 'schmooze'?" she wondered.
Hmmm. How to explain. . . . I told her it was friendly talking, usually between people who would have something to gain either politically or in business. But before I could really get that out in any coherent fashion, she said, "Must just be something grown ups do."
In other news . . .
There was a shooting here in Jeffersonville on Thursday of last week. Two police officers were shot. Both were transported to University of Louisville Hospital, one by helicopter. One was shot in the leg and the other was shot in his chest or abdomen where his vest didn't protect him. I believe he is still in the hospital, but is in stable condition. The man who did the shooting was on the run for several hours, but was finally found holed up in a house in South Louisville. There was a standoff for some hours between him and police before he finally ended his own life.
Winter came back into our area last week, but we got no ice and barely any snow. Today it is sunny and in the 40s, and tomorrow we'll see 50s. I'd like to get some yard work done tomorrow, especially since we're expecting rain on Thursday. I'm looking forward to Spring, but I can handle this kind of weather for a few more weeks -- just no more ice, please!
The economy is finally having an effect on Thomas' company. They are going to be laying off all the contractors; all will be gone by April 1, which is the start of the new contract year. Then there is a rumor that there will be layoffs of another 200 company employees. That will not be enough to touch Thomas at this time, but still we are taking some precautions. One just never knows in these times. They have plenty of contracts to fill, so I really have a feeling they'll be calling people back after the layoff. They are also offering buy-outs to several of the older foremen. Right now Thomas is working six and seven days a week, and we don't see any change coming any time soon for him. But my nephew, Jamie, is one of the contractors that will be effected.
I guess that's all the local news for now, so I'll return you to your Tuesday afternoon, already in progress . . . .
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Giving A Hand
Our good J-Land friend, Mary, has started a new blog along the lines of the AOL Journal The Giving Tree. It is called GIVE..A Hand UP. Please go check it out if you haven't already.
I'm going to quote Mary's first paragraph on her introductory post:
I'm going to quote Mary's first paragraph on her introductory post:
"It may be easier to ask a stranger for something in a time of need rather than a friend or neighbor. Need something? Just ask, and I'll post an entry to see if anyone has what you need. Not cash, cars, plasma tvs or Coach bags :-0, but a warm coat for your child, a blanket for your grandmother,a care package when food is scarce, or an outfit to go on a job interview."I love the idea for this blog and bless Mary's thoughtfulness for doing this. Please drop by GIVE and pass the word in your own blogs, if you don't mind.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Amazing Finale!
Watch This
Make sure your sound is on, and watch to the end. It's brilliant!
I cannot imagine how many times it took him to get this right. And he does it to one of the best Beatles' songs ever!
This is some kind of skill!
Make sure your sound is on, and watch to the end. It's brilliant!
I cannot imagine how many times it took him to get this right. And he does it to one of the best Beatles' songs ever!
This is some kind of skill!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Wrap-up of my Week
It has been a very interesting week.
Last Sunday we went out to eat with two other families at Asian Buffet in Clarksville, even though Thomas hadn't been feeling too well. We'd never been to the Asian Buffet, and neither of us is a very big fan of Chinese food, but this place was really nice. Their buffet was large, priced reasonably, the food was delicious, and the service was very prompt and courteous. I stuffed myself, of course.
By Monday morning Thomas had decided that he'd better go to the doctor, and he very rarely does that. He had the beginning of sinus and throat infections, so he came home with an antibiotic. Tuesday is when our bad weather started. We lost power for just a couple of hours overnight, and that was it. We have friends and family who were without power for 33 and 48 hours.
Thomas worked Monday, even though he was sick -- that is typical of him. So I was a little glad that they didn't work Tuesday or Wednesday. I figured it would give him a little time to rest and get to feeling better. He still managed to take Eler Beth and her cousins sledding on Wednesday. He sat in the warm truck watching while they sledded. They always go to a certain spot here in town, and I know that Eler Beth had a great time because she told me so when she got home -- but she put an entry in her blog (entitled "Emergancy") putting out a call for more sledding spots in our area, that her usual one was too boring. lol
I'm a little surprised that not one of us went stir crazy while Thomas was home all week. He handled it very well, and normally he'd not only be horrified at the loss of money, but he'd be climbing the walls for lack of anything "productive" to do. But he rested, we watched movies, cooked, and he took the kids out in the 4-wheel drive and they did doughnuts in empty parking lots, as well as sledding. He took Eler Beth and her cousins sledding again on Thursday, and the youngest one busted Eler Beth's favorite sled that she's had for years. And it was probably on purpose, because she'd been acting out and trying to run it into a tree the whole time they were there. She never apologised or acted sorry at all, and that, I'm afraid, is typical of this one. After Uncle Thomas was finished giving her a big talking-to I don't think she'll do anything like that again.
No sledding on Friday, but on Saturday a friend and his son invited Thomas and Eler Beth to go sledding one more time before all the snow was gone, and they had a good time (with a new sled). We had sun off and on Saturday and warmer temps, so everything started melting. It was neat seeing little icicles sprinkling the yard and drive.
