Unexpected free time.

   I've gotten some unexpected free time today and just couldn't resist popping in to do my Thankful Thursday. 

1.  The snow storm we got this morning.  Just a minor one only a couple inches, but blowing and drifting.  My client said she was too sick to go, but I think it was the weather.  We'll just have to make up this appointment later. 

2. Coffee. This morning it's at home, my cheap coffee maker and the peppermint mocha creamer.  When you can hear the wind whistling, it's good to have a hot cup of coffee in your hands.

3. My mechanic.  Yeah, he's here again.  This time it's a pair of tires that I'm getting for a discount.  With free balance and mount.  How cool is that?

4. All my friends here in J-Land.  I really look forward to getting computer time and visiting everyone.  I know I said this last week, but this is such a special community of caring people.

5. I found my winter boots!  NO, seriously, I couldn't find them, knew I had packed and moved them, but Poof!  Well, they were in my closet, behind a box of books-imagine that.

6. The weather channel and the meteorologists on the local TV stations that keep us so well informed on these snowstorms that come  blowing through here.  I guess we've got a doozie(sp) coming on Sunday.  Lots of lake-effect snow!  And we will till the lakes(Michigan and Superior) freeze.  Just keep shovelling, and I know this sounds crazy, but I enjoy it.

   Well, this entry really seems to be about the weather around here.  But that is what is on everyone's minds this time of year.  We can get dumped on quite regularly.  Then the snow settles down and we get the bone-numbing cold for late January and February.  There really isn't any other news to talk about.  I've got another overtime week, this week, even with the 2 hours I lost today.  :)  I'm going to the new computer repair guy in town and see if he's got any deals for me, fingers are crossed.  Hope to get back here tomorrow and Saturday.  Till then...

                                         ~Thanks for Stopping By~

Snowy Evening at the library

   An evening off, ah!  It doesn't happen very often during the week.  Just every other Wednesday for right now.  Some of my work hours have been shifted around and I only have an hour here and there to get online.  So I thought tonight would be a good time to get an entry done. 

   I have been working alot of hours lately, and will have some overtime checks coming.  I think I'll get some money saved finally.  Not much, my car needs 2 tires, my son needs a little financial help, and my nephew found out he'll probably be laid off for about 6 weeks pretty soon, so I'll have to help out a little extra at home.  Something is telling me it's just not time for this to work out  yet, I'll have to keep being patient.  :::sigh:::

   Potsey(my nephew) got a couple fresh turkeys "deep discount", that couldn't be frozen, so we've got turkey on the menu and turkey in the freezer, and.......turkey.  Actually I found a recipe for a pie crust specifically for meatpies, so I thought we'd try that.  I've also got my cookie recipes out to start the care package baking for my son.  He'll definitely need it this year.  His college money didn't last, he's not making much at his part-time job, so he needs some extra cookies and stuff this year. 

   Speaking of the holidays, I've got to go out to the woods and gather the fresh greens for the wreaths and centerpieces.  We don't really have room for a tree, so I'm making a big "Snowflake Wreath" for the wall behind the TV.  I've got to wire some lights strings behind it and a few ornaments in the middle.   These are really beautiful wreaths, shaped just like a 6 sided snowflake.  I  just love using real greenery in the house, it smells so fresh and"piney". 

   I saw the most beautiful sunrise this morning.  I was out shovelling snow at about 7:30.  We only had about 4 inches, but more is in the forecast and I'd rather shovel a little bit of snow twice than try to move 6 or more inches at one time.  Anyway, I was telling you about the sunrise this morning, I don't think I've ever seen that many intense colors, all the reds, oranges, pinks, almost irridescent.  As the sun got higher and the colors lightened up alittle, they moved into the surrounding clouds.  The whole sky just glowed.  I could have just kicked myself, I'm not much of a photographer, but usually have one of those one-time use cameras around with a couple shots left, but not today.  It was just breathtaking.  So when you're out there shovelling that snow, stop and look up.  You never know what you'll see.  Maybe a beautiful sky, maybe the trash man-who thought I was a little off my gourd for staring at the sky.  Or maybe just some more snow! 

   Well, that's about it for my news for now.  I'm going to go and visit some more journals and get caught up. 

                              ~Thanks for Stopping By~

Thankful!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my J-Land friends!

