Better Day

Today has been a bit better day.  Last night was rough, though.  I fell asleep around 9 p.m. with the tv on.  Woke back up, clicked it off and went right back to sleep.  But I woke again around midnight.  I laid in bed (with Mike and three dogs, we were baby sitting my nieghbor's dog cause he had to go somewhere).  I just couldn't go back to sleep.  It was nearly 2 a.m., so I got up and watched Animal Planet.  About 3 a.m. I went back to bed, but couldn't sleep still.  It was around 4:30 a.m. when I finally dozed off, and had to get up at 6 a.m. for work.  So I got very little sleep last night.

Got a call from SFC Cook today before lunch.  I was gonna call her if she hadn't called after lunch.  She had bad news and good news.  The bad news is that there were too many people worried about rules and regs than good soldiers.  So I am getting outprocessed from the Army Reserves.  I was considering going back to my old part time job at a local gas station.  Last time I worked there they got robbed, and one of my co-workers was shot in the back of the head point blank.  (He lived)  Plus, I'd be getting home around 1 a.m. and having to get up at 6 a.m.  I'd certainly be able to make more money, but I'd be working every week as opposed to one weekend a month.  There was good news, however.  She said that once the paper work was processed (2-4 weeks) I could take that same paperwork right down to a recruiter and get right back in, and even got back to the same unit I was in.  Of course, you know I argued the stupidity of that.  It is a complete waste of time, money, personnel, and paperwork.  But then again, we are talking about the government.  So, I probably will not be participating in March's drill, which is okay, because it is a field experience with boring classes and running another range at Fort Bragg.  I really was not looking foreward to it.

As far as my civilian job, it is quite a headache right now.  We are doing a full annual inventory this weekend, which means late night Friday and all day Saturday at work.  That should help because it means overtime.  But it also means that I have to have everything I do for the whole district, including end-of-month reports done right away, and right.  I'm finding crazy mistakes that are not necessarily ours, that date back as far as last August!  That's part of why I was cranky yesterday.  I know this will all spill into next week as well.  I just want it to hurry and get over all ready!

AND......I was excited about my hens that we raised from last spring and summer starting to lay this year.  But I got a huge disappointment this week!  Four of the five RI/Buff hens are squaring off now and trying to become fathers!  I now have four red-headed cockrels that I have no use for!  Unless I can find them new homes, they will probably end up in the freezer.  I just won't be the one to do the ugly deed.  I simply cannot kill any animal that I have been feeding and taking care of in captivity.  I'll probably give one of the chickens to a neighbor if they do the deed for me.  I want February to just be over now!!

Good Weekend, Bad Monday

We had a very nice weekend.  It was sunny and fairly warm!  Saturday, Mike made another little chicken coop.  And I spent a good part of the day cleaning out the storage shed.  It was so full that you could barely get inside the door.  I cleared out tons of junk!  There is so much space in there now! 

Our friend, Les, had gotten a few roosters from us earlier this year.  He ended up returning some.  He returned two white silkie roosters because he didn't really have room for them.  Then he returned a white mixed bantam rooster.  The white bantam (which is a pretty bird) got put in with another bantam hen that just started laying her first eggs a couple of weeks ago.  One of the silkie roosters also got put in with another bantam hen that just started laying.  I didn't know if that would work, but he's topping her (that's what I call it anyway, to be mild).  So we will see how that goes, eh?!

Then, my younger sister called to just say hi, and Mike told her to bring the kids over to spend the night.  So she did.  And it started out pleasant.  But Saturday night didn't end well.  Cheyanne is eight years old, and did quite well.  Joel, who just celebrated his sixth birthday last month, had a big problem.  First, a little history (in a nutshell).  He's got a very short attention span and was recently diagnosed with ADD.  He's now on medication that has changed him tremendously (mostly in a good way) and has also helped him in school.  But just before dinner he said that his stomach was hurting.  He ate very little dinner and only one bite of his ice cream sandwich.  Then the nastiness began.  It was diahrea all night long.  He was laying in bed with Mike watching tv and fell asleep.  When I went to move him it came from both ends.  I stripped the bed and his clothes and put him in the bath.  Clothes and bed sheets got thrown onto the porch till morning.  It happened again, and we went through the same routine.  I had no medicine for him, and his mom was not answering her cell phone.  So we trudged through the night and he woke feeling better Sunday morning.  He did throw up again late Sunday morning after jumping on the neighbor's trampoline and spent the rest of the time on the couch watching cartoons.  His mom came to pick up JJ and Cheyanne just after lunch. 

