Canuckville: Useless Matter That Doesn't Really Matter

It’s a lovely day in the neighborhood with 50+ degree temperatures and lots of nice sunshine, not to mention it’s a Holiday to boot. I sometimes enjoy weeks like this where you come off a 2 day weekend; work 2 days; off 1 day; work 2 days; and then another 2 day weekend. I can dig it. Anyway as I have mentioned before, I’m going to have an American Thanksgiving on the 28th of this month for those wonderful people who travel, shop, party, and dine out with me all the time. These are also the ones that have me over to their homes for home-cooked meals all the time. I’m gonna feed em until they can’t stand up! There was one little snag however and that was an issue with the chairs in the dining room. For some unknown reason there were only 4 chairs with the table. Ellen had this set before I came here so I never asked even though I thought it to be a bit strange. What do I know? Anywho I have 4 nice wooden folding chairs which have been used here on occasions but I was thinking this might be a bit tacky so I went online and started looking around at different places for chairs. I was thinking of getting 4 more to add to the ones here and therefore giving me 8 which I’m going to need for my upcoming dinner. There was always a problem with the ones here because they have padded seats and this means when the cats get on them it becomes a mess. It’s a forever job cleaning them unless you throw towels over them which doesn’t look very glamorous and if you forget and someone happens to sit on them then they end up with hairy butts. Not nice but I will have to admit there was a time or two that it was a bit funny. Well it was!

I found some chairs that pretty well matched what I had and it looked as if I was going to have to pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $200 to $300 apiece for them. Finally a light came on in my head that instead of buying 4 more problem chairs with the built in cushions, I could buy ones without and get those tie on cushions. This way when they aren’t in use I can take them off and put them in a closet for next time. Hey no more hairy butts!

One couple that was suppose to be at my dinner ended up having guests that weekend which is a bummer so I decided that today I would do something nice for them since they wouldn’t be able to make it. After I went out and had breakfast I drove over to their house and took them a present. I took them one of my sweet potato pies I had baked for dessert so they could at least have that much. After hanging out there for a bit it was about time for the stores to open so off I went in search of chairs.

It didn’t take me long to find just what I wanted. Only 2 stores actually one of which I had purchased from before. I knew right from the beginning when I entered the first one that it wasn’t going to be a good experience. One of those places where the sales people are sitting huddled over in some corner giving you the eye and trying to decide whether you might be going to buy or not and then drawing straws to see who was going to get off their butts and wait on you. By this time I’m all the way through the store and almost finished looking at all the tables and chairs in that section. I saw what I was looking for and finally this lady comes over looking as if she were put off for having to walk all the way to the back of the store to talk with me. I asked her if they sold the chairs separately and she replied “yes we do”. Ok maybe this might work despite her having to expend some of her precious energy on me. I looked at the chairs and then counted them. There were only 7 !!! Ok mystery fans…what happened to the 8th chair? I brought this fact to her attention and asked if they had 8 in stock. The answer was “no but we can order you the other one if you’d like”. Ok maybe this will work but before going any further I had to ask the fatal question as to how much. Now these were the ones without cushions but nice looking chairs so I was figuring around $150 or less. Boy was I ever surprised when she quoted me a price of $219 a piece!! Holy Crappola!! I politely asked if she had a business card and explained that I had just started looking and wasn’t sure at that moment what I was going to do. Well she gave me her card and then left me in a trail of dust as she headed back to her perch in the corner with the rest of those supposedly working there. If they were working on commission then they were going to go hungry but if they were just getting paid to show up then that place can’t be in business for long.

