Yep, still crazy

I'm just checking to see if things are still nuts, and yep, they are. The weather continues to be insane. One day it's nearly 80F, the next it's barely hitting double digits for the high. Seriously?! And the winds, don't get me started on the winds. We have trash that needs to be burnt, but we can't because, between the lack of recent precipitation and the winds, they put out a burn ban. Which means that our trash sits in the front bedroom, where it's the coldest, until the ban is lifted, so we can haul it all outside and light it off in a huge pyrotechnic inferno of glory. (Yes, I'm being incredibly sarcastic there.)

Work's been okay, and I'm glad it's basically been pretty much same old, same old. Barring a few hiccups here and there, like when the one carrier belt in my section broke in spectacular fashion Thursday, stopping two of our x-ray lines for over half an hour while maintenance fixed it. And when it broke, it meant floor boys (aka janitors, but we call them floor boys, despite the fact that most of them are senior citizens, lol) got to sweep up the lovely mess of plastic pieces that went flying.

Friday for me was the pits. I don't mind being pulled off my section to do something else, as long as I'm still in debone, where I know the rhythms of things and I'm around people I can talk to, and mostly where you don't spend half the day standing around doing nothing. Nooooo, I get sent to F.P. (Further Processing), where the cooked products are made and packed. This is fine, except that they could honestly pack the product faster and less messily if they did it by hand and used ziploc bags, rather than the bagging machines they use, which have to be:

a - reloaded with more plasfilm regularly
b - make bad bags (holes, too big, not full enough) half the time
and c - said bad bags mean someone (Friday, me, ugh) has to stand there and open all those darn things, and dump them in a hopper to eventually be rebagged, hopefully correctly.

Honestly, it sucked hind tit. I spent more time standing around waiting for someone to find me work than working. I don't mind getting paid to stand around and do nothing, but when it's because of breakdowns, that's different. You know that things are either going to be quickly repaired and it's back to work, or if the repair will take a while, they'll send you all to the break room to wait it out until it's fixed or they say go home, it's going to take awhile longer than we thought. But when it's because nobody can find the oodles of work that were supposedly waiting for you to do, because half their people didn't show up for work so they're shorthanded, it's a bit nuts. And when you have finished up some of it by lunchtime, and are told that they'll have more waiting for you when you get back, then it's an HOUR after you get back from a half-hour lunch before they have more for you to do, it's just ridiculous. My friend at work, Christine, knows how much I hate just standing around doing nothing when there's work to be done. It drives me batty. So in general, the week was good, but it sure could have ended better.

One of the gals I work with, Tasha, has arranged for us to throw a baby shower on February 7 at lunch for another one of our gals, Jamie. Jamie's almost due with a baby boy, not her first child, but we want to do something nice for her. So it's shower time! Truthfully, we Tyson folk look for just about any excuse to party at lunch. Bake sales (for help with funeral expenses, disaster recovery, etc.), birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, babies .. if we can find a way to have a good time, we will manage to do it. Trust me folks, if you need a good job that pays well, has really good insurance and other benefits (the 401K and ESOP are just two), and pays weekly, and you're near a Tyson plant, go for it. It ain't glamorous or anything, and it's usually pretty messy and cold and kind of nasty, but the Tyson family you get makes it worth it. Is it any wonder I went back when Butterball got too stupid to keep hours up and keep people, among other idiocies they practice?

The granny square afghan that was going to go on our couch has decided it's fate. It's silly, I know, to say that an inanimate object like that can decide what it wants, but my needlework speaks to me. I want to be this, yarn will say, or I want to belong to this person, it will say as it's being made up. The afghan has made up it's mind, if it can be said to have one. It wants to go up to Michigan and be Mom's late Christmas/birthday present. Mind, Amber has been so busy that she still hasn't gotten our Christmas presents wrapped, and it's coming awful close to Valentine's, haha!