    I've got to get my greetings in early.  The libraries will be closed on Thursday and Friday.  It looks like we'll have a dusting of snow for Thanksgiving.  Maybe as much as a couple inches.  I'll be working for  part of the day and cooking Thanksgiving dinner(except the turkey) for one of my clients, and joining her and her daughter for dinner.  The rest of my family have plans and both Bro and Potsey have a couple dinner invitations to attend so everyone will be full.  We do have plans for the traditional Eggnog(spiked) toast tomorrow evening.  We should all be home by 8pm or so.  I'll even have time to watch part of the (also traditional) Thanksgiving beating of the Detroit Lions.  ::sigh::  I thought this year would be different, but they're playing the division leading Green Bay Packers.  It would be a Thanksgiving Day MIRACLE!!!  for them to win this game. 

   What an appropriate day for my Thankful Thursday.  I have so many things in my life to be thankful for.  The list is long, so let's being. 

1. I am thankful for my work.  Not everyone has the priviledge to do work they truly enjoy.

2. I am thankful for my family, as frustrating as they are, I love them.   That includes my Son, who has found a way to live on his own, and still be able to go to college.  This allowed me to move back to Michigan and start my life over. 

3. I am thankful that I have a basically reliable car and a dependable mechanic.  I need a car in my line of work. 

4. I am thankful for my health and wellness.  Working with the disabled and elderly reminds me every day how fortunate I am. 

5. And of course, did you really think I'd do a Thankful Thursday without mentioning it-Coffee.  Today, it's every gas station that I stop at during my workday, the cashiers who are so friendly, the customer punch cards that allow me to get a free cup(with the purchase of 5 or 8 or whatever). 

6. A heartfelt Thank You to all our servicemen, their families, for the sacrifices that they make for our country.  We wouldn't be here, doing this, if it weren't for them.

7. And last but definitely not least, all the friends and readers I have here in J-Land.  This is a community where everyone finds a way to fit in and have wonderful friends to connect with.  I love you all. 

    I hope to squeeze in alittle time between shifts today, but if I don't get by to visit you, please have a Happy Thanksgiving and I'll catch up with you later.  My time is up for today so.....

                ~Thanks for Stopping by~   Blessings,  Leigh

A Rainy Monday, alittle free time.

   This is going to be one of those weeks.  A short week and then the holiday and I won't be able to figure out what day it is for about another four.  Ah well.  Like my subject header says, it's raining here.  It's been kind of cold, and we haven't seen much of the sun for a few days.  I was out cleaning out the car some yesterday afternoon and was just thinking that it won't be long till snow covers everything till spring.  We have a sandy driveway, so we'll be able to get down to the sand when plowing and shovelling, but the rest will all be white-or some variation. 

   I'm starting with a new client tomorrow afternoon, so I'll only be able to get here in the mornings before work, unless I sneak in for awhile around noon.  It was funny, I had just gotten my December schedule in the mail and Bro was asking me how long before it gets changed, when my phone rang, the call was about this new client.  And I'm sure it'll change again, although I like my hours right now-except for computer access.  I'm still working 7 days a week for the most part, will get time and a half for Thanksgiving, and my schedule on the weekends will be lighter.

   I've been thrift shopping again.  I found a Wilton pan for mini loaves of bread for $1.  That'll come in really handy for the Holidays.  I usually bake for my clients' Holiday gifts.  I found a fleece pullover from L.L. Bean that looks like it has never been worn for $2. and I got a couple Christmas tins for cookies.  It's time to start planning my Son's care package.  I pack a big box with all his favorite baked goodies each year.  Then there's the decorations for the littler place.  There really isn't room for a tree, so I thought I'd take the basic design for this snowflake shaped wreath I make and enlarge it, add some lights and decorations, and hang it behind the TV.  Maybe one of those little artificial ones for the coffee table. Hmmm......  See, I've got some planning to do, so I'm off to the next client after stopping for something to eat, and get my in-mind design work done.  

                             ~Thanks for stopping by~

 

One Word to Describe Me...

I've seen this at a couple of other journals and am adding it to mine. 

The Game is On!!!   And you're it!

Describe ME in one word....just one single word.  Post it in my comment section.  Then put the same request in your journal, so that we can visit you... and do the same thing...  and see how many strange and interesting things we say about you.

Play along, it's fun.

   Today is the opening day of firearms deer season, here in Northern Michigan.  Hunter Orange is everywhere.  I haven't heard of any monster racks coming to any of the buck poles.  Although the bucks with the biggest racks are WAYYYY back in the swamps,  they know better.  No one who hunts from my household and extended buddies has been successful yet in bow season, although they can still hunt with a bow during firearms season, they have to wear orange.  They actually have till Dec. 31st. to hunt with a bow. 

