Vermont was very New Englandy

The island out our window in the hotel, that is New York on the opposite side. Nice view of Lake Champlain.

When we got there it was warmer than usual and we got around fine.  By Monday it was cold and bitter, walking was not  a pleasure. It reminded me of why I hated Montreal. Colder than cold. I think it is the damp cold that comes off the lake.

We had a decent suite and 2 bathrooms, it was heaven. Hilton, Garden Suites. Business hotel, we had a third floor suite and the bar was adequate. Do not use the restaurant unless you are desperate, it is extremely expensive for not much.

Then it really snowed. Not much, about 4 inches but the wind and the cold and the hilly roads made it less than fun. And suddenly 21 degrees, coldest of my year.

We did do some walking but my not being up to par and Big Daddy with the bad knee did not make the up and down the hill walking easy.

More on the trip home tomorrow. Ready to celebrate New Years here at home with meatloaf and the critters.

Me and the Michigan State Police

That is my car, the white thing hanging down is the airbag, there are 4 side airbags and all 4 deployed.

And that is the lovely lady's vehicle, the lady with orange hair who caused this entire debacle.

So my plan today was to write about the 400 pound woman in size medium sweat pants at CVS. She had a quart of Rum down the front, and in my neck of the Woods, GPW, the cops are on this in a heartbeat. And yes they pulled them out of her pants in the middle of the check-out line.

But no, let us get back to the photos. I am driving down I94 Eastbound in the rain. There is no traffic and life is good. Then I see this vehicle behind me on the left start to swerve and fishtail. It looks like she might recover and then it looks like she is going for the cement barrier in the median. I am hoping for the best when the exterior parts start breaking off and flying and I think I may be okay. And then boom, in a sec I know I need to get to the side of road and thank God I make it.

Now I find I cannot get out of the vehicle. Cannot unlock the door and the door won't work. It is raining. This really nice guy pulls over and asks if I am okay. I tell him yes, but I cannot get out, can he open the door. He tells me there is no handle. Whoa. I crawl out the passenger side and he checks again if I am okay and he leaves.

I see all these vehicles in the middle and right lane of the freeway, I am on the left median and it is raining. I called Big Daddy and told him and asked him to come save me. Then I thought I should call the police. The lady who hit me was on the phone when I crawled out of the car but she started walking toward the side and ran up the embankment and went off the exit ramp on foot. So I called 911. They told me they had reports and to wait, the State boys were on their way.

I forgot my gloves when I crawled out and it was cold and raining. About 40 degrees. I thought maybe if I sat in the back under the liftgate it would be better. The liftgate was already open. I found a garbage bag I keep hidden in the back and sat on that so I did not get my pants soaked. It took 30 minutes for the police.

I thought it was a 4 car crash. The other 2 people sitting behind the beotch's vehicle were witnesses who waited for the police. I never talked to them as I could not get to them with the traffic in the rain. They stayed and waited. They told the police the orange haired lady was invited to sit in their cars and wait. She ran away.

Maybe because she had no license and warrants for her arrest. And she decided to drive a car licensed in her name down the freeway in the rain. Maybe that is why she has no license at this point in time,smarts are not in her gene pool.  I wonder how she is gonna find out where her vehicle is, it was a decent car. And hardly damaged, I mean it was drive-able not like my poor mess with all those airbags hanging all over the inside. By the way, the airbags are really hard after they deflate and it is hard to get out of the vehicle underneath them.

So no car for me until after Christmas. And I am blessed to be fine.  And a Ford Escape is a damn fine vehicle.

Me and CVS

Zoey Cat.

Every damn day CVS Pharmacy calls me. Every day. I started wondering if Big Daddy and I take an inordinate amount of pills. Because every day seems excessive to me.

I just tell BD his girlfriend called and he needs to do follow up. I do not answer the calls anymore.

So this morning BD had not filled my pill container thing and I need to take my thyroid medication 30 minutes before eat or take anything else. And guess what? At 5 AM on a Sunday I am out of meds. WTF. How is this even possible? Is the CVS girlfriend trying to off me and get all the smoked nuts for herself?

I am having trouble packing. I am sure there will be more to follow on this. We are taking our phony Wenger bags with out name written on them from China. I will try to get a pic.

I took a grandma and grandson to the airport this morning and they were so cute. And not a damn tip. I do not expect tips as Uber claims tips are the milk from the Satan's teat, but around holidays more people tip. Not in Grosse Pointe, one of the cheapest communities on the face of the earth. Yesterday a manager for a Coney Island place gave me three bucks for a five dollar ride. Keep in mind I only drive a few hours a week, this is not a big money operation.

Back to the kitchen for more savories and nuts.

Just not in the spirit, could be the 64 degrees

Sammy Dog being cute.

It is too warm and foggy for Christmas. Big Daddy finally put the mulch away this weekend, we figured we had pushed the limits of the moderate climate. I am finished with the Christmas shopping and sent some of the items straight to the kids. They won't be wrapped but you can't take wrapped on the plane with any guarantee they won't be opened. And that would really tick me off if TSA unwrapped my presents.

Punkin Head tells me Curly is regular at the rolling over and rolling back. So far she is not rolling clear across the room. The NICU persons have declared her just fine and normal and nothing to worry about so we are all thrilled. Except I have never been a fan of normal. Oh well.

I need to start getting ready for our trip to Vermont for Christmas. We are going to Burlington and they seem to be needy in the good hotel arena. We will see. We do have reservations for Christmas dinner in town, the only snag the car parking lot is guarded by a towing company and you need a pass of sort some on the car. I will need to get the pass and walk it back while Big Daddy guards the rental car. This does give me some worries.

BD has finally been given the lowly Silver Status by Delta Airlines again so he was able to snag us Exit Row Seats on the plane. Woohoo.

The ugliest Christmas cookie

Yep, and I followed the directions.  And it tasted as good as it looked.

So, it is obvious all cookie recipes on the Internet are not equal. I threw the rest of them away. I am just waiting to see if this icing ever gets the hard and glossy look in the pictures. Certainly not the color and the cookie tastes like yuk flour.

Pipe Bombs in the garage, and no one knew

Tulip house kitchen fireplace, again at the Hermitage, Tennessee.

