Happy New Year

Another year has gone by. Many things have happened, both good and bad. Skittles and I went on a wonderful vacation in July. Soon after we returned I injured my back which required surgery. Which in turn lead to 4 months off on medical leave. I started my blog in October. I've met many new people through this media. Some I consider friends. In any case it was nice to be able to convey my thoughts and feelings to those who were interested.

I don't make resolutions on New Years because I know how I am. I just don't keep them. I'm one of those who just keep on keepin on. This year Skittles and I will be celebrating New Years the same way we have for the entire time we've known each other. In the comfort of our apartment watching TV. We'll have dinner or some snacks and then give each other a nice big smooch when it turns midnight.

I live a blessed life. I really do. I have a wonderful wife who loves me. Wonderful grandkids that love me. And stepchildren that at least like me lol. I have a good job with good benefits and friends who care about me. What else matters right?

So even though I've had the back problem, I don't look at it as a really negative thing. It has been a challenge, but that's for overcoming.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year. If you drive, don't drive drunk, or have a designated driver. No celebration is worth losing your life or someone elses for.

I'll still be here in the next year blogging away if the Lord sees fit. Till next time BYE!!

New Camera Lens

Well, it's a cold gray rainy day here. For some reason I felt like playing with the new lens I got for Christmas. The pictures from outside aren't the greatest, but I thought it would give a hint about how things will look. The first and second pictures are focused on the same area. The first picture is on it's 70mm setting. The second is at 300mm or highest power. The third one is taken indoors and is on the Macro setting, for getting close-ups of small things. It's a close-up of the front of one of my new trains. I'll try to get some better pics in the future.



Note: if you click on the picture of the train, you will be able to see more detail.

Interesting Story

I went to a hardware/hobby store today. It's probably one of the neatest stores that I've ever been to. What makes it so neat you might ask? Well, to start, it's a hardware store. Like the ACO ones you see on TV. Then, in the back of the store, is a hobby shop. They have just about anything you might want to do as a hobby there. What more could you ask for in one place? At least from a guy perspective that is.

I found this store quite a few years ago while on my way to another store. At first I saw the hardware sign out front, but then as I drove closer, I saw a sign that said they had trains and other hobby supplies also.

I've been in this store a few times as you can imagine. It's about 30 miles from where I live, but just about the closest hobby store of it's kind to me. Plus, my mom lives near this store with my sister.

As I was making my purchase today, I was helped by a friendly young man who I got to talking to. This young man admitted he didn't really know a lot about trains, but was willing to help me any way he could.

After I made him climb up a back wall to fetch the new engine I had wanted, we made our way to the front of the aisle. In this aisle there happens to be a neat layout in HO scale for viewing of model trains. It's a pretty simple layout really, Just 2 tracks that wander through some nice little hills and some structures. The tracks are parallel to each other. The closest one heads left to right. It then goes into a good sized enclosure that has a loop of track that lets it head the other way. It then comes out going right to left on the second track. The other end has a similar enclosure so the trains can just run all day.

What's so interesting about this little layout you may ask? Well, as I was talking to the young man, I found out this layout is over 20 years old. It seems that a couple of fellows came into the store some 20 years ago and told the owner that they would build a layout to show the trains on if he would simply supply the material for it. What a deal huh?

The layout has been moved at least once. It's over 20 feet long so you can imagine how hard that would be.

The other interesting thing about the layout I found out by chatting with the helpful young lad was that recently, a fellow came into the store and offered to buy the layout. He talked to the owner and offered him 5.000$ for it. The owner told the fellow he couldn't sell it for that. The buyer asked why? It was a tidy sum wasn't it? Apparently the owner just smiled and told the fellow that the layout had recently been appraised at over 12,000$. Probably a lot of that had to do with it's age and condition. The layout is enclosed in glass too.

So, there you have my interesting story. And, you now know why I like to go to this store. I would imagine any guy would be like a kid in a candy shop in this store. I know I am lol. Till next time BYE!!

New Trains

What the heck. I decided to post pictures of the new trains I got after all lol.

Saturday

I went out today to try to finish up the gift cards and certificates that I got for Christmas. I got most of it done lol. I still have some left from the craft store. I just couldn't make up my mind on what to get with what's left. I didn't have any problem doing that at Lowe's though. And, no problem at the hardware/hobby shop.

While I was out I went to visit my mom. We talk on the phone pretty regularly, but I hadn't seen her in a while. It was nice talking to her.

I haven't done much since coming home. Just looking over the things I got today. Not much else really to blog about. Maybe tomorrow I'll post some pics of the new trains I got today. At the moment I have a headache and really don't feel like doing it. Till next time BYE!!

Trivia About Me

I saw this at several other blogs, so I tried it also.

Ten Top Trivia Tips about Mike!

1. Mike can run sixty-five kilometres an hour - that's really fast!
2. The canonical hours of the Christian church are matins, lauds, prime, terce, sext, none, mike and compline.
3. The air around mike is superheated to about five times the temperature of the sun.
4. There is actually no danger in swimming right after you eat mike, though it may feel uncomfortable.
5. Ancient Chinese artists would never paint pictures of mike!
6. If you toss mike 10000 times, he will not land heads 5000 times, but more like 4950, because his head weighs more and thus ends up on the bottom.
7. Only fifty-five percent of men wash their hands after using mike.
8. Marie Antoinette never said 'let them eat cake' - this is a mistranslation of 'let them eat mike'.
9. Ostriches stick their heads in mike not to hide but to look for water.
10. The water in oceans is four times less salty than the water in mike.

I am interested in - do tell me aboutherhimitthem

Saturday Photo Hunt

This weeks theme for the photo hunt is "new". So keeping with this theme I am going to post some photos of the new train cars that I got for Christmas this year. Enjoy. Note, the bottom 3 cars aren't assembled yet.

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Sir Michael the Nefarious of Longer Interval Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

Xmas Gifts

I just thought it'd be a nice thing to show you a couple of pictures of the things I got for Xmas this year. After taking Xmas pics with the kids I haven't done much photography. The first one is of my ipod in it's holder that I bought and the second one is my new lens on the right, a 70-300 zoom with macro with the one it will replace on the left which is a 70-200 zoom. That's it for now. Till next time BYE!!

How Peaceful are you?

You Are 77% Peaceful

You are a very peaceful person. All is good in your world, no matter what's going on. Occasionally you let your problems get to you, but you generally remain upbeat. Your inner strength is inspirational - much more so than you may realize.

How Peaceful Are You?

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
How do you usually celebrate on New Year's Eve? Staying home with Skittles and watching TV

Soup
Name one thing unexpected that happened to you in 2006. One of my spinal discs pinched a nerve.

Salad
Where was your favorite place that you visited in 2006? Wyoming

Main Course
What resolution is your top priority for 2007? Get stronger

Dessert
Using just three words, describe 2006. Pretty Damn Good

Thursday

It's been a gloomy week here. It has the affect of making me not want to do much. The sky is cloudy most of the time and I don't like it. If it were sunny out I'd take my new lens and take some pics. But, seeing as it isn't, I don't feel like doing that.

Skittles and I did a little bit of shopping today. I got a neat holster type holder for my iPod and now I can take it to work with me. We also got a new bedspread from Sears. I like Sears. They have tools. I mean THEY HAVE TOOLS lol. I think I was drooling part of the time I was there. I did show restraint though. To be honest, I just can't reason buying much while I'm in the apartment. Now when I get a house, lookout. Craftsman is my favorite brand of tool and I had a lot stolen from me about 6 years ago. In time.

