Cringe worthy stories from the past

The Graduate, Punkin Head and the Fiancee.

The 999 roses wrap.

For a while now I have been remembering incidents from the past that just make me wince. But some of these stories make me wonder why they bother me now when they did not phase me at the time. When I was first at Plant Loco one of my cohorts was leaning on a new vehicle in the audit bay waiting for the main  ass kicking meeting of the day. The Plant Manager walked in and as he started speaking he came over and gently removed her from the vehicle. She said she wore that skin for a long time.

I am wearing the skin now and wonder why it sometimes did not phase me at the time. Okay, sometimes it did but today's story did not.

We moved so many times when I was growing up I forgot counts of the places. I do remember I went to 12 schools in 12 years. Amazing as I spent the last 3 years of high school in the same school and 3 years at the same lower school. Anyway in the 8th grade (or so) I moved to a new school and was enrolled in band. This band director wanted me to audition, I thought this was a hoot as it was a first but okey dokey. I played Georgy Girl which is quite difficult on the flute and he said okay, sit last chair. We had a football game that weekend and for some reason he had me play the cymbals. The large, hand held, slap together cymbals. I had no clue how to do this and the drummer told me he would stick his arm out when I was supposed to crash the cymbals. This did not work out well and I just smacked the hell out of those cymbals during the fight song on the field. I was never asked to play the cymbals again.

What I can't believe is at the time it did not embarrass me a bit. I had never been in marching band, never marched in formation, did not know one person in the band and just went out and made a total fool of myself.  Today I would never have the nerve to do that.

It is all about the hair

All I have to say about the VP debate is:

Joe Biden had a shitty haircut, just look at the back sticking out like a ledge. Maybe he borrows Hillary's hairdresser.

Paul Ryan looked like Eddie Munster all grown up.

Martha Raddatz did a fine job and had great hair.

New ideas for a change of seasons

My Porcelain Berry vine is making a comeback. The berries are all different colors.

 

The limelight Hydrangea is just starting to turn color, when finished it should be brick red and then I let it dry on the bush for the birds to have cover.

Big Daddy and I need to go out and discuss the yard when he gets off his conference call. Yep, he is back at it with work stuff. When I originally designed the plantings I wanted some color and silhouette year round for eye appeal and the birds. Now I am pretty much into a redo and need to figure out a new direction. BD's horseradish experiment behind the garage has exploded and we think there are three plants back there now. That has to go and 2 areas need to be totally wiped out.

The dining room is almost bare and plaster is being readied for repairs. I need to pick out the colors and my peach ideas are not going to work. The rug is mainly a dark wine color, forgot about that as I had a different rug down. So we are probably back to all white again. And we need to discuss and figure out the electrical switches and seek out replacements. These are from the fifties. The house was built in 1954.

Last night we went took the kids to dinner for Punkin Head's graduation. Just to brag it is his second Master's and from U of M. He was quite proud as U of M does not like to take alums back for graduate work. His other Master's is from Temple. Anyway, we went to the Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe and it was fun. The food and drinks were on the high side and okay, the main entertainment was the crowd. We don't have many spots for live entertainment here and this was an all kinds crowd. There was no cover so that may have shaped the audience as mid-week is not the top draws. My favorite was an old guy that every once in a while just had to  "chair" dance. He was so cute. And he was drinking dark beer and then it looked like Spanish coffee. Gotta love it.

Sammy and I are gonna put on our coats and sit by the door waiting for BD to come out of the office.

I must be odd

Even the birds took a vacation.

Big Daddy will never retire. I know this because he cannot take a vacation. 

When I used to take a vacation from work I never answered my phone unless I was sitting at the Touche Bar in New Orleans or on a balcony in Northern Michigan. And I only did that to piss people off. I never even checked my email when I was working until I went to work. Granted some days I started at 5 AM, but even with the Blackberry I was never tempted to peek unless it blew up. And even then sometimes I chose to let it wait. Of course my boss had my home phone number but those calls were rare, not rare enough, but rare.

This week Big Daddy has checked his email every morning, was asked to do a tool tryout Friday, found a replacement for Friday after he saw my reaction, and reported he is going to Mexico next Tuesday. Oh yes, he went to the office this morning to drop off the part for the trial on Friday for Mr. Replacement.

And it is only Wednesday morning.

Project Pomandor success

My handmade pomanders.  Cloves poked into oranges.

My grandmother had the most amazing closet. She was quite the stylish dresser and she was quite beautiful. She also knew she was beautiful and some of the pictures of her posing in her finery outdo the fashion magazines of the day. In her closet by the shoes hung a pomander, not far from the fox stole with the head and feet. When I was young I loved her closets and drawers.

I finally found a recipe that was easy from Joseph The Butler, you simply bake them at 200. Now that I have a few I may also try some different techniques and fruits. I am also thinking of making dried orange slices for decorations. Big Daddy has a mandoline and I can work the oven now.

So in the evening while we are watching television and having tea we make pomanders.

October fun

Some industrious neighbors, I thought it looked like a happy house.

Today I got my first eye checkup in many many years. And I bought my first pair of custom glasses. I like that better, custom glasses versus I need glasses to see glasses. My dad was hilarious, he had seeing eyeglasses and hearing eyeglasses. My eyes are as good as can be expected for a woman of my age and I can still wear readers for shopping and eating out.

I bought the final touches for my big project and I think I can take pictures and post on that tomorrow.

We took Sammy dog to the pet store as he needed a winter coat. He was shorn on Saturday and has been sleeping under the quilt the last few nights. I am sure my mother-in-law who hand made the quilt will love that. Finding a dog winter-covering is as difficult as finding me fat clothes. And according to the owner of Lou's Pet Store, not profitable. Sammy squealed and squirmed when we put the coat on him; I am sure he has had a coat before. When we put it on him this afternoon for an outing he showed the same enthusiasm --both booty shaking and vocally.

Our Detroit Police Chief with the wayward peenee has retired, at 44 years of age. The woman who started all of this by publishing a picture with her gun in her mouth, has been given her gun back and ok'd for return to duty. She works in Internal Affairs. I sat next to a woman at lunch today saying a bunch of these women are ready to sue. She was saying it into her phone. In a very tony restaurant. WTF. And the Mayor says he knew a lot of this stuff but thought the Chief  had changed his ways. Like a leopard changes his spots?

Tomorrow is hairdo day to get ready for the Wednesday graduation party.

More crap I don't understand

It is okay to make huge soda purchases illegal. Why? Because it is bad for you and makes you fat.

It is okay to dictate school lunch contents and calories and raise the prices. Why because children are too fat and we said so on the money.

It is okay to charge people for 2 airline seats because they are too big to fit in the little ass seats.

But it is not okay to point out to fat people working in television that they are fat. WTF. This is according to the fat person on the air in Lacrosse, Wisconsin. And I must say if you want to work in television you need to have thick skin. We ran one bitch out of Detroit for crappy makeup.

It is now okay to refuse to even hire people in Michigan who smoke. At specific hospitals here employees who smell of smoke during their shift will be called out and disciplined or fired. One facility in particular is putting the onus on employees to turn in the scofflaws as they tsk tsk them. We will address the cancelling of surgeries at a later time along with reprimanding janitors and not reprimanding surgeons.

It is okay to say that smokers stink.

When smokers quit smoking they mostly get fat. But you are a bully if you call a fat person fat although you can dictate what they can purchase.

Now keep in mind it is LEGAL to be fat and/or stinky.

If smokers can be marginalized and made unemployable then fat people gotta be next. Next group to be picked on is gonna be the uglies.