blog therapy

Well, I had some photo's to load but the button is not there for me to do it. The Alpine girls are still visiting.

Anyway, I always try to keep this blog upbeat but life just won't cooperate.  I have been employed by the same company since Sept 25, 1984, almost 30 years. I have excellent benefits while I am employed there but have none when I terminate or am terminated - no health insurance, no drug card. I would describe myself as an excellent employee as far as the quality of my work but I lack the social skills that would keep me from remaining on the "island." In other words, I'd be the first one voted off. Because I recognize who I am, I accept it as it is.

Now, after 30 years, they want to push me out. I really want to oblige the Director and Operations Manager, I have a little retirement money that I could cash in and hope for the best, but I'm on RX prescriptions and 56 years old. What am I going to do?

Unfortunately, Mike has never been the bread winner, I have. He's always worked but keeping the bills paid has always fallen on my shoulders. He inherited this beautiful land we live on and he's a wonderful caretaker to our animals, we're blessed and I'm not complaining.

On Thursday Jan 3, my boss/the Director was asking me about a one-day substance-abuse class that I arranged for and he signed off on but now because Operations Manager wanted to squash it, Director wanted to squash it, and I said, "I know the Operations Manager is gunning for me from a lot of different angles." And he said, "yeah, but besides that."  I told him I had to leave and I'd be back Monday, the stress is overwhelming. He mumbled something about how he hadn't intended to upset me.

I and the Operations Manager report to the Director but the Operations Manager has started acting as my supervisor, and the Director is riding this whole wave. A few weeks ago on a Friday, the Operations Manager called me into his office, he was real mad, kept saying he was mad, but would never give any details, said I had been going behind his back, but I have no idea what he was talking about. Towards the end, I motioned for the Director to come in, he came in, and I left shortly after that. Later, I kept waiting for the Director to speak to me about it and he never did.

At the office, when the Operations Manager has an audience, he is very ugly towards me.

Let me add, I work in a service industry paid for by taxpayer dollars, this is not private but we work for the taxpayers.

Anyway, this is where I'm at. They're being obvious about getting me out, I MUST have some decent health insurance and I can't afford it on my own with no job. I'm quite depressed and I'm void of any self esteem.  Where do I begin to get some help?  I need somebody on my side to help guide me in the right direction.

Demand Performance

Bordy is in demand again. This time, servicing two alpine does. Can you see the smile on Bordy's face? Alpines are the standard-size dairy goat and we raise the Nigerian Dwarf's.

Alpine goats are a popular species of dairy goat valued for the steady temperaments and high volume of milk production. Each Alpine goat typically produces three to five quarts of milk each day (4 quarts make a gallon).

Here's a good link about dairy goats -
http://www.motherearthnews.com/caprine-community/choosing-a-dairy-goat-breed.aspx

Although Nigerian's can't produce the serious amount of milk that Alpine's do, our herd comes from strong bloodlines bred for udders and conformation. So, Bordy should produce some very nice "mini-Alpine" babies.

Look at that stance, and body on Ancho, whew! He's gonna be something. Bordy and Ancho are 1/2 brothers.

Christmas Cold

I've been down with a cold. It's been cold and I've got a cold.

I never pick up a cold myself. Mike will come down with a one and I get it. I was weak from the colonoscopy prep anyway, Mike had a cold, and my immunity system just caved in.
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We haven't gotten much snow but we've had harsh winds mixed with cold temps. The critters have been in the barn and I've been under the covers. Sounds like another round of winter is arriving tonight.
http://booneweather.com/Forecast/Boone 
Clouds increase this afternoon and tonight. A wintry mix of rain/sleet/freezing rain/snow develops by midnight tonight lasting into Saturday morning. The mix will change to all snow before ending Saturday morning. We'll have a break Saturday afternoon. Then colder air rushes back in with snow showers Saturday night on blustery NW winds. 

Christmas Eve at Mary's

Scalloped Potatoes

We've been laying low for three days.

Friday - Fortunately for Mike who has had a sinus infection, a snowstorm blew in, work cancelled, and we got to stay home and sleep all day.