Ok so I hurriedly vacated the premises and jumped into my truck and drove to the store I had purchased from before. It was only about 100 yards up the street so into the parking lot I slid and into the store I went. Well I guess it was a matter of 20 seconds and a lady asked me how I was and if she could help me. Whoa…after the last place, this about blew me over!! I explained what I wanted and what shade I was looking for. She took me right to a table just loaded with chairs. No cushions and about as close a match as I was probably going to find. I asked if they sold chairs separately and she replied that they did. Next I asked if they would have 8 in stock and she promptly went and checked and came back telling me yes they did. I braced myself for the next question because these were the exact same chairs the other store only had 7 of right down to the make and brand. How much per chair I asked and then I was really blown away. Hold on to your hats on this on. Remember these are the exact same chairs and I could have as many as I wanted. She replied”$80” !!!! I almost lost my breath ! I told her “Lady your day just got easier…I’ll take them”. I paid for them and then drove the 2 miles to the warehouse to pick them up. Done deal.

Old “Hairy Butt” chairs. Nice and when I get the fuzz of them again, I’ll store them where the cats can’t get to them just in case I might need some extras in the basement when a lot of people may be around.

New “No Hairy Butt” chairs. Close enough match for me and for the price I’m happy.

Won’t be long and Barbara the cleaning lady will be here. I think since this is a paid holiday and she worked at her regular job today that she should get a paid holiday also. We had talked about grilling a steak out back and I did get some but today I got an email from Montana’s and they had some steak entree’s that were unbelievable. No cooking or cleaning tonight. It’s Montana’s or bust.

Check this link out.

Montana’s

Wow it seems like only yesterday when a group of us went to Fargo, ND for our annual Canadian Thanksgiving trip but now as I look at the calendar, it’s been almost a month!! Where does the time go? Guess this is known as rapid aging. Anyway there have been a few things going on the last month since I got back. I looked back at my last blog and I’ll assure you that there was more food consumed before I came home. At least there was only 3 days of work left that week and then a weekend so the transition from play to work wasn’t too bad. I took the cleaning lady out for dinner that Wednesday instead of fixing something quick here at the house. It was the least I could do for her checking in on my meow meows and the house while I was gone. She still did a good quick cleaning that night though. That Friday the 16th there was a dinner party at a couple’s house to celebrate my birthday. They weren’t able to make the trip with the rest of us so they had a dinner planned when I got back. I know…MORE FOOD! The cleaning lady Barbara even showed up. The weather held out after I got back. There was some snow while I was gone but it was gone when I returned. There have been a few cold days and a little rain but nothing major yet this year. Yesterday it was almost 50 outside and today isn’t far behind. Suppose to stay like this until Thursday and who knows what will happen after that. Anyway after the dinner party with friends on that Friday things were quiet around here for the most part. Since the weather was nice I did some work rearranging in the garage and one of the sheds and got everything put away for the winter. It always makes me sad when I have to cover the AC unit for the winter knowing that I won’t be needed it anymore until spring.

The following weekend there was yet another dinner party at another friend’s and once again…way too much food. Might have been way too much food but that didn’t stop anyone from eating their fill. Once again the cleaning lady was in on the festivities. She also cleans for the couple who had the birthday dinner for me, and buys Beauty Control products from the lady who had this last dinner party. She has become a friend to most of us now so I guess I shouldn’t be calling her the cleaning lady anymore eh?

The following weekend was Marina’s mom’s 86th birthday. Her birthday is on Halloween so every year it’s over to her house for yep you guessed it more food, drinks, and of course cake. I brought Barbara along so she could enjoy the fun. She is alone and doesn’t have that many friends nor does she do much so being the nice guy I am, I thought it would be good for her to have some fun. Here are a few pictures of the birthday lady and others.

Also we had a few scary guest come by looking for treats.

The next day was a trip to another couple’s home for a look at Kevin’s yearly Halloween decorations. Every year Kevin decorates one of his garages (yes one) for Halloween and it is a sight to see. Lots of people come from all around just so their kids can see it. I think they enjoy it just as much. A lot of work for 2 days but he loves it.