So now we know the murdering assholes had pipe bombs and enough ammo in their garage to raise a few eyebrows. And our President says Global Warming and Climate Change is more important than people getting shot up and killed by ISIS inspired assassins.

I do not think so.

And I do not believe taking away my right to bear arms is gonna make crazy ass jihadists lay down their pipe bombs and go home to wherever the hell they think is their real home.  Nor do I believe their families had no clue that all this shit was going down right under their noses.

Especially since the neighbors thought something was up, and they did not want to be labeled, as in racist or just pointing out the "profile" of the typical people who just might be building pipe bombs in the garage. And guess what, they were building pipe bombs in the garage.

I do think that until everyone gets on the same page, and I mean all of us, the Jesse Jacksons, the Muslims, the inner city preachers, the Junior League mom and the peeps at Starbucks and admit that there is some weird shit going on and we need to talk about this without pointing fingers and acting like we "know it all", well nothing good is going to happen.

You tell me why your idea is right, and back it up with data. Otherwise it is just dribble.

Another savage display, San Bernardino

Tulip Grove Mansion on the grounds of the Hermitage, Andrew Jackson's home, Nashville.

We toured this home along with the Hermitage and grounds back in 2008 I believe. This house was not furnished but fascinating for the history.

I just downloaded Windows 10 and the only thing I see different is all my old pictures are now in one place, I think.

I cannot imagine why some jackass is shooting up a place in California that takes care of disabled and challenged people. WTF.  Wonder if it is a case of the government turned down "my child". So sad either way.

Big Daddy is making smoked almonds for me to hawk to the general public. And I may be making my savory cookies. The only thing, I am just not in the holiday spirit. Listening to Christmas music while I drive is not doing it. And I have no interest in putting up a tree.

Back in the day

This is at the Rose Gardens in Portland.

I finally got the photos out of the new camera. We were the only ones to take pics at Thanksgiving before we left and I promised my MIL to send  her the photos of my niece. She had this childs rocker that was Big Daddy's grandfather's rocker and in front of all of this she gave it to niece. I thought that kind of tacky as no one else has received any momento. Whatever.  

Big Daddy looks happy there, we made him do the hat thing.

I ordered business cards today, most work done.

Still need to get one Christmas present, but I will not go shopping at the brick and mortars again until after the holidays. It is crazy out there. Came home and ordered the rest off the Internet.

I picked up a guy for Lyft and when I went past his house and pulled in the driveway there was a smashed car at the curb. Dumb ole me, I am thinking why did they get the car towed here. Nope, a drunk driver driving on the wrong side of the street had a head on with his parked car. Which is why he needed a Lyft.

Late December back in 63

Look in the middle at the ground line, not everyone has a two story deer blind.

Yep, we saw Jersey Boys on Saturday and it was great. I loved it. We saw in the playbill an ad for the Whitney, a great old mansion in Detroit turned into a restaurant, and they had a special for all the shows in town. So, we showed up without a reservation and had a nice dinner special, and the food was great. I hate it when you go and the food is sub-standard because it is a special.

We got home after dark and the critters were not happy. They are so funny when the routines are changed.

Drove my Uber this morning and caught a booty call drop off, hilarious. She was in love and he was I gotta get outta here quick. The personalities of the folks are the best part of this gig.

No pings for me

I had forgotten about the cheap crappy faux designer bags in Shanghai.

Big Daddy brought me back the faux Chanel earrings. They are 3,000 dollars a pair and I like the look for less, under 10 bucks a pair. And they Chanel earrings are not even real pearls.

Well, on the busiest flying day of the year I did not get one ping to go to the airport or even the drugstore. Bah Humbug. There are so many Uber/Lyft drivers right now there is one on almost every block sometimes.

Getting ready to make my special version of the cheesy thumbprints to take to my MIL's for our Thanksgiving visit. Taking all the apps and wine and leaving before dinner is working out well for me.

Tonight is the Mediterranean chicken thighs with the preserved lemons. Yum.

Not feeling it

Sammy, when he was still looking good.

There is really something wrong with this dog, just don't know what. I think his hearing is bad and his memory is failing. And he is still brown from the horrible coughing. He is okay as long as he is on his meds but I wonder how long this is gonna last.

Curly is into her pink corduroy overalls, and damn she is cute in them.

This Uber thing is working okay, I either take people to work or the airport. And one girl to college.

This working on the other stuff, setting up the physical therapy and stuff. Boring.

I drove Big Daddy to the airport and picked him up using Lyft. He used to pay Metro Cars close to 100 bucks and Lyft with tip was half that. And he expenses it, so win win.

There was an interesting conversation on WJR this morning, Hamtramack the city that was the heart of the Polish community for many years is now predominately Muslim and Middle Eastern. But now the people working in downtown Detroit are looking to move there as it is quiet and clean and downtown and mid-town are too expensive. Who ever thought property in Detroit, that is livable, would be too expensive.

Getting ready for the holidays so more later.

The burglar hours

Gotta take some new photos.

So I am sound asleep and wake to weird noises. It sounds like someone is breaking into the house. Thumps and bumps and all is not right. I just lay there and listen as when you are woken from a deep sleep it can seem "just not right". All was quiet and I was almost ready to fall back to sleep when I heard it again.

WTF.

I got up and secretly prowled the house. Everything looked okay but at this point I could not go back to sleep.

Went to turn on the computer and was screwing aroung with that and then again, bada boom. This time I got Big Daddy up and he was none too happy with the task of finding the culprits of the noisy invasion. And everything was fine when BD was searching.

So I turned on the coffee maker ready to just wait it out and hating myself for being such a ninny.

And I heard it again. Made coffee, and heard it again. Both times more faintly, but dammit something was out there. Something eerie and strange and scary.

I took up my coffee cup and went snooping about. Kerthump, thump, thump. I was getting closer to the front door and wondering what kind of criminal would keep beating on the same door and hiding. Then a semi huge thumpety thump and OH MY GOD it was a criminal in the hall closet (just across from the front door).

I bravely opened the door and Zoey Cat scrambled out without a by your leave, and there was the answer to all the American Horror Story moments. Cat got shut in the closet. Why the hell don't they just cry instead of throwing themselves about?

To all my French amies and all the buddies in the world, my thoughts and prayers. It is getting crazy out there.

This is hard to swallow

One of my gutta percha brooches.