Saturday - The big activity for the day was driving in to town for some groceries. Back at home, on my laptop, I have a regular partner for WORD TRICK, and we play quite often. Mike slept the day away.

Sunday - Mike says he feeling a little better. Football and more football in HD. I made a pot of chili and and baked a good dish of scalloped potatoes.

Monday/Christmas Eve - We'll get together with family tomorrow evening at Mike's mothers house.

COMFORT FOOD ALERT! 

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Then, I made a basic beschamel/white sauce. In a pan, melt butter, add 3T of flour, let cook a minute, add 2C of milk.

 

If you have some fresh goats milk, that would be the best. All of our girls are dried off and bred for Spring kids.

 

I thick-sliced three XL potatoes and layed 'em in a pan. I topped the potatoes with the Simply Organic garlic-herb mix and some Hormel Bacon Bits. Topped with cheddar cheese. Sprinkled on some paprika. Baked 45 minutes.

Merry Christmas Colonoscopy

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Wednesday Dec 19, 2012, at 56yrs old, I got the 2nd colonoscopy of my lifetime, fortunately I've checked out fine both times.

Terrence Howard has a personal connection to colon cancer; he lost his mother to the disease, saying, "Let my heartbreak be your wake-up call."

Although I certainly believe in getting screened, I'm miserable through the whole process.

The day prior - on clear liquids only. "Big Girl" likes to eat!

Evening prior - At 6PM, start drinking Part 1 of that nasty stuff,
I gag something awful, and for the next couple of hours,
I can barely get to the toilet fast enough.

 

Day of - at 1AM in the morning (in the middle of the night)
drink Part 2 of the nasty stuff,
gagging again, and running to the toilet again.

Day of - get up at 6AM

and hurry to the hospital
and wait, and wait, and wait
until 8AM when they get around me

I wake up after procedure with stomach pains
from the air they have pumped in me.
I'm walking like a newborn calf but
I manage to get dressed and
Nurse Ratched makes me sit down in a wheelchair
my brain is terribly foggy, my eyes can't focus very well
and my stomach cramps even more when I sit down
so I stand up, holding on to the railing, and
start walking along the hallway
Nurse Ratched comes running and fussing
"you must sit down in that wheelchair."

I sit down, Doctor comes by and reports that I have a healthy colon.

Ratched tells Mike he can go down to get the car.
Mike leaves, Ratched leaves,

my stomach is cramping and I feel like I'm going to throw up,

I stand up and see a sink across the way,

I hobble over and have my head in the sink gagging,

Ratched comes in at top speed

"I told you that you could NOT get up"

I'm hanging on to the sink for dear life
but she starts pulling the jacket I'm wearing
going back towards the wheelchair,
I throw up slime on floor and my hand.

Ratched was pissed and ready to give me a lobotomy
when some sweet person
came over and cleaned slime off my hand

and rolled me downstairs to the car.
Merry Christmas to Sweet Person
Thank You
for the Rescue

 

 

nephew Demetre remains undefeated in wrestling

Kostis Remains Perfect

Written by Mike Kelly

Sunday, 16 December 2012

 

It's been quite a season so far for Watauga High junior Demetre Kostis. The younger brother of Savva Kostis, who had a brilliant career with the Pioneers and later at Appalachian State University, has marched his way through 20 opponents this season without a loss.

He continued his dominance Saturday as he went 3-0 with two pinfalls at the Warriors Invitational at West Caldwell High in Gamewell, N.C. Kostis (20-0) was also named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler. And thanks to Kostis, Mark Townsend and Gus Coffey, the Pioneers turned in a fifth-place finish and amassed 114 points. Townsend won the championship at 113 pounds with a pair of pinfalls; Coffey was 3-1 with a pinfall and a tech fall at 126 and finished third. Other noteable finishes Saturday included Jake Page at 160 and Jeremy Critcher at 195 pounds. They both finished second in their respective weight divisions. Page was 2-1; Critcher, who nearly pinned the No.1 seed in the first period of his opening match, was 2-1 with a pair of pinfalls. The Pioneers travel to Chapel Hill for the Tiger Classic on December 28-29.