Reminiscences of an Old Crabby Broad

Finally the Holiday Season is define!  For the past month I have been driving by Halloween Ghosts blowing in the wind while hanging off the lower tree limbs next to a waving plastic Santa Claus blow-up sharing the same yard space.

I have "younger" neighbors that faithfully on November 1st  throw out the stuffed scarecrow from Michael's with their cornstalks and pumpkins and hang the artificial pine wreath and the red and green twinkle lights. Can't say I blame their "what holiday season is it?" confusion solely on them. Retail stores were doing the same thing!

I remember a time when you never ever ever never saw so much as a Christmas bulb till the day after Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving season ..... a fall Harvest season holiday ..... has somehow now become .... or shall I say .....  blended with Christmas.  Unfortunately Christmas ... and the shopping of .... is slowly being forced on us earlier and earlier each year. Stores that formally closed on Thanksgiving, giving their employees a holiday off .... unpaid I'm sure  ..... and not having them worry about "requesting off" to spend the day with family. It was sickening to see alll the stores that opened virtually during dinner .... THE WHOLE FOCUS ......  of the holiday and enticed those weak individuals to shop. Was that couple $$$ they "saved" actually worth giving up their holiday allll to satisfy the greed of some CEO retailer looking for their next Million dollar bonus in January ?

I stayed home. Oh, I'll shop for Christmas ..... I have a WHOLE MONTH!!! .... and I'll spend the same amount of money and on the same amount of people I planned on from the beginning. For now, me and my "older" neighbors will be decorating our houses now that it is after Thanksgiving ....... like we remember.

FOUND MY WAY BACK .....

Back from VaCa .... The island of Providenciales is gorgeous !!!! One of our best vacations EVER .... NO ONE WANTED TO LEAVE!

This is one of my photos from the restaurant/bar .... the bar I mentioned earlier in my blog ...... Horse Eyed Jack's .... unfortunately I could not do the scenery justice :-(

DAY ONE

GOO making Friends .... Clayton will be sooooo Jellus!

Our boat "parked" on Iguana Island.
Daughter sitting in surf to the left.

FIRST SNORKEL TRIP WITH DAUGHTER 1

Walkway to the boat

Visiting the Iguanas

Snorkeling Treasure ...actually the residents
... a couch .... were lunch!

SECOND SNORKEL/SAILBOAT TRIP 

THIS WAS AN OVERCAST DAY!

Just sailing along ......

NOOOO  .....
that is not a creature from the deep

 LAST DAY BY THE POOL

After removing the "Couch", the snorkel operators
gave us the shell. Unfortunately, 4 days later the
shell still reeked! I figured I did not want a
passenger mutiny with my ejection from my plane
so, I left it behind ;-(

 Maybe some day I can go back and get it!

I'M STILL EXHAUSTED!!

It's allll over ... THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN !! ...... 

If you had listened to the pollsters in the last few months, the State of OHIO went from "Obama" country to a "SWING" State ... as in it was up for grabs for either candidate ....  and in the last ....  ohhhh, month or so, there were several other "Obama" States added to the playground and my State was one of them! AND I suffered for it ..... because the automated calls started and kept coming day and night and they were all Republicans!!!!

The calls were early AM thru late PM .... there was 1 sometimes 2 calls EVERY  hour  ...... I heard from pollsters and Candidates ALIKE!  Why MITT himself called .... and his wife ..... and his kids ...... and his employees ..... and his random supporters and it didn't stop at the Presidential race ..... there was the U.S. Senator candidate, and his wife, his kids, his employees, his random supporters ....... the U.S. House candidate, and his wife, his kids, his employees, his random supporters .... Dick Cheney stop by for a heart to heart chat and Clint wanted to make my day  .... then the State Attorney & Auditor Generals, State House & Senate ...  the wives were not as involved at this level .... I quit answering the phone.  DID IT STOP THEM????? What do you think? The pollsters ..... that started it alll in the first place ..... started knocking on the door the last three weeks ..... at one point I had a pollster at the door and one on the phone at the same time  !!!!!!!  I reached a pinnacle around last Friday where I decided no matter what, no matter how much I liked them ....... I was not voting a REPUBLICAN anything !!!!!

I was done and then it happen: Monday late afternoon ......... SARAH CALLED !!!!!!!!!!!!  Oh Joy!

Yesterday, all the "Swing" Sates apparently swung back ....... one tooo many phone calls maybe? ......  I JUST WISH THEY WOULD HAVE DONE IT A LITTLE SOONER!!!

YOU ALWAYS CAN FIND FRIENDS ON THE BEACH

This friendly fellow is saving my beach spot for me next week ...... "he" (or she) is an endangered rock iguana and is the only inhabitant found on Little Water Cay (island) just east of Providenciales.  They were almost wiped out totally by the growth of dog and cat populations on the other Turks and Caicos  "Cays". But here, on their own little private island .... you know some scabbie developer would just love to get his hands on this virgin sand .... they are protected and flourish with a 98% survival rate!

Tourists ... of which I plan to be in 2 weeks ........ of the non-furry kind can come and visit and pay the admission that goes to help protect them.