The decorations were way too numerous and plus you have to be there because it’s much darker than what my camera picked up and with all the screaming and other eerie noises with the flying ghosts, bats and hanging eyeballs, it’s a must see. After we had our tour, we all went out to dinner. We went to a little local place in Lockport called Pappa Carlos Pizzeria. A really nice restaurant and the food was absolutely fabulous. Once again I was stuffed to the gills so it was off to the house to do the unthinkable and lay down after all this.

The next day was Monday and as I had mentioned in an earlier blog about not retiring, it was going to be my 1st day at my new position with the company I was suppose to be retiring from. It sure felt strange when 8am rolled around and all the guys went back to the shop except for me. Instead I went to my office to begin a new adventure. I was messed up the whole day. First I kept thinking I should be back in the shop and then I got to thinking that this was the day I was suppose to not get up for work and stay home retired. It’s enough to drive a person insane. Luckily for me I’m already at that stage so I survived the ordeal. The first week in now over and I must admit that I am really liking the new position so looks as if I might stick around a few more years.

This year I am going to have my friends that have been feeding me all the time for Thanksgiving dinner. I’m going to have it on the weekend of American Thanksgiving. Yesterday afternoon and last night I was busy making the dessert for the dinner. I was baking my famous Sweet Potato Pies. I can wrap them up and freeze them so I will have that much done. I didn’t  go to bed until after midnight after baking and cleaning up everything.  Last time I did this I got a little carried away and ended up baking 7 pies!! I told myself this time it was going to be different and that I wasn’t going to get all that crazy in the kitchen. So much for that train of thought, because I ended up baking 10 this time!! I’ve already eaten half of one. Boy is it ever nummmy. I got a new table cloth and place mats for the dining room table. I put the table cloth and my centerpiece cloth (forgot what it’s really called) and a few decorations so it would look a little like Thanksgiving. Here are a few shots of the making of the pies and the table.

Well hopefully I haven’t left anything out but sometimes it’s hard to keep up with what you are doing or have already done. I guess I just didn’t realize how long it had been since I had posted anything even though I have been around to a few blogs and stuck my head in the door and looked around. Ok now it’s off to do another load of laundry and then think of something to eat. Geez I cleaned the kitchen in the wee hours of the night and morning and then this morning I get up and cook bacon and eggs so I have to clean everything up again and now I’m thinking about dinner which means another cleaning job when I’m done with that. Holy Doodle…where does it all end? I’ll need to lay down and rest so I can drag myself into the office in the morning and sit down at the computer and try to do a little work.

Oh I guess it would be nice of me to post my recipe for my pies before I go just in case someone might like to try one out. So easy to make and I ain’t found no one who doesn’t like em yet.

Ingredients:
 2 unbaked pastry shell, 9-inch
 3 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes
 1/4 cup butter
 1 1/4 cups sugar
 2 large eggs 
 1/4 cup evaporated milk 
 1 teaspoon nutmeg
 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
Preparation:
Combine hot potatoes and butter in a large mixing bowl; mix well. Add sugar and eggs; blend with mixer on low speed until smooth. Add milk and spices. Blend well and pour into pastry-lined pie shell. Bake at 350° for 45 to 50 minutes, or until firm. 

Note: I also like to add a teaspoon of Vanilla…optional. Also if you substitute Deep Dish pie shells, you can cut the quantity of pie shells to 1 instead of 2.

Well if I eat anymore I’m going to explode! After that little yet satisfying breakfast at Ihop which I mentioned in my previous blog, lunch time came around. I had received a phone call to meet the gang at Chili’s for lunch at 1:30 so I don’t need to tell you where I was at that time. This is a great place for lunch but again way to much food. I was still not suffering from hunger so I ordered a salad. They have this boneless buffalo chicken salad that is simply awesome! Huge and satisfying and just too good to stop eating. After a few beers and the salad you could stick a fork in me because I was done. It was suppose to be Mexican night for dinner but thank goodness that was called off. No one was hungry enough at dinner time to go out for a big meal so it was decided to postpone that until Sunday evening. We did however all get together for a few drinks at the hotel and later ordered in a pizza to snack on and before anyone knew it, it was time to go to bed.