So while I went grocery shopping, Skittles made the bed with our new purchase. It's very nice looking. So now I'm sitting here thinking about doing something. I don't know what though lol. I'm just not in the mood to start anything right now. I know it's the time to get it done though as I'm off this week. Maybe tomorrow.

I think tomorrow I will do some of the shopping with my gift cards and certificates. It's always fun to go pick things out. So, I guess that's about all for now. Till next time BYE!!

Birth Order

You Are Likely A Forth Born

At your darkest moments, you feel angry. At work and school, you do best when your analyzing. When you love someone, you tend to be very giving. In friendship, you don't take the initiative in reaching out. Your ideal jobs are: factory jobs, comedy, and dentistry. You will leave your mark on the world with your own personal philosophy.

The Birth Order Predictor

Thursday Thirteen

For this weeks Thursday Thirteen I am going to list 13 albums I want to load onto my new Ipod after I get my USB turntable.

ELO Out of the Blue

ZZ Top Tejas

Elton John Yellowbrick Road

Kiss Live

Bob Seger Silver Bullet Live

Black Oak Arkansas Black Oak Arkansas

Asia Asia

Santana Abraxas

Moody Blues Days of Future Past

Beatles White Album

Beatles Abbey Road

Little River Band Reminiscing

Blues Brothers Briefcase Full of Blues

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Wednesday

Another lazy day here. I'm off for the week so I'm allowed a bit of lounging around. I'll probably do a bit of shopping today. Other than that, not much to post about. I guess when you don't do much you don't have much to post about lol. I spent most of yesterday trying to get my PC to work right after installing the new version of I-tunes and it wasn't till late at night that I finally got it back to somewhat normal. Little did I know that when you download a program it would take over your PC and not give you an option to not let it do that. I've learned a valuable lesson on that one. So I'll just use the version of I-tunes that came with the PC. It works so why mess with it lol. I guess that's about all I have for now. Till next time BYE!!

Ipod Problem pt2

Well, after much work and a good tip from Maggies hubby, I finally got my Ipod problem fixed. I now know not to update the Itunes to the newest version. For some reason it seems that other people have had this problem with their PC's too. I actually had to go into the registry of my PC to take out all traces of quicktime to get this thing to work properly. So, I'm back to getting music ready to put onto my new Ipod. And when I get my USB turntable, lookout lol. The only thing about the turntable idea is that it will take a long time to get the music on my PC. I'll have to play the entire album or song as they aren't digital. But, as it is winter, I won't be out playing anytime soon. What else have I to do? Well, I do have some new trains to weather, but I can do that while I make some sweet music with my new toy. Thanks for the help on this. And a special thanks goes to Skittles for helping me find some files and answers on the web also. Till next time BYE!!

Ipod Problem

It isn't the Ipod I'm having problems with specifically, it's my computer after I install the program that gets the tunes on the thing that I'm having problems with. You see, to get songs and such to your Ipod you have to install I tunes. When I do that it also installs Quicktime. When it does that, I can't view my little map thingie or the Christmas Tree that I installed on my blog. They come up with a little "Q" icon in it and won't show. Go figure.

I got the Ipod for Christmas and love it. But, there's that darn PC problem to contend with. I restored my PC to an earlier date to fix the problem of viewing my map, but I don't want to have to do that every time I put more music on the Ipod. Maybe this goes along with the problem I was having earlier with my PC. Who knows.

For now, I will just keep doing what I have been and let things lie. I might end up completely reloading my PC to it's original condition this week. If anyone else has had this problem with their Ipod, I'd appreciate it if you'd let me know. Like I said, it might just be my PC and it's weird ways. Till next time BYE!!

Gifts

I just thought I'd post about the gifts I got for Christmas.

A new lens for my camera. Its a 70-300 zoom with macro. I knew I was getting this as I ordered it lol.

I also got an Ipod which I love. Now I can listen to music at work.

I got 5 train cars 2 covered hoppers, a tank car, an auto carrier, and an old time billboard reefer car. Pretty neat stuff.

Some more weathering chalks

A book about the discovery of the Titanic. This is to replace one that I had that got ruined in a flood.

A new knife, its a Winchester brand and is a hunting knife. I don't hunt, but I like knives and will be an addition to my collection

Gift certificates to a local craft store

Finally but not least...I got a USB turntable. Well, it's on order. It couldn't be shipped here by Christmas so I will have to wait on this one. But it will be well worth it. I have over 300 vinyl albums that I would like to make MP3's of. This will make a great addition to the toys that I already own.

It may not sound like much, but it was a very good Christmas for me. Just watching the grandkids was a treat. Now if I can only get the youngest one, Emily, to like me, I'd be much happier. She's only 11 months and doesn't see me often. In time she'll get to know me more. Till next time BYE!!

Blogging

I just wanted to take this time to talk a little about this blogging thing. I've been blogging since early October and have enjoyed it. But, no matter how many hits I get on my blog, the thing that means the most to me is the comments left by fellow bloggers. I'd still blog if no one commented because I just find this a neat outlet for my thoughts, but the feedback is a wonderful thing. So, I'll make this post a short one by saying thank you to all those who have commented on my blog and I look forward to continuing blogging. Till next time BYE!!

Christmas

Merry Christmas one and all.

Skittles and I got home from the her kids house a little after midnight last night. And just like the kids we watched earlier in the evening, we opened our Christmas presents. We both got pretty much what we wanted. We then went to bed and gawked over a few of our presents.

This morning I will have to install some software and things so we can use some of our gifts. Later on we will enjoy a nice turkey dinner with stuffing.

For now I am going to just sit and relax and remember last nights memories. The kids, grandkids and all. It was a pretty nice evening. I also have to download the pictures I took last night of everyone opening up their presents. Till next time BYE!!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is upon us. It's the time for enjoying all the fruits of our labors. For getting together with family and friends and savor the memories. Gifts will be opened and many returned. But it's the thought that counts right? Many will be traveling to far destinations and others just a trip around the block. There will be festively wrapped presents and much good food eaten. Children will be playing with their long awaited gifts that they had wished for during the year. I know you're supposed to wait till Christmas day to open the gifts, but when you don't get the opportunity to see loved ones nearly enough, amends are made to this tradition.

It never fails to bring a smile to me to watch little ones open their gifts that Santa has brought. (He left them at my house so I could bring them) Yes, this is a special time of year when we all get together and share. Thoughts, good wishes, and cheer. We (Skittles and I) will be going to see our grandchildren and children. It's a long drive but well worth it. I'm glad they don't live further though lol.

We will be returning home in the late evening sometime. We will treasure the moments as we make our way home. When we get home, we may open some of our presents as well, the ones we have given to each other. I will be surprised as I have no idea about what I might receive. (except one lol) We'll go to bed and awaken to Christmas Day.

We will have our own little special Christmas dinner that afternoon. Traditions starting again. Things change and people do too. But I do relish this time of year. A time of reflection and giving.

So, whatever your beliefs, I wish each or you reading this blog the Merriest of Christmas. because underneath it all, it's still Christmas. Till next time BYE!!

Saturday

I just got home from doing (hopefully) the last of the shopping that needed to be done for Christmas. My hats off to all those folks that work in the business sector that have to deal with all the people they encounter each season. It's part of the reason I don't really like to go out shopping at this time of year. Don't get me wrong now, I love to shop for others for Christmas. I'm not that good at it, but I do like picking out things. It's the people that bug me most. You know them. Those people that don't know where they put their drivers license and want to write out a check for everything. And those others who are just in that "state" I posted about before. The state of blissful ignorance. I saw a few of those today while I was out.

