Thursday, October 30, 2008

Another week (weak) end is approaching

This past weekend sucked! I had plans to eat a the Pines with my BFF Shelley. Harold, or Mike as he prefers, was having his last barbecue of the year and I had been looking forward to it for 2 weeks. Patrick was out of school for fall break, and I was getting cabin fever from not doing anything. I took my last vacation, sick and personal days off from work thinking I would spend the days with Patrick.

Well, Ric was 'on call' for the entire week, which meant he was off on Monday, but had to work on Saturday. It turned out he worked all day and all night! Ugh. Nothing worked out as planned.

I got up Sunday to go to church. Woke Patrick and by the time I was done in the bathroom, he was laying on the couch with a rag on his head, moaning, saying he was sick. I told him if he was sick, he was heading back to bed. I actually thought he was faking it, trying to get out of going to church.

I told Ric I'd be home at 10:45, I'd call Shelley, and we'd head to the Pines. About 10:30 Ric calls me and says Patrick is still in bed, he had a slight fever and wasn't feeling good.

Well, I didn't make it to the last barbecue and I know I missed the best meal I've eaten since the last time I ate there.

You can read about how good the food was by checking out Mike's blog at:

http://thepinesonline.com/whatiscookin/?p=616

and Shelley's blog at:

http://whatifitdid.com/?p=693

and of course they included pictures!

I'm not planning anything for this weekend since Patrick still isn't up to par. I couldn't handle two weekends of disappointments.

Friday night is Halloween, the weather is suppose to be in the 70's during the day, our church has their annual Trunk 'n Treat at 8 p.m. I've purchased over $140 worth of candy to hand out, plus all the other packages of treats that have been given to me. Probaby after Friday and eating all the chocolate, we will all be sick!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Monday, October 27, 2008

Pop (less)

At the end of September I thought I would try an experiment to see if I could go for one whole month without drinking any soda pop. The first 10-12 days went pretty smoothly, then I guess I started having withdrawls or something.

I did manage to keep it out of my mind for the next 15 days, and so far, as of the 27th of October I have managed to remain without a diet pepsi, pepsi, big red, sprite, orange, or root beer for almost the entire month.

I think I've got this thing whipped now. Only 4 days left.

I'm now trying to figure out what I can add to my list to do differently for the month of November.

Maybe I will try to walk for 30 minutes, ever day, on the treadmill!

Friday, October 24, 2008

Still standing

I got this picture today as Patrick and I were heading back from a shopping trip:

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I'm sure several have seen this old school building. The date carved in the stone at the top of the entrance was 1909 and District 10. We are sure there are several who have entered this old school house and wrote their names on the walls and probably done some other things that I shouldn't mention here ;-)

I haven't been inside this school house, but probably would have today, had it not been raining. Guess I have a reason to go back!

It was just a fun day to go out and snap some pictures. It would have been better if the sun had been shining a little too!

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Thursday, October 23, 2008

Beginning...Middle...

The 'Ville is buzzing about the property south on US Highway 31. James Puckett owns the property just south of Mastersbilt and has been creating quite a stir. Before he started clearing the land, it looked something like this:

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Within a day you could tell a difference:

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The above picture was taking from Frontage Road looking northwest. If you look closely, in the background you can see Crothersville's water tower. The next picture was taken a little farther east on Frontage Road:

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Mr. Puckett tells he is just preparing the land to make it attractive for a potential buyer. Once before, when the property was cleared and put on the market, I had heard the 'Ville would be getting a Taco Bell, McDonalds, a truck stop, a hotel or a shopping mall. Of course, none of this happen, and once again the trees are being cleared, starting a frenzy of talk at local coffee shops.

Today, the rumor mills have been active again and I'm hearing talk of a Tanger Mall, a fast food chain, doctor's offices, etc. I have also heard Mr. Puckett owns the property south of I65 and has also cleared that property and will be tearing down the (former) motel that is on County Road 700.

I guess, time will tell us for sure what is happening. No matter how much talk there is, sooner or later the truth will be known.

Traveling farther on Frontage Road, there is a pile of belongs that had been uncovered during the clearing of the property. Looks like some people have lost their landfill drop off point:

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Sunday, October 19, 2008

7 - 10 days ahead of the peak

Sunday afternoon my family headed up to Skyline Drive. At the top of the mountain I snapped this picture:

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The leaves haven't quite made it to their full color, but it is just relaxing to go up there, sit down for awhile on the bench and look out over the tree tops.

