Another Year Gone

As I get older, the years seem to fly by faster than when I was younger and the end of another one is here.

The year seemed to have gone by so fast, where did the time go? We had a pretty good year, thank God and I pray that the next one is just as good or better.

Everyone wants the next year to be better, right? Or if it can't be better, no worse than the last. I pray it's also better for those who lost their jobs and/or homes. I know how that feels firsthand and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. This past year has been tough on so many in this country and around the world, with the economy being what it's been and not to mention the natural disasters, it has been a year that no one, I'm sure, wants a repeat.

A new year gives us all a new beginning, a new hope for things to be better, even if it's just succeeding at the new year's resolutions we made. I've made one, one I've made in the past, to lose weight. One I'm sure so many others have made. I've lost some over the last few months, but I still have about twenty more to go. I've lost it before, so I know I can do it again, it just takes getting up and doing it, getting motivated. Thank goodness I haven't given up my Weight Watchers on line membership.

The hardest part for me is the "getting motivated" part, as I'm sure it is for a lot of people. This coming year though I plan to succeed for good. I said that the last time too, only to gain the weight back, but this time, I plan not to have that happen.

I know that if I put my mind to it, I can do it. I quit smoking and that was almost fourteen years ago and I never looked back. I need to have that same mindset again. I had it the last time I lost weight, but lost it. I need to find it again.

I, like so many others I'm sure, resolve to make the coming new year better than the last and I plan to succeed. I also pray that everyone else who made the same resolution succeeds. But to make sure that you make it into the new year, please if you're going to party tonight, do it wisely. If you drink, don't drive. Have a designated driver.

Here is my wish for everyone, have a safe and a very happy New Year. May God bless you in the coming year and in those that follow.

Wishing you all

A Safe and Very

And A Safe and
Very Happy New Year!

♫I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas...♫

Wishing everyone who is dreaming of one, a White Christmas.

☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃

Kroger Recalls Pet Food

Got this from Dogster.com

From a press release issued by the Kroger Co. this weekend:
The Kroger Co. said today it is recalling select packages of pet food sold in some of its retail stores because the products may contain aflatoxin, which poses a health risk to pets. Aflatoxin is a naturally-occurring toxic chemical by-product from the growth of the fungus Aspergillus flavus on corn and other crops. If your pet shows any symptoms of illness, including sluggishness or lethargy combined with a reluctance to eat, yellowish tint to the eyes and/or gums, and severe or bloody diarrhea, please consult your veterinarian immediately.
Kroger stores in the following states are included in this recall: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.
The recall also includes Dillons and Gerbes stores in Kansas and Missouri; Baker’s stores in Nebraska; Food 4 Less stores in Nebraska, Illinois and Indiana (Chicago area); and Jay C, Hilander, Owen’s, Pay Less and Scott’s stores in Illinois and Indiana. Stores the company operates under the following names are not included in this recall: Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, King Soopers, Smith’s, QFC, City Market, Foods Co., and Food 4 Less stores in California and Nevada.
Kroger is recalling the following items:
Dog food:
Old Yeller Chunk Dog Food sold in 22 lb. packages with a sell by date of OCT 23 11 DP and OCT 24 11 DP under the following UPC code: 1111074566
Old Yeller Chunk Dog Food sold in 50 lb. packages with a sell by date of OCT 23 11 DP and OCT 24 11 DP under the following UPC code: 1111074563
Kroger Value Chunk Dog Food sold in 15 lb. packages with a sell by date of OCT 23 11 DP and OCT 24 11 DP under the following UPC code: 1111071559
Kroger Value Chunk Dog Food sold in 50 lb. packages with a sell by date of OCT 23 11 DP and OCT 24 11 DP under the following UPC code:1111000108
Cat food:
Pet Pride Cat Food sold in 3.5 lb. packages with a sell by date of OCT 23 11 DP and OCT 24 11 DP under the following UPC code: 1111088128
Pet Pride Cat Food sold in 18 lb. packages with a sell by date of OCT 23 11 DP and OCT 24 11 DP under the following UPC code: 1111071357
Pet Pride Tasty Blend Poultry & Seafood Cat Food sold in 3.5 lb. packages with a sell by date of OCT 23 11 DP and OCT 24 11 DP under the following UPC code: 1111088152
Pet Pride Tasty Blend Poultry & Seafood Cat Food sold in 18 lb. packages with a sell by date of OCT 23 11 DP and OCT 24 11 DP under the following UPC code: 1111074580
Pet Pride Kitten Formula Food sold in 3.5 lb. packages with a sell by date of OCT 23 11 DP and OCT 24 11 DP under the following UPC code: 1111071903
Kroger Value Cat Food sold in 3 lb. packages with a sell by date of OCT 23 11 DP and OCT 24 11 DP under the following UPC code: 1111000018
The safety of our customers and their pets is important to Kroger. The company is using its Customer Recall Notification system to alert customers who may have purchased these recalled products through register receipt tape messages and automated phone calls. Customers who have purchased a recalled item should not use it and should return it to a store for a full refund or replacement. Customers who have questions about this recall may contact Kroger toll-free at (800) 632-6900. For more information, please visit www.kroger.com/recalls.

