But I'm Not Complaining!

I had a wild week at the store. We actually got some snow over the course of the week, but unfortunately it was accompanied by ice. Whenever there is a threat of bad weather, everyone comes running in to "stock up" as if we are going to get snowed in for 2 weeks. It's been years since it was more than 2 days! Tuesday is our Senior Citizen day, so it's always our busiest day anyway, but add in bad weather and it becomes hectic. Plus, to make the day more fun, one of our registers went down for about two hours. Understand, we only have two registers on the best of days. (It's a small store.) One register, lines of people. Hence, loads of fun. (sarcasm, in case you missed that!) Fortunately, everyone was very understanding. That's not always the case. Wednesday, somehow we just got behind, then the other day girl went to do deliveries, and was gone half the day. (I think she only had two deliveries but the Pepsi delivery guy parked her in.) Then, on Thursday and Friday, she couldn't make it in because she lives about 10 miles out and the Blacktop was one big stretch of black ice. Therefore, I got to do my work, her work, and even a little extra, just for the fun of it and because one of the owners had a doctor's appointment. My bad foot has had too much of a work-out, and I think I re-injured my knee. I'm feeling old. Next week, Christmas week, should be just as fun, maybe even more so! Thank goodness, I actually do enjoy the hustle and bustle!

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The husband had to work 5 to 9 this morning, so I rode over with him and went shopping with the goal of finishing my Christmas shopping. It's rather nice when there isn't many people in the stores! I went to Walmart at 6 and parked up front. Then I wondered around for awhile. Picked up a few things, checked out with no lines. But I had to go back at 9 because the photo department wasn't open and I had my mother-in-law's present to pick up. In the two hours from when I left to when I came back was like night and day! The parking lot was full and the lines were all long! But I think I'm done! Yeah!

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A few nights ago, a slightly intoxicated young man "driving too fast for conditions" jumped the culvert and hit a main power-line pole North of town, taking out the electricity in at least 3 towns. It fried my answering machine. I meant to look for a new one this morning, but with all of the Christmas shopping, I forgot. My family really doesn't like answering the phone, so I guess I better figure out something quick!

Is It Thursday Yet?

I have a doctor's appointment this morning. I sooo don't want to go. It's just my blood-pressure medicine prescription check, but it'll probably cost $100. I used to be able to go once a year, get my pap and the whole fun thing and then just go in at 6 months, get my blood pressure checked by the nurse, and they renewed my prescription. Not any more. No, now I have to see the doctor. So they can charge more. I know that's the whole thing. It sucks. And since I have a $5000 deductible on my insurance, it all comes out of my pocket. Money I really would rather use for something else--like heat. It's a whole 13 degrees outside right now, and we have our heat set on 65, just so we can keep the bill down. I've been feeling really old lately, lots of aches and pains, light-headed and constant heartburn. But what's the point of telling her that--she'll suggest tests that I can't afford. Plus, I should say something to her about my foot from when I fell at work two weeks ago. But again, even if the store's insurance would pay for it, I just don't want to go to the hospital and go through the whole rig-a-ma-role for x-rays. Oh God, I am not looking forward to this day.

Pre-Holiday

Life has been incredibly hectic the last couple of weeks, and is going to get only more so for the next month. I love it, and every year I think I will get a jump on things and have things half done before December even gets here. I used to, when the kids were younger and I was only working part time. Now, not so much! My daughter turned 21 a few weeks ago, and since she doesn't drink, she wanted to invite some of her friends from Indianapolis and some of her high school friends for the weekend and go to St. Louis to the Zoo. Only problem, we don't have enough room in our house to have a dozen girls staying the night. But my Mom does! Since my Step-dad was going to be gone for the weekend (hunting season) she said "sure, bring them out!" She has a big walk-out basement with two bedrooms and a full bath, so the girls camped out down there and I took one of the bed-rooms upstairs. We had a perfect day--overcast but not cold, small crowd. And the animals were all out. My daughter is majoring in animation, so her friends are all "artsy". Very diverse bunch of girls! I always enjoy being with them. She's planning on moving to San Francisco in January to finish school. I've gotten used to her being home, it's going to be hard to let her go--again.

My Own Personal Crazy

After Dad died, Mom decided to sell everything and move--get a fresh start. At that time she gave me all of her records, including her Christmas albums. Just like how some smells remind us of a certain time or place, these albums take me back to Christmas as a kid. To be perfectly honest, I bought the stereo just so I could play and record these. I'm probably going to drive my family crazy this year!

How Bazaar

Aack! My feet hurt! One of the local youth groups hosted their annual Holiday Bazaar today and I had a booth. Even though I am used to being on my feet all day, I wore boots with a bit of a heal and it was a bit much for my old-lady feet! They usually do the Bazaar on Saturday, but this year decided to give it a try on Sunday. The first year they did it, it was on Sunday and the turn-out wasn't great. Everyone goes to Church, then home to dinner. And few people from other Churches seem to make it on Sunday. This is the Bible belt, after all. Small town, so 5 Churches for every bar! And altho I think Christians are essentially the same religion, they sure are cliquey! I really think I had better results when it was done on Saturday. I know different things need to be tried to keep it "fresh", but I hope they go back to Saturday next year. This is usually my biggest event I do each year and I don't have anything else lined up before Christmas. I usually do an Open House, but I may not even do that. I think I'm losing interest. Or maybe it's just time to try something new. Maybe I need something "fresh"!

Life Changes

I just spent the last week in Cheyenne, Wyoming. My brother retired after 24 years with the Air Force and we went to attend the ceremony. My brother is well liked and has accomplished much during his time. He served 3 terms over-seas, two during hostilities. Stories he will probably never tell us. I'm very proud of him. He was a bit of a screw-up before he went into the military. It made him into a better man then he maybe would have been. He has a wife, three daughters, one grandson. His men think the world of him. I guess it is tradition for a retiree to receive a shadow box, but his men made him a shadow box pub-table. It's quite impressive. The flag in the center was presented to my Mom when Dad died and she gave it to my brother. The patches at the bottom are also from Dad's uniform. It made the box even more special. But this morning, on Facebook, he commented he is already bored! He's looking for a new job, and it'll happen for him. In the mean time, he has to adjust to being "Mr." instead of "Sergeant". He's been in the military since he was 18. It's going to be a whole new world for him!

On the Road Again

I'm heading to Wyoming tomorrow, right after we get done voting and the folks drop off their animals at the pet motel. My "little" brother is retiring from the Air Force and the ceremony is Friday. It's about a 15 hour drive, but we always try to go out for the important things. I think he's a bit nervous about becoming a civilian. He's been in the service for 24 years, since he was 18, and it's going to be a big change for him and his family. We didn't get along very well when we were young, but now we are good friends. I'm proud of him, and can't wait to see him!