    The other day, I experienced the perfect early fall morning.  It was crisp, the temperature cold enough to have frost on the windshield, clear, with no streetlights right near the house, and the New Moon, you could see every star in the sky...... It was breathtaking.  Just one of those mornings that you have to stop for a minute and just admire Mother Natures ability to amaze.  Just one of those perfect moments, when I am so glad that I get to live where I do. 

   Well, I have more journals to read yet and I've got an afternoon shift, so....

                               ~Thanks for stopping by~  

My Day Off!

   This is something that hasn't happened in quite awhile.  At least 6 weeks or so.  I had today off!  The whole day!  I have 2 clients that are(or were-one got released) in the hospital.  So I didn't have to work today as I only had one shift this morning(the one that got released this afternoon).  So, what did I do on my day off?  Well, I got up at 5:15am, made coffee, and read for about 1 1/2 hours.  I got some of the boxes out of the closet to reorganize and get the holiday box down, so that I can find all my recipes for cookies and get organized for the holiday season early.  I went to the thrift shop, found a pan that bakes 4 of those mini loaves at one time(Wilton) for $1 and some holiday cards for a quarter.  I also found a windbreaker for $1, and some plastic holiday plates for delivering the cookies that I make for my clients.  Cool shopping.  I spent a grand total of $5.30 including some paperbacks for .25 each. :-)

   Speaking of my clients, some have asked what I do for a living.  I'm a Home Health Aide.  I go to my clients homes and help them with their daily living activities, help with a shower, do housekeeping, correspondence, cooking, errands, and sometimes just sit and visit with them.  I really enjoy my work, although some days I travel 60+ miles to get to all of them.  Some are only 2 hour shifts, I've worked 12 hour shifts and some 24hour.  I get to sleep during the 24 hour ones, they just need to have someone present in the home besides the client.  For instance a client's husband has to go to the hospital for a few days, we'll go and stay with her for 24 hr shifts. 

   I mentioned in that short entry yesterday that I had to go see my mechanic.  I needed a radiator hose replaced.  He fit my car in, in the middle of the day, without making an appointment.  What a good guy he is. 

   I was in the middle of doing a meme that Dawn at Carpe Diem had done a couple of entries back, when I bumped a button and the whole thing just went poof!  It was the first time I had ever used a laptop.  The keys are placed closer and the surface was flat instead of the slight slant of a desktop keyboard, so my fingers were a little awkward, but I did manage till I bumped that key.  Anyway, I may look into getting a laptop when I finally get my money together.  I like the compactness, as my desk in my room is small.  And the portability.  Anyway here's the meme I was doing.  Four Things. 

Four Jobs I've had.

1.Home Health Aide.

2. Waitress.

3. Gas Station Attendant.

4. Newspaper carrier.

Four Movies I  Can Watch Over and Over

1. Scrooged. 

2. Groundhogs Day.

3. Michael.

4. Christmas Story.

Four Places I Have Lived.

1. Here-Roscommon.

2.  Sebring, OH.  When I was married.

3. Gaylord, MI  Till I lost my job and apartment all in one day due to a fire-I lived in the apartment upstairs from the restaurant I worked in.

4. Sylvania, OH.  For all of 10 days.  My one and only city experience-it's a suburb of Toledo.

Four TV Shows I Love to Watch.

1. M.A.S.H.   I've seen them all so many times, but will sit and watch them again. 

2. Football- I used to watch from the pregame shows at noon till the last game was done on Sunday night.  More than my husband watched. 

3. House.  Although we're only "allowed" to watch the DVD from the previous years.  My nephew is a House freak, and doesn't want to see any of the episodes till they come out on DVD, and I don't sit in front of the TV much anyway, so.....

4. Wow, I really can't come up with another TV show I Love to watch.  so.....

Four Places I've Been To on Vacation.

1. Here.  No seriously, when I was in Ohio, we came up and went camping.  Can you say that you've vacationed where you live?

2. Cedarville, MI.  A little town in the Upper Penninsula of MI. 

3. Disney World.  Way back in 1973 before it was even all the way finished.

4. That's it. 

Four Websites I Visit Daily

1. Lolcats

2. Amazon

3. That's about it.

Four Favorite Dishes.

1. Pizza

2. Macaroni and cheese with hotdogs. Seriously.

3. Chili and cornbread

4. Peanutbutter Toast.  EVERYDAY. REALLY.

Four Places I'd Rather Be Right Now.