By: Maria Goodavage

Disappointing News Last Night

I called Kenneth to see what his and Elicia's plans for Christmas were since I hadn't heard from him to let me know when they would be coming up. It turns out they're not.

It would have been nice for him to have let me know sooner. He never does though, I usually have to be the one doing the calling because I don't like last minute surprises, like this one, but if they're not coming, there's nothing I can do about it and since there were just the three of us on Thanksgiving, another last minute surprise of his, they did come that Saturday though, we'll do our own celebrating.

I just hate when we're not all together for the holidays though. That has been the one thing I have hated about living so far away from Pittsburgh, not being able to be with the whole family every year at this time. They don't know how lucky they are back there and how much I wish each year that we can be there with them.

Oh well, I can sit here and dwell on the disappointments all day and make myself depressed, something I'm already on medication for, or get on with life and make the best of what I was dealt. I choose the latter. Our tree looks gorgeous, in fact all the decorations do, and it looks like we're going to have the white Christmas I was hoping for. Dave and I will be able to go out skiing over the weekend, we do cross country, no mountains to fall off of. It's fun and good exercise. Dave will also be able to try out the new boots he bought for himself. Weather permitting, we're also planning on hitting the malls and a few other stores on Christmas eve. It'll be nice being on the other side of the register this time. For years I was the one working. I will set the table for Christmas dinner like I had planned and we will have a nice meal. I think I'll even bake the Scottish shortbread cookies that a friend gave me his old family recipe for.  I might even pull out the pizzelle press I have and make some pizzelles, I haven't made those in awhile.

I do wish that Kenneth and Elicia could be here on Christmas, but even though they can't, I'm going to make it a merry one anyway, I'm not going to let the depression win, plus I can't wait to see the look on Dave's face when he opens the gift that David and I bought him. Boy is he going to be surprised!

So, it won't be a sad Christmas after all, I won't let it.

Are Poinsettias poisonous to your Pets?

By S. Elliott

Despite persistent rumors to the contrary, poinsettias are not poisonous, and munching on the occasional poinsettia leaf won't kill your pet. According to the American Association For the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) Poison Control web page, eating poinsettias will probably produce gastrointestinal tract irritation, but no serious symptoms. If your pet is elderly, ill or very young, take extra precautions, but with some prudent placement, poinsettias can brighten up even a pet owner's home.

It's good to know the truth after all these years.

Procrastination

Okay, I have to admit, that I am a procrastinator about things, especially housework and maybe that's where he got it from, number one son that is. But if I have a short amount of time that I am told that something needs done, I get it done quickly and not wait around, especially if it's something important.

Well, on Friday or Saturday, he got a call from the company he works for that they were doing their interviews with employees to verify that they can lawfully work here in the US. I forget what the form is called, but it's done annually. He was told that he would be receiving an email giving him all the information about where to call, where to go, and what to take. He had only three days to set up an interview, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Knowing that I'm the one who has to drive him because he doesn't drive, I would have hoped that he would call early to see if an appointment was needed.

Wrong! Yesterday he should have called, but didn't and to tell the truth, I didn't know about it or I would have reminded him to get it done. It was not until last night, after it was too late to call, that I found out about it and that he had only three days to get it done. Needless to say, I was ticked and he knew it.

Luckily for him, which he found out when he called this morning, I made him call first thing before he did anything else, an appointment isn't needed and he can go in anytime between nine and five, except lunchtime. So, instead of procrastinating any longer we are going this afternoon, oh and did I mention that we have to go up to Des Moines, to get it done. I may stop and do some more Christmas shopping while I'm at it.

Oh yeah, one more place we have to stop is at the courthouse in town to get his state ID renewed. He let that expire. It should have been renewed back in October.

I guess this is one lesson he really took to heart. I wish he hadn't.

Grow Old With Dogs

I found this at Useless Graphics.com. 

GROW OLD WITH DOGS

When I am old...

I will wear soft gray sweatshirts...

and a bandana over my silver hair...

and I will spend my social security checks on wine and my dogs.

I will sit in my house on my well-worn chair and listen

to my dogs'  breathing.

I will sneak out in the middle of a warm summer night

and take my dog for an ice cream , if my old car will allow...

When people come to call,

I will smile and nod as I show them my dogs...

and talk of them and about them...

...The ones so beloved of the past

and the one so loved today...