IRRITATING CRAP MY HUSBAND DOES ....... OR THE MAN THAT THINKS I'M HIS GIRL FRIDAY .... a working title

It never fails .... almost every time I sit in front of the computer .... just to sit and read and respond to "fun" web sites and email instead of the email I handle at work all day like firing off  ..... the " you are in notice of noncompliance" moron!, ...... the "what exactly do you think you are gonna do on my construction site" moron!, ...... the "you did what?" moron!, ...... the "you want what? moron! ..... and my favorite .... the "why can't you boys quit acting like a bunch of girls and get along" morons!!!  .... sigh !  (please note: the "moron" part is not written, only merely implied. I am nothing but professional .... to the morons)  ....  such the life as a female construction manager! Then I come home to a new job!  That of GOO's Admin Assistant !!!!

While I'm at the computer doing my "fun" surfing,  I hear the orders ...... oh no I know I'm in trouble ......... from the "Boss" on the living room couch while watching .........
Old reruns of GUNSMOKE/THE RIFLEMAN/BONANZA/BIG VALLEY. "Hey, lookup" ...... 
How old this old actor is?

If this actor is alive?

If this actor is still working?

When this actor died?

THE NEWS HOUR. "Hey, lookup" ........

This person's obituary?

And see if I heard my old friend’s house was on fire maybe?

One of my ex-employees was on the 5 PM news. See what they did?

ADS AND DISCOVERY CHANNEL you become the TICKET OBTAINER & GENERAL FACT CHECKER. "Hey, lookup" ........

To see if we can get tickets for this concert ? …. as in Artist I never knew he liked or comedian I never heard of .... AND put it on MY credit card !

What is winning the grossest scene Poll on the "Walking Dead" site .... like I want to know that!!!

The lyrics to this song or when it came out or who sang it .... is there a game of "WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE" going on in the living room or are you the "phone a friend"? 

What time that store closes … also see if it tells you if they carry this random/weird item? ... next you are going to want me to go and get it ................. aren't you?

See if this is true urban legend or history trivia ? ..... really really ???

Have I mentioned my GOO is on disability and is home .... except for a few Dr appts during the week .... ALLLLLLLL day.

Apparently,  no one can get to the facts like I can!

COULD I BE NEXT???

I just want to know  ..... choice of words where they actually fit  .... WTF do you have to do to get yourself  FIRED from a blog .... a blog .... not a TV show  .... A BLOG !!!   AND you can tell the guy who runs the site was mad! His letter to his members was just full of "I am soooo PISSED off at this beeotch!".  No one on a web site can really see your true self. Only what you want them to see but apparently it is coming out what her issues were:

•  Not quite giving unique advice to her end of the real "deals". Example: One of her suggestions were to subscribe/download to Coupon Cabin to the members of  ....... Coupon Cabin ..... Who did she think was reading her column?
• Making demands for things like security.  YES ITS TRUE, TRUE, ALLLLL TRUE .... we bloggers have that pesky fanatical fan problem. Mine are lying in wait for me at "Bottom Dollar"as I type. 
• She was making things up to enhance her column. Some of us don't have to. 

So from me and MY "support staff" we thank you for reading! 

Photo Credit: Laura Cavanaugh/Getty

NOTHING SAYS HALLOWEEN COSTUME LIKE A SESAME STREET CHARACTER

GOOOOOD NEWS THIS HALLOWEEN LADIES!!! 

You are NOT just limited to buying the sexy witch, the almost bare breasted nurse or a tightly corseted pirate costume! It is the year we have all been waiting for. Finally, costume makers are expanding their horizons in women's Halloween costume choices! 

This year you can be a seductive BERT, a belly baring ERNIE or a naughty sleek and slim BIG BIRD in spandex!

What ....  oh what should I chose?

ITS FIVE O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE

"Somewhere" for me will be the Infinity Bar ..... yes that is a bar ......  at Grace Bay Resort in Providenciales .... Turks and Caicos in case you forgot ..........  in 35 DAYS ......  I'll have a margarita for you!

VOTE 2012

I know as an ideal well informed American voter I should watch this tonight .... I just can't! 

Debates are  ...wellll ... boring. AND they lie.  They both will make stuff up to get their point across. I CAN NOT STAND THAT ABOVE ALL ELSE. WHY? Why do they have to do this? .... for the few applause they receive when they one up the other guy ...... is that what winning a debate is all about? Beside there always the fact checkers ready to pounce and it will be published tomorrow by all the news agencies who spun the biggest and most whoppers ...............  SO in an effort to not dislike my already chosen candidate I shall refrain from watching something where I will think less of him .... that and there is a new episode of GHOST HUNTERS is on at the same time.

HARVEST MOON

I've been very busy lately with my "HARVEST MOON" dinner tomorrow night.  Oh yes, Saturday, September 29th is a Harvest Moon .... and what is a HARVEST MOON DINNER? Something I started with my family .... actually it is supposed to be any FULL MOON that falls on a weekend ..... an excuse to get together with family and friends. I'll fess up .... I actually saw the idea in Better Homes & Gardens years ago. Everyone looked so festive ...... in the posed pictures .......  to be out in the crisp autumn evening air ...... probably freezing their asses off ......... 

