BigBug's WunderBlog

Hi, Dad.

Boy, am I glad I don't live in Tennessee or kentucky. Even western North Carolina. See all that blue and pink? That's snow and ice!

got word from my optician's office that my glasses are ready. Again.

Cross your fingers for me that they're A-OK this time.

Dad, I think I'm good to go with the glasses.
This prescription is MUCH better.

I can SEE!

Both pair, my regular and my computer
glasses, are balanced and in focus.

I'll be SO glad to be able to see at
work, I'm almost excited to go back
in the morning.

Got an email back from your better
half and she asked that I wait until
January sometime to come up. It
seems you've been planning a birthday
party for her and my proposed visit
conflicted with that. She wants to go
to the beach when I come up and she
can't, if there's a birthday party
going on for her.

Kinda disappointing, as I was hoping
to see you closer to Christmas but
I can wait.

It will be closer to the end of
January, than the beginning. There's
going to be a lot going on at work.
Christmas week would have been fairly
quiet but it will crank up starting
Jan 2nd. That's another reason I was
hoping to get up the end of Christmas
week, before all that starts.

We heard back from the paper about the
carrier. I found an email address for
subscriber support and emailed them
last night. Got a reply today, that they
would address the issue. The circulation
manager even came to the house and talked
with Hubby. He said he spoke with the
carrier, who vehemently denied everything.
I'm not surprised at that. BUT she knows
what she's been doing. She's knows she's
been caught and reported.

Hubby did tell him that I'd have no reason
to make this up; that I saw her twice all
the way up in the yard with the car. He
confirmed that he'd even seen the tire
tracks in the yard himself.

I'll be watching.

Hi, Dad.

Just a quick peek to say 'hello'.

Busy as usual but I sure am glad
I've got my new glasses. It has
made a world of difference here at
work!

Hi, Dad.

Well, we've turned on that new program. I can't access it. I waved my arms and let them know around 8:30 this morning. I was told be be patient. And that's the last I heard.

I've gone through this at least a half a dozen times over the years and I have to say that this was the most ill-prepared move I've seen. No one had any training on how the program looked, how to navigate the site, how to find things, where to go to do stuff. Nothing.

I'm not going to worry about it.

You remember that military acronym, SNAFU? You remember what those letters stand for? that's us in a nutshell.

Hi, Dad.

Things at work are the same today and that's all I have to say about that, to quote Forrest Gump.

Cold and wet here. The wet makes it feel colder than it really is. I think the skies are supposed to clear as the afternoon progresses.

We'll be back up to 70 again in a day or two. I can't get dressed without checking the weather forecast first.

Hi, Dad.

Am pretty down in the dumps today. Work is
just not going well. I'm not the only unhappy
camper. Most of my coworkers are as depressed
as I am. That new program?
The less I have to say about that, the better.

I will be SO glad to get out of here this
afternoon.

The rain has stopped and the high today is
supposed to be warmer. That's good.
But more rain is on the way. I'll have to
get busy with the laundry early tomorrow.

Hi, Dad.

True to my word, I've got the laundry going.
It is not optimal line drying weather. No
rain, temps will be warmer but it's clouded
over and not a hint of a breeze.

What with the back issues over the past couple
of weeks, I've not gotten as much done around
the house as I'd like. Nor any Christmas
preparations. This weekend will be a busy
one.

I've got to get my cards done and in the mail.
Depending on the mail, some folks might get
their card before Christmas; others, a day or
two after.

Still, Christmas starts Dec 25th and ends on
Jan 6th, Twelfth Night.

I will not think about work, I will not think
about work......

Hope you two have a good Saturday.

Hi, Dad.

Happy Sunday!

I put up a new entry on my blog last
night. It will have a lot of videos,
which may make it slow to load for you,
since you have dial up Internet.

Just give it a minute or two. You can
watch the videos by clicking on the arrow
in the middle of the image. I'm not sure
if you'll be able to watch them or not.
I've sometimes had trouble doing so on
your computer.

I won't leave that entry up for long.
I'll probably move on to something else
next weekend. I just wanted to do something
on Christmas movies.

I imagine your Christmas cactus is looking
really good by now.

Mine isn't as big as yours. I think it looks
better this year than it ever has and it is
covered in blooms. A few of them are starting
to pop open but in another day or two, it
should be in full swing.

Hi, Dad.

I'm back at work. Oh, joy.
Dealing with new software/program
isn't much better but I'm
trying my darndest to be
copacetic. Laid back. Calm.
Mellow.

So far, I am succeeding.

I see rain on your radar.

We should be getting ours
later this afternoon. I
just hope it's not during
the afternoon commute.