One, at the grocery store had 3 gift cards for Trumps casino in her 300$ grocery pile and didn't even think to ask what they were till the very end of her order. She apparently thought they were coupons. DUH! The second one was at a store where I was picking up a gift card and was ahead of me in line. She had a 12 pack of shrink wrapped water that she didn't want to lift out of her cart, so she asked the sales lady to scan it, which the sales lady tried to but the lady with the cart, just kept rolling the cart while the clerk was trying to read the scan thingie.

I know these aren't really outrageous, but it's all part of the reason I don't like shopping at this time of year. Just like people taking coupons into a store and not buying what's on the coupon but still expecting the same discount.

But, I managed to get all my errands done by noon today and that beat a lot of the rush. I may be crazy enough to dare out again later though. I have some birthday money to spend. Just have to figure out what I want lol. Most of it's in the form of a Lowe's gift card. I like Lowe's. It's just that living in an apartment isn't exactly conducive to shopping there. Now if I were a home owner it wouldn't be a problem at all lol.

OK, enough of my rambling for now. I'm going to sit here and chill out for a bit and see what happens today. Till next time BYE!!

Saturday Photo Hunt

I decided to join the Saturday Photo Hunt thing. This weeks theme is lines. For my first post on it I went with this photo. It's a line of presents waiting to be opened at Christmas.

Friday

Another week bites the dust. I don't have to go back to work till the 2nd of January. I did learn one thing today though, I don't do so well when I don't take my meds with me to work. I usually take Motrin with me to help with my arthritis and back aches. Plus my muscles are pretty tired after getting back to work after 4 months off. I'll enjoy being off this week though. I think I can find some things to do to keep me busy. I'm pretty tired at the moment and may get to bed earlier than usual. Not much to post about otherwise. Till next time BYE!!

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
What is one of your Christmas traditions? Being with family

Soup
Who is the easiest person on your list to buy presents for? They all had lists..so everyone.

Salad
What is your favorite Christmas scent? Cinnamon

Main Course
If you could give a fellow blogger a Christmas gift, who would it be and what would you give them? Skittles and I can't tell you :)

Dessert
What's something on your Christmas wish list this year that you need (not just want)? Nothing, Christmas is for fun things

Work

Today was the last day for overtime this year. We worked nearly 10 hours and I am feeling it. I just thought that I would post about some of the things my company does during the holiday though. Mostly it is the employees that get these things done, but without our jobs with the company, many wouldn't be able to be achieved.

1 over 30 bags of toys for the Toys for Tots program

2 900$ cash was raised

3 65 bikes were donated

4 And last but certainly not least.... 44 families were adopted as part of the Adopt a Family program that we participate in each year.


A hearty thanks goes out to all the autoworkers who donated their time and energy to this program. I really think that the things done this year will brighten up quite a few homes that are in need. Till next time BYE!!

Thank You

A big happy Thank You to all who stopped by to wish me Happy Birthday today. It was very nice of all of you to take the time to do this. Thanks! Till next time BYE!!

Wednesday

Well, I've done just about all I can for the moment to my pc to get it running good. I'll just deal with it's problems till next week when I will be off of work. That way I will have time to deal with backing up my files and such. So far it just slows way down the longer I use it. Oh well. At least I can post lol. Till next time BYE!!

Thursday Thirteen

For this weeks Thursday Thirteen I am going to list 13 books I have read. Here goes.

1 The Rainmaker by John Grisham

2 Net Force Cyber by Tom Clancy

3 Raise the Titanic by Clive Cussler

4 Atlantis Found by Clive Cussler

5 Treasure by Clive Cussler

6 Inca Gold by Clive Cussler

7 In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

8 Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz

9 War of the Worlds by H.G.Wells

10 The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King

11 The Gunslinger by Stephen King

12 Drawing of the Three by Stephen King

13 Wheels by Arthur Hailey

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

PC Problems

It isn't unusual for me not to post everyday now that I am back to work. But this time it's a bit different. I came home Monday and when I started my pc, it gave me a warning that some file or something was bad on my hard drive. My pc has been acting up lately and I may need to reload it fresh. Lots of things to back up before I do though. I just hope the hard drive isn't shot.

I ran all the fixit programs that I have and it seems to be working now. But it still isn't right.

So, for those who look for my post, if you don't see one you will understand why. Just thought I'd let you all know. Thanks. Till next time BYE!!

Streams

I've gotten to see many neat looking streams while travelling. Having been to 32 states also helps in this regard. Many would look nice in a photo but I just haven't taken the time to stop to take pictures. A few of my favorites were in Vermont, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, and Tennessee in the Smoky Mountains.

There's just something peaceful about watching streams. Seeing the small rocks and such as the water washes over them. Winding their way through forests and fields.

These streams remind me a lot of the way we live our lives. We go through our daily routines and with luck, end our days with little fanfare. Other times we encounter that huge boulder that we must find a way to get around. Other times we lazily stroll through the woods and forests merrily on our ways. Sometimes, just like the streams, we must do what needs to be done in order to get through.

Strange what I think about while taking a shower isn't it? lol

Till next time BYE!!

Monday

I got home from work today to be greeted by a smiling Skittles (Barb). And, she had lit the candles that I bought the other day. I got 3 different ones. They are red, green, and white and are scented. What nice welcome home it was. Plus, she is making a great dinner as I write this post. We are going to have pork chops with garlic mashed potatoes and a neat salad that she put together. What a way to end a work day huh? I've included a couple of pics to show off here. Till next time BYE!!

The World Has Changed

I grew up in Detroit. I was about 3 when my family moved there. In a nice little neighborhood filled with working class people just as my family was. Many were immigrants that had come to America for a piece of the American Dream. The streets were filled with different sized houses that were neatly kept and the neighborhood itself had a feeling of being safe. People walked to the store to get their groceries. There was a small business district a few blocks away that had drug stores, furniture stores and 5 & 10 cent stores. I can remember as a youngster, saving my money to go buy comic books from the local drug store. They were about 12 cents apiece then.

Every Christmas my mother would take my sister and I downtown to see all the Christmas decorations. She'd also take us to a store called Hudson's to see the toy display there. They would also decorate one whole floor (the building was 14 stories tall) for Christmas with animated elves and such. We would wind our way through the display until the end, where we would get to see Santa himself. Such sweet memories.

Fast forward to the present. Even when I went to visit my mom in the old neighborhood, almost no one walks to the store now. Hardly anyone can be seen walking anywhere there. The houses aren't as neatly kept. There is a resurgence in the neighborhood though. New immigrants are making a home for themselves and going for the dream.

Where I live now, sidewalks are a thing of the past for areas. For that matter, they are in most new areas. Stores are farther to get to also. Gone is the friendly neighborhood drug store. Every one seems to drive to get to where ever they need to go. I know this is a necessity as most places don't even have a way to walk there now.

I've grown up also. I too drive pretty much everywhere I go. I do miss the walking to the neighborhood drugstores though. And the 5 and 10 cent stores. I'm still a kid at heart though. Just ask Skittles.

This was just something I have been thinking about the last couple of days. Going out shopping and such. I like going shopping, but the people just don't seem as friendly as they did when I was younger. Too many people treat parking lots as raceways. Everyone seems to be in a hurry to get to where they are going. I really couldn't wait to get home from shopping Saturday. The hustle and bustle of crowded city life just isn't for me anymore. Maybe it's because I have endured it for so long and just recently seen a slower way and easier lifestyle.