Well all said and done, the TV is broken. Now Big Daddy is on the rush to get a new TV and get it set up before he goes to China.

No Uber today and again no Lyft, but last week was okay. I had the airport run and a couple random rides. Sunday I tried the Lyft along with the Uber but I never got a ping. And I only do this a few hours a day so I am not expecting to drive every time I try.

I did not get to see Curly on the Skype this weekend, she was not feeling the love. But I got a great picture of her with a poster her mom made saying Happy Birthday and I love you. She just never smiles that I can see. Grumpy Grue. We made our reservations for Christmas, the Hilton. The special hotel is out of the way and the rating were all over the place. The other place was not Big Daddy's favorite. We will see. So all that is left is pet help and a rental car. Because the kids car still is not fixed from the air bag recall.

More to come with the TV drama.

Birthday Cake

My birthday cake, a carrot cake and it was delicious. Big Daddy said the people at work almost tramped each other for the left overs. Do you do that, send food to the office so you don't eat it at home?

An old friend of mine made the cake and I am so glad I found her again.

The Comcast equipment arrived today and I am sure BD will spend the weekend trying to fix the TV sets scattered around the house.

BD ordered a crap duvet from Costco for 200 bucks and it was ugly and not soft and not staying. Nope, going back.

Need to try my recipes for Thanksgiving and possibly for gift baskets. Yea, yea, yea, I am no cook. I think I can do this with BD's help and everyone will think I am a genius.

Just the facts

Sammy Dog with mountain man Big Daddy.

Went to the doctor this morning to tell him I am falling apart. He denied it. I have to get an X-ray about the back and sciatica thing, new meds for that, increased my thyroid, put me on Zyrtec twice a day and told me I have a boil in my nose. Now if that is not falling apart, I don't know what to call it.

And I did not even bring up the pain in my hands, different on each side.

So when I got home and peed I decided to Uber and the pick up address looked safe so there I go. It was a guy calling for a woman, who knows, and I had to take her into the hood. And I am talking the real ass hood.  I am remembering back in my years when I would not drive below 14 mile and now I am taking this really nice woman deep into the hood. As soon as I dropped her off I turned the Uber off and went home. I do not drive after 12 PM unless it is something special.

I am thinking of switching to Windows 10 as I don't need that stupid Internet Explorer anymore, m
Might do that soon.

And tomorrow is my birthday and I have to go pick up my cake.

Comcast is worse than ever

The horseradish is almost ready to be dug up. This stuff is great, no muss and no fuss and great food.

So Comcast is once again the nemesis from Hades and Big Daddy has a Customer Service Rep on the phone trying to help him fix the fact that we cannot turn on our TV when she breaks down and confesses, she has to wait for her husband to come home and fix the TV. WTF. Let me say that one more time. WTF. You are the person on the phone telling us how to fix the TV and you cannot fix your own shit?

Without your husband who does not work for Comcast?

Today BD spent some time on the phone with Comcast and they are sending all new boxes and remotes, these are the new ones that are not messed up. There is also a 39.00 installation fee even though BD is installing them. Thieving bastards.The reason the guy last week that came out here and worked his ass off did not do this . . .is because . . . the new superior equipment is not at the Comcast Service Centers, it is only available from the magic Comcast person that you will probably never get on the phone. This is why I drink lots of wine some days.

On a sober note, I Ubered a friend on Sunday morning and found something new in Macomb county. Round-a-bouts. I did not like them in England and I do not like them now. There is no rhyme nor reason for how they work. At least in England there were signs giving you a clue where the turn offs might take you.

The Uber thing is working out well for now, Monday I only took one ride, to the airport-nice guy going to Seattle. Turned the app off when I left him as it is not acceptable here to operate at DTW and when I was thinking to turn it back on I had to pee. Enough driving for that day.

The Italians were here today to do the masonry and I must go out and check. See ya later.

It is autumn

Yes, it is autumnal.

Went for the massage, one and a half hours and it was glorious. I would get a foot massage everyday if I could. She showed me some easy stretches that should help my back. I cannot and would not do this every week, but until I am better I am going to fill in with 1/2 hour chair massages. I do like those, but they still wreck your makeup so there is no going anywhere after. So, a week from Friday I am in.

Comcast came and fixed the TV problem. Hmmm, all 3 sets were messed up and 2 of the 3 remotes were broken. The repair dude thought it might have been the zaps Comcast was sending to try and remote fix everything. Gotta love the special relationship we have. Also people with 3 TVs who don't watch much TV, why are we those people.

We made 2 recipes this week from Southern Living and one from the Internet. Southern Living Shepherds pie, looked great, took forever and was edible. For that kinda investment I expect a fab dinner. Southern Living Baked Ziti, it was okay, and the time was better. I would have rather had Rice a Roni with ground beef and cheese over it. Does not say much for me I guess as I would never eat Rice a Roni but remember the Spanish Rice from my childhood.

Third recipe was from the Internet and I messed it up. And it still was not too bad. Then I remembered read the reviews, this is how everyone changed the recipe. Yes, I know this is dumb. I am remaking with meticulous notes (just like Ina Garten) and if it is great I will post my changes. Oh, yea it is an appetizer with pepper jelly. And super simple.

Tracking Punkin Head home on Flightaware and planning our Christmas visit. Will let you know how this is working out.

Just Stuff

The crooked house.

There are very few new homes built in the Grosse Pointes. To build a house you pretty much have to tear one down. There is one new home on a vacant lot on Lakeshore drive overlooking the lake. I am positive the owners of the lot where the house is going up live on the back side, and that they sold or are selling and that is why this new mini mansion is going up. They would have never given up their view while they lived there.

However, our little crooked house shown above is a tear down. And I am not kidding, it is crooked as hell. And I would be surprised if you can get a full sized car down the drive way when they are done. More photos to follow.

Comcast is flying someone in from India tomorrow to fix our television problems. I cannot wait.

But, I will not be here. I am getting a massage from the guru of all things massage related as my lower back pain is now out of control. I can only hope I can drive myself home.

I also have almost no toe nails. I think my nail tech over buffed with the wrong implement. She thinks I am old and falling apart. I am now taking Biotin and massaging in the creams. She has always been whack but also very entertaining.

Oh, yes it seems I am now also approved to drive for Lyft. Another way to meet people. I can't wait.