I finally got some cards in
the mailbox this morning. I'm
not done but most of them
should be on their way.

Hi, Dad.

I got home in the nick of time. The
bottom dropped out. A real frog-strangler.

That storm front that moved through your
area earlier today just hit us. I knew it
would; it was just a matter of when. Good
thing it hit after I got home. I'd have
hated having to drive in it.

It has been raining most of the afternoon
but I don't think it rained hard. Not like
it did a little while ago.

I'm checking in this evening, since I won't
be in the office for lunch. My area goes
out as a group for a Christmas lunch.

I really don't want to go; we're having
another luncheon Thursday, which is the one
for the entire office and we'll eat in the
office. I know I'll get a bunch of flack
about it, if I don't go with them.

The places they chose from are all expensive.
Much more than I want to pay for a sandwich:
8, 9 and $10. Maybe I'm too cheap but I
think that's ridiculous.

The place they decided on was the one I
least wanted to eat at. Their menu does
not tell you what their sandwiches are.
They just have names. I'm not ordering
something if I don't know what it is.

I will likely get a cup of cream of broccoli
soup (2.99), a bacon cheddar biscuit (1.99)
and I hope they can give me a glass of ice
water. They want 1.99 for bottled water,
soda, etc. They didn't list a price for their
tea.

I will carry some snacks with me, since I
suspect that cup of soup is very small.
They wanted 4.99 for a bowl.

We also have to order and pay online before
we go. That stinks. I can see ordering
ahead of time but paying? I'd planned to
take some of Hubby's loose ones with me to
cover my meal and tip.

Anyhoo, since we're going out and I won't
be at my desk to play on the computer, I
thought I'd post in tonight.

I need to get a bite to eat. Hubby has
already eaten and has gone to bed. I'll
check the TV listing for something decent
to watch and try to finish off my cards.

Hi, Dad.

I was going to post in last night but
my wifi switch got turned off on my
computer somehow, right the middle
of typing up a comment here.

The lunch yesterday was fine. I
had vegetarian chili, instead of
the soup. When we got to the
restaurant, the soup was she-crab
and I don't eat seafood.

work is still a big mess.

I'm trying my best to adopt Scarlet
O'Hara's outlook: "Ah'll think about
it tomorrah....."

Love you.

Hi, Dad.

Scarlet's "Ah'll think about it
tomorrah" ain't working very
well. I think it's time to hit
the booze.

I've never been through a system
change over this bad. And I mean
it's BAD.

Everyone (management) keeps telling
me to be patient but when I see
my work piling up, piling up, piling up
and the money amounts involved, it
is very hard to not get stressed out.

On to other things.....

My Christmas cactus is in FULL bloom
and I've never seen it look this
good.

Looks like we've got some rain and cold
weather on the way.

I'm glad I've got my plants ready. All
I have to do is throw a couple of sheets
over them and then pull the plastic over
that. They're bedded in pretty well
with pine straw.

Well... back to the salt mine.

Where is that winning lottery ticket when
you need it?

Hi, Dad.

I think I see some light at the end
of the Tunnel of Work. It's a pin
point light but I'm doing better
today.

We got a little rain last night and
a LOT of wind. It was still pretty
windy this morning. Hope Hubby was
being careful on the bridges in his
delivery truck.

I still have to cover up my plants.
I didn't get to it last night and
the temps were going to be cool but
they weren't going down to freezing.

They will tonight.

Even tho things at work seem to be
looking up, I think I'll pour myself
a tot of something tonight.

Despite my joking around about hitting
the booze, I haven't had anything. I've
been nodding out in my chair every single
evening this week.

I was going to watch a movie last night
at 8:00. I didn't even make it through
'Jeopardy.' woke up at 11:15.

It's either exhaustion and stress or my
B12 levels are low again.

Hi, Dad,

I got my plants covered up after
getting home yesterday but I
don't think we got down to freezing,
like the forecast said we would.

There wasn't a scrap of ice in the
birdbath this morning.

Tonight is forecast to be a tad
warmer than last night. I think
I'll leave my plants covered,
just in case.

I have a few errands to run, the
house to clean, laundry to wash.

I am going to get a new bottle of
B12 supplements. I have been nodding
off in my chair almost nightly for
three weeks or more.

I'm sure work is playing a big part but
I really suspect my B12 levels are
low again. I'm going to get a new
bottle of B12 and see if that helps.

I was nodding off nightly several years ago
and my doctor did a B12 blood test.
My levels were low. He suggested I
take 1000 mg supplement daily. He said
if it worked, it would be easier for me
than coming in for the shots every month.

