Time Goes Faster When You're On Vacation!

     It's true, time goes by quicker when you're away from work!  I had the past eight days off, and not only did the time fly, I didn't do half of what I planned.  But then, I kind of expected that based on past vacations, and didn't pick on myself for it.

     I have no complaints because I had perfect weather! It was sunny, dry and warm almost every day. It rained on Saturday morning, but was sunny by the afternoon.  I spent quite a bit of time outdoors, and didn't sleep too late, either.

     I am also thrilled because the birds FINALLY discovered the thistle seed feeder!  I didn't actually see a male goldfinch, but that doesn't mean there wasn't one there. It's only been a couple of days, and it's still kind of hard to monitor the feeder because there's lots of leaves obscuring my view. They ate half of the seed in the feeder already.  I'll keep you posted!

     Meanwhile, I did get around to making that buttermilk chocolate cake, on Sunday. It turned into an all-day project, but a worthwhile one to be sure. More details on my other blog, "Fun with Food", when I get to it. I modified the recipe just by making a vanilla frosting for the inner layers instead of peppermint/cream cheese filling.  There were mishaps, but in the end, it was a lovely three layer cake with an awesome dark chocolate glaze.

     The highlight of the week was having lunch with my two uncles (and my Dad), and visiting my grandparents' grave site.  I'll have to go back to the cemetery because there's a beautiful fountain I want to get some photos of.  It's huge!  Whenever I go to the cemetery, which isn't often enough, I remember how peaceful and tranquil it is, and the trees and flowers are so pretty. It's a great place to take pictures if you can avoid the tombstones.  One thinks of cemeteries as a scary or depressing place, but I haven't had that experience.  Just the same, though, I won't be going after dark!

     The fun thing that happened this week was that I blew the dust off my Kindle ( I won it last December at the company Christmas party).  I learned how quick and easy it is the download a book to the Kindle from the computer. I chose free books (classics like "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" and "The Mysterious Island",and a few other things I never heard of that got good reviews. I also ordered a couple of free word games. I got so addicted to " Every Word" that I was dreaming I was playing the game. I hate that! So I put the game away until further notice.  I have other stuff I probably didn't do because of my Kindle, like finishing letters to my friends, and my writing assignment. That's almost done though.

     I'm kind of sad that my vacation is over. I love my job, but I can honestly say I didn't miss being at work. I could get used to this if I ever win the lottery!  I went back to work today, and things are already back to normal.

Have a great week, and if you have time off, enjoy it! You earned it!

Making Every Minute Count

     Can you believe it's September 10th already? I can't, the time is just flying by. It has been really busy around here, and I thought I'd just write a little bit about what's on my mind this week.
     Just when I was used to seeing "Breaking Bad" every Sunday night, it's over now until next July.  I heard that one of the reasons they broke the season in two was so that the show would be eligible for two Emmy cycles, and give the writers more time to come up with a better ending.  I was expecting a more exciting cliffhanger, but it was good. At least now I don't have to plan my Sunday night around watching a TV show,and I have something to look forward to next year.  
     We hired a new per-Diem at work (in the activity dept) so now I am able to take some time off. Hooray! I have a lot of hours of PTO (paid time off) that I'm trying to use up in order to get to some older hours from the previous company. So I'll be off until next Tuesday. That's where the title of this post comes in: making every minute count.  
     Whenever I have unstructured time, I tend to waste it, and it drives me crazy.               Sure vacations are to rest, but I have so much to do, and it's the perfect time to do all the stuff I never get around to.
      Mostly I have lots of yard and housework to do, and I still have to make that buttermilk cake! I want to go shopping (for new shoes) and maybe get my hair styled differently.  Then I want to take pictures, organize my old pictures into my albums, and write letters to my patient pen pals.  Then I have appointments to make, and finish registering for my certification (If I can't find my high school transcripts in my desk, I may have to contact the school. But after 25 years, I'm not holding my breath that they still have my records.)  Anyway, I plan on making the  most of my vacation.
    This week marked the 46th anniversary of the TV show "Star Trek". That's a long time!  When I see that show, it reminds me of being young. The great sound effects and theme song, cheesy as they may be, take me right back to the early 70's, when life was much simpler.  The show is still on, and I try to watch it, but I never make it through an entire episode. I always think to myself, this was before William Shatner played crackpots, or seemed like one in real life!  I never would have known it was the anniversary if not for the "Google Doodle".
    I had a nice experience this past couple of weeks, doing something I never did before: raising butterflies!  At work, we ordered a butterfly pavilion, which is a house for the butterflies.  You send for the caterpillars, and they arrive in a plastic cup equipped with food. 
     They eat the food, grow, and then they attach themselves to the top of the container and transform into cocoons.  After about a week (during which time my boss kept on teasing me that they looked dead) they hatched! I wish someone had been there to see it, it happened on the weekend.  When I returned to work I gave them some fresh flowers, and sugar water.  
     It was fun showing them to the residents as they underwent their metamorphosis. We planned on releasing them with the residents,But since it was the weekend and I was working alone, and it was too chilly to bring people out anyway, I did it myself.  I brought them to the far parking lot where there is a nice flower bed. When I unzipped the top, three of the six painted lady butterflies flew up and out, into the trees. It made me feel good.
      Even though I don't think they were exactly suffering inside the roomy housing, I'm sure they needed their freedom. The next two butterflies were resting on the flowers, so I reached in and took them out into the flower bed. The last one flew out.  
     I had a lot of fun observing them, and watching them eat with that long curly tongue (I don't remember what it's called). I was actually getting attached to them. I few times I put my hand in, and was happy when they landed on it, so I could "bond" with them.  I felt guilty keeping them cooped up when they flew to the top, and kind of sad when I read that they only live for 2-4 weeks. We kept them for eight days.  I took some pictures but don't have them ready for this blog. They are pretty. Now I want to buy my own set for home. We'll see. 
   I'll end this post with a salute and prayer to those who died on 9/11, and their families, and all the rescue workers. No more needs to be said from me about this tragedy. Rest in Peace.
     