Comcast is worse than ever.

During the neighborhood walk.

Well, I have had the day from hell and so has Big Daddy.

Once again we are at war with Comcast. Our TV remote would not turn the TV on without numerous attempts and multiple pressing of various buttons;in no particular order. It finally got so bad that BD called Comcast, hereafter known as the asshats, and they of course told him to bring various items into the location and everything would be great. We cannot of course get the new box to work. BD is on the phone constantly with the asshats this afternoon and they keep telling him he is not a Comcast service guy and is doing a piss poor job of hooking up his cable. Comcast no longer has cable guys that come to your house. The trip from India is too far.

On the other hand, looks funny to see it spelled out right?, all I had to do was drive around a few folks. The first ride was not bad, just had a huge dog jump on my car and slobber all over it. The daughter I drove was great, the mother with the dog was an asshole.

Second ride was a lesson learner. Turn off the app by 2 PM when people want rides to pick up their kids.

So I am nearing this address and I start to notice that most of the windows are boarded up or broken out and we do not even want to discuss the landscaping. When I find the street I am literally looking for a street address and one with windows. I am taking this mother and child from the edge of hell right down into the bowels so we can pick up her niece. She does not know the address and of course this is not a real school. It is a school in the hood run by a church.

She gets the kid, gets me on the right course back because of course the google maps is out and she asks me a question. Do I believe in God.

Now I did not want to say to this woman, "Have you lost your ever lovin mind who do you think I have been discussing this trip to hell with while you are acting like this is all normal?" So then I get the Jesus lecture and now Jesus and I are all ok but even I know he would not approve of any of this situation. Then she tells her kid some shit that does not sound right and she is talking about the hitting stick and she has a stick and starts hitting the kids hand.

I get rid of them, escape the hood, my app shows I am offline, which I attribute to Jesus, I find my way home and the back ass of my car is filthy. These little ragamuffins were eating fucking crackers back there.

And BD is still stalking to Comcast.

The animals

I told you they were falling in love.

Sammy Dog is acting crazy lately, it scares me. I am hoping it is not his last hurrah.

Speaking of the animals, New Orleans is also going to the dogs. It is crazy down there with the criminal element. I would not go back down there right now.

Did I mention that the Animals actually lived there when they wrote the song?

I am falling apart.

Big Daddy's Anniversary present, a stove top smoker.

It is a good thing I retired.

Last night I was in pain all night and not sure if it is back pain or kidney pain, My IBS is not doing well at all. Now my left knee hurts. WTF.

I was having a few problems at the end of my working life, which is really why I chose this path, but I just pushed through it. Now I am noticing and it is not fun.

Just one Uber ride today as I could not get out early enough. IBS. Which is also what ended the days riders.

I am enthralled with all this new technology though, when I went to the Sec of State for my new Driver's license I gave them my cell number on the check in computer, it was an estimated 2 hour wait time, so I left. They texted me when I had about 30 minutes to wait and I returned. Then they posted your approx. wait time and texted you with the information in case you weren't back yet. You could also delay your return by 30 minutes by text.

Who knew?

Edit:

Back is quite a bit today, I had to take an Aleve. This is not making me happy. But the house is clean.

Also I barely passed my eye test at the Sec of State, she actually helped me out. Eyes are sometimes better then worse. Don't know if that is normal or not. Hmm.

Random Stuff

Need a picture.

I loved out balconies in New Orleans.

So as far as the Uber goes, I took Big Daddy on a test drive and I had one rider today. I made $7.99. But, I also figured out I needed leather wipes and while I had the app online I drove to Notre Dame Pharmacy and got the leather wipes. And I had no more pings so I gave up as the game was on. What game you ask, why the Michigan v/s Michigan State game. The rivalry is back. Michigan has the brash and adored Jim Harbaugh and State has the beloved Dantonio. People are in heaven on this one.

Back to the Uber, I now have a new updated phone, Samsung S6 and I love it. Easiest phone so far to learn. $50.00 mail in rebate, which is a Visa gift card which you apply to your cell phone charges. I also have a new tablet supported by Verizon, the phone and the tablet attach to my dashboard so I can navigate and drive. I have an "auto plant necklace" as I call them or a blue tooth device you wear around your neck, the earpiece in one ear enables me to hear the directions on Google Maps on where to drive my riders. Still learning to coordinate this stuff but it is fun.

After mastering the contact lenses I feel empowered to do it all.

Observation: When you quit smoking seeing other people smoke, either in person or on the television really makes you crave a cigarette. Lately it makes me feel nauseous. That is definitely over for me. Just too nasty and smelly.  3 and 1/2 years now.

I finally have the house under control, not perfect, under control.

It was 34 degrees this morning, warning to you folks living east of Detroit. We got the last house plant re-potted and brought back in just in the nick of time.

Reading, but it is all slop. Nothing worth talking about.

Oh, I watched Scream Queens and it is hilarious. Will continue with that one. Watched American Horror Story Hotel and so far it is watchable. Still liking the Amazing Race and Survivor, but I am really appreciating this on Demand feature as I just cannot make the network schedules. I never thought that would be me, but I too am changing.

Maybe you can teach an old dog a few tricks.

The most expensive soap, can't afford this with the Uber gig.

Okay, so normally I look at the price before I buy something. Back in the day when I was still raking in the big bucks Big Daddy and I were at Farm's Fresh Market. We were just picking up a few things, this store is expensive. They have it all that any good Grosse Pointer could want, but we just usually get Friday dinner and a few things. At the check-out they had a basket of soap. When I picked it up to look at it one of the worker bees told me that stuff was flying out the door, what did I think of it. Well, gosh darn that cinched it, I had to try this fabulous soap.

I took it home and unwrapped it as that is how I was taught to treat soap, you must unwrap it and let it sit before you use it. (When Punkin Head went off to college my mother sent him a case of unwrapped Ivory soap.) So then I quit my job, had just put the fabulous flying out the door soap in the shower and off we went to Farm's Fresh Market. As we were checking out I grabbed the soap looked at the price and screamed. It was $12.99 U.S. dollars. Who in the hell was as stupid as me to be buying this soap. I kept asking BD, the cheapest man in the world why he had not told me the price of the soap. He didn't look either.

