I THINK I SMELL THANKSGIVING AROUND THE CORNER!!
I'LL BRING THE PUMPKIN & MINCEMEAT PIES

HAPPY.....LOVED THE PICTURES. OMG!!
THEY ARE TOO CUTE FOLLOWING THE MOMS AROUND.
HOPE YOU LIKE THE NEW HAIR-DO.
I'M SO THIN ON TOP I'LL HAVE TO WEAR SUNSCREEN ON MY SCALP
HOPE THE INTERVIEW WENT WELL. SENDING YOU A GOOD THOUGHT.




ELLEN......SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE STILL ALIVE & KICKING & BUSY!!
THE PIZZAS WERE A GOOID IDEA OF DH!! FAST FOOD!!




LAURA.....FUNNY YOU HAD LUNCH & A CHAT WITH THE FRIEND....
MY FRIEND CALLED ME DOWN TO GO OUTSIDE AND DO THE SAME.
BUT WE ONLY HAD PB & J SAMMIES.




SHADDIE....I AM SO SORRY YOU'RE LAST WEEK IS DRAGGING ON SO.
AND JUST WHAT YOU NEED.....FINANCE!! POOR WOMAN.
HOPE YOU GET HOME AND JUST PLOP ON THE COUCH AND NOT MOVE!!!
SENDING A GOOD THOUGHT OUT TO YOU AS WELL





MORNING CHICKS.
NOT MUCH NEW SINCE LAST POST.
MEETINGS ARE TONITE. YUCK.
THE DRAMA CONTINUES WITH ONE OF THE DRIVERS.
THANK GOD IT'S NOT WILLY.....AND HE IS BACK.
NOT SURE WHAT THE OUTCOME WILL BE.

JEN IS DOING BETTER. SHE'S RESTING BUT WALKING LIKE OUR DR SAID.
GOTTA KEEP MOVING OR THE MUSCLES WILL ATROPHY TOO FAST.
FINDING A HAPPY MEDIUM. IT SURE SLOWED HER DOWN.
I HAVE TO LAUGH...I GAVE RICHIE A LECTUIRE ON BEING DISABLED....
THEN HE TURNED AROUND AND GAVE IT TI JEN.
JEN & I BOTH HAD A GOOD LAUGH.
BUT HIS FAMILY NEEDS TO REMEMBER SHE IS DISABLED & OVERDOING IT.
GEE.....I THINK I REMEMBER HEARING SOMETHING LIKE THIS BEFORE

I CANCELED THE SHOPPING TRIP TO PATHMARK.
A THUNDERSTORM IS ON ITS WAY AND BLACK AS NIGHT RIGHT NOW.
SUPPOSED TO BE A WHOPPER.

HAVE A GREAT DAY

Good morning ladies -

Just a quick post as I have an early morning meeting to get to. We got some good rain yesterday morning and two big storms last night. We still need more...but the lawns are beginning to green up. It may rain today or tonight, but if it doesn't, DH, DMIL and I are going to see REO Speedwagon perform at our county fair.

I hope you all are doing well. MEL - I'm glad to hear Jen is following Dr's orders.

Much love and many hugs,

Oh so sleepy today. Woke up at 3 am thinking about the day to come. C and I left the house at 4:30 to drop his SUV at the repair shop for brakes. Then took him on to work. Came back home, jumped in the shower, got ready for work and was here by 6:50 am. Way too eary to even think about what I need to do. Have been sitting here on my arse reading the news on the net and now posting to you wonderful ladies. Stopped and got me a coffee at Micky D's. That is all I ever get there is coffee...Sometimes the grilled chicken salad. I feel like I am just slowly dragging along and babbling.

We are supposed to have scattered T-storms with maybe one hitting the circle city (Indy) around 2 ish. I certainly hope so. It saves me from watering the gardens at night. Some storms could be strong. Hail and wind expected in different areas of the state.

HAPPY....Loved the pix of the turkeys. We have wild turkey vultures around the wooded areas of Indiana. Mostly out in the stix where I used to live and DS lives now. Right now we have an over abundance of geese around all the retention ponds. Probably stop to let them cross the road 3 or 4 times a week. THey poo in the darndest places.

CHELLE...sounds like you are adjusting to the new job splendidly and they are keeping you busy with one thing or another. Hope your dreams have come true! REO Speedwagon, Yeah! I saw them in about 1974, 5, 6, somewhere in there. Not sure. Golden Country, your face is so red...party for me sister!

