They can't steal my joy

This is our stereo, it is built in the wall.

I think I told you about the stereo before, well it broke. First I noticed it was cutting out and the next thing you know it just died. Big Daddy took it in for repair, this is the second time we have had to repair it in the 20 or so years we have lived here. It came with the house. The only time we use it really is for the news and traffic in the morning but that is important. I am not sure we even have a cassette tape to test that appliance out. Punkin Head thinks we are crazy getting this fixed.

The visit to the blood-taking place was a horror story. The woman that was there was Ms. Nasty Grumpy and yes I have a lump where she took the blood. On a high note my blood pressure was 107/74 which is normal. When I go to the doctor it is always high. Oh, and for the second time in a week I have seen a new number on the scales. Don't know if my body finally admitted I am on a diet or the increased thyroid medication is responsible.

I have investigated improving my cholesterol and losing weight without having to take statins for the cholesterol. Green tea, physical activity, eating properly, oatmeal and fiber were the biggies. So, I went to CVS for some more Benefiber and that turned into a mess.  They did not have any and I ended up with some other stuff that seemed kinda like it. Then the clerk asked me if I found everything and I said there was no Benefiber, he called a manager who after checking insisted the stuff I had was Benefiber under a new name and package from the same company. When I got home and checked this seemed false. So I checked on the Internet and called the Benefiber company. They informed me that no the stuff I bought was not theirs, but, tada . . . there is no Benefiber because of some blah, blah, blah, which I interpreted as corporate bullshit for there is a huge problem and we can't make it right now. So, there is no real or phony Benefiber. WTF.

Well, we are supposed to get 6 to 12 inches this evening so we will see.

Gotta rant for a minute

I hesitate to lay the blame right at Obama's feet but where else would this belong. As many of you are aware the cost of insurance has gone up recently. Some of us must pay a portion of our insurance and yes we noticed. And it cost more than the free shit I get now.

We are going through our yearly doctor appointments for the first time in 3-4 years and have completed almost all of it. One or two tests remain.

Tomorrow we have to go in and have blood work done for the company insurance requirements so that our insurance will not go up again.

I am calling bullshit on all this crap required by the insurance company. And I am calling double bullshit on this saving any money for anything or anybody. Repeating tests just for the hell of it is stupid. In my opinion this is simply to collect data on people that cannot be obtained from the doctor's records. And what is this shit about having your picture taken to go with your file? If the highly trained and competent idiots in the TSA cannot figure out picture ID I am supposed to believe the clerks in insurance companies making minimum wage can tell if I have a new hairdo or not. I don't think so.

And who is paying for my fuel to drive my car and increase my carbon footprint in order to have all this testing repeated? Just found out mileage reimbursement is .565 per mile for this jaunt.

Everything is already documented to keep the lower rate, Big Daddy had to report how many steps he took every day for awhile,  and now this. I think I need a tin foil hat.

And the thing that really pisses me off, 95 % of the time I have a problem with the taking of the blood. Not long ago as I walked out of the room blood started running down my arms onto the floor. I had to go back and get pressure bandages put on and sit there. Once the bruise and swelling was so bad it was 2 weeks before I could use my arm.

I hate this shit.

The Weekend Snippets

Friday morning was pedicure time and wouldn't you know it we had a snow storm. An unpredicted snow storm. They said a flake or two and I had 4 inches on the front of my car in 90 minutes. Big Daddy cleaned it off before he left and I still had a mess. That reminds of a past snow cleaning. I was in Tennessee on a business trip and our return flight was delayed due to the weather. It was a bad snowstorm and we were flying into Detroit Metro rather late at night. It was extremely cold and all the cars were buried under a massive amount of snow at Airlines Parking. All except mine. Big Daddy had traveled to the lot and scraped the snow off my car. I don't know how he convinced the people he was not parking only scraping but he did. And I was teased for awhile on that one. 

Saturday was hair day and we altered the front a bit so I look less like a crone and friendlier, still blond blond of course. 

We made a new recipe from our Christmas present to ourselves cookbook, Screen Doors and Sweet Tea, pimento cheese. And it is delicious. I cannot wait to eat it today. And we are making lasagna which I have not made in 4 or 5 years so that should be interesting. Saturday we had duck cassoulet and it was divine. 