Now we are showering with this soap and it is the soap from hell. There is no lather, it does not feel silky, it does not smell like the wings of an angel. It is crap. Every day I am bitching about this soap. Then one day I go in and the soap has committed suicide in the shower. This soap is now nasty. There was at least 6 dollars worth of crappy soap left.

WTF.

Yes I am an Uber driver

This pic is just to show Punkin Head I am still normal. He Skypes with the baby and I have not been looking to0 hot on Sunday mornings. Don't want to scare the kids, mama is fine.

So, the Uber thing. I did all the stuff you need to do and it is quite a bit of stuff. Uber has all my personal information. I paid to have a 2015 vehicle inspected. I passed a criminal background check. I got rubber mats for my car. I bought cheap ass small bottles of water and packs of gum and snacks.

It was so hard to do that first ride. I was very nervous, not about the ride-about doing everything right. So of course, I did everything wrong. I hit the navigation button and the phone screen changed and everything was odd. I got to the address and this asshat calls me and says I texted you with a different pick up spot. I got him and he had a different name, but I just thought I was a wacko.

Well, it went okay. Then he wanted to stop for fast food. Which took forever and he was a talker. He worked at the place I picked him up, he was a new server, and he had no transportation. And he could not afford Uber he said. But he was paying almost $15.00 for fast food. Huh, who pays that much for fast food?

Finally, on our way he starts wingdinging me out on how he gave a burner phone and it does not match his name and talking about creepy stuff and I was ever so grateful to drop him off. And then the app started working and it was a different name. And I screwed up the app, my first ride and I screwed it up and got a wacko.

Today Uber called and asked why I was not driving. They are fixing it and I am taking Big Daddy for a drive to figure out the app. And I will not make the same mistakes again, should have never let that asshat in my car. Gotta be more careful and diligent. Also only driving daytime. We will see.

Retirement, or who cleaned this house?

I collect Kenneth J. Lane in all his forms, and these are older bracelets he did, the frogs and the turtles. Love them. This is the anniversary present I bought for myself from eBay, just handed it to Big Daddy and told him to put it away for the main event. This was months before the date and he was frantically searching for it when I reminded him I had given it to him for safe keeping.

After sleeping for a few days, I was looking to start my retirement and viewing a dirty house at the same time. I let the cleaning service go and now I am wondering why I paid them and what the hell they actually did. And these people were not cheap.

Yesterday BD told me one of his work mates had a leak underneath his brand new vehicle and he was pissed. I inquired where this leak might be, and could he tell me the color of the fluid. Oh yea, another one of my hellish problems. Reminded why I retired. One less bell to answer, one less egg to fry . . . just thankful I don't need to answer this one.

Today we had a dog vs cat rumble, these are quite frequent and totally non violent. I think they are falling in love.

I just got a smarter phone and accessories. Big Daddy is so excited he has new toys to play with. I also got a blue tooth necklace. This is for my new jobs (yes, that is plural), more to come on that later. I really did not want one, but Verizon convinced me they were so much better than the ear piece. I always called them the auto plant necklace as every factory rat wore one and they were supposedly illegal as hell to wear in the plant. "The company" said they interfered with the systems. My ass, they interfered with the attention span of the worker. Not good for quality.

I am quite taken with the second season of How To Commit A Murder with Viola Davis, I am really loving this show and BD just does not like it. Watched Quantico, too crazy ass for me. And I have to watch American Horror Story to see if I can stomach this one, the clown shit was too much.

Well, I did my first Uber Driver session and it was a disaster, tell you about that next time.

The anniversary roses

We always get our nice flowers from Conner Park Florist.

So I was amazed when the Fed Ex guy handed me a box from 1 800 Flowers.

Thirty six roses, because thirty nine roses were too expensive.

Gotta love it.

39 years ago we said yes,

Big Daddy getting the car ready.

So we decided to do something different this year, we went out to dinner.

We never go out to dinner here and now I remember  why. The only decent restaurants closed down.

We went to the newly revamped Marais. It was not a good thing. My duck was undercooked and the fat was not rendered. BD's trout was dry. The chocolate dessert tasted like wood. It was 166.00 pre tip and we were not feeling the love. And that was only 2 glasses of wine, 2 apps, 2 entrees and one dessert.

We then thought to take the trolley, but we never saw the trolley. You know, the one that runs every ten minutes. And the trolley app for the cell phone did not work. We ended up at a store opening that was bizarre, some kind of candles made from bee hives in Grosse Pointe and a dive bar in the park.

Saturday was much better; we went to Luxe for lunch and split a bacon cheeseburger. If you are going to cheat you need something luscious.

Seeing is believing, or where's the meat

I know it is obscure, just give me a minute.

All I am doing at work is what must be done, as any good short timer knows. Doing my job but not killing myself. When there is not a lot to do I walk around the top floor of the plant to get my steps in for my fitbit. Going down the main path where all the biggies walk everyday, and often multiple times a day, I saw this group of pieces of raw bacon on the floor.

Now, there are multiple janitorial techs in this joint, I am usually tripping over them and their mops, so I was not so much concerned about the bacon being cleaned up, that was a given. I was perplexed by whom and why were "they" were carrying around enough raw bacon to lose part of it and not miss it.

This bacon was still there when I left, not all of it but mostly a lot of it. Kind of like Princess Bride.

The next day to my astonishment the bacon was still there. I kept checking all day and yep, still there. When I was leaving that second day of "the bacon still on the floor", I said what the hell and took the picture. Not as good as the open Vaseline in the restroom but still something unusual. And if questioned I could say, come on this shit has been on the floor for 2 days. And really they are gonna walk me out of the plant over bacon photos?

Today, day three, in a different hallway what do I find, another piece of raw bacon.

This is starting to worry me.

The Wrecking Crew

I saw this documentary on the plane out to Portland.

It was fabulous and we watched it again this weekend.

It is on Netflix, well worth you time if like music from the 60's.

These are the guys that played for everyone from Sinatra to Pet Sounds by Brian Wilson.

All our pictures were taken in  New Orleans because we went there every chance we had.

My "person I report to" is really mucking up the job. He is telling people that have sorted these parts since October 22nd of last year to quit sorting for some things and only sort for what he wants sorted.

He is not sorting for the item found last week which will put his tit in wringer, nor is he taking into consideration that these people are trained to look at every inch of these parts and find shit we have never imaged could go bad.