We made our way up to where they have the shelterhouse built and got this photo:

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Patrick knew there was a fire place located there, so he loaded an arm full of wood in the back of the truck, got his marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate bars and prepared each of us some smores. Yum! Yum!

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I think we will go back next week and see the color change. Make sure to check back to see the results!

Sunday's Outing

With the sunny and warmer afternoons getting few and far between, my family had planned to go to the forestry today to have a fall cook out.

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We had heard they were dredging the lake at the forestry, but had no idea it was to the extent it is:

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Patrick can be seen in the square:

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The entire lake as been drained. They have dug a channel through the lake with some huge holes for even deeper spots. Note to self: this will be where the big, lazy channel cats will stay. The arrow is pointing to Patrick:

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At the bottom of the lake they have put tree stumps, tied them down so they won't be moving, laid out some large trees, and have put in a new spill way and raised the dam a few feet.

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Now, we need to just wait on the rain and hopefully they will have it stocked by the spring of 2009.

It was fun walking on the bottom of the lake. I remember some 30 years ago when Hardy Lake in Scott County was being built. I still enjoy listening to my Dad tell me how he walked on the bottom of that lake as it was being built.

Today, I told Patrick, 30 years from now, he'll be able to share this memory with his children. And he will have the pictures to prove it!

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Now the mayor is involved...

Check it out:

http://www.wave3.com/global/story.asp?s=9197993

Friday, October 17, 2008

You're working for the weekend to do what?

While at work on Friday, October 17, 2008, I get a call from a lady, I'm assuming a mother, asking me when the Town of Crothersville was going to have our trick-or-treat night.

I told her it would be on Halloween night, October 31st, from 6-8 p.m. If she wished to have the little goblins at her door to treat them, she needed to turn her porch light on to welcome them, or if she was going to be taking little ones out, she need to only visit the homes with the porch lights on.

She was shocked, so she said. She could not understand why the Town decided to do it on a Friday night. I mentioned to her that was Halloween, and what better night to trick-or-treat, than on Halloween night??

She said 'most people', including herself, work all week for Friday night to go out and drink and party and couldn't believe the Town would make trick-or-treat on a Friday night.

For a moment I was silent, (I know that is hard to believe) I guess I was in shock for a second, then said, well, maybe 'most people' need to re-think their long work week and decide on something better to do with their Friday nights than drink and drive, since it is illegal anyhow.

Maybe I'm missing something here?? I wasn't ever one to work all week to go spend my hard earned paycheck at some bar, drinking my problems away.

I guess I'm in a different generation.

If you go trick-or-treating, make sure to watch out for the little goblins, but more importantly, I guess, watch the other vehicle. It could be the lady on the other end of my conservation...driving drunk!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Wind - The sound of the future?

Check out this link:

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/wind-the-sound-of-the-future/3972854899/?icid=VIDLRVNWS03

Charles Gibson is standing in the middle of a soybean field in Bowling Green, Ohio. Above him is a wind turbine.

You might have seen these on the road and not really known what you were seeing. I wondered just how tall these were when the blades were attached and Mr. Gibson gave me the dimensions. I've seen the blades along US 31 recently:


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These blades are huge.

I enjoyed Charles Gibson's news video and just wonder if something like this will be in our future?

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Leaf Cam

Every year I watch this sight, usually every day or at least every other day. You can see the leaves changing at Spring Mill, French Lick, The Fort Golf Course, and Brown County. Check it out yourself and let me know what you think!

http://www.in.gov/visitindiana/leafcam/

Looks like it's time to be heading towards Brown County! :-)

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

What did I tell you?

A couple blogs ago I made a reference to my name and not liking it. Let me give you an example. This is a quote from Harold Michael's blog at http://thepinesonline.com/whatiscookin/

"In response to a Shelley’s blog entry that was responding to Alisha’s blog entry…I am responding with this blog entry. (whew, that was confusing)"

Notice the 'H' in my name??? Ugh!

I love reading Harold Michael's blog and trying out his new recipes. Tonight, when I clicked on my desktop link to his blog sight, thinking I'd find out what he did this weekend...maybe another 72 hour long catering ordeal, or another family vacation, or something exciting to read about...what do I see?

The dreaded 'H' in my name...

Oh, well...

