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Monday, January 31, 2011

back to 80%

Good morning.
I continue to be on the mend. Saturday morning, I was maybe at 20%. Sunday, 50%. Today, I'm feeling 80%. There's still some swollen/tenderness in the neck, and still a little soreness in the throat, but the energy level has increased markedly. I just returned from cleaning the Salon. :-)
So with me being at low wattage yesterday, no physical exertions. So most of the day I sat and worked on the puzzle. I'm not much of a TV watcher.

I just started this one yesterday, and have it about half done. It's a 1000 piece puzzle. Of course I've done the easy parts first. Now comes the palm trees in the background. :-)
I had an omelet for breakfast that went down pretty good, and a bowl of cream of chicken soup for lunch that went down real good. Craig made Chicken Cordon Bleu for dinner with noodles Alfredo and steamed zucchini with butter and Parmesan. My appetite had come back and I carefully ate it all.
And they say a strong winter storm is heading this way. 7-15 inches. Yuk! Maybe it'll miss us. :-)

Sunday, January 30, 2011

a Big Bad BUG bit me!

Good morning.
It started Friday afternoon, after I returned from Sparrow Hospital. I had gone there to cut a customer who had fallen, broke her hip, and was not going home soon. She was actually being sent to a rehab facility that afternoon.
Anyway, after I got back to work, I felt a little scratchy spot in my throat. By that evening it had developed into a massive, swollen, sore throat. I felt miserable. I could hardly swallow through the pain. I took some meds and went to bed around 7pm. I awoke at 9pm drenched and freezing. I was running a fever, sweating profusely and freezing at the same time. Craig threw a couple of throws on top of the blankets. I lay there curled in a ball trying to stay warm. Around 1am I crawled out of the wet sheets and layed on top of the bedspread and under the throws. I tried sipping on water to stay hydrated but it was very painful to swallow. I got up around 5am, took some more meds, gargled with warm salt water, and curled up on the easy chair with the throws. I drifted in and out for the next couple of hours, getting up only to gargle with the salt water. Around 8am, I crawled to my customer files and called my 8:30 and 9:30 to cancel. I could barely speak, but they understood. Craig wanted me to wake him early so he could go in and cancel them for me. I couldn't see waking him up any sooner than he needed to. One of us should get a good nights rest. :-)
I snuggled up back on the chair and dozed off. Around 8:30, Craig comes out saying, "don't you have an 8:30?" I told him I called the first 2 so he could sleep. He took his shower, grabbed my files, and went off to work. He had to cancel the rest of the days appointments. I dozed off and on in the chair for most of the morning.
Around noon, I felt well enough to throw the sheets in the wash. Then layed back down. Around 1, I felt I should try and eat something, so I fixed a couple of scrambled eggs. I was able to carefully swallow them. My throat was still sore, but not near as sore as when I got up. I was dozing in the chair when Craig returned home around 3pm. He took my temp. It was 100.9. I felt exhausted and worn. I kept gargling and medicating. By dinner time, I managed to get down some Salisbury Hamburger Helper. The sauce and noodles made it easier, and my throat was doing a bit better.
I went to bed around 8pm, hoping I'd awake better. I had some night sweats off and on and at one point put a throw over the sheets so I'd have something dry to sleep on. I managed to get some sleep and when I awoke this morning, my neck is still quite swollen and tender, but my throat is feeling better to the point I can swallow pretty good. My temp this morning is back to normal. So I appear to be on the mend. :-)
I'm going to skip cleaning the Salon today, as I don't want to over do it to soon. Even though I'm feeling pretty good right now, It may be short lived. :-)
I'll go in early tomorrow. I hope to be back to normal by then.
I was so tired of laying around yesterday, that I did manage to work on the puzzle later in the afternoon, and finished it.
This one was fun to do. Lot's of different colors and textures.
Since I'll probably take it real easy today, I'll probably start the next one.
And I'm feeling a little hungry. That's a good sign, right?