Big Daddy is trying to fix the bathroom tub because it is always more fun to spend an entire day fucking around with the plumbing and making numerous trips to Lowes, and then call the plumber in on Monday. Twice as much time and money, but hey, you are now the big breadwinner so you spend it how you see it.

All the TV shows start up this week, I am so excited.

The weight has lifted

New Orleans

Well, the bastards are letting me work out my 2 weeks so far. Drats.

I think when they get some sucker to take on this job they will ditch me quick, they do not want me telling them shit. The other 2 guys who used to work for them can tell them all the shit they need to know.

I am just going to decompress and I think I have a few fun things I can do. I really do not want to go back to working for idiots. I told BD it is his turn to make all the money and be the provider. I will be the fun person.

I just need to keep busy and entertain myself. And y'all of course.

They called me down today to review a squeak and rattle. This involved me laying on the cement floor under the vehicle (they did give me a piece of cardboard to lay on) with a flashlight saying yea, that looks okay to me. WTF. The engineer is supposed to show up Monday.

What my Canadian friend called "Dusted and Done"

New Orleans 10 years ago

Well, today it happened. I had it. You can push me so far and then I am done. And when I am done there is no coming back.

I cannot work for the guy I report to, he does not like me, I am tired of being treated like shit and I am done.

So tomorrow I am sending in my resignation, at 4:30 AM, my usual time to check and respond to emails, and then I will be free. I already feel free. I actually felt better when I wrote the email.

They will probably send me home, although no one ever has, as they may not want me repping them when I have given notice, we will see.

I am hearing a lot of comments on people not happy with the UAW contract negotiations and talking about dropping out of the union. I doubt it will happen, but this will be worth watching for the short term. I heard when the union took over the VEBA a lot of top level people double dipped and got the extra pay and pension for themselves. That pissed a few people off.

Tomorrow I have to quit, have a new cleaning lady, and may need to blow dry my hair. This Agency I use for the cleaning lady is going through them like I go through tissue in the morning. We will see.

The cat escaped

Big Daddy likes my shoes.

One of my biggest fears is the cat getting outside. She was a rescue from the wilds and sits by the front door when the dog is out looking like a she is nonchalantly gonna make a run for it. I am very cautious about that door and have yelled at Big Daddy numerous times to "shut the fucking door".

Saturday the door was open and BD heard this loud and plaintive meowing. The delivery man had stuck a package inside the door and it had not fully shut. And yep, she made a run for it, and no one knew.

As far as we know, she never left the porch and was sitting there asking back in after only a few minutes. The grass was not greener. She is much more like a dog than a cat, and she knows Sammy barks to get in, so I am thinking that was her version of "let me in, you cretins".

From here on, the screen gets locked when the door is open.

I sent an email to the author of Doll-baby and she responded. I love when that happens. 3 authors have answered my emails, other 2 are Stuart Woods and Anne Rice. Speaking of Anne, I could not finish her latest, I think it is called Prince Lestat. Don't know if it is her or me, but just did not hold my interest.

Still working on switching summer to fall. This is a big task.

I do not like children

Random Curly

I said there would be no more baby pictures and that is true, no more pictures of my grandchild.

This is a random girl child that cried and fussed while I was trying to eat my lunch. My only complaint, her parents had a barefoot Curly when the temps were in the 60's. And the child did not say hello Ms. Nola Rice. Other than that she was fine.

So while I was gone,

Read a fabulous new book, Doll-baby by Laura Lane McNeal, this is as good as or even better than The Help. I could not put it down and felt so bad when it was over as I wanted to read more. This is a great new author. It did make me cry.

The Seldon Standard restaurant is off the list. Went there last Sunday and the clean factor has dropped below my standards. No more. And by the by, when you set all your wine glasses where the sun shines down and they are spotted and yucky, that does not help the "below clean factor".

I was mad at myself for not taking more pictures and when I went to the ladies room Friday I found an open Vaseline jar (off brand) on the toilet paper holder. This was so damn odd I went to take a photo and found I had left my phone in my office. This happened 2 more times. I am a dunce. And who takes a jar of Vaseline to the plant and leaves it open in the stall. ***When I went the second time to check it had been moved, this is getting stranger and stranger.

Big Daddy was out of town and that is part of the reason I was off line-too busy and not in a fun mood,

His cat Miss Zoey cat started sleeping on my side in bed, the side opposite the DOG, the enemy. Those two are just not getting along. And I read cat food is really not good for dogs and Sammy Dog does not want to believe that.

I am gonna try and get some garden pics tomorrow as that is getting luscious.

Uno, dos, tres, . .

Grotesques at Reed College Library, this was the outer wall they built around for the expansion.

I am really concerned about my Mexicans. For the 4 millionth time in 2 weeks they have asked me how many people are sorting their parts. It is 2 per shift for 3 shifts and they cannot get that straight. Really, how hard is this.

Just finished reading "The Mockingbird Next Door" about a Chicago Trib writer that was very close to the Lee sisters and wrote of their lives and friendship. The only thing left to read is the actual tale. Big Daddy bought it at Costco and will start that next week. Need some trashy reading first so I am going for Jonathan Kellerman "The Murderer's Daughter".

BD and I had a quiet weekend, mani-pedi, groceries, dog cookies to buy, and then I discovered a new store. Gymboree. Curly is gonna be the best dressed girl in town. This outfit is the cat's ass and I get coupons and points and it is the best thing in town for grandmama's with disposable income.

We had a light lunch at the Red Crown and I still have not cheated since arriving home. Weight is fluctuating but have still maintained the lost 5 pounds. It would help if I remembered to take my meds as the thyroid is an issue. BD discovered they sell Delta Biscoff at Costco and they are very low in calorie and cholesterol so that may be my weekend cheat.

The boss is on vacation next week so I am hoping for some peace and quiet. And I have Labor Day weekend off.

My Mexicans are in trouble again

An abandoned house on the way back from Eastern Market.

My Mexicans are supposed to issue documents authorizing sorting and payments. They have a really hard time with this concept. And when they don't do it, I am supposed to shut down the job.

Now, no one has answered my question as to what I am supposed to tell the customer. I am sure they will not take something like that well.

When I was gone on vacation no one did shit about authorizations and POs, and this weekend no one did even less than shit. So Monday morning the shit hits the fan, why wasn't this shit done.