It was off to bed for all of us after deciding it was Minnesota or bust on Sunday morning. Not only is there no tax on clothing, but the stores are open at 8am on Sunday so you don’t have to wait until noon to shop. That’s one of the nice things about the Fargo area. In Grand Forks you have no choice but to wait and that just cuts your weekend short. I’m just going to be there with everyone else and have no plans to buy anything but you know how that goes sometimes. I did some shopping at one of my favorite clothing stores here in Fargo even though I have to pay tax. It’s a quality in clothing I was really after, the kind  you can’t get at the K Mart, Wal Mart type stores even though they have some good stuff. I picked up 6 nice shirts and found just the leather jacket I was looking for and even the brand I wanted. That took care of my shopping for the day and almost the entire trip. You are allowed $450 duty free I believe after a 48 hour stay and I just about did that for those few items, but I’m happy with my purchase.

So I guess I’ll slip on down to Ihop again this morning while the rest of the group is sleeping for another nice light breakfast and then I won’t eat until we have our Mexican Thanksgiving dinner this evening.

Maybe after a few hours of browsing through stores I’ll just come back to the room and lay around and relax for the afternoon like I did yesterday. It’s good to just not do anything sometimes. Watch some TV, play on the computer and maybe snooze a bit and dream of tacos and margaritas later this evening.

No snow down here yet but it was a cold windy day. Actually reached a high of 33 degrees. With the nice stiff wind that was blowing…BRRRRRRR!

Well it seems to be cold on just about every blog I read. Yesterday was a beautiful day for my  trip down here to Fargo. Sun was shining but it was still cold. Reading on the truck console said it reached a high of 33 degrees during the whole trip. I had been here awhile and then got a text message from one of my co-workers wishing me a Happy Birthday and then not long after that another friend (part of a couple) from back home called and sang Happy Birthday to me. They were suppose to come along with the rest of us but Heather wasn’t feeling well so no trip for them. Anyway it was nice of them and they are really wonderful people. They called me before I left and said not to book anything for next Friday. Rumor has it they are going to have me over for dinner to celebrate my birthday. After her singing debut she informed me that it was snowing back home! None here thank goodness!! Wasn’t long after that Barbara the lady who cleans my house and also takes care of my meow meows while I’m away called and said the ground was white! Holy Doodle!! Hopefully it will all be gone before I get home.

Once the rest of our group arrived and got settled in, it was time for dinner. I had picked an Italian restaurant which was ranked #1 out of 72 for popularity here called Johnny Carinos and we all had fabulous meals. I had the eggplant parmesan and it was so good. That and the lasagna got rave reviews. In fact two of our group had the lasagna and none of us were able to completely clean our plates. Lots of food and so good. Today Kevin who also has a birthday this weekend has picked one of our favorites called Paradiso. A Mexican restaurant that gives you lots of good food also. Oh this is going to be a weekend of way too much food but that’s the way it is with this group. I went out early this morning to Ihop one of my favorite spots for breakfast. These city folk don’t git up all that early so I usually do it alone. One time I did wait for them being the nice guy that I am but breakfast at 9:30 just didn’t cut it for me. Heck by that time I’m usually thinking about what to have for lunch. For them lunch will be around 3 and dinner at 8. My system as weird as it is, has a hard time with this schedule. I wasn’t all that hungry after last nights feast so I just had their combo of 2 scrambled eggs with 3 strips of bacon, 4 sausage links, hash browns, 2 huge blueberry pancakes smothered in blueberries and banana with whipped cream and syrup and coffee. That’s probably why I’m sitting in front of the computer right now because I can hardly move. I might consider skipping lunch today…maybe. After I get out and move around in a few stores I might get an appetite.

I am staying at a hotel I’ve never tried before called La Quinta. This one just opened last year so everything is still fresh and new. A really nice place for the price with very friendly staff and the rooms are really nice. I just got the suite with the king bed (no Jacuzzi or fireplace this time) but it looks more like an apartment than a room.