Friday, January 28, 2011

slow week, long winter

Good morning.
It's been a slow week in the Salon.
Mid January to end of February is usually like this. We have a lot of customers who winter in warmer climates, so that income is gone. We do a lot of chemical services just before Christmas, so they won't need redoing until March. So this time of year is good to get some extra maintenance done.
I've gone in early twice this week to clean the floors. We've had flurries nearly every day and causes a mess with the floors. I'm going in early today for that same reason. :-(
And more snow is predicted tonight. At least we're not getting the heavy stuff that they are getting out east. :-)
And I've got a long day today as I need to go to the hospital after work. A customer of mine is in there do to an accident, and won't be going home for a while. She's due to go into rehab next week, but really wants her hair cut asap. So I'll do that today, and will probably see her in rehab in a month. I'm not sure how bad she was hurt, I didn't have a lot of time to talk when she called. I get the details this afternoon.
And with all the snow we've been getting, I'm thinking we'll lay low again this weekend.
There have been a lot of accidents, as new snow keeps slicking up the roads, so it's good not to be out on them any more than necessary. :-) Usually in Michigan, at least Lansing, we get dumped on and then a quiet spell, but the last few weeks have been nearly constant daily flurries.
Anyway, have a great weekend!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

I did it!

Good morning.
That's right, I did it!
I don't know how or why, but I did it!
I managed to go the entire 3 day weekend doing absolutely nothing of substance!
I did do the dishes after meals, and I did shower every day, but got nothing productive done.
I spent the entire weekend either on the puter, or on the puzzle, which after just 2 days is over half done, and it's a 1000 piece puzzle.
The cleaning bug was no where to be found.
And another work week lies ahead.
So, that's my post to sum up the weekend.
Nothing.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

pretty as a picture

Good morning.

What better way to start this post than with a pretty picture!
This of course was our dinner last evening. I just love these spicy-sweet pork cutlets! Since we first tried them, we've been hooked! And so easy to make! We added marinated broiled zucchini with Parmesan, and stove top stuffing with added onion, mushrooms, and celery. A very tasty meal!

I know, I talk about food a lot, but in the winter, with it nasty outside, and stuck indoors, what else is there? :-)

And yesterday was another lazy ass day. I got nothing done around the house. We went out and did our usual bank, post office and grocery shopping, and also picked up some supplies for the upcoming mo-ho season. A new water filter, tp, and holding tank deodorizer.

Back home, I broke down the first puzzle and started the second on. That and playing on the puter was pretty much all I did. :-)

We'll see if the cleaning bug bites today, but that's looking unlikely....

Monday, January 24, 2011

Bing? or Google Earth?

Good morning.
Another bitter cold morning, but a slight warm-up is on the way.
Yesterday was a non-productive day. For me anyway. Craig did his usual bookwork and laundry, and even made a tasty turkey/rice casserole for dinner.
Me, I managed to finish the puzzle. :-)


But that was pretty much it.
I spent the rest of the day playing on the puter and catching up on my blogs. We did Bing some potential campgrounds. I find we're using Bing more than Google Earth. When you switch from angled to non-angle view, it's actually a different camera shot. So you can see with leaves and without for a lot of them. Now Google Earth street view is freakishly kinda cool. I was able to go right to my house. It's weird to think someone drove down the road taking pics of my house! But street view is mainly for cities, not rural areas.
We also watched the first episode of the second season of Spartacus. It was pretty good. Definitely not for kids!

Anyway, it was a nice do nothing sort of day. Those are nice now and then. :-)

Sunday, January 23, 2011

tech tip # 32764

Good morning.

I've just returned from cleaning the Salon.
With flurries nearly every day, the Salon was a mess!
And as you can see, It was a frozen -7 out when I went. The car groaned, but started right up. It never did get very warm by time I got there.
But the forecast looks like we'll bet back to 'normal' temps by early in the week. At least normal for Lansing.
The week ended on a busy note. So a good week over all. Got home around 2:30pm, and relaxed with cocktails and the puzzle. It's over 3/4th done. Should finish today. :-)

And now I'll finish the post I was going to do last week and forgot.
Twice a year, I back up important stuff on my puter. Mainly my pics, and my favorites list.
I would be lost if my puter died and I didn't have all my favorite web sites and blogs saved.
You can save them to a disk or flash drive.

First, you have to go to windows explorer, and find the files to save.

So...