I used to dream about living in West Virginia. That dream still exists, but the job market there just isn't good. I'll have to see about that when I retire. But, during our vacation last summer, I got a chance to see more of our beautiful country than I ever had before. I think now I would like to live in Wyoming. Plenty of open spaces. Things there might not be convenient in the ways they are where I live now. but, the lack of crowded areas seems to call to me. The scenery isn't bad either.

So, just thought I'd pass on my little bits of thinking to you. As Christmas nears, I ask that you take time to think about things. You don't have to delve into deep thoughts, just think about things is all. It helps me sort out things that are going on in my life. It might help you also.
Till next time BYE!!

One Word Meme

I was tagged by Jolie-Jordan from Humptydump-Me-Eggs-All to do a one word meme.

Here goes.

1. Yourself: Here

2. Your spouse: Worried

3. Your hair: Thick

4. Your mother: Old

5. Your father: Deceased

6. Your favorite item: Trains

7. Your dream last night: Disturbing

8. Your favorite drink: Diet Pepsi

9. Your dream car: Fast

10. The room you are in: Warm

11. Your ex: Ptttthhhhht!

12. Your fear: Heights

13. What you want to be in 10 years: Alive

14. Who you hung out with last night: Barb

15. What you’re not: Patient

16. Muffins: Blueberry

17: One of your wish list items: Trains

18: Time: Short

19. The last thing you did: Ate

20. What you’re wearing: Jeans

21. Your favorite weather: Summer

22. Your favorite book: Manuals

23. The last thing you ate: Soup

24. Your life: Interesting

25. Your mood: Ok

26. Your best friend(s): Tony and Don

27. What you’re thinking about right now: Doing this meme

28. Your car: Reliable

29. What you’re doing at the moment: Meme

30. Your summer: Short

31. Your relationship status: Married

32. What’s on TV: Grinch

33. The weather: Warm

34. The last time you laughed: Today

I'll let anyone who wants to do this to be tagged lol.

Sunday

Not much new today. Sound familiar? lol I did however get to put together one of the Christmas gifts for the grandchildren. I won't say which one as there might be little ears listening, or for that matter, big ears listening. But it is a pretty neat gift. You know how it is. When you get something for a little one you want to make sure they can enjoy it right away. So that's what I did. I think that's what Grandpas are for too. I'm pretty sure the little one getting it will have lots of fun with it.

Speaking of little ones. Barb was talking to her daughter on the phone today and she heard our grandson Jakob in the background having a fit about one of his toys being broken. There is a part here though that makes me proud. When he was asked about it, he said that "Grandpa" can fix it. How could I not be proud of hearing that from him. So, when we go to see all of them on Christmas eve, Grandpa will bring some extra stuff to see if he can fix the toy.

Other than that, I've went shopping for the weekly groceries. Well, maybe not all we need, but enough to get us started. There will probably be something that we need to get for what we will be taking with us to share on Christmas Eve with the family. Till next time BYE!!

I'm On The Nice List

I saw this one on Asara's blog and had to try it lol.

Christmas Naughty or Nice List I am on the The Nice List After checking the North Pole database I had : 1,949 nice entries 150 naughty entries Check your name on the Christmas Naughty or Nice List at JokesUnlimited.com

Swedish Christmas Goat

I've been following this story for a while now. I haven't posted about it because I didn't think it all the news worthy. I may be wrong though. Theres a small town about 90 miles north of Stockholm called Gavle. They have been erecting a huge goat as a Christmas tradition since 1966. The sad part is that the 43ft high goat has only survived past Christmas a total of 10 times since then. It has been burned. cut down, and ran into by cars even. This goat is made of straw and to make sure it survived this year, the makers doused it with flame retardant chemicals. They even put up 24 hour surveillance cameras in an attempt to foil would be wrongdoers. Well, someone sneaked past the camera and tried to set it on fire again. This time though, the chemical did it's job. The giant goat got singed but didn't burn.

Now, you may ask why I write about this? It's because I didn't think other countries had this kind or problem. I don't know why I thought that, but I did. Besides, you really have to ask what kind of person would do such a thing. Try to ruin this festive time by vandalizing such a thing. the story doesn't say what significance the goat has to Sweden, but it must have some meaning for them to build such a large semblance of it.

Maybe the Grinch really does exist. Maybe he is in Sweden camping out while waiting for the Who's to go to sleep in Whoville. Who knows?

Till next time BYE!!

My Day

I started out the day by going shopping. I didn't think it would take as long as it did. I left the apartment at 9:30 am and didn't get home till about 6pm. I did get some shopping done though. It just took a lot longer than anticipated. I actually enjoyed it though. Going from store to store to find the right thing. I really won't say I enjoyed the traffic or rude people though. But most were very pleasant and I got to meet some nice people too. I did manage to get one wrapped for Skittles and I hope she likes it.

She isn't as easy as I am to shop for. I'm like a little kid, almost anything makes me happy. I'm not saying that Skittles is picky, just that she is more secretive about her wants. She does drop hints, I just have to remember what they are lol. I think we pretty much have all of our shopping done with the exception of maybe one or two items. This makes me happy. The year seemed to fly by and we kind of put off shopping for things a bit too long.

I'm really looking forward to Christmas this year. I love seeing the grandkids open their presents and the ooooohhhs and ahhhhs they give. I'll be taking pictures too.

Speaking of pictures, there's something I don't really understand about getting together with Skittles family. No one else brings a camera! How can this be? They all have one, I've seen them. But at birthday parties and such it seems that I am the only one taking pictures. I'm not saying I mind, it's just I don't understand why others wouldn't do it also.

Oh well. I have one more week of work then I get a week off. WoooHooo. I guess that's about all I have for now. Till next time BYE!!

100th Post

This marks my 100th post. In reality though it really isn't. (did that make sense lol) You see, for those who have followed my little journey here in blogland, I had deleted my blog at one point and had about 93 posts on it at the time. But, I'll go with what is recorded on my sidebar for now.

First off. thanks to all my loyal readers and followers. Without you this blog wouldn't be near as fun as it is. I have met some pretty nice people here and value their input and comments. It's fun sharing with all you folks as well. Getting to know one another and seeing how others do things give me ideas about what to blog about.

I hope you folks have gotten to know a bit about me as well. Putting ones self out there for all to see isn't always easy. But it does give a forum to see how the rest of the world lives and thinks. Such a forum might actually one day create a better world as we know it. How else could we get to know each other otherwise?

Lastly, and probably mostly, I would thanks my wife Barb from Skittles' Place for getting me interested in this. For without her, I would have never thought about creating a blog. She blogged for several months before I got into it. I have found lots of ideas and she has helped me set up my blog and given me much needed advice and help with things here. My hats off to you Barb. (If I had a hat that is lol)

So there you have it. My little tribute to my 100th post. Till next time BYE!!

Ho Ho Ho

I found this at Skittles' Place

Friday Night

I can definitely say there isn't much to post about tonight. After I got out of work, Skittles called me on the cell phone to let me know it was Friday and pizza night. So I went and got us some pizza and got home. The dog as usual was excited to see me(so was Skittles too). My first full week at work. I must have been more tired than I thought as when we got finished with the pizza, we both went to bed lol. I did get woken at about 8 pm by the dog barking at something, but was too tired to get up to see what it was. She barks at just about everything so I wasn't too alarmed by it. Kids playing in the apartments yard is the usual culprit.