It did the trick.

Because the FDA does not monitor
herbals and vitamin supplements,
the quality can vary. I think
I may have a weak batch. I've had
this happen once before: started
nodding off again in the evenings.
(I do check the expiration dates
before I buy.) I got a fresh bottle
and I was back to normal in a few days.

If a new bottle doesn't work, I guess
I'll have to go in and have him run
another blood test.

Hope you have a good Saturday.

Love you.

Am checking in now, in case I wind up
sleeping late tomorrow. I know you
check in around 10:00 or so in the
mornings.

I got my grocery shopping done. I found a
big ham at Doscher's for 10.00. Bone in,
which means I can use it for a pot of
beans or soup, later on. I'll cook it
tomorrow in time for our Sunday dinner
but it's big enough that I'll have plenty
for Christmas Day. That'll cut down on
the amount of cooking I'll have to do.

Got some frozen okra, limas, brussels
sprouts, some potatoes, onions, rice,
cheese and a box of elbow macaroni.
I'll make macaroni pie Christmas Day.

Hubby can decide which veggies he wants
with each dinner. Which is why I got so
many; it gives him a choice.

Also got cukes, tomatoes and mushrooms
for a marinated salad. And, for me, a
small Claxton fruit cake!

Hubby brought home two stollen from
work. I got a Pepperidge Farm frozen
coconut cake. That should cover desserts,
though the stollen is more of a bread than
a cake. It has raisins and nuts in it and
is dusted with confectioner's sugar.

I also couldn't resist a pomegranate. They
aren't available except in late fall and
winter. I love them. Messy but good.

Hubby's mom has been going to either her
oldest son in Atlanta or her daughter in
Charlotte for the last few years, so we'll
see her after she gets back. Her youngest,
David, never married and lives with her.
Chauffeurs her around.

I wish "L" wasn't having that party, so
that I could come up Friday and spend
a couple of days. But she said it would
be better for her, if I wait until she's
free to go to the beach. So, that's what
I'll do. I will be thinking of you.

I'll have Hubby call Christmas Day to wish
you both well.

I'll check in sometime tomorrow but it
might not be early.

Hi, Dad.

Just a quick hello, since I did most of
my check in last night.

I see Pros brought Koko over to meet you.
Isn't she cute with her little holiday
hat on and all the Christmas crackers around
her?

Christmas crackers are part of Christmas
celebrations in the United Kingdom and
Commonwealth countries as well as the
United State, to a lesser degree. A
cracker consists of a cardboard tube
wrapped in a brightly decorated twist
of paper. The cracker is pulled by two
people, releasing the contents. The
split is accompanied by a small bang
or snapping sound produced by the
effect of friction on a chemically
impregnated card strip (similar
to that used in a cap gun).

Crackers are typically pulled at the
Christmas dinner table or at parties.
Inside are a coloured paper hat or crown;
a small toy, small plastic model or other
trinket and a motto, a joke, a riddle
or piece of trivia on a small strip of
paper.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, BigBug.
:)

Hi, Dad.

Happy Christmas Eve!

It looks like we're going to have a cloudy,
rainy week. Not exactly optimal Christmas
weather. I pity all the poor parents that
will have overexcited children cooped up in
the house tomorrow. Maybe the rain will hold
off long enough to allow them outside to work
off all that energy.

I got my ham cooked yesterday and I've got
enough to feed us for days. Anything not
consumed by Wed. night, will be wrapped up
and put in the freezer for later. I've got
plenty of zip lock freezer bags and I'll do
them up in serving sized portions. I hope
I don't have too much left over; there's not
that much room in the fridge's freezer.

I have a few errands to run today, though I
am a bit reluctant to get out in all the
Christmas Eve madness.

I'll be watching "A Christmas Story" at least
once. TBS will be airing it continously for
the next 24 hours, starting at 8:00 tonight.
If you have never seen it, do try to catch it sometime tomorrow. I think you'll really enjoy
it. It is one of my favorites. It is set
sometime in the late 40's or early 50's,
though they exact year is never really specified. All about little Ralphie and his wish for a
BB gun for Christmas. Funny as the dickens and there's a lot of scenes that would be familiar
to you.

We'll call you tomorrow.

May the spirit of Christmas bring you peace,
The gladness of Christmas give you hope,
The warmth of Christmas grant you love.
~Author Unknown

Hope you and the Missus have a great Christmas, BigBug!

Merry Christmas! I hope your day's a good one.
I have to echo what Bug said. I love "A Christmas Story" so much -
it always was a tradition to leave the TNT marathon on during preparations for
Christmas dinner. Now, I don't have a television, but I did buy my very own
copy of the movie, and I'll watch it sometime
today.