SHADDIE...one last wake up til home and done with that job. You deserve a break, so get out and get away, at McDonalds haha. THat just came to mind. Can you tell I am running on empty, burning love, running on high....lack of sleep makes me nutty. lol

ELLEN...I still do not see how you have the energy to do anything, with the kiddos, momma, job, house, etc etc. When do the kiddos go back to school? Our neighborhood kids go back August 1st. We are starting that year round thing here.

MELLIE...I will bring the dressing, greenbean casserole, peanutbutter and pecan pies. It all sound wonderful...oh and cannot forget the mashed taters. YUM YUM, hey grandpa, what's for dinner? Black eyed peas and roadkill stew...lol Glad Jen is doing better...I think there are several of us chicklets that need to walk around in bubble wrap, you, me and Jen included.

LAURA...I have not even heard of Moonrise Kingdom. Will need a review on that one, a go see or a rental? How can you stand walking home from the train station in this miserable heat? I can barely stand going out to water my gardens and I am an outdoors girl.

CEEG...hope you are feeling better sister. I have notice my allergies acting up a bit also. I can tell by the added sneezing going on. I hate to sneeze and when I do it is usually 5 or 6 in a row. BLAH!.

Hey to all the worldies...

Have a splendid day/night.

Loves and hugs.

WILTED LEAF LETTUCE
6 slices bacon
1/2 c. green onion
1/4 c. vinegar
4 tsp. sugar
8 c. leaf lettuce, torn into bits

Cook bacon until crisp; drain and crumble (save drippings). Add onion to drippings and cook until tender. Add vinegar, 1/4 cup water, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and bacon. Cook and stir until boiling. Place lettuce in bowl. Pour hot dressing over lettuce; toss to coat. Serve at once.


I used very little bacon grease and added a bit of water instead.

Morning all.

Annie - That recipe looks delicious, and that's coming from someone for whom the idea of wilted greens isn't all that appealing (except maybe some spinach in soup or pasta)! Must be the bacon, lol. And actually, the vinegar/sugar combo sounds good to me too. I sure hope you get through the day okay since you had such an early start. Yeh, when it's this hot, I'm very happy to ride my bike between home and the train. I can pedal slowly and coast and enjoy the breeze I'm making - much nicer than walking. Not to mention that the other night I couldn't wait to get home because I had to p!! Hope you get some rain today so you can just go straight to bed and not have to water the garden!!

Michelle - Hope you get to enjoy the concert tonight, otherwise, yay for the rain.

Mel - Too bad about the canceled shopping trip, but who wants to be out in a storm anyway? Hope the meetings tonight aren't too much of a PITA. So what's the deal with the driver - is he not a good driver? Scary.

Shad - Yay, you're going home today!! Guru can now go on your cv, right?

Happy - How did the interview go yesterday? Hope it's something that appeals to you and that they liked what you have to offer. Good luck eventually finding a salon/stylist you like. I went through a couple of them when we moved to MP before finding the right one. Thanks for posting those photos - so cute! Never a dull moment in the wildlife parade you have going on up there. I hope the burn alert ends - we had some more rain overnight here. Forgot to "remind" bf to mow... By the time he gets around to it, the grass will be too long and I'm sure I'll have to hear him complain about having to bag the grass clippings instead of letting the mower mulch them back into the lawn. Sigh.

Ceejay - are you feeling better now?

Hellos to Ellen, Patty & Java.
===
The movie "Moonrise Kingdom" was really cute. Takes place in 1965 and it's very whimsical and not based in reality at all, and it's funny. I'd definitely say it's worth seeing at the theater. It's directed by Wes Anderson, who's done The Fantastic Mr. Fox and Rushmore, neither of which I've seen (yet). He's also done "The Royal Tannenbaums", which I really liked.

Other than that, nothing much to report about yesterday. My drive to the theater was good - very few traffic lights and the car is running well. We had rain overnight and I heard some thunder this morning. Bf said doggy did well.

The admin was complaining to me of a bladder infection yesterday and today she's out sick. She better watch out for the number of sick days she's taking. The boss is the type that says she expects some sick days when an employee's kid is sick or something, but you can tell she's annoyed when it really happens, so I'm sure questionable or too many sick days are even worse in her eyes.

Okay, have to follow up with someone who's failed to respond to my e-mail.