Today our temperature got up to 50° with lots of sunshine. It actually felt like spring outside, except for that cold snow on the ground. Eler Beth has felt bad all day; she's sneezing, tired, and achy, and that's just how Thomas' started. She slept most of the day, and I fed her soup and lots of juice. She'll probably end up having to go to the doctor too.
Today would have been my parents' 62nd wedding anniversary if my father were still alive. They celebrated their 55th anniversary before he died.
It was a fairly decent Super Bowl tonight. We were rooting for the Cardinals (which was very strange for me, a UK Wildcat fan, to root for any team called the Cardinals -- if you live in Kentuckiana, you'll completely understand that!). We didn't have any ties to either team, but I thought it would be nice for the Cardinals to win since this was their first trip to the Super Bowl. They came so close and played a great game.
Hopefully Thomas will be back to work tomorrow. They're going to have to do snow removal before anyone can do his regular job out in the yard, so Thomas will probably try to help with that since he can't do any inspecting if there's nothing to inspect. I think we're supposed to get some snow, but not the big snow they were afraid we'd get. I don't mind more snow, but I really hope we don't get any more ice. I'm hoping Eler Beth will feel well enough to do some school work tomorrow, because last week was pretty much a bust in that department with the exception of Monday.
Well, this has been a pretty boring entry, serving the purpose of documentation mostly with no entertainment value at all. So I'll close now. I hope that everyone is safe and warm and getting ready to have a great week ahead.
Last Sunday we went out to eat with two other families at Asian Buffet in Clarksville, even though Thomas hadn't been feeling too well. We'd never been to the Asian Buffet, and neither of us is a very big fan of Chinese food, but this place was really nice. Their buffet was large, priced reasonably, the food was delicious, and the service was very prompt and courteous. I stuffed myself, of course.
By Monday morning Thomas had decided that he'd better go to the doctor, and he very rarely does that. He had the beginning of sinus and throat infections, so he came home with an antibiotic. Tuesday is when our bad weather started. We lost power for just a couple of hours overnight, and that was it. We have friends and family who were without power for 33 and 48 hours.
Thomas worked Monday, even though he was sick -- that is typical of him. So I was a little glad that they didn't work Tuesday or Wednesday. I figured it would give him a little time to rest and get to feeling better. He still managed to take Eler Beth and her cousins sledding on Wednesday. He sat in the warm truck watching while they sledded. They always go to a certain spot here in town, and I know that Eler Beth had a great time because she told me so when she got home -- but she put an entry in her blog (entitled "Emergancy") putting out a call for more sledding spots in our area, that her usual one was too boring. lol
I'm a little surprised that not one of us went stir crazy while Thomas was home all week. He handled it very well, and normally he'd not only be horrified at the loss of money, but he'd be climbing the walls for lack of anything "productive" to do. But he rested, we watched movies, cooked, and he took the kids out in the 4-wheel drive and they did doughnuts in empty parking lots, as well as sledding. He took Eler Beth and her cousins sledding again on Thursday, and the youngest one busted Eler Beth's favorite sled that she's had for years. And it was probably on purpose, because she'd been acting out and trying to run it into a tree the whole time they were there. She never apologised or acted sorry at all, and that, I'm afraid, is typical of this one. After Uncle Thomas was finished giving her a big talking-to I don't think she'll do anything like that again.
No sledding on Friday, but on Saturday a friend and his son invited Thomas and Eler Beth to go sledding one more time before all the snow was gone, and they had a good time (with a new sled). We had sun off and on Saturday and warmer temps, so everything started melting. It was neat seeing little icicles sprinkling the yard and drive.
Today our temperature got up to 50° with lots of sunshine. It actually felt like spring outside, except for that cold snow on the ground. Eler Beth has felt bad all day; she's sneezing, tired, and achy, and that's just how Thomas' started. She slept most of the day, and I fed her soup and lots of juice. She'll probably end up having to go to the doctor too.
Today would have been my parents' 62nd wedding anniversary if my father were still alive. They celebrated their 55th anniversary before he died.
It was a fairly decent Super Bowl tonight. We were rooting for the Cardinals (which was very strange for me, a UK Wildcat fan, to root for any team called the Cardinals -- if you live in Kentuckiana, you'll completely understand that!). We didn't have any ties to either team, but I thought it would be nice for the Cardinals to win since this was their first trip to the Super Bowl. They came so close and played a great game.
Hopefully Thomas will be back to work tomorrow. They're going to have to do snow removal before anyone can do his regular job out in the yard, so Thomas will probably try to help with that since he can't do any inspecting if there's nothing to inspect. I think we're supposed to get some snow, but not the big snow they were afraid we'd get. I don't mind more snow, but I really hope we don't get any more ice. I'm hoping Eler Beth will feel well enough to do some school work tomorrow, because last week was pretty much a bust in that department with the exception of Monday.
Well, this has been a pretty boring entry, serving the purpose of documentation mostly with no entertainment value at all. So I'll close now. I hope that everyone is safe and warm and getting ready to have a great week ahead.
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