Why's she been so busy? Well, there's been school, of course, and the part-time job at the Presbyterian church downtown that she's had for a bit now, and now she's got another job involving vocal performance, too. So she's putting her dream to work for her, and I'm so proud of her. Not a lot of kids get to have parents that go, you know what, you want to sing for a living, go for it. She made up her mind when she was four that she was going to grow up to sing.

"I love Phantom of the Opera," she'd declare, "and when I grow up, I'm going to sing Christine AND Carlotta's parts! Just not in the same show, because you can't do that, because they're different characters." And I encouraged her to dream, because she had the voice and talent even then. I told her when she got older, that she likely would have to take a job doing something other than singing to support herself, and she understands that, but her focus is on vocals. It's all she's ever wanted to do, and I know how it feels to have a dream.

Mine was to be a vet, but I couldn't pass chemistry to save myself, and the only other thing I was good at was math. So I got an accounting degree. Funny thing was, I knew so much about animals because of having wanted to be a vet, that it ended up that all the folks locally who had animal-related businesses came to me and mom for their bookwork and taxes when I was working for her. Even when I left, due to economic downturns which led me to Arkansas eventually, they still came flocking to her door. Now that she's retiring, I don't know what they're going to do. But gosh, we had horse stables (boarding and training and riding), a few dog breeders, I don't remember who all.

One old fellow I particularly liked was named Jack. He had Standardbreds, and raced them. He was fond of me, because when he'd come in and mention having bought a new racing bike, he knew I'd understand he meant sulky for racing his horses, and not something to ride in the Tour de France. I kind of miss those days. For me, they were great. Even though my childhood dream of being a vet didn't come true, the knowledge I gained trying to attain it did stand me in very good stead over the years I spent doing number-crunching.

So it was an easy choice to encourage Amber's dream from the start. She had the looks, talent and voice to make it work, she just needed encouragement to give her a push, like training wheels, till she got the impetus to go it on her own. And here she is, twenty-one years old, and making her dreams come true. Great kid, I'm lucky to be her mom. I'm lucky I had the Mom I did, and do, because she encouraged me, too. And when my dream blew up in my face, she encouraged me to find a way to put the knowledge to use anyhow. That's a part of how I ended up working for her for over twelve years.

And now, I work with chickens. Dead ones, to be sure, but I work with animals nevertheless. Not quite what I dreamed of doing, but it's a start. And now, I have to get back to that afghan. A mere dozen squares left to attach and then the border and it's ready to go. And three-quarters of the baby sweater I'm making for Jamie's baby shower. Shhhh!!! Don't tell her! It's a secret!

Oh yeah, and we got asked to do weekend overtime in F.P. again this weekend. Uh, no. I understand that they have to ask, it's regulations, but it really gets on my nerves a bit. But Saturday's running and chores got done like normal, so that's all to the good. My head isn't in a great place right now, I've had some bad news that's difficult to deal with, but I'm managing. Hugs, all. I have to get busy on this week's booklist, and go from there to get other things done, too, as much as I can. Till next time! (And, no, I haven't gone back to the adf.ly links, I just like the text links better.)

FREE KINDLE BOOKS FOR THIS WEEK

HOMESTEADING BOOKS

CONTAINER GARDENING: IDEAS & WOODWORKING PLANS HOW TO PRODUCE MORE ORGANIC VEGETABLES IN LESS SPACE
Chickens: Raising Chickens, Choosing The Best Chickens, Chicken Feeding & Care
Worm Composting: & Composting Ideas for use in Organic Gardening & Growing of Vegetables & Herbs
How To Make A Homemade Incubator
I CAN CAN RELISHES, Salsa, Sauces & Chutney!! How to make relishes, salsa, sauces, and chutney with quick, easy heirloom recipes from around the world ... or sell (I CAN CAN!! Frugal Living Series)
The Homemakers Journal: Natural Cleaners
Vegetable Container Gardening: Growing Vegetables In Containers & Planters (Gardening Techniques)
Healing Herbs for the Ornamental Garden (Herbal Medicine from Your Garden or Windowsill)
Happy Hens: A Beginner's Guide to Keeping Chickens.
COOKBOOKS