I will still work hard cleaning after them mopping

and feeding them  and whispering their names in a soft loving way.

I will wear the gleaming sweat on my throat, like a

jewel and I will be an embarrassment to all...

especially my family...

who have not yet found the  peace

in being free to have dogs as your best friends...

These friends who always wait, at any hour, for your footfall...

and eagerly jump to their feet out of a sound sleep,

to greet you as if you're a God,

With warm eyes full of adoring love and hope that you will always stay,

I'll hug their big strong necks...

I'll kiss their dear sweet heads...

and whisper in their very special company...

I look in the Mirror...

and see I am getting old...

this is the kind of person I am...

and always has been.

Loving dogs is easy,

they are a part of me.

 Please accept me for who I am.

My dogs appreciate my presence in their lives...

they love my presence in the their lives....

you will understand when you are old....

If you have dogs to love too.

Blizzard Warning?!!

Wow, what a difference a day makes, yesterday it hit the 50s and today it's 18.8 according to our little weather thing-a-ma-jig. The wind is really howling too.

We're supposed to get between two to four inches of snow, with more possible. The blizzard warning said between five and eight, but the forecast said two to four, so depending on who you're listening to or reading, depends on what forecast you get.

I do pity the people who have to go to work today. I wouldn't want to be out there driving, but I'm sure there are people who are who don't have to be. People will drive in all kinds of weather. They'll even go around the gates up north that block them from getting on the freeway when it's closed. Stupid! It's closed for a reason people! It also makes me wonder how many hunters are out there braving the temps just to get a deer. With the wind chill as low as it is, they'd be wise not to. Me, I'm not going anywhere.

Well, the old saying sure came true, "If you don't like the weather, just wait awhile. It will change." I wish it would change back to yesterday's weather.

It sure doesn't feel like Christmas today

Dang, it's already close to 50 degrees outside. We're going to wish we had these warm temps tomorrow and Sunday especially, when it's supposed to drop into the low double digits.

I actually got two Christmas presents bought, one for Dave and one for David. I still need to get a few more things. Luckily I don't have a lot of people to buy for. It's hard enough buying for the ones I have.

We're getting a combined gift for Kenneth and Elicia, which is easier than trying to figure out what to get them individually. They are by far, the two hardest people to buy for. But Dave came up with what I think is a very good idea. I'll probably still get them a little something for each of them individually. I'm sure everyone has someone like that.

Anyway, today is going to be warm, it's funny how a couple months ago it would have been considered cold. Even Rolli is liking it because it means she gets to stay outside longer. But she really likes snow too. She loves to jump into snowdrifts. But Sunday will be a very different story, probably no snow, but too cold for even Rolli.

December 7, 1941

A day that will live in infamy, the bombing of Pearl Harbor. May we take some time out of our busy lives today to remember those who perished. Let us not forget. God bless America.

So there I was...

Yesterday, driving down the freeway on my way home from a dentist appointment. I had the cruise control on set to the speed limit of 70, had my radio set to my favorite station. No one was near me, it was almost like I had the road to myself, when what do my eyes see in my rear view mirror, some jerk in a red SUV coming up behind me and sitting on my tail, trying to get me to go faster.

Now mind you, there was hardly anyone driving on this section of the freeway because we were far enough south of Des Moines that the traffic had thinned out. And I gotta tell you, there is hardly anything south of Des Moines until you come to Osceola and the casino and then nothing after that until you get to the Missouri line.

Like I said before, there was no one near me, not in front of me, not next to me, not behind me, that is until this person came riding up on my tail, and he sat there, only a few feet away, or so it seemed for a good five minutes. Why he thought I was going to speed up, I didn't know, but I had no reason to. I was in no hurry. I was having a nice time, driving and listening to my favorite station on the radio. I even had a cup of mocha cappuccino that I had bought for myself when I stopped to get some gas.

There's a short story there too, the guy inside said that he thought I was going to leave without paying. Probably because I reached inside the van to get my purse and he thought I was getting in to leave. I would never do that, it's not worth losing my license over, but I'm sure some people have.

So anyway there I was with this guy behind me disturbing the good time I was having. So what did I do, I started talking to him in my rear view mirror, not yelling just talking, telling him that I wasn't going to go any faster and if he didn't like it, tough sh*t and to go around me, but I guess he wasn't buying it because there he sat, riding my tail trying to get me to speed up.

He did finally pass me, I don't know, maybe the bright idea to do so just came to him at that moment, but he did pass me and I was able to get back to my driving, tunes, and cappuccino.

Some people are just crazy drivers in a hurry to go nowhere. They're the kind I'd like to, as my mother would say, "Hit upside the head with a 2x4 and knock some sense into them." Again, I would never do it... but sometimes I'm tempted.