So here I sit at almost 4 am posting. I don't mind though as I can just stay up and maybe take care of that last minute Christmas shopping that needs to be done.

Not much new at work. I have been used as a utility man there seeing as I know all the jobs. At least I don't get stuck on the same job all the time. It felt good to get a regular paycheck too. I have one more week to work then I get a week off for Christmas Holiday. Wooo hooo.

Skittles showed me something yesterday that she saw in a magazine. If I had seen it earlier it would have been on my Christmas list for sure. It is a turntable for playing vinyl LP's that plugs into your computers USB port. What a neat thing that would be. It would let me record all my LP's that I have sitting in storage. I'm already thinking of a way to get it anyway lol.

That's about it for now. Till next time BYE!!

Friday's Feast

Appetizer What was your very first job with a paycheck? It was an industrial battery repairman

Soup Did you ever lose something really important to you? I'm going to say it was my dog Smokey, I was 18 and had raised him from a pup. He got out somehow and I never saw him again.

Salad What is the best Christmas present you ever received? I am going to say that it was actually a little before Christmas, I found out that I was going to be a daddy for the first time.

Main Course Tell about a favorite "hang out" place for you and your friends when you were in high school. At a friends house.

Dessert Name something that always brings a smile to your face. Seeing my grandchildren.

2 Of My Favorite Engines

These are 2 of my favorite engines that I have. My favorite road is the Burlington Northern. The one on top is a 6 axle unit and the one on bottom is a 4 axle unit. They both run very smooth and will pull a lot of cars. Just thought I'd share these with you. Of course, they aren't weathered as yet. But I like seeing them anyway. Till next time BYE!!

I'm Donder

Which of Santa's Reindeer are you? Donder Like Donder you are sensible and a good leader. You know the right things to do at the right time and have people's respect Find out which of Santa's Reindeer you are at Quizopolis.com

Posting

As most of you know, I haven't been posting as much as I used to. This is due primarily from being back to work. Secondly, from just being plain old tired when I get home. I am getting more used to being back to work, so I might be posting more normally in the future. As for now, I am using Saturdays to catch up on all the blogs that I normally read. There are just times when I get home and don't feel like doing much other than watching some TV and relaxing. So, I haven't forgotten about my blog or my blogging friends. Think of it as my just getting on a new schedule. As always, thanks for the comments that are left for me to read. Till next time BYE!!

I'm in the wrong State

Yep, I'm in the wrong state here. I can see it in the faces of others as I go out and about my daily routines. I'm just not in the right state. I even see it in their actions. I'm just not in the right state. Ahhh, which state should I be in you might ask? It's the beautiful state of blissful ignorance. Yep, that's the state I should be in. Well, at least that's the state I see others in. So I guess I should be in it also. I see it everyday now. People not paying attention to what's going on around them. Not paying attention to who's in line at the checkout counter. Things like that. Even people not paying attention to who they cut off as they are leaving the shopping centers. They all seem so happy in this state. Talking on their cell phones, oblivious as to what's going on around them. OK, so maybe I don't want to be in this state after all. I just had to get it off my chest. I mean, c'mon, what's so important that you would jeopardize your life to pull out in front of a moving vehicle for? Or is it that important to get to that particular sales item that you don't even pay attention to others who right there? Just barge on through, won't you? So, I guess I won't make it to this state this year after all. It sure seems like a nice place to be in though. With all those people in it, it must get pretty crowded though. I think I'll stay in my own little state of mind this year. It's a much more peaceful place to be. I can wait. I have lol. You other folks go on about your oh so important adventures by yourselves. I'll just try to sit back and relax. Till next time BYE!!

Our Tree

It's actually a snow globe I bought a few years ago. I was living at my mom's and didn't have room for a real size tree. I saw this at a Christmas store and thought it would be neat to put in my room to make it more Christmassy. It has a little train in it at the bottom that goes around and it plays Christmas tunes. The tree itself is fiber optic and it has snow shoot out of the top making it look like it's snowing. You can see the other picture I took of it without the flash over at Skittles' Place.

Thursday Thirteen

For this weeks Thursday Thirteen, I thought I'd do 13 cars I've owned

1 1961 Ford Galaxy

2 1964 Chevrolet Chevy 2

3 1967 Ford Galaxy

4 1970 Ford Maverick

5 1970 Ford Torino

6 1970 Dodge Challenger

7 1970 Plymouth 'Cuda

8 1974 Ford Maverick

9 1984 Ford EXP

10 1974 Mercury Cougar XR7

11 1985 Plymouth Gran Fury

12 1986 Ford Bronco 2

13 1994 Ford F-150

Christmas Meme

I got tagged by smalltown rn from A Place I Call Home and Tisha from Crazy Working Mom to do this Christmas Meme. I got tagged by smalltown first and hadn't gotten to it yet, so this works out pretty well lol.

Here goes

1. Hot Chocolate or Egg Nog? Hot Chocolate

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa wraps everything :)

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Colored rice lights

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope..but I steal kisses anyway

5. When do you put your decorations up? Depends, I've done it different at different times.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Turkey at Thanksgiving..I'll say Bean Dip at Christmas

7. Favorite Holiday memory? Seeing my grandson Jakob's eyes light up when he saw he got a train for Christmas

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Santa is real...that's the truth.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes, we spend time with family

on Christmas Eve then we open our gifts usually on Christmas Morning.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Pretty traditionally I think, lights strings of beads, and ornaments.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love it.

12. Can you ice skate? Never tried.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I've gotten so many I can't name just one.

14. What's the most important thing? Being with my family.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? It's this pistachio and cool whip stuff, can't remember what it's called though lol.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Opening presents, see my "what kind of ornament" post to see why lol.

17. What tops your tree? When we put a tree up it's an angel that Skittles has that is lighted.

18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? Both...seeing the little ones expressions as they open gifts is very rewarding to me.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Too many to choose from.

20. Candy canes, Yuck or Yum? Candy Canes are good to a point. As I get older, I don't really eat them as much.

So there you have it. Thanks for tagging me. If anyone wants to do this please feel free. I'm not good at tagging others.

Tuesday

Another day at work. I did get to do my old job though. Only 2 of the 4 team leaders showed up today so I got to fill in for one of them. A bit more walking, but a lot of people were glad to see me fill in. Just like old times lol. I'm slowly getting used to being back at work. My legs and feet seem to be feeling it the most now.

I forgot to mention this morning that my train came yesterday...wooohooo. So that ends the seemingly endless story about me not getting what I had ordered in early November.

Seeing as I went to bed early last night, I will try to catch up on some blogs tonight. Not much else planned. It's raining here but still warm for this time of year. A pretty sloppy ride home. It makes me glad I only have to spend about 10 minutes on the freeway.

Skittles (Barb) got all our Christmas cards filled out Sunday and they got mailed, so that's taken care of. I think that all we have to do is finish our shopping and wrap things to get us set for Christmas now. We do have to return a few things, but I think it will be pretty easy to finish in the next week or so.

I got tagged by smalltown rn from A Place I Call Home and Tisha from Crazy Working Mom to do a Meme. I'll get to that soon I hope lol. Till next time BYE!!

Monday Night

I'm posting this on Tuesday Morning because I was very tired and went to bed early. Not much really to post about. I got home from work and was pretty tired. Still getting used to work. I did get all my trains put away which will give Skittles a nice clear table on which to put the laundry now lol. I'll probably wait till the weekends to do any more with my trains. Other than that I really have no plans except to be lazy when I get home from work. I might do some Christmas shopping this week though. Not much time to get it done as Christmas is getting closer here. This year has flown by. I'll try to post something when I get home from work tonight. Till next time BYE!!