1. In front of a brand new laptop in my home.  Sorry, I've just got computers on the brain. 

2. At Waldenbooks with a Huge giftcard. Or any bookstore.

3. On a warm sandy beach with a pitcher of frozen margueritas, and a good book...or maybe a man. 

4.In front of a campfire, next to my huge RV with a pitcher of margueritas, or SoCo and coffee, and a good book...or maybe a man. 

   I found this joke that someone gave me a long time ago.  23 Ways to Tell You're Grown Up. ( I won't do them all) 

1. Your houseplants are alive and you can't smoke any of them.

2. Having sex in a twin bed is out of the question.

3. You keep more food than beer in the fridge.

4. 6:00am is when you get up, not when you go to bed. 

8. You go from 130 days of vacation time to 14.

11. Older relatives feel comfortable telling sex jokes around you.

12. You don't know what time Taco Bell closes anymore.

14. You feed your dog Science Diet instead of McDonald's leftovers.

15. Sleeping on the couch makes your back hurt.

16. You take naps.

18. Eating a basket of chicken wings at 3AM would severely upset, rather than settle your stomach.

20. A $4.00 bottle of wine is no longer "Pretty good shit"

21 You actually eat breakfast food at breakfast time.

22. "I just can't drink the way I used to" replaces "I'm never drinking that much again".

23 You go to the drugstore for  Ibuprofen and antacids instead of condoms and pregnancy tests.

    My time is almost up for today, the library closes at 7pm.  I'm working on visiting all my favorite journals, but I've gotten behind, so if I haven't commented, I'll get there.  ~ Thanks for stopping by~

HI!

Hi,  I'm stopping by real quick to say Hi and let you know that I had an entry all ready to go and hit the wrong key here somewhere.  I'm using a laptop for the first time.  So I'm frustrated and have to go.  My mechanic is expecting me in a few minutes, I need a hose replaced, and then I have to go to work.  I'll have time to visit tomorrow and post a nice long entry. Or maybe two short ones.  Who knows.  Till then-

~Thanks for Stopping by~   There'll be more to read here tomorrow.

One more time! A Meme.

   Okay, the snow's almost all melted, so I had to skip the snowballs.  I went right for the pizza slice and this breadstick they call a Bosco.  It has Motz. cheese on the inside and olive oil, parm cheese and garlic on the outside.  Yummy, especially with that coffee I mentioned. 

   Here's a meme that Dawn the Princesss of Meme's had a couple posts ago.  It's pretty simple- 5 Things.

A.  Found in my room.

   1. The bed.  Of course!

   2. Lots of books.

   3. My stereo w/CD's.

   4. My teapots.  I actually use them once in awhile, too!

    5. An unfinished quilt, about 80% done, just have some more quilting and the border to be finished.  All sewn by hand.

B. I have always wanted to-

    1. Go on one of those jetskis! All over the lake.

    2. Have thicker hair.  It's long, baby fine, and thinning.  Sigh!

    3. Have a little house by a stream with a garden and woods nearby.

    4. Go for a hot air balloon ride.  Don't ask my why, since I'm afraid of heights, can't even lean over the balcony rail!

    5. Do the Labor Day Macinac Bridge Walk.  It's like 5 miles long-way above the water(there's that fear of hieghts again).

C. Found in my bag.

    1. Cell phone.

    2. 5 or 6 pens.

   3. Hershey bar or MM's.

   4. Small bottle of Purell.

   5. Half my mail for the month.

D. Found in my wallet.

   1. Way too much change for the little zippered pocket.

   2. Stamps.

   3. Gas Station coffee punch cards, I have one filled for a free cup, but I'm saving it for now.

   4. A couple expired coupons.  (Why?)

   5. Very little cash.  Tomorrow's payday.  :)

E. I am currently into-

   1. Studying astrology and Tarot.

   2. Journalling and writing(alittle) on the internet.

   3. Heavy Metal music.

   4. Drinking lots of Coffee-c'mon, you knew it'd be here somewhere.

   5. Snacking on cinnamon graham crackers with peanut butter.

F. Non Family/friend Phone numbers in my cell.

   1. My mechanic.

   2. Work.

   3. B. C. Pizza

   4. My Credit Union.

   5. The company I order books from.

     Well, that about wraps it up for today.        ~Thanks again for stopping by~

It's Thursday!!