Not too bad eh? Works for me.

So today I am going on a hunt for that leather coat I don’t need but want because I don’t have one exactly like it. Did that make any sense? Can’t really think of much else except I will have to run over to Dilworth in Minnesota and check on some items there because there is no tax on clothing in Minnesota. It’s only a 10 minute drive from here and who knows I may find some more of these shoes I have on that I like. Down to my last 3 pair at home that I haven’t had on yet but if I can grab em for a good price then why not? I sound more like a woman when I say stuff like that. Well time to get on the computer here and check to see what time these places open so I can get started.

Stay bundled up everyone because I think it may be around April before it starts warming up again. Now I’m off on a shopping frenzy.

Well here it is almost Thanksgiving in Canada. A bit earlier than where I come from as most of  you know but this way I get to celebrate both times. After this weekend of feasting I will just have to wait until the end of November to do it again. Fall is in the air, or was, and now it’s starting to feel more like winter up here. Some places have already had snow and it looks as if we might have a few flurries during the holiday weekend but for now it’s rain, rain, and more rain. It’s that time of year when a group of us gather in Fargo, ND for our annual Thanksgiving cross border trip. A smaller group than normal this year but enough of us to still raise a fuss and shop and eat until we can’t stand it anymore. Not a lot of shopping for this guy though. I’m still pulling tags off clothes from some of my previous trip south so I don’t need anything. I am however going to look for a leather coat while down there and maybe, just maybe, a few other items if some sale catches my eye. There are 2 of us having birthdays during the weekend so it has been decided that each of us gets to pick where we want to dine that evening. Kevin has picked Mexican which will no doubt steer us to Paradiso which is one of our usual stops and I’ve opted for Italian at Grazies Italian Grill. Both excellent places to dine. The rest of the weekend…who knows. So many good places to eat there and I don’t think we’ve missed many. You have Outback, Timber Lodge Steak House (really good) Aliens, Green Mill, Bennigan’s, Texas Roadhouse (another winner) and the list goes on. If it’s food or bargains, our group knows where to look.

For the most part the leaves are still green here. Not much for autumn foliage but then again there doesn’t normally seem to be much autumn up here. Where I come from there are really 4 seasons and right about this time the leaves are starting to change and creating some of the most spectacular scenery anywhere.

There are times when I really miss this brilliant display but I have transportation and I can get to other places much like this without any trouble. I like to travel anyway so I will see some colors this year. Ever since I was old enough to remember I have always loved the fall season and it’s colors.

We will be dining out on the trip but I remember all those great meals we would have at home when I was young. So much food and all of it so good. By Thanksgiving all the crops had been harvested and the wood for the winter had been stacked in the woodshed. It was now time to just enjoy the wonders of nature. So many times I remember walking through the woods and admiring the colors and watching as the critters scampered about storing food for the upcoming winter. On a nice windy day I would sit and just watch as this curtain of leaves would fall joyfully dancing and fluttering downward and listen to the soft noises they made as they came to rest on the ground. Soon the entire forest floor would be covered with this beautiful carpet of soft and not yet dried leaves. I could walk through the woods without making a sound and I did many times as I traveled for miles just taking in everything and learning. I was lucky to have lived a life like this which so many never have or ever will. Even the fall air seemed so crisp and that just drove the appetite level to an all time high.

At our house we had the usual Thanksgiving dinner with the turkey and ham but lots of people had what they called “stuffed ham”. Stuffed ham was traditionally an Easter thing but lots had them on Thanksgiving and Christmas. The more of them the better I say.

Want a real treat….then try this on for size…sooo good.