1. start,

2. all programs,

3. accessories,

4. windows explorer.
Now of course, I have windows xp. Other versions might be a little different.
After you open windows explorer, scroll to....

1. my computer,

2. local disk. Mine is C;

3. documents and settings,

4. me,

and there you'll see your 'favorite' folder.

Open your storage device, click and drag the folder to it to save.

Then do the same for your pics. I save mine in a folder under documents.

So follow the steps above to 'me', then click on the documents folder.Click and drag that to the storage device. Follow the same procedure for any other folders, and your stuff is no safe if your puter dies. :-)
And that's my tech tip of the day!

Now time for my shower.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

blah, blah, blah

Good morning.
Well, my background reappeared, and Photobucket didn't find any problems, so I guess it was just a temporary quirk. :-\
Weather wise it's all of 7 out right now. We're going to be in the single digits at night for the next several days. That's damn cold!
Work ended early yesterday, and I was fortunate enough that one of the other stylists had a break, so I was able to get my hair highlighted and cut. I feel much better now. :-)
I also ran over to GFS (Gordons Food Service) to pick up coffee creamer, gloves, toilet paper, and paper towels for the Salon.
Then over to Meijer's for weekend groceries, and home.
Worked on the puzzle, (over half done now) and nailed down another RV trip. We now have 6 confirmed and a 7th pending. Hoping for around 12-13 again this year.
And a busy day at the Salon today, then we get another weekend!
So that's it for now!

Friday, January 21, 2011

brrrrrrr

Good morning.
Winter has taken us in it's frigid grasp. It's currently 11 our going for a high of 14. brrrrrrrr

We haven't gotten much snow, which is nice.
It's been a busy couple of days in the Salon, although today looks like I'll be done early. :-)
Not that it matters because I'll just come home and stay inside.
We've got our first puzzle about half done, and that'll probably be our entertainment for the weekend.
The Kia has sat in the garage since we brought it home last Friday. I don't think Craig will let me drive it until the snow is gone. :-\
And the weekend menu is looking like this.... Tonight, Boca burgers and oven fries, tomorrow, taco's, and Sunday, his tasty turkey rice casserole.
So, that's about all I have to say for now.
Have a great weekend!

Stay warm! :-)

ps, it seems I've lost my background. It's hosted on Photobucket and for some reason, I can't access any of my albums there either. I've sent an e-mail to determine the problem.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

And I'm off!

Good morning.
It's 19 out, going for a high of 26. I only post this so my warm weather readers can relish their weather. :-)
We didn't get hardly any snow yesterday. Woke up to rain, but that was on top of sleet. The main roads were fine, and we got our shopping, banking, and post office errands done.
With mild temps, (high was 34), I ran the mo-ho generator, checked the house batteries, and checked the inside. We still appear to be rodent free. ;-)
We spent the rest of the day working on the puzzle, playing games on the puter, and researching some other possible camping trips.
Dinner was seasoned Panko Chicken with fried potatoes and a new creation, Broccoli Almondine. It was really good! Craig's not a big fan of veggies, so I need a clever way to get him to eat them. He ate these all up! :-)
I also did a back-up of important stuff on my puter. I try and do this twice a year. I'll go into more details tomorrow, because I have a ridiculously early work day today. I usually start between 9-10am, but I have to go in at 7:15 this morning. I don't remember why I booked this appointment so early, but there must have been a good reason to get my butt there that early. :-)
So I gotta go iron a shirt to wear, slice up some carrots and celery for day-time snacks, and get ready for work.
See you tomorrow!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

How often do you clean your puter?

Good morning.
It's currently 34 out with a mixture of rain and sleet. Expecting to turn colder as the day progresses. Should make for some fun driving. I'm leaving the Kia in the garage. :-)
Yesterday, I did manage to clean the Salon. And after Craig got up, we did a little grocery shopping.
I was going to run the mo-ho generator, but with temps of only 22 and a stiff bitter cold easterly wind. I changed my mind. :-) Maybe today.
My main project for the day was computer maintenance. Regular readers will know that every January, I clean up the tower. Since I have an 'old' computer from 2002, I have a massive tower. And here's what it looked like when I opened it up.