Sunday

Not really a whole lot to say about today. It's been a pretty lazy day here. I did get the grocery shopping done. I keep forgetting to take the cans back though. For those who don't know about this, here in MI when you buy cans or bottles of soft drinks, they charge you an extra 10 cents as a deposit so you will bring them back and not litter them on the roadsides. We now have a sizable amount of them and I need to take them back but somehow keep forgetting to. It also helps with the grocery bill if you want to look at it that way.

It was nice and warm today while I was out. Pretty unusual for this time of year really. I didn't even need a coat when I went out. Makes me wonder if we are going to have a mild winter of Mother Nature is just saving all the nasty stuff for January.

My trains are still out on the dining room table. I told you I was relaxing this weekend remember? lol. I kind of decided that I want to take pictures of them all just in case something happens to them. Many are from my younger days and would be a shame to lose them somehow. At least this way I will have pictures of them. It will also give me an idea about what type of cars I need to round out my collection. I just think it would be nice to have at least one of every type.

I guess that's all for now. I'll be having dinner some time soon. Then just relaxing and getting to bed early for another week at work. I did get my papers in order to start my physical therapy going. I found out last week that I can get that right at the plant, so I don't have to make arrangements with someplace that I have to drive to. Makes it a lot more convenient for me. Till next time BYE!!

Good News

You might be tired of hearing about the little mishap that happened when I ordered an HO engine from an online store, but I do have good news about it. I got an e-mail from the UPS place that it indeed has been picked up for delivery on the 8th of December. So I should have it in the next couple of days. Gee, it only took it an extra month to get to me.

I must say that I indeed have learned a lesson from this. I will never again trust another person that has gotten my delivery by mistake. I also will not ship anything to anyone other than the place I bought it from. This may sound bad in a way, but after this, who would I want to trust, the person that has my item, or the place I bought it from? Next time the mistaken package goes straight back to the shipper.

I've had my say. Now I'll try to have a nice day lol. Till next time BYE!!

What Kind or Ornament Are You

I saw this one on several other blogs and thought I'd see what it said for me lol.

You Are a Bow

You don't think of it as the holiday season - you think of it as the present season!

What Christmas Ornament Are You?

Saturday Night

Barb and I decided to get some Taco Bell and watch a movie tonight. We watched Domestic Disturbance with John Travolta in it. The movie was pretty good. We then took some time to look at all the trains that are still on the dining room table. I told you I was relaxing right?

Besides, Barb (Skittles) hasn't seen them all anyway. She likes some of the older ones I have. They are called "Billboard Reefers". These are the old refrigerated boxcars that have various names of the companies they come from painted in large letters on the side. Sort of like the old barns with the big ad signs you see while driving down the highway.

We did get a surprise when we came back to out little PC room though, the cable signal was still on. What a surprise. After having gone off and on the whole day here.

Now it's time for me to relax some more lol. I'll probably do some grocery shopping tomorrow. More lunch supplies, this time for a whole week. Back to the old routine here. Not much else to post about at the moment. You'll know when I do though lol. Till next time BYE!!

Just a Note

I am leaving you all a little note here to let you know that if you don't see Skittles or I posting for any length of time, it will be because of our internet connection problems we have been having. Our cable internet has gone out 3 times today alone. I won't even get into the last couple of days that it went out. So, there you have it. Of course, we'll be posting as we are allowed by the internet cable gods. Till next time BYE!!

Saturday Train Fun

Just for fun today I decided to put all the trains that I have out on our dining room table to look at and see just how many trains I have. I ended up not putting a few of them out because some are not put together. That would total an additional 7 freight cars and 3 engines that need to be finished. On the table are 128 engines and freight cars. Only 9 of them are weathered. So now you have an idea of what lies ahead for me in that area. There is other work needed to be done to the older ones also such as replacing the couplers with the newer style ones that are on the good freight cars that I have. Now this is relaxing for me lol. I enjoy seeing all my trains layed out like this. It gives me a sense of being able to replicate a real railroad when I get a layout set up. I included a picture (the top one) of the trains I had layed out in a previous post about my model trains. Just so you know, the engines are on the right side of the table and all the freight cars are on the left. It's a bit hard to make them out in these photos. I hope you enjoyed this little bit of my afternoon. Till next time BYE!!

Saturday

Today is going to be a day of rest for me. Still getting used to going to work in the early morning hours again. Nothing really new here with the exception of the interruption of my cable service as of late. It seems that it goes down every night these past few days. Very frustrating when it does. As we have our phone service going over the cable, when cable goes down so does our regular phone. We have cell phones, but I don't like sitting there listening to elevator music while the cable people take their sweet time to get to me. Plus, we have a router, so every time cable goes down, I have to reboot the router as well. I guess it's the price you pay for not having dialup.

I did get to visit all the blogs that I usually go to today. This past week has found me way more tired than usual due to my going back after 4 months absence. I just can't seem to get into blogging much when I am tired like this. I'll get used to it though. It will just take a bit of time.

Well what do you know, just as I was about to post this, my cable decides to go on the blink again. What a pisser. Our cable was out for about an hour and we can't even get someone here to look at it till next Thursday. We have called to switch our phone and internet after this B/S.

Well, I guess I'll find something relaxing to do today. Till next time BYE!!

Friday Night

The weekend is here. My first week back to work went pretty well. I am less tired than when this week started, but still tired nonetheless. As I get to do more jobs, different muscles let me know they are displeased with this lol.

Seeing as I now know every job on the line, I am being used as a "floater" which just means that I am used where ever they need me. As I understand it, the time to pick jobs is coming soon. I'm not sure I want to be put on any one job in particular, so I might just pick the floater position again. About my little mention at the beginning of the paragraph about knowing all the jobs, I knew all but one before, but first round Friday , my boss had me learn the one I didn't, so that now I do indeed know them all. Just thought I'd explain that.

I got home from work and we decided that it was pizza and a movie night. We watched Pirates of the Carribean 2 Dead Mans Chest. It was pretty good, but I don't think it was as good as the first one was. We still enjoyed it. I went to bed after that was over due to taking a muscle relaxer to help with some of the aches I am having from getting back to work. That also explains why I am writing this post at almost 3am lol. Till next time BYE!!

My Elf Name

My Elf Name Is...

Furry Sweet Cheeks

What's Your Elf Name?

LOL, Thanks Skittles :)

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
Which language would you like to learn and why? Probably French, just because I think it would be cool

Soup
What's the funniest thing you've heard or read so far this week? A joke told by a fellow worker (I can't repeat it)

Salad
Which movie was so bad you couldn't watch the whole thing? I don't even remember the name of it...it was one that was rented from Netflix though

Main Course
If there were a holiday in your honor that didn't use your actual name, what would the day be called? National Hobby Day

Dessert
Name one movie which is coming out soon that you would like to see. Eragon

Guess What I Won

I checked my e-mail and what did I see

A Blog of the Day award given just for me

I'll display it proudly right there on the top

And know that my blog is really not a flop

I'll thank the one who nominated me

By keeping it near and for all to see

Thanks :) Till next time BYE!!

Thursday Thirteen

I think for this Thursday Thirteen I'll do something easy for me. I'm
going to name 13 train lines that I know. Some are from the past and
have been merged into other train lines, but I remember them anyway.