Reflecting during Labor Day Weekend

     It's been a long time since my last post, so I thought I better check in.  It's Labor Day weekend, and I started my three day vacation today. How gorgeous it was, sunny and dry.  It's been really busy at work, so this time off is much appreciated.

    It's easy to want to goof off, but I have so many projects I want to complete, that I'm going to have to get up early every day if I want to make any headway. Some of what I want to do: Make a buttermilk chocolate cake. I heard cakes with buttermilk are the best, and I found a nice recipe in an old Ladies Home Journal that looks really good. I got some buttermilk on sale (Kate's of Maine, they make Kate's Butter). Since they are based in Old Orchard Beach, I buy the butter whenever I can, it's yummy. This was the first time I was able to find the buttermilk, and I was looking for recipes to use it in.  I soaked my chicken parts in it, which was good, and I added some to my biscuits, which made them tangier. I have to buy some ingredients and new cake pans before I can make my cake. I'll let you know how it comes out!

     I told you about buying thistle seed to attract goldfinches to my yard. I set up the feeder the next day, and after two weeks......Nothing.  Not even the squirrels or any other birds have eaten any if this seed. I'm shocked and disappointed, and impatient.  I know the birds will come eventually, but when? I tried the feeder in four different locations after nothing happened in the first one. 

      I did see a lovely goldfinch near my workplace a couple  of days ago, and tried to get a picture. He was on top of a dried flower head. Then he flew into my parking lot.  The picture I did manage to get wasn't very good because the lighting was bad. But now my plan is to set up a feeder at the gazebo in our parking lot. Maybe the goldfinch will bring his friends, and I can get some nice pictures there to hold me over.

     Boy the Red Sox are really going down the tubes. But they did wonderful thing this week by trading Josh Beckett (and to a lesser degree, Adrian Gonzalez and his huge contract). Now if we can unload John Lackey, we'll be all set.  I really don't know who was to blame in the demise of the Sox, or if Bobby Valentine should stay or leave. I just know the games are getting harder to watch! Last night they lost 20-2!

     There's plenty more that needs to be done during this brief vacation--I'm printing up my course work from the activity director class to put in a binder. I was actually pleasantly surprised at my work-it was better than I remembered.  I also need to update my resume, just in case I need it.  I recently added stuff to my LinkedIn profile, and one of my connections wrote a nice recommendation for me. Thanks, Al!  

     I've been sending away for DVDs lately, and it's nice. I got Perry Mason season 2 part 1, the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and I'm still waiting for a VHS copy of Laurel and Hardy in Sons of the Desert. It was only 99 cents. The DVDs were close to 30 bucks. There's still tons more stuff I want, and will order in time. Like Car 54, Barnaby Jones and Cannon, Hazel, and more Perry Mason! They don't make TV like they used to. I love seeing the old cars and LA in the 50's.   Buying videos online is so much more economical than going to a store!

     Well, I better go..I still have my writing assignment to complete- my story about my two cats Bigfoot and Willamina. It's supposed to be 2-3,000 words, but I'm having a bit of writer's block. My assignment is late so I have to get moving!!

     I hope you are able to have time off this Labor Day weekend, and take care!