See the front and rear vents? All plugged with dust!

I take the vacuum and suck the dust off the vents, then use canned air to blow out all the dust from inside. Then vacuum that all up. I do this once a year to keep it running cool. Over heating is the main cause for problems. As bad as the vents looked, I should probably do it twice a year, but in the summer, I don't think of indoor stuff. :-)
I couldn't do Craig's because I ran out of air. (you know I meant canned air right?)
So we'll pick that up today.
With all the year end bookwork done, that gives Craig a little down time, so we started our first puzzle of the winter.
And there's an RV show this coming weekend. Maybe I can talk Craig into going. Just to look of course. :-)
And for dinner, we had smoked pork chops, mashed potatoes and gravy, and broiled asparagus.
And that's it for now!

Monday, January 17, 2011

I was down, but now I'm up

Good morning.
Sorry I didn't do my usual Sunday post, but I was a bit under the weather.
I woke up at my usual 5am, and sat down at the puter. After about 5 minutes or so, I felt exhausted and light headed. I laid down on the couch for a bit. I dozed off and on for a while. Then, all of a sudden, it was 8am! I never sleep that late! I thought I'm probably coming down with something.
So, I never got the Salon cleaned and I pretty much laid low all day.
Craig was busy with laundry and finishing up the year end stuff.
I did manage to book another camping weekend. We now have 5 booked, and another one planned.
Craig made a tasty cabbage roll casserole for dinner. And with not much on TV, we watched Lord of the Rings on DVD.
Today I feel just fine, so not sure what was going on. So I'm off early to clean the Salon before any stylists arrive.
Oh, and I just realized, this is my 1000th post! Wow! That's a lotta posts!

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Our baby's back!

Good morning.
Yep! We picked up our Kia Friday evening.
It looks just like brand new!
Which of course, I guess it should. :-)
I was amazed that they got it all done in less than a week! I mean, I just took it in on Monday, and it was done on Friday!

But I'm glad it's home and that whole issue is now behind us.

And one more day of work, and another weekend!

We'll try to get a few more camping destinations decided on, but other than that, probably not too much. :-)

We had shredded barbecued pork sandwiches for dinner with the pork that was left from last Monday's roast.

Tonight, it's home made nachos! Yum!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

The cost? $4280.70

Good morning.
That's right, the cost to repair my Kia is $4280.70.
I actually had no idea what it would cost, but everyone said it wouldn't be cheap.
Fortunately, my share is just my deductible of $500.


So the insurance company cut me a 2 party check for $3780.70.
Of course, labor is 1/3 of the cost.
So I called the body shop to inform them the claim was approved, and they already had it in the paint shop. They knew it would be approved. They do this kind of stuff every day.
So I should probably get it back early next week. :-)
And in other news.....
If you remember way back in the early summer of last year, Our phone system died. It needed a new hard drive. It's basically a puter.
Well, the repair man suggested we get a power management system to help prevent future problems. It's suppose to regulate the power that goes through it so the "puter" doesn't get power spikes or brown-outs that could shorten it's life.
Well, we've put it off because of the coast, but last week, Officemax sent me a 20% off coupon, so I took advantage of that and free shipping to get us one.
It's really quite the piece of technology! It's completely programmable for all sorts of stuff I'll never use. :-)
But it does do what we need, and it also has battery back-up, so if the power goes out, our phones will still work. That aspect itself will be worth the price.
And work has still be slow this week, but next weeks books are looking real good.
And remember the Alzheimer patient I've been doing once a month?
Well, I was suppose to see her last week, but she was very sick, so we rescheduled for this week. I was about to call and confirm the time Wednesday morning when Craig showed me the paper. She had passed on Monday.
In a way, I feel good that the family doesn't have to see her get any worst. But I know, it's never easy to lose a loved one, no matter what the reason.
But now, it's time for me to get ready for work.
Have a good weekend!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