Here goes

1 Burlington Northern

2 Santa Fe

3 Union Pacific

4 Chesapeake and Ohio

5 Southern

6 Baltimore and Ohio

7 Pennsylvania

8 New York Central

9 Rio Grande

10 Western Pacific

11 Boston and Maine

12 Southern Pacific

13 Missouri Kansas and Texas

As I said, some of these aren't around anymore, but I do remember them.
I hope you enjoyed this list.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Wednesday

Another day another dollar. Or something like that. I'm not as tired as I was yesterday after work. That's a good thing. I am still seeing those who didn't know I had come back to work and getting well wishes from them. Every one seems glad to see me back at work. It feels good to be missed. I'm getting back into the routine. I did the same 2 jobs as yesterday which was good. I had fun talking to others as we worked. We joked and told tales and such. It makes the day go by far faster than just doing your job. One of the fellows who wasn't there yesterday was one of the people I got to work near today and he kept me laughing most of the time. He's a pretty funny fellow and we have had some pretty good times at work together. His favorite thing to do is to bring up the funniest things of the past and get me laughing so hard I have tears from laughing at it. Some of the things would be considered inappropriate for some, but there are just times when it is so funny. He's the kind that can find something funny out of nothing.

On the way home I stopped at the pharmacy and picked up my prescription. They have this recording that calls you at home and when you pick up the phone, they announce in a really loud recording that your prescription has been processed. A bit annoying, but useful.

Once I got home I got greeted by our dog, as usual. Then was treated to another fantastic meal by Skittles. She can come up with the most tasty meals with just about anything we happen to have in our cupboard. What a good cook she is. Plus, I got a surprise after dinner. Desert. We don't usually have desert, but she made some chocolate pudding and put whipped cream on it. It was delicious too. I feel so loved by her :)

My day has been changed a bit as you can imagine. I now have to check all the blogs that I normally checked after I get home now. Since my list is getting bigger as it goes along, it is quite the task to keep up with them all. Plus, being tired doesn't help matters lol. I seem to almost fall asleep at times while looking at them. It isn't that they are boring, quite the opposite, but after just getting back to work from being off so long, I'm just a bit tired when I get to them. I guess it doesn't help with me taking some pain meds to help ease the soreness in my back, legs and feet. I'll get back into the rhythm soon though.

So that's about all thats going on right now. Just trying to get into this new routine as fast as I can. If you don't see any comments on your blogs that I usually comment on, just be patient. Till next time BYE!!

Tuesday Night

Well folks, I'm pretty beat here. I tried to visit as many other blogs as I could, but I am just too tired to get them all in tonight. I had a very good dinner and now thanks to that, a good lunch for tomorrow as well. I think it's time to head for bed but I just wanted to post again lol. It has been an experience getting back to work. A nice shower and dinner made me feel a little better. Hopefully I'll be less tired as I get used to working. Night all and thanks again for thinking of me. Till next time BYE!!

A Thank You

I just thought I'd take this opportunity to thank all that have wished me well on my returning to work. It has been quite a journey getting back and it feels good to have all the well wishes from so many people. Thanks :) It means a lot to be thought of by so many. Till next time BYE!!

I'm Hooooome

OK, first of all I'm very tired this afternoon. It was my first day back after 4 months off with my back problems. I was greeted warmly by many of my coworkers who were glad to see my return. Lots of how are yous and glad to see you backs and so forth. I think one of the happiest was my supervisor who knows that I know all but 1 job on my line. Unfortunately, this supervisor is moving to another area within the paint shop and we are getting a new supervisor, but the new one is nice as well.

My day started out pretty well though. The job I got put on first thing was a pretty good one. It was a standing job so I didn't have to bend much. The second job (we rotate 2 jobs back and forth during the day) was a good one also. Another standing job with very little bending.

I did some walking during my recovery period, but nothing really gets you prepared for work like actual work. There just isn't any way to make all the muscles work like the actual job you do.

We worked almost 9 hours on the line today which explains my tired and aching muscles. Mostly the lower parts of me are the most tired. Feet. ankles, legs and back. All tired lol. My hands are a bit tired also as I haven't had to work like this with them either. Gripping things and making movements again will take some getting used to.

The nice thing is though, that I remembered all the elements of the jobs I did without having to be retrained. They did change a couple of jobs on the line, but after having someone to keep me up to date on the changes for a few cars I should have them down pat in no time.

It felt very good to end this day back to work. Head home and get some rest.

I got home and saw a package left at our door and thought, could it be? I had high hopes that it was the train that got mishandled, but alas, it was just a package of books that my wife Skittles had ordered. Oh well, at least she's getting her orders right lol.

I was greeted when I got inside by my dog Sasha, who always gets excited when I come home from work and being that she is faster to get to the door, is usually the first one to greet me. Skittles(wife) greeted me with a nice warm hug and made me feel glad to be home.

So now I am sitting here blogging about my day and relaxing. It feels good to get off my feet for a bit. We will have dinner as soon as it is finished. Spaghetti MMMMM.

There have been some interesting things taking place at work in my absence, but I'll post about those at another time. For now I am going to take it easy and enjoy sitting here at my computer for a while. It felt good to go back to work and get to see my friends there. Till next time BYE!!

Monday

I just got done with posting my last blog entry and the dog let me know it was time for her to go outside. A pretty routine thing most days. But when I got to the patio door I was greeted by the sight of a good snow flurry. It just brightens my day to see it snow. As you can see, the picture isn't one of the best as the construction behind my apartment is continuing. But at least it looks a bit better then just plain old dirt and equipment. Till next time BYE!!

Back To Work

This whole thing took longer than I thought it would. I had an appointment with my neurosurgeon at 10:30 am this morning. That went well. He actually told me I didn't have to go to work if I didn't feel up to it. But at this point, I don't think any physical therapy would really help me any more than just going back to work would.

I got my return to work letter from his nurse. That went fine except their printer didn't want to print at first.

So I got out of there and headed to where I work to check in. It's a normal procedure to do this. The next thing that happened was that my ID badge didn't work to let me in the little security gate. I found out that after 30 days off, they take your ID out of their system. So now I have to get a new ID sometime next week. So I headed off to medical to get my return to work papers. What I found out though, was that due to being out for more than 90 days, I had to be examined by the doctor before they would allow me to come back to work. That went OK also, but it did take longer than I had planned.

After I got that straightened out, I stopped in to chat with a few of the guys I work with. They were all surprised and happy to see me. That made me feel good. They were also surprised I was coming back so soon. I thought...so soon? It's been 4 months guys lol. I lucked out in that it was break time when I was talking to them, so I got to see several of the people I work with.

I got out of there and headed to the grocery store to pick up some lunch supplies. Something I haven't had to do in quite a while. So, here I am at home again and it's only almost 3pm lol.

What a day. I will miss being home and being able to blog at will. I will not be able to do that at work. Even if I had a laptop, I don't think they have Wi-Fi or anything like that. Not to mention I don't have anywhere to put a laptop. I sure wouldn't leave it in the lunch room.

So, it's back to work for me. I start at 6:30 am and get out at 3pm if we work 8 hours. I'll do my blogging when I get home unless I think of something to post before I go to work. That's how my day went. It's been a pretty good one I think. Good news and a restart of a habit for me. Till next time BYE!!