If I don't have this shit that I worked all day to try and get, well tomorrow morning I am gonna put it out and ask how the asshats want me to tell the customer and are they ready to air charter and do they have a plan for the yard, which will be on hold.

Should be fun.

Eastern Market adventures

There was a really great pepper vendor.

We have enough fruit and veggies for the year, too bad they do not keep. We hauled our butts down to the market Saturday morning and loaded up. I also got potatoes and onions for the pantry. Big Daddy roasted whole beets last night and I made this onion concoction to keep in the fridge to cook with and roasted potatoes and tomatoes for use next week. I also made the garbage soup.

I was standing around waiting for BD when the smell of peaches was overwhelming. I looked over and the peaches were calling my name, when you can smell them you know they are gonna be wonderful. This lady walked up and asked if they were from Michigan and walked away. No, they were from South Carolina and the best.

I am on a new diet/lifestyle plan as my cholesterol is high and I refuse to take statins. So bye bye eggs, red meat and cheese and hello fruits and veggies. I am also taking Questran which is a godsend for the IBS, so far no more Immodium. What a nice side-effect. So far I have lost 5 pounds so I cannot bitch. And I am allowing a weekly cheat so I don't go crazy. I finally had to admit the Atkins wasn't gonna do it and I was eating too much junk. Junk as in cookies, they are my downfall.

I did cheat on vacation, although I froze my Biscoff for emergency rations. But howdoyou not have fried chicken and waffles and that hanger steak was fabulous.

We have figured out Thanksgiving. We are staying home and going to Jersey Boys at the Fisher. We have not been to the theater in a long time and I am excited. We can cook here, decide on Christmas decor, visit MIL and be quiet. Loved the movie and the CD so I hope I am not disappointed.

I also found the ornamental kale at the market to spruce up the garden and 2 house plants, a jade and a prayer plant.

God, this all sounds boring.

Work was exciting, we had a repeat quality issue that exploded with people screaming on conference calls and Mexicans trying to wiggle out of it. Mexicans are not good at wiggling. I had to back up and punt to keep the line running and my asshole boss was giving me instructions from afar. Shit like you need to document this and that so that we may be able to  . . blah . . blah. That is his new thing . . spaces and periods. And stealing what he thinks are hot phrases. He is now calling all Mexicans "friends" in a very condescending way. What an asshat. And my Mexicans, well they can't make a taco.

Life goes on.

Settling back in at the Old Homestead

A Portland garden.

Well, we are now caught up on sleep and just fine.  I am losing my cat sitter, she is allergic to cats. Rats.

Getting unpacked and organized and thinking I need to freeze all the last minute purchases at the Portland airport. Scottish Shortbread made with real butter. Biscoff from the Delta flight. Big Daddy did not eat the Salmon jerky from Trader Joe's, he can eat that at work next week.

I am not going back until Tuesday. I figured out I spent 2 weekends a month working on shit to take  care of Monday because no one working weekends will do so. So, I am never going back from a vacation on a Monday. Works for me. And there were some shitty emails I can't wait to hear about, on Tuesday.

Miss Curly, but she is too tiny to miss Grandmama yet. Gotta work on the photo's for the Great Grands. They want old fashion prints for brag books and refrigerators.

Figured out we cannot reasonably go to Vermont for Thanksgiving so trying to figure out where we can go or should we stay home. Ticket prices are high and it is such a short time frame. Gotta be an in and an out, no layovers eating at that precious time.

Portland is too damn odd.

Saw this and thought what a great way to exchange books. There were only children's books and toys. So I left Joan River's book. Oh, get over it.

This place is nutso.

And I am exhausted, red eye back and then a nail appointment.

Big Daddy and I are whooped. And the Country Cat at Portland Airport is not worth buying food from unless you are actually starving to death.

The flight itself was great, got a glass of red wine before take off and was asleep as we went up. Woke up 5 minutes from landing when the "Pilot" said to prepare for landing. They did not serve coffee so that was my first stop in the airport. Lone server at that time of the morning was not nice. Come on, your day is just starting and you are in a customer service position and can't be nice to one of your first customers?

We mostly slept on and off for the rest of the day and night. Hurray to Punkin Head for going to the Airbnb and fetching my garments left in the dryer.

Cat was waiting at the back door and is happy to see us, Sammy Dog is fine and all is well here at the Old Homestead.

Yep, still by the pool

We are having some odd jet lag, trying to work around the kids schedule to see them and Curly and the heat is a bit annoying. We are spoiled and very used to the air conditioner.

Went for a walk this afternoon and did not even think to take a picture. I will rectify that tomorrow.

We are still trying to figure out how to use the new camera.

Big Daddy went to TJMaxx to buy me a bathing suit as I do not own one that fits. He actually found someone to wait on him, which is unheard of, and she showed him the suits. The first one she gave him looked funny so he asked her where the crotch part was. Yes, you read that correctly, the crotch part. The sales person directed him to the crotch rack.

Tonight we are getting dinner from the Country Cat. Last night's dinner was so unremarkable I will not even mention the place.

No air in the Airbnb

But there is the private pool.

So we are living like the natives. It is not so bad.

Curly is wonderful, but I had to buy her a couple outfits today, at the resale shop. Everyone following the rules bought 6 months and our baby is really kinda small. So I got her a few things to stretch the wardrobe.

We went to breakfast at a great place Bread and Ink, Quirky yes, good food, yes.

Then the Woodstock Farmer's Market, we got a few things but the mushrooms I wanted would not keep to take home. We did get some dried shrooms and some powdered. And some fruit for the apartment.

We are in the jet lag mode so this will be a transition phase, but we have all the movie channels on demand. Hurray.

Axel Foley in my yard, or my version of Beverly Hills Cop

So I am sitting in the family room working on my computer, it is about 5 PM and I hear a police siren. No surprise, here in the Pointes they pull you over at 4 over. They seriously need the money for all the holiday and seasonal decorations.

Then I hear another siren, and another and now there are a whole bunch of sirens. I decide to go and see if something exciting is going on. As I get to the front door Sammy Dog decides he needs to go pee pee. I get him hooked up and untangled and turn around . . . to more cop cars than I can count.

And there is a huge refrigerator of a guy walking very briskly down the sidewalk towards my house.

