Vacation winding down...

and as it does, I wonder how I find time to go to work!

Thanksgiving went well. I managed to distract Dottie while she was making pies Wednesday evening and she forgot to turn down the oven on one of the apples; that one ended up broken up into a corningware dish in our fridge so she could re-use the ceramic pie pan to make another...she thought for once that she would be done in time to get a "good night's sleep" and instead she ended up going to bed around 2. I was forgiven, though!

Yesterday we (Dottie, younger son, his wife, the 3 grandkids, his brother-in-law who lives with them now along with my sister and her family) all went to see "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium". I had read a piece in the USA Today about it 6 months or so ago, and knew I would be going to see it if no one else wanted to. 26 thumbs up...I will own that one when it comes out!

Last night I thawed our turkey and will be putting it in the oven shortly. A small one just for us, as Bill and Laura are both working this weekend so we won't be getting to have our own family after-dinner like we've done the past few years. By the time Dottie comes home all will be done except for making the gravy. My grandmother taught her, and it's one of the few things I just can't quite get right. Someday!

Meanwhile, I'm running laundry and watching the thermometer because if it breaks 40 there are some things outside I'd like to try and get done. Yesterday the caulk I had worked on Tuesday hadn't set up yet...have some wood it would be nice to get in prime tomorrow, as it's supposed to make it to 50 again. We'll see!

Monday I go back to work after my 10 days off; the feeling of dread has already tried to settle in. Back to the "rat race"...hopefully with others doing my job they've decided it really is too much for one person and taken something off!

(Not holding my breath on that! By way of explanation, they used to expect us to deliver 8 things per hours; as they put the radio monitors on our forklifts that has gone up but there are still only so many things you can do in one hour. Most anything takes at least 3 minutes by the time you deal with the empty container, the full container, and opening one or closing the other. Some take 4 or 5; some you have to take 2 containers and that puts you up to around 8 minutes. The last night I worked I delivered 12 in the first half hour. All things that would shut the line down if I didn't deliver them, the ones that weren't I skipped over. Partly because dayshift doesn't like to order, partly because too many of my parts come in 20 to 36 part containers. My team leader came and picked up 3 more off my screen, and I delivered 8 more after that...)

So, for the next few weeks, I'm back on ten hour days; the first two weeks of December are 6 day weeks as well; they want every Malibu we can build before the Christmas shut-down week. Dealers are still begging to get more than one or two; a good sign with it being the holidays because normally car sales "die" right now and stay "dead" until people start getting their tax checks. A good time of the year for it, with all the kids and grandkids to shop for, but backbreaking none the less.

Now my sights turn towards that Christmas shut-down week. I work on Friday night; Saturday morning I have to get up and head for Wyoming again to pick up the Galaxie that we trailered up there several months ago. Hopefully the weather cooperates and we'll be back late Sunday in time to rest up for the holiday! Dottie can't go this time, so my younger son is supposed to ride shotgun...I don't really want to try it by myself that time of year!

It's Dottie's lunchtime now, and time for me to go find my cellphone! I need to move laundry as well...then after she calls I'll start preparing dinner.

May the rest of the weekend be kind to you all!

alan