It is told that the cook at St. Inigoes, a negro slave, wanted to serve something appetizing and pleasant to the Jesuit Fathers after their long and stringent fasting. She used what was available; a country cured ham, fresh greens from the gardens and fields, spiced with condiments from the kitchen and plenty of home grown hot red pepper, which had been ground with a mortar and pestle.
It is known that the emigrants from St. Mary's to Kentucky in the late seventeen hundreds carried the custom with them and their descendants still have stuffed ham on Easter Sunday. 
Today an old country ham is too valuable to stuff so a corned ham is usually used.
1 (14 lb.) corned ham 2 med. heads cabbage 4 lbs. kale 2 lbs. onions 1 bunch celery 1 (2 2/3 oz.) box mustard seed 1 (1 3/4 oz.) box celery seed 5 level tbsp. salt 6 tsp. red pepper flakes (less if you don't like it hot)
Chop onions and greens; mix seasonings with greens. Pierce ham, starting with butt end, with 2" pockets on a 45 degree angle from top to bottom. Alternate 3 pockets, then 2 pockets, etc. to hock end, making sure slits are not parallel. Press seasoned stuffing into slits with thumbs until slits will hold no more.
Put ham in a cloth bag or old pillow case; add all leftover stuffing, tie. Put ham into a large pot and simmer or boil slowly for 20 minutes to the pound. If a cooked ham is used, reduce cooking time by 1 hour. Turn heat off and let ham sit in it's own liquid and cool enough to handle (about 2 hours). Take ham bag out and set in a pan to drain. Remove ham from bag and place on a large platter. Take excess stuffing from bag and pack on top of ham. Place in refrigerator overnight. Serve cold. 
Oven Method: Place ham in several layers of heavy duty aluminum foil. Wrap very tightly around ham. Cook 20 minutes per pound in 325 degree oven. Allow to cool in foil. Serve cold.

Stuffed ham by itself or as a sandwich. Just stand back from the ham when I get there and no one will get hurt. I remember (even as I grew older) going to other people’s houses where I knew a stuffed ham would be and couldn’t wait to be offered some. Even after eating a full meal I could still visit at least 3 other houses and have a sandwich at each. I just couldn’t get enough of this stuff. Like nothing you’ve ever tasted. I’d be fuller than a tick on a hound dog but put some stuffed ham in front of me and I would fine a place to put it. Those were the days I’m telling you and I’ll never forget them. I’m toying with the idea of having a stuffed ham here when I celebrate Thanksgiving in November.

I’ve decided to have a group of friends over for this feast since I get fed all the time at everyone else’s homes and a feast it will probably end up being. There will be stuffed turkey, stuffed ham, mashed sweet potatoes, mashed white potatoes, mashed turnips, green bean casserole, orange cranberry relish, coleslaw, homemade bread and who knows what else. Heck I might even throw in a few racks of bar be qued ribs. Oh yes and for dessert there will be plenty of my homemade sweet potato pies which have become the rage from here to BC and back. Just ask my niece Sharon in BC. She has become a celebrity out there since she started making them. I think if she were to show up without one, they would probably send her back home.

Geez now I’m hungry and can’t wait to get started cooking up this meal but for now it’s time for a trip across the border and lots of eats and good times with my friends down there.

If I don’t write anymore before I leave then here’s wishing all of you out there a Wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday with lots of cheer, food, friends and family.

Well I guess retirement will have to wait for a bit. This morning I had a meeting with the new people running the company I work for and we discussed the position they had in mind for me and we also discussed the issue of salary. They didn’t match the figure I had given them but I had expected that. They did however make a good enough offer that I got a little excited and we had a good meeting. Everything came out well I believe so I’ve decided to take on the new position and postpone my retirement until another day. Yes it would have been nice to not have to go into work everyday but then it’s also nice to just leave your money in the bank to grow more for another day.

The new owners seem to be good and fair people interested in making things go and I’m excited about being picked as one to help make it happen and I’m looking forward to making a difference in the outcome of their scheme. I’m pumped and ready so until further notice….well you know, “so much for best laid plans”.

Sigh.