Enjoy the celebrations!

Hi, Dad. Merry Christmas.

Johnny just called but something happened either on your end or ours. He said the phone went dead or somthing. It could be that you hung up; I don't know.

Anyway, we just wanted to wish you two a nice day.

Santa was good to us; some clothes and books and a few other small items.

I need to get a few things started for dinner. Be sure to scroll down and read back through your comments section. You have several Christmas greetings, as well as posts from me. I see you haven't checking in since Friday.

Hi, Dad.

Kinda cool outside today but, thank
heavens, the wind has stopped.

We had no issues with that storm
that blew through. Lots of leaves,
gum balls and small branches/twigs
down all over the yard.

Hubby was going to get out there
today and clean some of it up,
after he got home.

Just wanted to check in and say
'hello.'

Hi, Dad.

It is kind of cloudy today, though the sun is
peeping out a bit.

Spotted some Carolina chickadees at the bird
bath late yesterday. Also a pair of warblers.
Not sure what kind; I couldn't get a good
look before they flitted off. Myrtle warblers,
I think.

I'd gotten some dried mealworms from Walmart
a couple of weeks ago. I'd been putting them
out in a dish on my patio table in the front
yard. I have yet to see who is eating them.

We still have bluebirds around and at least
one mockingbird. I'm afraid the squirrels
are the ones getting into them, though. I
didn't buy them for the squirrels!

I suppose I'll spot whoever it is, eventually.

What I really need is one of those feeders with
the screened bottom, like you had out at the lake.
I'll have to check around and see if anyone has
some. I know Walmart doesn't. I'm in no rush,
though. When I find one, I find one.

Or I could make my own. Like I'll ever get
around to doing that!

We have rain on tap again for tomorrow. I
don't know why it aways seems to rain on the
weekends, when I have laundry to do. I know
it rains at other times but it seems like it
always interferes with my laundry days.

Got a couple of cold nights coming up. Down
to 32, 34 or so. I know you'll be much colder.

Hope L's party today (or tonight) is a success.

Hi, Dad, and happy Saturday.

It looks like the rain has pulled off
to our northeast. There isn't all
that much in my rain gauge but it
must have gotten windy. We have
twigs, small branches and lawn chairs
all over the front yard. I did pick
the chairs up but the rest will get
cleared up later.

It is not raining now but it is
still cloudy.

I am glad I got a good bit of my
laundry done yesterday. I still
have sheets and a few other things
but I think the weather will be a
lot better tomorrow.

I have NO plans to leave the house
today or tomorrow. I did run to the
grocer for milk and some Italian sausage
(for dinner tomorrow) but that was
it.

I fixed a pot of soup yesterday. Potato,
leek, carrot and ham. I'd never done
one of those before. It came out good. It
would look better if I had one of those
hand held blenders. I just used my old
fashioned, hand held potato masher. It
left a few lumps but who cares, as long as
it tastes good? I'm not serving it to
company.

I'm being a bad girl this morning. I'm
hitting the bottle at 10:00 a.m.!

Week before last, I bought a small bottle of
Bailey's Irish Creme. I thought it would
be nice to have some Irish coffee Christmas
morning. Which Hubby and I did, though I
don't think he cared for it all that much.
He's not that big a fan of coffee, to start
with; he prefers tea.

When I asked how he liked it, he said it was
"OK" but said 'No', when I asked if he wanted
a refill.

It appears that the rest of the bottle is mine,
all mine!

How did the party go yesterday? Wish 'L' a
belated birthday for me. I'm sorry I didn't
get a card off in the mail; I should have but
what with Christmas going on....

Hope you two have a good Saturday.

Happy Sunday, Dad.

I'm kind of late checking in today.

It's nippy outside but sunny.

We still haven't had a freeze yet.
I'm sure it won't be long, though.
Jan. and Feb. tend to be our coldest
months and there's plenty of winter
to come.

I have some red cabbage, some Italian
sausage and potatoes to fix for our
dinner today.

I got the rest of the ham sliced up
and put in the freezer. I had two
packs of slices, one pack of bits
and pieces and the bone. I left
plenty of ham on the bone, too.

We'll get a lot of use out of that
ham.

I still haven't seen who has been
eating those dried mealworms. I
put some out three times yesterday
and they disappeared before I could
see who was getting them.

Hubbyy and Gus are both napping. Again.
Hubbyy went to bed about 8:00 last night
and got up fairly early.

Gus had already been out for his morning
ramble. He finds the sparrows and squirrels
riveting. I think they're just a bit too
quick for him.