weekend recap

Good morning.
I've just come back inside after clearing the snow out of the driveway. We got about 3+ inches during the day yesterday. The main system looked like it went just south of us.
Yesterday, was playing on the puter, and confirming a few more camping dates. We have a possible 14 weekends this season. With gas prices, we may pare that down to 10 or so. We'll see.
We have 5 definite weekends planned and another 4 to set in stone, so to speak. And just when you think there's nothing else to see or do in a 3-6 hr radius, something new pops up.
And I did hear from Tom and Dean, and Mark and Craig. That helps clear up the schedule a bit more. Thanks guys for responding so fast! I know, we do plan things way to early, but it helps us through this long winter. :-)
And I also got a call from the insurance company. They're sending me a 2 party check for the claim. I'll be interested in seeing what this is costing.
And nothing too interesting for dinner this past weekend. It was home made pizza on Saturday, pork and saurkraut Sunday, Monday was turkey burgers, and Tuesday was chicken helper. All good, but nothing exciting. :-)
We also ordered Craig's Zetia. (cholesterol medication) It's pretty bad we have to get it from Canada, but we have no prescription coverage, and it's $100 a month here. There, it's $13 a month. Big difference.
And now it's time to get ready for another work week!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

another trip planned

Good morning.
Winter has settled in good. So far, not a lot of snow, just very cold. 9 getting up. High around 27. They are predicting a few inches today and tonight. We'll see.
We got the Kia in at 8am yesterday, and we were third in line with a collision issue. It looks like their body shop is keeping quite busy.
They said they'd call and let me know when and what will be done. Didn't hear anything yesterday, but like I said, they looked very busy. And fortunately, I don't need it back right away. Of course, that means Craig has to drive his 1998 Honda Accord, which up until this winter, has never seen snow. I told him by the time this year's salt starts to do any visible damage, he probably won't have the car by then.
Then we went to the bank, the post office, and the township offices. Craig needed to pick up a form the township won't mail out anymore. They want everyone to do it on-line. Well Craig needed to make some changes and didn't want to mess with any on-line problems. Craig's a little anal that way. :-)
Then a quick stop at Meijer's and back home.
Craig did laundry, and helped me scope out more places to go this summer. We booked another campground. This one up north near Boyne City at Young State Park.
We will be attending the National Morel Mushroom festival.
Now we've never ate Morel's, but They're suppose to be quite the delicacy. Should be a fun trip!
And it looks like a long weekend to Toledo, and Maumee Bay State Park which is having it's Harbor Lighthouse Festival and Toledo's Polish Festival.


The light house was built in 1904.
And it's the oddest looking of all the
light houses we've seen to date.
So we're still searching for more destinations, and waiting to hear from our Wisconsin camping friends, Tom and Dean, about another trip. hint, hint.
And maybe we can hook up with out Memphis friends, Mark and Craig, in Cincinnati or Columbus, on their way to or from their east coast trip this summer. hint, hint.
So the summer camping season is beginning to take shape. Let's hope the gas prices don't get a lot higher.

Monday, January 10, 2011

My poor Kia

Good morning.
Okay, I've finally got the strength to back the Kia out of the garage to take a good look at it.
Here's the pics......




Poor little Kia. :-(
See that bar pushing against the radiator? That's the 'bumper' support.
Surprisingly, it didn't look as bad as I remembered.
I can't imagine what it will cost to repair it.
And Lewis, considering I hit a concrete post, I'm lucky it didn't smash farther into the engine.
Any who, yesterday, a very tiny cleaning bug bit. I vacuumed, and dusted. I love the house when it's clean. I just wished I love cleaning. :-)
Then I took Garret's wise advice and played on the puter. I'm really hooked on a game called Might and Magic: Heroes Kingdoms. You play it on-line. It's free. I always like free! :-)
And Craig and I sat down and figured out what weekends we can take off this year. We actually booked 2 already! Our first trip in April, just a mere 12 weeks away or so is to Holland State Park. It's one of the more popular parks thats always too busy to get into, so off season is our only chance. We've also booked a June trip to Indiana Dunes State Park. You know we like this park because of it's proximity to Chicago.
Now we just need to figure out where else we want to go this year. :-)
Now time for my shower, wake up Craig, and take Kia in.