BD is now hooked on House of Cards, that is such a good show. TV is boring right now, Survivor and Swamp People. Nashville returns next week. 

I just finished The Beach Trees, a book by Karen White and it was pretty good. Murder mystery in the south both Biloxi and New Orleans are featured. Next I am reading Private Berlin by James Patterson. I am ordering A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy, I did not know there was one left to publish after she died. I just adore her books. 

Next, our music story.

The adventures of Big Daddy

Big Daddy had to return to West BFE this week as they are not capable of making car parts that meet the agreed upon specifications. That is because their machine will not run. They are not quite sure why. The guy who would be sure why does not work weekends or Mondays. In an attempt to placate BD they told him a part for the machine was ordered Monday. As they did not know why the machine would not work and the machine fixer guy was not there this seemed fishy. Upon review of the tracking number it was discovered the number would not be active until late Tuesday in Germany, well it seemed all their talk was hooey.

The next bunch of malarky was trying to keep BD and his comrades under lock and key, not allowing them to freely wander the facility looking for scrap and repair and containment. They wanted him to stay in the conference room and wait for them to report in and be late for meetings. Ha, BD did not fall off the turnip truck this week. He waited until the three headed dog went on break and asked the replacement dude to bum a smoke. Then he went to the back door where all the smokers hung out and asked for a light. Quick as a wink he told them it was too cold too smoke and traded the cig for entry in the back door of the shop.

Sauntering about the shop floor what should he spot but his main contact screwing around on Facebook. As he snapped the dude's photo with his Blackberry BD's comrade almost peed his pants laughing.

The moral of the story, idle hands are the devil's playthings.

I was the devil as I had to remind BD of the cig to get in the back door. He is much too kind to remember this kind evil. He is more apt to show up first thing or at lunch with food. That also works and when you friendly up with the worker bees they will tell you all the intel you need.

Beautiful daffodils

Tada, 2 days later

I love these things, Punkin Head told me story about when they first got these in at a store he worked at on the east coast. The manager put them out all in water. The flower department was beautiful 2 days later.

Teacup from my mother.

When my mother broke up her house last year she gave me an assortment of teacups. She was a collector. I had a few she gave me a few years ago and this is one of them. I loved it because of the green and gold. There are no markings on it so I have no idea of the origin but I believe it is hand painted.

For Lent my "good" thing is self improvement so I am drinking green tea every day and using the teacups as it brings me some enjoyment.

Daffodils

Trader Joe's dry daffodils

This time of year the dry daffodils are out and I love them. When they open up I will post another picture and a close up of my tea cup of the month.

Funeral Event Planning

This is my quilt

It is not like I don't have enough on my plate what with watching trash TV, reading cookbooks and taking the dog out-now I have to deal with funeral wishes. My MIL has sent out an email stating that she wants her funeral decorated with some of her quilts. She is a quilter and after outfitting her home with quilts she made one for each child and then each grandchild. When she bemoaned that she had run out people to quilt for I said she could make one for all the in-laws. She made me a beautiful green and purple flowered one. As Big Daddy's brother goes through wives like some men go through socks this also kept her busy.

Well, when she made Big Daddy's, it is a smaller one-more like a throw for the end of the bed, we used it. It is unusual, black with pink roses. I noticed before we went to China it was in need of some TLC. This quilt is raggedy ass on the edges. I just know BD's sisters are gonna want all the kids quilts at this damn funeral and I cannot take a raggedy ass quilt in for display. And I can't call my MIL and tell her this quilt is falling apart. No one else's quilts are falling apart. Mine and Punkin Head's are still good. WTF. This is all gonna back on me as being a serial quilt killer.

Raggedy edges that actually separate in places

And you know if I don't get this fixed she is gonna die right away. It is like the "carry an umbrella and it won't rain" thing. This is a terrible burden. How was I supposed to know this was a display not a "use" item.

You know I don't have a great track record with funerals. From cousins throwing themselves into the coffin, aunts throwing themselves across coffins, BD being told he was not a member of the family and had to sit in back, almost falling down an icy hill in January at one cemetery and we don't even want to talk about my dad's funeral. Now I have to deal with the quilt situation. And it is faded. Woe is me.