Work is going to be fun this coming week.
We will be closed Tuesday. Wednesday,
we'll get a ton of work. I'm still trying
to feel my way around that new program and
it is slow going.

We have no plans for New Years Eve. We
haven't gone out anywhere for New Years
in a long time. Hubby usually heads to
bed early. I sometimes manage to see
the ball drop in Times Square.

I have been reading Dan Brown's book,
"Angels and Demons." He is the author
of "The Da Vinci Code." Both of those
books were made into movies starring
Tom Hanks.

I found the book at the thrift shop and
probably only paid a couple of dollars for
it. I'd evidently shoved it into the book
shelf and forgot about it. I was looking
for something to read the other day and
spotted it. I figured I'd already read it.
I pulled it out, flipped through it and
realized I hadn't. It is a nice hard back,
which is the only type of book I'll buy now.

I seldom buy new books, unless I find something
at Christmas on Barnes & Nobles bargain table.

Best go for now. Hubby wanted me to wash
his work jacket. If I want to get it
dried before he heads off in the morning, I
need to do it now.

Hope you two have a good day. I haven't
heard from Aunt C in a couple of weeks.
I hope she's just been busy and that
neither she nor Uncle G has been sick.
It is that time of year for colds and
whatnot.

OH, I meant to tell you. I need to set you
up a new blog and check to see if your
membership is due for renewal. I think it is.
Once I log on as you down here, to do that,
it will log you off up there.

I planned to do this if I came up right after
Christmas, while I was there. But "L" asked
me to postpone my visit until she was free
to go to the beach. I don't want to wait
that long; your blog is getting too many
comments in it.

Do you remember how to sign back in? You
bring up Wunderground's website. You'll
see that 'Big Bug' will no longer be up
at the top but you will see "Sign In"

Click on 'Sign In', type in your email
and then, in the next block, type in your
password. Then click on "Log in", or "Sign
In" or "OK" or whatever is under the block
where you entered your password.

The paper with your log in info and password
is at the bottom of the stack of papers and
magazines just to the right of your mouse.

If you can't log back in, I hope you remember
how to find your blog by going to the blog
tab and then scroll down and click on your
'Favorites' tab. Then click on your blog
title. Or mine.

Let us all meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.
Mother Teresa

Hi, Dad.

I will log you off tonight and put you
up a new entry. Also renew your member-
ship, if it is due.

So, you will have to log back on tomorrow.

The workload is very light during the
Christmas holidays. They start catching
it all up about a week after Christmas.
I'm pretty busy today. The office is
closed tomorrow. Come Wednesday, I'll
be swamped. And I'm still lost with
this new computer system.

It will get better. One day!

It was COLD this morning and the bird
bath was frozen solid. Not just a
little skim of ice; solid through and
through.

We're supposed to get up to 62 F today.
Tonight won't be that cold. In the 40's,
I think.

Love you.

Changed my mind. I'll do your new blog
tomorrow night.



We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential.

~ Ellen Goodman

Wishing you two a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!

I just checked your menu for tomorrow.

The country ham, collards and black
eyed peas sound good!

Not sure what we'll have. I do need to
run to the grocer tomorrow for fruit. I'm
out of apples. I'll probably go to Piggly
Wiggly. Sometimes, they have someone
outside, grilling baby back ribs. Or they
may have some inside at their hot food
take out.

Hope L's party was a success. Heard she
had 3 functions she was attending this
weekend.

Happy New Year to you! I hope it's a wonderful one for you and yours!

Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit, Dad!

Happy 2013!

I'll get your new entry up sometime later
on today. I thought I'd wait until after
everyone posts in their New Years wishes,
that's going to.

I was over at another website, WordPress,
and reading Bayou Woman's blog. They
were all talking about what they cook
on New Years.

While pork and black eyed peas are eaten,
(just like here) instead of collards, their
preferred green seems to be cabbage.

I heard someone else mention that they fix
cabbage. It makes me wonder where the
western dividing line is:
Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana or Texas?

And just how far north do collards go on
New Years?

I knew eating collards on New Years (for money)
was a Deep South thing but I was a bit
surprised to hear so many people saying
that their local tradition was cabbage.

I didn't hear any of them mention rice, though
it might be a given. They all said cabbage
and black eyed peas.


I was the only one that said "Hoppin' John,"
though what I fix really isn't true "Hoppin'
John." I could never seem to get my liquid
to rice ration right, cooking the beans
with the rice. I just fix them
separately and put the beans on the rice.

Hope you two have a nice, relaxed New Years
Day.

From all of us in New Orleans BigBug