Sunday, January 09, 2011

morning

Good morning.
As per my Sunday ritual, I've just returned from cleaning the Salon. It takes longer this time of year due to the messy weather being tracked into the Salon. I wonder if I could make everyone take their shoes off at the door. I could give them cute little footies to wear. :-)
I'm letting Craig sleep in as long as he wants today, because tomorrow I have to be at the Kia dealer at 8am and he wants to follow me in case the damage to the car causes me not to make it there. I can drive it, and there are no puddles of strange liquid on the garage floor. The bumper little metal bar that goes across the front is bent and pushed into the radiator bending that also. But apparently there isn't anything right behind the radiator. And the radiator doesn't appear to be leaking. And, I didn't dare open the hood that's crunched in the front for fear I may not be able to relatch it. So, I'll try and drive it to the dealer.
So anyway, I have to get Craig up very early tomorrow.
The week ended nice and busy, although next week is looking slow. We'll see if the phone rings a lot or not. :-)
Today, we'll lay low as Craig has loads of bookwork to do. Besides the weekly bookwork he has estimated taxes, and 1099's.
Me, maybe I'll do some cleaning, then again,maybe not.
So now, it's back to my games! :-)

Friday, January 07, 2011

Friday post

Good morning.
Well, it's been a busy week in the Salon. Craig has been mostly preoccupied with year end stuff, so not dwelling on the Kia too much. We take it in on Monday to get an estimate and hopefully fixed. The insurance adjuster is also meeting us there on Monday. I'm not sure what the purpose of the adjuster is. The company already okayed my choice of where to take it. I guess they want to make sure it's damaged before they let go of the money to fix it.
Anyway, the girl in the office said my rate will likely go up because it's an 'at fault' accident. I told Craig that if they raise our rates because of this little claim, I'm taking my business elsewhere. We pay nearly $3000.00 a year to this company. We have 3 cars, the mo-ho, the car caddy, the house, and our umbrella policy all with this company. They're making a lot of money from us, so if they try to raise our rates, I'll take my money elsewhere.
I hate insurance companies! :<(
Anyway, we'll get this done and get it past us.
And it's getting time to start looking and booking campgrounds for the up coming summer. I know, summer is still long ways off, but if you want any of the more popular campgrounds, they book up early. I told Craig yesterday, that if he wants to go anywhere for the 4th of July, we need to make that soon. I checked, and a lot of the campgrounds are 3/4th booked already.
And that's all for now.

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

The good, the bad, the real ugly......

Good morning.
First, the good.
As you read in the last post, we went to Detroit for Craig's BIG 60th birthday.
We stayed at the beautiful Greektown casino Hotel.
We splurged a little and got an Executive corner king room on the top (30th) floor.

Here's the birthday boy with the view we had.
looking left out the window is the Renaissance center, home of GM.
And straight out is the downtown area. Greektown sits on the east side of downtown.
We checked in on Sunday afternoon for 2 nights. Shortly after we arrived, the Detroit Lions, who were playing their last game at Ford field just a few blocks north let out.
See the crowds of people streaming out of the facility?
And just below us sat the Greektown area. Lot's of great restaurants there. We went down to the casino, which was very busy. We did manage to find enough machines to play. We left around 8pm. Craig was up $100 or so, and I was down about 30. I called Pizza Papalis before we left, and ordered a pizza. Went back to our room, grabbed my coat, and went to pick it up. We spent the rest of the evening watching TV and eating and drinking.
Monday morning, we hit the breakfast buffet, then hopped on the people mover, to get a little view of the city. Detroit has lost nearly half it's population over the last decade, and it shows with many boarded up buildings. Yet, there are pockets of life and urban renewal projects going on.
If you look close, you'll see a Christmas tree and ice skating rink. This was in a park about 6 blocks from the hotel.
We ended up going over to the MGM casino. The largest one out of Detroit's 3. We enjoyed this one a lot! Probably because I left with $90 more than I arrived with. :-)
Then it was lunch at our hotel, and over to our casino, which wasn't nearly as busy as the night before. We ended the trip with all the money we brought, plus about $150 extra. Very good!
Dinner was gyro's at another greektown restaurant.
Tuesday morning had us up early and arriving back in Lansing around 10:30.
Now the bad.....
Upon arriving at home, I had 2 messages on my answering machine. It was a very good customer wanting me to go in on Tuesday and do her hair for an unexpected trip to the Mayo clinic in Minnesota. Ugh!
I never work on Tuesday, but decided to go in since she did give me a very good Christmas tip.
I could have just told her the next time I saw her that I was out of town and didn't get home in time, but that's not me.
So, I went in. It was snowing when we got home, but the main roads were pretty good, so I took Kia to work. Did her hair, and headed home.
And now, the very ugly.......
I decided to cut through a neighborhood on the way home to avoid all the lights and a major intersection. Halfway through I went around a tight cure. But I didn't make it.....
As I started the curve, the car just slid forward. It was sheer ice, The anti-lock brakes didn't do a thing to stop me. It was like slow motion as I slid right across the road and head-on into a light post. I was only going about 15 mph, and just bumped the post. The airbags didn't even deploy. I backed up, got out to find my new KIA with a crunched front end. Now back when I had my '61' Ford Galaxie, I wouldn't of even had a scratch, but 50 years later, these cars don't even have bumpers. It's all just molded plastic, which in my case, split right open.
So after 40 years of driving, my first accident. I suppose I should be happy I didn't hit another car, or that I didn't get hurt, But I felt terrible!
And no, I didn't take a picture of it. It's in the garage where I can't see it. And it'll stay there until we take it in next Monday for an estimate and repair.
They say, no good deed goes unpunished. Well, they're right.