Mike and I just piddled around with odd jobs outside.  The weather was just too nice to stay indoors.  He put the wire on the breeding coop he made, and I moved around some chickens.  We've got several roosters that have been alone most of the winter.  No need to have hens getting roughed up if they're not laying.  So, I grabbed a few hens and put them in with roosters.  And Mike put an Omaha Steaks roast on the grill over some oak wood.  It turned out very delicious!  We had au jus that we dipped french fries into, and a spinach and tomato salad.

Then, I came to work this morning.  It was not pleasant.  I think I will spare those details, but I get e-mail updates that tell me about jobs that become available in the area.  Still waiting on a call from SFC Cook about the reserves.  She told me Friday that I'm probably getting the boot out the door.  She was checking so regs for some way around (I don't really believe that) but she would let me know for sure today or tomorrow.  The really stupid part is I can go see a recruiter and get right back in.  That's the U.S. Government (not) hard at work.  Whatever.  I'm in a pissy mood today, and almost didn't post.  I only did because I haven't since last Wednesday.

This and That

Being sick really sucks, don't it?  Mike got sick around the first of the year with a pretty bad cold.  He got mostly better.  He still had pressure in his head and started have bad dizzy spells.  We were reluctant to go to the doctor, Cause there's no insurance on Mike.  But we broke down and took him anyway, yesterday.  He was worrried they were gonna say brain tumor or something outrageous like that.  Of course, we both really agreed it was probably an ear infection causing fluid build-up in his ears.  So, $125.00 later, the doc says it's an infection causing fluid build-up.  How is that right?  What did I give him that money for?  A prescription?  I still had to pay for that at the pharmacy!  That was another $35 to add to it.  He prescribed an antibiotic and a steroid.  Strangely enough, my mom had given him that same antibiotic a week or so ago, and it didn't work.  Doc says it's because he needed the steroid to go with it.  We will have to see, eh?!

Thank you all for your kind words about Black Kitty.  They were greatly appreciated.  In fact, that was the most comments I have ever received on any post.  Gotta head out this afternoon.  Meeting with my career counselor for the army.  We will have to see where things go, as tomorrow is supposed to be my last day with the army reserves.  Don't wanna get out, but they gotta play the right cards, too.  Wish me luck!

I'm Outty!

This has been an unpleasant  insane day at work.  And it's only Thursday!  Normally that would mean there is one more day to the work week, but in my case that is not the truth this week.  You see, the U.S. Army has this program called the Yellow Ribbon Campaign.  When a soldier returns from Iraq or Afghanistan he or she is supposed to attend a class on suicide prevention.  I never did, and I got out.  But, I went back into the Reserves before my original contract was up.  So my name was still in the system.  So, now I am required to attend this class.  But the campaign is really more than just a suicide prevention class.  The also have people who can give information about all sorts of Veterans Affairs benefits.  Some examples are financing to assist with school, medical information, mental wellness information, and more.  Therefore, I will be getting on a plane at 7 a.m. local time tomorrow morning to fly to beautiful, sunny Orlando, Florida!  It is supposed to be 75 degrees there tomorrow!  That's so much better than the mid-forties we have here today!  Of course, I'll just be gone for the weekend, but that's okay.  The whole trip is paid for, as well.  With that, I must say a large thank you to our American tax payers.  It is not wasted monies, as I know I will get useful information and assistance from this trip.  I also thank you all for supporting the troops.  American, British, Italian, French, Japanese, it matters not.  You may not agree with the idea behind the war or how it is being handled.  But I must say that whatever the reason, I served and am serving as a proud American who loves the FREEDOM the so many before me died for.  Thanks and God bless.  See you all next week!!

Florida Bound

What an uneventful weekend. I had drill this weekend. I am in the Army Reserves. I served four years on active duty, and did a tour in Iraq. That was the worst year of my life. I decided to go back into the reserves because I can live my normal life with the exception of one weekend a month (and two weeks a year). I have been back in the reserves since February. I kinda like it. It's a totally different creature from active duty. We have had some fun weekends. We did some team building obstacles courses and land navigation tasks in the woods of central N.C. a few weeks ago. We also went to Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, NC for some range qualifying and enemy scenarios. And we've had some boring admin weekends with classes and/or paperworks stuff. Overall, I enjoy it. We are heading to Jacksonville, FL in two weeks for training. I think that will be pretty cool. We are going to try to go to Disney World and/or Universal Studios while we are there, as well. The way work has been lately, it will certainly feel like a vacation. I know that I am so ready for it.