Well October 30th was looking good and I was anxiously awaiting that date so I could retire. I was getting pumped and ready but now as with most best laid plans, I’m not too sure. This morning I was approached by management of the new owner’s of the company I work for and they had an idea to toss around. Yeah you guessed it…maybe no retirement.  It seems that they are now willing to pull me from the shop and put me in a management position to help with their growth and expansion because of my many years and experience in the business. Tomorrow there will be more discussion and some negotiations. Lots to do to set me up with a new computer, office and whatever else I might need to perform my duties but their offer really sparked my attention. The position is right up my alley and nothing new to me because I had a position similar to this before coming to Canada. This would have been something I would have eventually looked for after being off for a period of time and getting bored but now it’s staring me right in the face. I’m pumped again and told them I would be willing to put retirement on hold if things come to a good end result which I have a feeling they will.

What’s a fellow to do? Might as well leave my investments to earn more money until a later date eh? I know that retirement was number one on my list before I become to old or not live long enough to enjoy it as was the case of my late wife Ellen. I think that is my biggest fear but maybe I should put my phobia aside and take this opportunity for a more satisfying and gratifying career move.

Details to follow when the dust clears. Oh me…Oh my here I go again.

Well it seems that a lot of us haven’t done as much blogging this summer as maybe we usually do but was this really a summer? Cooler than normal and rain, rain, rain, and more rain. Not much sun to speak of either. Garden’s were late, or least mine was, and not looking as productive as it should be but some veggies anyway. If the weather stays warm long enough there will be more so I’m hoping.

Never got the patio set up like I should have. My fault more than the weather’s but not done none the less. Not good eh? Ok so I’ve been a slacker this summer. I have however made progress on finding just how many clothes I have that I didn’t even know I had and packing up bags of others for give away to the needy. I’ve also made a few trips across the border to shop more so I could have even more clothes to find a place for. Just this weekend I went down to Grand Forks for a bit. Took Friday off to make the long weekend even longer. It was a great weekend weather wise, in fact it even looked like summer surprising enough. The trip down was good and there was about a 10 minute wait time at the border. I didn’t do much of anything after arriving in town except check in and go grab a fast food burger for the room and then just laid low the rest of the evening. Saturday morning I was up early and had breakfast at the Village Inn where I go quite often when down that way. It was then off to the Farmer’s Market to browse around for a bit and to make sure I stocked up on some more kuchens. The market this year never did fill up with as many vendors as usual but this so-called summer we had probably didn’t help much. There was an older fellow there who makes these bears out of wood with a chainsaw and they are nice. I took 2 of the ones that were sitting with fishing poles in their paws with a rubber fishing worm on them. One for myself and one as a little gift for the lady who cleans my house. Yeah I think she is spoiled but she does a great job of cleaning. She also stopped by on Saturday evening to check on my kitty cats which I need someone to do especially when I’m going to be gone for 3 to 4 days. I put out lots of extra food and water and an extra poo poo box but those boxes need tending to. She is a wonderful lady.

I browsed a few stores and there were lots of sales everywhere ranging from 20 to 75%. I went to one store I usually always go to and before I knew it, I had a lot of clothing from the Carhart section. A total of $247 worth!! I know I’m bad but I just can’t help myself when it comes to a bargain. Spent most of the later afternoon in my room chilling and relaxing. Next morning it was back to the restaurant for breakfast and then back to my room until the stores opened at noon. I cruised through Columbia Mall looking for a deal on a nice leather jacket or car coat. Have more coats than the law allows now but I want a regular leather jacket. No one had much of anything and most didn’t have anything at all. When I inquired about this they told me it was a bit early! EARLY!!!! Do they know it’s getting along into September? When are they going to get some….Christmas !!!!??? Geez I guess I’m just not thinking right. Anyway a group of us are going to Fargo during Canadian Thanksgiving as we always do and then maybe I’ll find something then. Could be too far away from winter even then. I mean I wouldn’t want to rush these people. I also ran into one of my co-workers and his wife while in K-Mart while I was cleaning them out of IBC Root Beer. Love that stuff but can’t get it up here.