Don't worry Harold, I'll continue to read What's Cookin'

Monday, October 13, 2008

Thanks Chris!

The first Columbus Day celebration was held in 1792, when New York City celebrated the 300th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' landing in the New World.

Today I'm celebrating the 516 year of his great accomplishment!

Since 1971, the holiday has been commemorated in the U.S. on the second Monday in October. It is generally observed today by banks, the bond market, the U.S. Postal Service and other federal agencies, most state government offices, and many school districts; however, most businesses and stock exchanges remain open.

Maybe with the stock market being open, extra people having a longer weekend, the numbers of the market will go up. I'm not holding my breath.

I think I'll go take a nap and then see what happens!

Saturday, October 11, 2008

What's in a name?

I wonder sometimes if people like their name given to them at birth. I remember when I was pregnant with Patrick. His name was going to be either Patrick or Eric. Both names have Ric in them, so Ric and I knew from day one, one of these names would be what our baby's name would be. Early on we decided on Patrick and I still think this was the best choice! Now, had Patrick been a girl...I have no idea what his name would be.

We hadn't talked about any girl names, so we had nothing picked out. Two years earlier we had chosen the name Michel'lee if we had a girl. It was something different, something no one else had ever heard of. Well, things didn't work out as we had planned and at a spur of the moment decision, we named our son, Rick K. Rick is Ric's first name and K is the initial of my middle name, Kay.

When my mom was pregnant with me, my aunt was also pregnant. They had planned whoever had their baby first would get the name Alisa and second would be Theresa. Well, you guessed it, I was the first one born. I do not like my name and wouldn't have liked my name had I been born second!

I can remember in my younger days wishing my name was Bobbie. Now, I don't like that name either. Not sure now what I would like my name to be, I just know I don't like Alisa. Too any people cannot pronounce my name properly. People usually call me Alisha, or Alissa, or some other butchered up pronunciation.

One little girl at church has always called me Alisia. It's so cute, I can't be upset with the wrong pronunciation when she comes running towards me yelling my name ;-)

I guess I should have grown up and been a rock star or a movie star and changed my name to something I liked. It amazes me some of the names the celbraties come up with for their babies. Apple, Zowie, Moon Unit...

Oh, well, guess I'll just continue to live with Alisa.

Friday, October 10, 2008

The simple life...

Ever wonder what it would be like to be a dog? Just laying there waiting for someone to rub your back, play fetch, or just to lay there watching everyone else do the work...

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What a great life...

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Lie Detectors? Are you kidding?

I just read an article about the 9th District congressional debate which is coming up in Jasper. The debate organizer won't include lie detectors.

Are you kidding me?

Incumbent Democrat Baron Hill and his challengers, Republican Mike Sodrel and Libertarian Eric Schansberg are the candidates for the office.

It seems the 9th district republican party chairman, Larry Shickles, had asked the democrat party chairman, Mike Jones, for the candidates be connected to a polygraph machine during the debate!

Mr. Shickles says the voters need to know the truth so we will be informed on election day.

What has America come to? To have to even suggest such a thing is sad. I've often heard people wonder if politicians are telling the truth. Most have said if their mouth is moving, it probably a lie.

The committee planning the rules for the debate said the lie detectors would not be used, as Mr. Jones said it would seem "pretty bizarre."

IF the lie detectors were used, I wonder how much of the answer we'd hear from the candidate? Probably all that would be heard is, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, etc...

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

700

What a busy week! For the last couple weeks I've met my self coming and going quite often...between hair appointments, a nail appointment, a park board meeting, church meeting, volleyball games, work, grocery shopping, a sorority meeting, softball games, etc. it's been something every single night. I thought I was slowing down, but sometimes it seems I don't know how too!

I've had time to squeeze in a few glimises of the late news on the television, seen the president's speach on the 'bail out' and heard all sorts of responses to the plan. I have several different opinions and wonder where all the concern was when I needed help, or bailed out of a few of my close calls!

I'm not going to waste time blogging about the plan, or give my opinions to the mess our country is in, or who's fault I think it is, or who's to blame. My mind goes back to a recent email I received from a good friend of mine a few days ago...it was one of those 'get to know you better' emails with 10 - 30 questions. The question that caught my eye was, "Where do you see yourself in 10 years?"

I bet your answer today isn't the same answer you had 365 days ago! It will be interesting to see where we are all at ONE year from now...let alone 10!