Paleo Snack Recipes : Fast And Easy Paleo Snacks Your Kids Will Devour (And So Will You!)
35 Christmas Dessert Recipes: Quick Recipe Guide to Holiday Pies, Cakes and Candy
Simply Delicious Italian Cakes & Cheesecake Recipes - (Delicious Collection of Italian Cakes and Cheescake Recipes)
EASY ONE BOWL CAKES AND CUPCAKES PLUS FROSTING! - Easy, No-Fuss Cake and Cupcake Recipes - 40 Favorite Recipes!
Turkey Recipes: Delicious New Ways To Serve The Classic Turkey. (Simple Recipe Series)
Spring Roll Recipes: A Classic And Creative Collection Of Spring Roll Recipes. (Simple Recipe Series)
The Part-Time Vegan Cookbook: Vegetables For Every Day
Best Recipes Dinner Collection - Chicken, Chili, Meatloaf, Slow Cooker
35 Recipes For Slow Cooker Beef - Beef Slow Cooker Recipes To Try (The Slow Cooker Meals And Slow Cooker Recipes Collection)
Simply Delicious Assorted Italian Desserts, Plus Easter Holiday Desserts! Cakes, Crostata, Tarts, Cream Puffs, Ricotta Cheese Pies, and More!
35 Coffee Cake Recipes - The Ultimate Coffee Cake Recipe Collection (The Cake Recipes and Recipes For Cakes Series)
30 Paleo Salad Recipes - Simple & Easy Paleo Salad Recipes (Paleo Recipes)
Pressure Cooker Recipes: Essential, Easy To Follow Recipes You Can Make With A Pressure Cooker. (Simple Recipe Series)
My Redneck Family's Home Cookin Volume 2
A Christmas Collection: Classic Cookies and Fudge
30 Gluten Free Meals - Tasty Gluten Free Dinner Recipes To Try Tonight (Gluten Free Cookbook - The Gluten Free Recipes Collection)
Slow Cooker Christmas Recipes: Holiday Crockpot Recipes For A Wonderful, Stress-Free Christmas. (Simple Slow Cooker Series)
35 Easy Weeknight Dinners - The Easy Winter Recipes and Winter Food Cookbook (Quick and Easy Recipes - The Weeknight Dinners Collection)
29 Gluten Free Soup Recipes and Stew Recipes - Delicious Gluten Free Soup and Stew Recipes To Try (Gluten Free Cookbook - The Gluten Free Recipes Collection)
Making 30 Glorious Pasta Recipes: An Exuberant Collection of Fresh, Vivid, and Simple Pasta Recipes
Best Easy Mexican Recipes (Mexican Food Cookbook, Burrito, Nachos, Tacos, Chili, Enchiladas Book)
Lemon Recipes: 30+ Amazing Recipes Using Natures Super Citrus (The Simple Recipe Series) Ginger Recipes: 33 Mouth-Watering Recipes Using Natures Super Spice For Weight Loss, Health, And Beauty. (The Simple Recipe Series)
Christmas Dinner Recipes: Holiday Dinner Recipes For A Wonderful, Stress-Free Christmas. (Simple Christmas Series)
Christmas Casserole Recipes: Holiday Casserole Recipes For A Wonderful, Stress-Free Christmas (Simple Christmas Series)
Chicken Breast Recipes: Recreating This Classic Ingredient Into Creative And Delicious Dishes. (Simple Recipe Series)
Top 30 Mouth-Watering, Most-Recommended And Most-Wanted German One Dish Recipes
Top 30 Mouth-Watering, Most-Recommended And Most-Wanted German Main Dish Recipes
Breakfast Sandwich Recipes: Easy, Tasty Breakfast Sandwich Recipes To Start The Day Right. (Simple Recipe Series)
Okay, that's all the books I have time to list this week. Gosh, I'll be so glad when we get internet at home sometime in March, because then I can put together the list during the week, and post daily! Won't that be a hoot!