Fargo means I get to eat breakfast at IHop which is my favorite spot. The good part about Fargo is that Minnesota is only a 10 minute drive away so instead of having to wait for stores to open at noon on Sunday in North Dakota, you can go to Minnesota at 8 in the morning and shop. Makes for a non-stop weekend of fun, fun, fun.

Anyway it was back home early Monday morning and my meow meows were glad to see me. I did a few chores around the house, a load of laundry, mowed the grass and unloaded all my loot from the truck. I had a letter I was working on that I needed to turn in this morning when I got to work. I have decided to retire and take some time to get myself together, do some projects around the house and just enjoy some leisure. Not sure how long it will be before I get bored and have to go back to work at something but I will be able to keep myself busy and out of trouble. Lose some weight and get back into martial arts training, pick up my saxophone and start playing more and during the most nasty snowy days, just sit back inside the nice warm house and watch it from there. The only thing you will see me driving will be my snowthrower. My baby will be parked safely in the garage out of the weather. I really like my job but I feel the need for some healing and this is the only way I can see to get it done. The people I work for were very understanding and we came to an amicable agreement on everything. As of October 30th I will be jobless.

Holy Crap I’ll have to install doors into the kitchen and lock them to keep me from cooking and eating too much.

So there you have a re-cap of the nothing that has been going on around here. Geez now I’ll have more time to blog. Won’t that just drive you nuts with me in here all the time writing.

I hope everyone out here enjoyed the one week of summer we had this weekend.

Well once again I added another day to my long weekend, giving me 4 days instead of 3 this Labor Day and so far it’s been fabulous weather wise. According to the weather people it is suppose to be like this all weekend…Yaaaaaaay.

I’m spending most of my weekend in Grand Forks. I need to go to the Farmer’s Market and stock up on some more of those nummy kuchens I always get while here but as far as the rest of my time here is concerned, I don’t have a clue. I’m sure I’ll slip over to the chocolate place and get some goodies and J.C. Penny has some really nice leather coats on sale. I really don’t need anymore coats but I want something besides my suede, gore tex, and Carhart coats which I seem to have an over abundance of. I’ll see when I get there and have it in my hand. I have soooo many clothes that I doubt I will even take much more than a glance at anything there.

It’ll be sight-seeing, lounging, and eating I guess but what’s wrong with that I ask.

The only problem I’ve had all day was when I checked into my room. I always get a non-smoking room and I’ve been to this particular hotel so many times, that some of the help even recognizes me. I put my luggage in the room and then went to the bathroom. Well let me tell you, for a non-smoking room there sure were a lot of cigarette burns in there. I counted 5 on the sink vanity, 2 on the dresser and 1 on the night stand next to the bed. I reported this and they promptly put me into another room. Must have been some firebug in that room at one time. Wonder if the furniture and counter tops look that way where they live. Probably.

Anyway I’ve been to my always first stop…the dollar store…had a bite to eat and now it’s time to just lay back and watch some tube and chill out for the rest of the evening.

Oh and by the way the construction on the trip down here is really starting to suck. I guess most people don’t go up and down the road as much as I so it’s only a one time thing for them, but I’ve had to deal with this crap all summer and it goes on on for miles at a time. Geez are they ever going to get done? Heck I’ll have to drive through it again next month when a group of us go for our annual trip to Fargo. I need to quit traveling so much and just stay home and retire and not go anywhere. Never happen eh? Well the retirement will anyway.

Wondering why the Dollar Store is always a must and first stop? Well there are certain things I never bother to pack and worry about whether I packed them or not. Items like body wash, shampoo, toothbrush and tooth paste. Also there’s bottled water and sodas to put in the fridge in your room and snacks of course. Get all this mess for a few bucks…you know for sure that you have it…only takes a few minutes to do and Dollar Stores are everywhere. Another helpful tip from the traveling guru.

Sweetie Pie

Two years ago today.