As I have said before, Fall is my favorite season! And it is quite possible I decorate more for Fall than Christmas  ..... wellllll there is that (2) tree thing going on in my home ..... regardless my Fall Harvest decor will be up for 2+ months.

ITS TIME FOR ANOTHER PROVIDENCIALES PICTURE

OOOoooooh no that's not me on beach YET! 54 days to go .........

Here is your Link Daughter TURKS AND CAICOS BLOG

IRRITATING CRAP MY HUSBAND DOES OR THE MAN THAT DOESN'T KNOW WHEN TO SHUT UP ALREADY!!! .... A WORKING TITLE

End of next month I have a big test for my engineering state licensing. I find very little time to actually study .... oh what about now? Can't you see I'm busy .... AND I need pretty close to total silence. I was never one of those who had to have a radio on blasting to study like so many of my peers.

Recently, I have been reading books on the "T" ..... local subway system to some ..... every once in while there are two obnoxious people behind me carrying on some nonsensical conversation just to hear themselves ..... and everyone else around them ...... talk about totally or disgustingly nothing! That would never be my GOO!

GOO is a man of few trivial words. He has no patience for silly conversations and will usually find a way to end them fast. However, our poor disabled little GOO man is home allll week by himself. When the weekend comes and I'm home, he keeps insisting we go somewhere, we do something ... spend money on garden gnomes .... breakfast, lunch, dinner .... even festivals ..... he never did a festival the whole time I've known him!!!

Last Saturday we were taking a long drive ... an hour there and an hour back .... TWO HOURS OF STUDYING I SAID TO MYSELF. I announced to GOO I would be doing just that. So, I brought my BIG book to the car and settled down to concentrate on Differential Equations and Logarithms. Suddenly .......  I hear a voice talking to me about inane subjects .... is that GOO? .... grass cutting, the house going up for sale across the street, what's for dinner ..... five minutes into the car ride and I had to remind him of my planned study time. Of course,  he got all indignant ... it wasn't like my study opportunity was a secret BEFORE we got in the car !!!!!! What did he think I was doing with the 10 lb, five inch thick book?

 OK so he's mad .... at least he is quiet. ...... BUT WAIT ... he turns up the radio .... I won't let it shake my concentration while I differentiate this equation ..... he starts singing with the song "Free Falling" .... to find the velocity and position of this imaginary particle of matter in a three dimensional system only knowing the acceleration  .... oh know he is harmonizing with Tom Petty on the chorus ....... of a gravitational system that obviously cannot be earth's and  ................  

SHUUUUUUUUT UUUUUUPPPP!!!!!!!!

My book is on the floor but I can definitely say there was total silence.

THE HYPOCRITE’S GUIDE TO HEALTHY

Still holding at that 20 lb weight loss .... just can't seem to stay on the FULL diet ..Hhhhmmmmm ..... could be another topic for irritating crap my husband does ..... maybe next time.

Things I have discovered why I can't get motivated ...

1. I have a new wardrobe!  I'm wearing things now that have been in my closet so long my co-workers have never seen them. So they think I bought a new clothes, right?
2. I am feeling better! The walk up hill to work from the trolley or around my job sites has been more effortlessly. My arthritic hip, knee, back don't bother me as much and can bend over to tie my shoes without doing an expert Hatha Yoga position. 
3. People are noticing! 20 lbs yeah sure ... who wouldn't? MEN THAT'S WHO! Don't get the wrong idea ....  I'm not out there trying to get a date.  Now let me explain, I work mostly with men. Now you know they would never mention it to me BUT they will talk amongst themselves. I been told there has been talk!

I am determined ..... no matter how many days it takes ..... to get back on that diet!

WHEN U DIE .... deep thoughts

Okay I admit I had a few drinks tonight and being a holiday I had my father over who loves nothing more than reminiscing about his younger days .... he got me thinking ....... aside from the remember when, what and who stories do you ever think about who will remember YOU when you are gone?  How many lives can I touch before I'm gone, enough that they would want to "come visit me"? DEEEP STUFF MAN!!!

My maternal and paternal grandmother have me and my children.  My grandfather .... on mom's side ... had her and her brother .... both now gone and I never met my Mom's dad. I know where he is buried 'cause Mom  took me there in my preteen years. Do my cousins know where this place is? They were closer to him but I went there after my mom died and could tell, no one has been there in years. His flat heastone was nearly grown over by the lawn. My dad ..... who was with me ..... and I ripped it all back to reveal his stone again with our bare hands ..... kinda creepy ehh?

WHO will come visit ME?

Time to look ahead

Its September 1 .... 70 days till vacation .... I found a blog site today from someone who lives on Providenciales island in the Turks and Caicos and posts pictures of everyday life on Providenciales  .... one of many I will share ... Its the view from the so-called "dive" .... and I don't mean with a tank ...... bar called HORSE EYE JACKS

I think I found the place I will be eating dinner the first day ................