Toodles!

Good morning ladies,

If you have me as a friend on FB you will see that I posted a video of the turkeys in the yard. My sister loves birds of any sort and there's nothing funnier to her than running birds. I just learned how to do a video with my new camera - it could be better but I think I got the shot that would make her

My interview went well yesterday - at least I think it did . The two ladies I spoke to were very similar in personality to me. We even joked about being "pile" people - having piles of papers on the desktop instead of neatly filed away. They also said they liked the temp warm in the office and since I chill easy I was happy to hear that - don't need any menopausal women cranking the air conditioner down to 40 degrees There was no question that I had a ton of technical skills that they were looking for. I'm sure they have several people to interview but they said they are eager to get someone in quickly so they'd be making their decision by the end of the month which is the middle of the week next week. DH said not to get hopes up and I know if it is meant to be, it will.

Annie - thanks so much for posting the recipe - looks delicious for any greens. Sweet and sour - yum. Sorry you are sleepy - sounds like the lack of sleep is catching up with you. I have sworn off McD's too except for the specialty coffees (they are good!) and maybe the fruit/yogurt/nut snack that I eat when we are travelling on the road.

Laura - thanks for the movie review - from the TV advertisements they are praising it but can't always trust what you see. I haven't been keeping track but another day off for the admin eh? Sounds like she just had one around her vacation. Up to the boss to deal with... As for the salon, there's at least 7 of them in town so I have many more to sample as you say. I have to find a hairdresser with hair like mine and then ask her who does HER hair

Michelle - enjoy the concert. I recorded a concert of REO that I noticed on cable tv - not sure when it was recorded but geez - those guys got OLD. The still sounded ok but have faded a bit. Hope you have a good time.

Mel - glad you liked the pictures. Too funny about the sun screen on the head - my cousin said the same thing to me - about sunscreen and a pink scalp. Then I took a mirror to the top of my head and I have quite a part I didn't need to know that. Good thing camo baseball caps are all the rage out here I hear there is bad weather up your way. Stay inside and out of it.

Shad - good luck on the next tour of duty. You sound tired. Need to send you and Annie to some R&R.

Hello to the rest of the Worldlies

MORNING EVERYONE.
MEETINGS WERE SLOW AND PAINFUL
THEY STARTED OFF FAST BUT SOME OF THEM JUST WANT TO LINGER.
BET IF THEY WEREN'T CATERED THAT WE'D BE DONE IN A FEW SHORT MINUTES!!

THE WHOLE TOWN GOT A WARNING ABOUT THE STORM.
IT WAS LIKE A FREIGHT TRAIN GOING THRU.
BUT IT WAS SOON OVER WITH.
WENT OUT WITH A BOSS TO MAKE SURE ALL WAS BATTENED DOWN AND THEN TO BED.

BOSSLADY IS GOING ON VACATION & OUT OF REACH FOR 10 DAYS.
CAN'T WAIT TI SEE HOW MUCH THE MEN CAN FOUL THINGS UP.

NOTHING ELSE IS NEW. GOING DOWN TO GET MY "VACAY" ORDERS.
NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO HER LEAVING.
I WILL BE WORKJNG NEXT FRIDAY AND THE FOLLOWING MONDAY.
BY THAT TIME THERE WILL BE ONLY 2 OF US LEFT.
THE REST WILL ON VACATION TOO

I AM OFF TO THE SHOWERS.
HAVE A GREAT DAY






MICHELLE.....WAVING BACK TO YOU
HOPE YOU AND THE DMIL HAD A GOOD TIME.



ANNIE....THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY AND WE CAN DRAG OUR ARSES HOME!!
HOPE THE COFFEE KEPT YOU GOING YESTERDAY.
THE AIR IS SO HEAVY WITH THESE STORMS.
IT'S THE WEEKEND
THE SALAD SOUNDED GREAT BUT ANYTHING WITH BACON IN IT IS FINE WITH ME!!!!