Tuesday, January 04, 2011

a birthday trip

Good morning.
My lack of posts means just one thing. A trip!
We left Sunday for Detroit, and the Greektown Casino Hotel.
The occasion?
Craig's really big birthday!
That's right! One of those 'milestone' birthdays.
He hit the really BIG 60!
So we splurged a little going for a corner room on the top floor of the hotel. That's 30 stories above the city with floor to ceiling windows on 2 sides.
I'm writing this as I let Craig sleep a bit longer before we head back to Lansing.
We had a great time! Ate way to much wonderful Greek food in Greektown. Actually won a little money, and really enjoyed our stay.
I'll post some pics later after we return home.

Sunday, January 02, 2011

the 2nd day of 2011

Good morning.
And again, Happy New Year!
I've just returned from cleaning the Salon. Again.
Our day yesterday went pretty much as expected. Craig labored endlessly on year-end totals for the Salon, taking a break now and then to clear his head.
I stayed low, doing laundry, taking down the tree, and playing on the puter.
Craig later informed me the Salon had a nice little profit this year despite the maintenance and improvements we made. So that well go to funding our IRA's. :-)
And for lunch we had the rest of the Kraut soup, (which is really good!) and dinner was roast beef sandwiches. Craig celebrated his book keeping progress with a glass of ChocoVine. I think he's hooked. :-)
And our slight warm spell that melted all our snow is gone. It's 22 out this morning and snowing again.
Well, 3 more days off and lovin it!

Saturday, January 01, 2011

first post of 2011

Good morning, and a Happy New Year to you all!
We finished Friday around 2pm. Went to Meijer's for our annual New Year's Eve pig-out purchases, and went home to relax and eat and drink.
We started out with a small bowl of kraut soup that a customer gave us for Christmas. I must say, I'll need to get that recipe. It was really good!
Next, it was mini cheddar sausages. So greasy and tasty!
After playing on the puter a while, it was guacamole and chips while we watched the news casts.
Then later, it was meat and cheese, as in bologna and swiss.
We also opened that bottle of Choco Vine a customer gave us. It didn't look to appetizing, but with the first taste, we were hooked! It tastes a lot like Baileys! But a hack of a lot cheaper! I have a new sipping drink!
We ended the evening with wings and the movie Terminator Salvation.
No, we didn't see the ball drop. We were in bed by 10:30pm. :-)
And with 2010 over, Craig now has an unbelievable amount of book work to do, so I'll lay low today, and stay out of his way. :-)
And after that obscene amount of food yesterday, (I'm still stuffed!)we'll have a home made cinnamon roll thingy a customer gave us for lunch, and dinner will be roast beef sandwiches, and the rest of that kraut soup!
Now I'm off to the Salon to take down the Christmas decorations while Craig gets his beauty rest. :-)