Train Fun

I decided to have a little fun with my trains this evening. I had made what I call a train board a few years ago. It's just a simple 1x10, 6' long of white pine with 4 tracks made out of HO flex track mounted with 2 inch center to center spacing. I made it to use as a guide to see if my train cars roll easily and to make sure the couplers are at the correct height. I like to put train cars on it just to see what a rail yard would look like if I had a real layout. Just in case you are interested, these aren't all the train cars I have. Plus, none of my engines are on it. As soon as I get the one that was sent to the wrong place, I'll have 15 engines of various types. I just wanted to share some of what I do in my spare time with you. Till next time BYE!!

Update on My Train

I just thought I'd update you on the progress on the train engine that I ordered. I e-mailed the guy that had my engine last Tuesday and finally got a response from him on Saturday. He claims he has been sick and unable to ship my engine to me till now. In his e-mail he said that "hopefully" he will get it shipped early this week. I feel it pretty strange that it took him that long to respond to my e-mail seeing as how when he first made contact with me about the mixup, we exchanged 4 e-mails within a period of 2 days. I guess when people get their wants taken care of everyone else can wait. Don't get me wrong here, if he is sick that's one thing. But, I had back surgery a few weeks prior to my going out and getting his engines shipped to him. I still feel as though I have been screwed over on this. Just how I feel. Till next time BYE!!

Saturday

Not much new going on today. Skittles is still contemplating color changes to her new blog template. All we got here was a few flurries from the big snow storm that hit the Midwest. I am contemplating whether to wait for Christmas to continue weathering my train cars or get a jump on it and start it again. It's just the way my mind works. Till next time BYE!!

Notice About Skittles Blog

For those who visit Skittle's Place, this is to let you all know that she is in the process of redoing her template. As you can imagine, there is a lot of things she has to add and put in place. She will be back up and running as soon as she gets this all done. Just so you know. Till next time BYE!!

Saturday Night

I guess it could be considered good news. It didn't snow at all here today and none of any amount is supposed to fall in the next few days. The wind has died down and it's just a pretty much normal December evening here. My wife Skittles is having problems with blogger uploading any pictures. This seems to be an ongoing problem and has plagued others as well. Other than that, enjoying Harry Potter on TV seems to be the ticket for entertainment tonight. Till next time BYE!!

I Just Don't Get It, Again

This one is a bit different than the last "I Just Don't Get It". This one has to do with those protesting folks from the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan. These are the people that protest at the funerals of soldiers who have given their lives in the line of duty. In the story in todays headlines, an American Indian soldier was killed on Thanksgiving day in Afghanistan and his services are going to be held on a North Dakota reservation. The Tribal Leaders of the reservation have passed a resolution that bars these protesters from entering onto reservation lands.

The thing what irks me most about these protesters is that they claim that the lives of these soldiers doing their duty were taken as a form of punishment from God for the way our country tolerates homosexuality. HUH? WHAT? I have to tell you, this makes no sense whatsoever to me. NONE.

I can see protesting the war as being wrong. I can even see someone using the grounds of religion for saying that homosexuality is wrong. But where in the world would someone come up with the idea that God is punishing soldiers who are doing their duty? I don't see any correlation in this. And to protest this at a soldiers funeral is just plain WRONG to me.

These brave young men and women have done what they are called to do, and it is a severe form of disrespect to protest in this manner at their funeral services. I love this country and it's freedom that are enjoyed by all. But, I just don't get these people.

I just wanted to let you know how strongly I feel about this subject. I hope I got my message across clearly enough. Sometimes putting into words what I feel can be a challenge to me. To put it in the right words anyway. Till next time BYE!!

No Santa Beer in Maine

I saw this story in the headlines of my homepage. It appears that the Shelton Brothers in Belchertown Mass. wanted to produce a beer called Santa's Butt. It's label depicted the jolly old elf sitting on a barrel with his backside facing the viewer enjoying a beer.

Maine State Police Lt. Patrick Fleming states that the state has the right to refuse labels put on beers and alcoholic beverages that are inappropriate or might appeal to children. I might point out that there were several other wine labels that were deemed inappropriate because they had labels depicting "bare breasted women" on the labels, even though the labels were copies of famous artworks.

I guess I'm wondering how many children in Maine drop by the beer case and see what brands they have? Even if they saw it, don't they have ID laws in Maine? Wouldn't the parents explain that beer is for adults? Or is it the idea that Santa even enjoys such beverages that makes it inappropriate?

I know we are supposed to protect our children and all, but can't they leave some decisions to the parents of children? This just got me to wondering is all. And by the way, the Shelton Brothers says that the "Butt" part comes from an old English term. It seems that in older times in England, people would store beer in big barrels they called "Butts".

Just another day in the news lol. Till next time BYE!!

Friday Night

We haven't gotten any snow yet. But, the weather outside is the hold the small pets and children kind. The wind is something fierce. To give you an idea how windy it is, I went to get some pizza so we could watch a movie and while sitting in my car, the car was rocking from the wind, and I have a Grand Marquis lol. I wish it would just snow and get it over with. But the way it looks, we will probably get the wind with it. Not much else going on. Till next time BYE!!

Map

Due to the response on my Thursday Thirteen list I have added a map of all the states I have visited with Skittles. For my first TT, I just put down 13 of them to make it easy on myself lol. The map is on the very bottom of my blog if you care to see it. Till next time BYE!!

Friday Feast

I am posting my first Friday Feast...here goes

Appetizer: Have you ever flown in a helicopter No, in fact I have never even been in a plane, I have a fear of heights.

Soup: What color is your warmest coat: camo lol

Salad: What is your favorite rainy day activity: being on the pc blogging

Main Course: Describe your hands: big, but surprisingly soft for having worked with them all my life. Getting more wrinkles, and a few small scars.

Desert: If you could eat only one nut for the rest of your life, what nut would you pick: Almonds

Change

Well, another month bites the dust this year. The year seems to have gone by very quickly for me. It's been 2 months since my back surgery and my doctors appointment to see if I can go back to work is Monday December 4th. I think he'll say yes.

It's been an unusually warm November so far. Yesterday it was around 60F and now, at just after 1am, it's 37F and raining. The weather guy on the radio said we could expect several inches of snow this Friday, and I'm actually looking forward to it. Snow actually brightens my day. It turns those trees that are hibernating into sculptures in white. The brown grass into a fluffy blanket of soft sparkly cotton. What can I say.

As to why I'm posting at this hour? I have a headache and can't sleep. I took some aspirin for it(actually Tylenol). But I figured what the heck, if I'm up, I might as well post.

Not really much new going on here. We need to get more Christmas shopping done. I already know one item I'm getting for Christmas, but Skittles won't let me have it yet lol. I know I'm not supposed to, but I'm like a little kid with it being here in the apartment.

I find myself still getting used to the digital camera and it's settings. Or more precisely, how to take certain kinds of pictures with it. It's a neat item in that if you don't like the picture you take, you can just erase it and take another. It seems I didn't really have that problem with my 35mm camera, but the digital is the new wave and I just need to practice more.

As for my train cars, I am finished with the ones I got last Christmas. It's now onto the ones that I have collected over the years. I have gotten a couple of new engines in the past month. I had put train cars on my Christmas list for family to get me, and when my step-daughter in law had read my blog about it, she kinda reprimanded me a bit. I hope they understand that what I put on the Christmas list was the cars themselves and not the engines. We don't usually spend THAT much on each other at Christmas, so if I had asked for an engine, I would have only gotten one at the most.

The price of my hobby has gone up in the last few years. I guess it's only natural though. The nice thing is that the quality has risen also. So, all in all, you can still find deals, but you have to look a bit more to find them.

Well, I guess it's time to end this ramble. I'll wait for the snow and try not to sneak my Christmas present early lol. Till next time BYE!!