LAURA.....HOPE THE ADNIM LEARS NOT TO OVERDO THE SICK DAYS.
PEOPLE ARE GETTING LET GO BY THE THOUSANDS FOR THAT.
EVEN HERE IT'S BEEN A BIG THING ABOUT DAYS OFF.
GLAD THE MOVIE WAS GOOD AND YOU HAD A NICE NIGHT OUT.
EVEN HAPPIER THE DOGGIE DID WELL.
AS I SAID TO ANNIE....ANYTHING WITH BACON SOUNDS GOOD TO ME





HAPPY......I AM GLAD YOU THINK THE INTERVIEW WENT WELL.
WILL KEEP MY FINGERS & TOES CROSSED FOR NEXT WEEK
I BET THE VIDEO IS FUNNY. HOPE YOUR SIS ENJOYED IT. LOL
THE STORM LAST NIGHT WAS A DOOZY. I HID IN THE BEDROOM!
LESS WINDOWS THERE. SOUNDED LIKE A TRAIN.
HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND WITH YOUR 2 LEGGED FRIENDS!!!

Mornin Chicklets...

Woke up at 3:30 this morning and in the loo at home and here at work. If it doesn't ease up soon I am going to take one of Laura's admins sick days. lol

LAURA...the movie does sound cute. Maybe I can lure Curtis to go see it with me Sunday morning before noon when it costs 5 bucks. Or maybe I will go by myself. We will see when Sunday gets here. We don't have any that abuse the sick day thing here, we have several that always comes in late or leaves early. Oh well, not my issue.

MELLIE...DO NOT WORK YOUR ARSE OFF when the boss lady is gone. I do not want you getting sick(er). DO YOU HEAR ME? We had T-storms all over Indiana yesterday and NOT EVEN ONE OF THEM passed through Indianapolis. Not a drop hit my yard. So aggravating.

HAPPY...so glad your interview went well. I bet you get the job. Help me remember, where was the interview? Sometimes we just know and can feel when all goes well and the job will be yours. Praying for you to get the position.

Hey to all the rest of you lovely ladies...

Loves and Hugs

Morning all. TGIF!!!

Annie - Feel better soon! Definitely go home if you're in the loo more than at your desk!

Mel - I second Annie's comment - do NOT overdo it while everyone is away. Even if you were getting paid all of their salaries, it's not worth risking your health!! Too bad the meetings went long. You'd think they'd want to get home if a storm was on the way!

Happy - Glad the interview went well. Count me in as one of the "pile people".

Hellos to the rest of the Worldlies!! Hope you're all ready for the weekend or already enjoying it.
===
Rainy start to the day today, but it didn't last long so I was able to ride my bike to the train. I picked the first ripe cherry tomato from the veg garden this morning and told bf he should pick some of the serrano peppers. I don't have high hopes for the bell pepper plant. There's only one pepper on it and it's slow going. The Early Girl has a couple tomatoes ripening on the vine.

I (finally) made a decision re exercise classes and yesterday after a dinner out w/ bf, we went to the park district rec plex and I registered. I bought a combo pass good for 5 spinning classes and 5 group fitness classes. By this time, the summer session only has 5 weeks left, so I didn't want to buy a 13-class group fitness passport because I wasn't sure I'd use it all. This way I can try out spinning, and also go to the usual passport classes and hopefully I'll be okay with committing myself to 2 classes per week.

That's about it. Nothing much going on for the weekend. Bf's friend just became a grandfather, so Sunday bf and I are going to their house (way down in IN) for a celebration. I will not say what I want to say about this situation. The baby is still very young - maybe 5-6 weeks old? - so it'll be interesting to see if bf will be brave enough to hold her.

Laura....where in Indiana?

Portage. It's not really way down in Indiana, just way down from where I live in the NW 'burbs.

Well I don't know where Whiting, Indiana is but they are having their big Pierogi Fest this weekend. Missing that but it would probably give me the worst indigestion so probably not a bad thing. Instead I'm making lemon bread with a bunch of my fresh blueberries.

The job I interviewed for is for an administrative assistant - "do all" kind of person in a small office for a non profit organization here in town. Answer phones, match callers with the right resources, do reporting needed in conjunction with grants, write newsletters, update web pages, help them to get organized, a little bit of everything and something new each day. I had a temporary job as a supervisor in the 2000 Census so I know how government bureacracy works, I have implemented strategic systems both there and on several of my jobs, did web pages, did newsletters for the Homeowners Assn, managed Help Desks for 7 years so I can do phones and matching people, am able to work independently as well as in a team environment and I am totally experienced in dealing with being flexible, changing course halfway in the process and observing and making suggestions. Sounds interesting - beats working at the deli counter and cutting my fingers off

My tomatoes appear to have worms boring holes in them. I can't see the worms but I see the holes in the fruit. Picked 4 regular tomatoes already - all ruined and yesterday I noticed 1 grape tomato that was affected. This is a bummer, I was hoping to go organic but I might not be able to. Did get some insecticidal soap, DH applied it twice already but might have to break down and use the chemicals. I don't want to lose my crop. Just as frustrating as when the darn squirrels start chewing on them.