About this time the choppers start circling the house, whooooop whoooop, whoop . . .

So I quickly backed inside, locked everything and started hollering for Big Daddy to make sure everything is locked down. He of course is not listening to me and when he finally gets tired of hearing me screech he wanders out and says I should check the back door.

By the way, Sammy is still outside because if it is me or him, who is gonna hurt an 8 pound poodle with a brown chest from coughing up crap.

It is way too late for BD's advise, I have checked everything and the criminals are all about the neighborhood.

We go back to the front window to check and Holy Shit, there is a guy all dressed in green with a rifle of some sort standing in my driveway. He could be in a movie he looks so sincere, swiping the rifle to and fro;then he walks into my backyard. Now I don't know of anything back there requiring a rifle to sort it out. WTF.

Finally Sammy Dog wanders up to the porch and we snatch him inside, just in the nick of time. Here come the Canine Units, You know the guys with the specially trained dogs to sniff shit and guess what color those dogs are? Yep Black. Big Black dogs. Sammy's favorite hate color.

Suddenly every one turned around and jumped in their cars and left.

And that is the end of the story, no closure. Until 10 PM when Big Daddy gets a text that says 3 armed robbers where caught very near our street.

Shiver me timbers.

This is it, Meet Curly

The one and only baby pic on the blog.

I do not cotton to putting pics of kiddies on the Internet and this one is very innocuous photo to anyone but us. To us she is the most gorgeous little thing ever. And she had to fight so hard to get this far. What a champ.

Her other grandma sent a video of her sitting in a baby seat. Who but a grandma would take such a video. It was hilarious, but sweet.

I went to the doctor today for the regular check up and left with more medicine. For a woman my age in very good health I seem to take a lot of pills. Now I have muscle relaxers because I am too tense. Who knew?

My company sends in parts that can cause major damage and problems and I am a little tense? I am forced to work with people who not speak English, and I am a little tense? The plant quality manager has devoted his life to making people cry and I am a bit tense?

I am down to 10 minutes now to put in my contacts.

Need to work out what to pack this weekend and I hear it is gonna be a scorcher in Portland. And I think we have air in the Airbnb. Will let you know.

Baby Toes.

Baby toes.

They took Curly's nose tube out this morning and she is appliance free. It must be liberating. Punkin Head and Wonder Woman have got to be excited. PH said she might be able to go home on Tuesday.

This has been the month from hell.

We had a yard hold that was very serious and a nightmare, followed by a trial from hell now followed by a new really ugly issue that everyone is ignoring. Great, that is one more thing I get to deal with on Monday.

I spent the weekend working with the Mexicans to convince them that yes, it is a big deal and yes, you have to respond in a certain way, and yes it is gonna cost a bunch. What a waste of my time and I had to talk to the boss man about the over time again. And this has nothing to do with the above, this is additional more bullshit.

 I am just counting the days until we go to Portland.

And the gal I work with that I recommended for the job and helped train turned on my like a viper this weekend and unloaded her version of everything I have done to persecute her in the last year. Who holds onto shit for a year without saying something. And what she was saying made no damn sense. It was the weirdest thing ever. Oh, and everything I ever told her was a lie because she checked. Sorry babe, when I am in a meeting with 25 other people that are all told the same thing it is no lie. I am starting to think she is super strange.

Big Daddy is home from China and I am feeling better. The animals are happy he is home too.

Unbelievable

Loved this in Philly

Well, Big Daddy is in China, Curly is still in ICU and the rest of it is shit.

My mom is not doing well and I cannot explain why.

Curly gets her MRI on Tuesday.

DIL is now known as Wonder Woman. I bought her a ring, Ruby set in rose gold, that is her favorite.

Speaking of Philly, what is this crap about Bill Cosby? Can it be true that this asshat is the pervert it seems? And his wife is hiding in the shadows about this crappola? And they have memorials in Philly to Bill, just like the one above to George. WTF.

It's a good thing I bought that hat

Cone flowers are blooming.

Well Curly took her time and gave her parents a bit of a scare and her mama had to have a C-section and her daddy had to watch it all. Curly is in ICU and I am not sure if they are still cooling or warming her up but she is well tended. And according to Punkin Head she has red hair. Don't know if it is curly yet.

Scary for us all.

This has been a bad week at work, we have had a few calls for defects and it gets really emotional. One was a bad defect and just made the week worse, everyone just keeps scrambling to CYA.

And the damn rain, I walked out today into rain again. WTF. I can't tell you if anything is growing cause it is too damn wet to go and look.

I did get Harper Lee's new book and I will be reading it this weekend.

Me and my baby, or my baby's baby or just plain fabulous

I think this is just the perfect hat. And Grandmama wears hats.

A whole new world

The conservatory at Belle Isle

Well, I could not get my contacts in this morning so I wore my new glasses to drive into work. I am amazed at all the stuff I have been missing. I am sure the newness will wear off soon, kinda like when you quit smoking and can smell all the nastiness for the first time.

I could see all the tiny trash and weirdo people, cracks in the overhead bridges, and my instrument panel. When I pulled in the parking lot I could see all the paint fucked up on the vehicles and how dirty some of the vehicles are. When I got inside the plant I could not wait to take the glasses off. Enough for one day.

Big Daddy drove through Belle Isle and he said since the state has taken it on as a state park the change is remarkable. I will have to drive through with him. Maybe this Sunday after another brunch at Seldon Standard. And I can take pics now that I can see. Phone camera is still shitty however. Gonna have to make a decision on the iPhone or the Samsung. Any opinions?

You'll never guess . . it is raining

Remember those painted fish we had a few years ago, well this year the cultural summer experience is butterfly benches. They are all over town. All different.

Well, I went back to the eye doctor and saw a different doc this time. She changed my contact prescription so maybe I can see most of the time now. Most of the time is the goal. She also plucked my contact out of my eyeball. It was stuck on tight and I could not get it out and she said let me, and voila she had that sucker out. Then she plopped the new one in, since she was standing there. And I could see.

She said my eyes were small but it is what it is. And she did not say, for an old lady, but she did say under the circumstances of never having used them before I was doing pretty good. Made me feel a tinge better.

Work is getting weirder and nastier. I am waiting for an implosion. I swear in all my years I have never seen this kinda shit.