   Good afternoon.  How's everyone doing on this snowy(that's right) afternoon.  Actually, it has stopped snowing for now, but this morning we had a lovely layer about 2" deep on the grass and cars.  Very pretty from the livingroom window.  Hey, why complain about it?  You can't avoid it here in Northern Lower Michigan.  Last year we had a freak snow storm in mid-Oct. and then I was walking on the lakeshore in jeans and a sweatshirt on Dec. 24th.  And if you don't like the weather, wait a day and it'll change. 

    I'm here to do my Thankful Thursday and just kind of catch up alittle.  It's been a busy week for me.  First, on Thursday night last week(Nov. 1st) I had to go to Oscoda which is 90+ miles from home for a client that had no aide.  There are a limited number of aides with the skill level to take care of her and none were available.  So, after my 4-7pm shift, I got on the expressway and headed east-south-east.  The trip took about 1 3/4 hours.  I worked the two hour shift and began my return trip home.  About 12 miles from home, on the expressway, my headlights suddenly went out.  OMG.  That's right, immediately after using my turn signal to pass a car that was moving onto the exit ramp, !Poof!  I'm driving along in the dark(12:30AM).  Flashers go on and I slowed and pulled over.  Called home and discovered no one would answer.  I crept along the side of the highway and as I rounded a curve(about 1 mile) I saw the flashing lights of a police car!  Yay, help.  The officer was at the scene of a car-deer accident with the wrecker.  They looked over the car, fuses, wires, and whatever else and couldn't find the problem.  Of course the tow truck driver was "kind enough" to offer to get the flatbed truck to tow my car back to his location for repair.  (Hah, I don't have any jewels valuable enough to sell to cover the cost of that, pal.)  The county officer asked me where I lived and said he'd give me a ride home because he had to go to the gas station to gas up-in Roscommon.  My lucky night!!!  So I pulled the car over as far as I could to the side(to be picked up when it was daylight)and was delivered home about 15 minutes later.  The culprit was the dimmer switch-stuck between the high and low beams.  Easily repaired once we found the part. 

    Last night, I received a call from the office and they needed someone to  work a 12 hour midnight shift.  I know the client, the pay was good, I knew I could nap, it gave me 5 1/2 hours overtime, so I said yes.  My day had started at 4:30am as I had a 6:30-8:30am shift, a 10-12pm shift and a 12:30-4:30pm.  I said I could be there at 8:30pm, made a huge pot of coffee, ate, showered and packed my bag for the night(a good book and snacks) and left for work.  I've been on the go since then, with about 3 hours of sleep and I don't feel too bad.  So without further ado here is my Thankful Thursday list for this week- 

1. Coffee.  Of course, this afternoon it's essential.  And yes it does help me stay awake when I need it to, but doesn't seem to bother me when it's time to sleep.

2.  The extra hours of work I was able to get this week.  Into the computer fund it goes! :-)

3.  The very nice police officer who came to my aid last Thursday night.  And the poor deer and car that got damaged, that brought him to where I needed him to be. 

4.  My mechanic.  He's very reliable, quick, efficient, and knows how important my car is to my job, so he fits me in for work as quickly as possible.  Thanks James!

5.  Oh, and did I mention coffee?  Yeah, I know I did, but I'm getting kind of punchy- not really enough time for a nap today, I had a 10-12pm and I have a 4-7.  So I'll pass out very early tonight. 

   I think my time is almost up.  There are others waiting for the computers.  I think I'll go get a coffee refill(See Sunny, 3 times in one entry.)from the gas station and maybe a slice of pizza, and go throw snowballs at something, just because I can!!!   Have a great day and I'll see you again soon!   

                              ~Thanks for stopping by~

A Quick Thankful Thursday.

I've got a little time before I get ready to leave for work, so I thought I'd post my Thankful Thursday entry. 

1. I'm thankful for the library and their computers.  I'll be using them for a while and they're really nice about me showing up every day.

2. For all my readers and friends that stop by and comment, even when I post so erratically. 

3. For the Halloween candy going on sale 50% off today. I got a couple small bags of Hershey bars.  :)

4. Coffee-no particular flavor, or place today, just coffee.  There are some days that it just tastes so good.

5. For Daylight savings time ending this weekend.  It'll be like sleeping in!!  And I don't have to get up early for work this weekend.  Just afternoon shifts.

    I've got to go for now.  I waited till I had e-mail sorted out before I came to do an entry, I spent too much time reading.   You all have a great day and Thanks for stopping by....