Spent all morning working with Dell support on a problem with my laptop. Had to download and apply a bunch of lengthy updates. We'll see if it fixes the problem.

DH and I were going to take a trip up north around Lake Superior but today dawned rather cool and overcast. We got some big storms yesterday when it was only predicted for a 30 percent chance of rain so we didn't want to risk a long drive for potentially lousy outside weather. And that's about that.

Laura - my sister in Orland has loaded pepper plants so it's not the heat that's stunting them. Mine aren't doing that well either - we've had one deformed pepper so far we tossed. How was that cherry tomato? I think it almost might be too hot and dry even for the tomatoes by you.

Thanks for the prayers and good thoughts Annie and Mel - will take whatever help I can get

Annie - sorry you didn't get any rain. Isn't that annoying? I saw some storms down around your area on the weather map and thought for sure you'd get a sprinkle or two. I'm surprised your lettuce is doing as well as it is under those conditions. Sounds like you are still having stomach issues. Have you tried yogurt/ ginger/ cheese and bananas ( - no health benefits, they just block you up ) Hope you feel better...

Mel - I saw the line of storms headed your way when they were still in Philly. Looked very ugly. Glad they got warnings out and they didn't flood you or leave you in the dark of night. Sounds like you need to have stand up meetings - no chairs - that insures the meetings go quickly. So annoying when they drag on and on and on. I think you need to operate the office like something my Mom told me about in regards to getting a senior discount from the city services - you have to line up really early outside the office and they only take the first 5 people in line and then they shut the door and hang up the gone fishing sign. that will certainly cut back on the hassles you have to deal with. I am sorry to hear you are hanging out in the office - I'm sure you will get more than your share of troubles when they see "The Fixer" is on duty. Just be mindful of your stress and health.

It must be approaching hummingbird swarm season here even tho it's early in the season. They are getting VERY aggresive and spend more time and energy chasing each other off than they do getting energy from the food. Each bird guards a specific feeder - we have 4 - and as soon as one comes into another's territory they chitter and squawk and go dive bombing each other. Sometimes they fight with their long beaks and you can catch the clicking - sounds like a sword fight.

Well I have spent all day on the computer. Need to go get something useful done. Including deciding which Friday Fish Fry DH will be treating me to.

Happy Weekend Chicks.

Hey HAPPY.....we did get some rain..about 15 minutes of a good downpour with lightening. However when I went out afterwords...I didn't even get my feet muddy in the garden....the good news....one yellow zucchini, two yellow tomatos and two red tomatos. My lettuce will need harvested again tomorrow. YEAH! I LOVE variety in a job, sounds like you will have that when you get the new position....I feel ood about it and know you are just one step away from WORKING!....lol Goodbye retirement. haha.... You may have to give up organic if you want any produce. The price of groceries and the stinkin weather requires you to intervene in the bug/worm issue. I use Sevin when necessary...so far I only had to use in one time about a month ago, I do not feel bad about it. I mean really it is either me or the bugs...I am more important as you are....take care of your plants and produce.

LAURA...Portage is quite north from me...like a lot northern Indiana...I was hoping at least Lafayette, cause I was thinking a road trip to meet you in person tomorrow. Drats.

Going to Whiskey Business to meet friends that fly in for the Brickyard 400 Nascar race. Only see them once a year at this time. I cannot wait to introduce them to my fiance' Mr. Curtis. He is taking a nap right now so we can stay out till at least 8:30 lol. God love him.

Best get myself ready to go...Curtis is ready all but getting dressed. Hope his hap refreshes him.

Love and hugs

HAPPY...I feel *good* about it! Hope his *nap* refreshes him.

Home

Morning all,
Not going to try to catch up on all the personals. I'll be here all day and there is a lot to do. The fridge is empty, the pantry not much better. Garden is weedy, not much lawn left. But I have time now, just got to try to find the energy.

Happy hope they chose you for the job. Sounds like an easy fit for you.

Mel - your card arrived during the week. Will take it down with me next week.

Okay, time to write out the weeks menu and get myself washed and dressed and ready for the shopping.