Long Time No Hear!

Hello there!

Long time no hear! I'm not even going to check the date of my last post.

Okay, okay…I looked.

And – Oh my, it's been that long? And really, it hasn't even been a year since my last post. Still, I guess time flies when you're not looking.

I can't say the usual ‘time flies when you're having fun’ because it's hardly been all fun this year. Mr. Janney and I did our job switch and tried our hand at being a lease/owner operator. It wasn't an epic failure, because we learned lots. It will be a while before we try it again, for many reasons I won't address at this time.

Mt Ranier

I did get to see the Rockies again, and the St. Louis Arch. Spent a bit of time on the West Coast. California and Washington. Got a better picture of Mt. Rainier than I did the first time we did over the road work. Still not as good as the one I took of Mt. Shasta, but a decent enough picture. It was amazing to see it as I drove to that particular Shipper, especially when I realized I was getting closer than I ever had before!

We almost got to see the Pacific ocean. There was a sliver of blue through the trees that might have been the ocean, but it was a short patch, and we were going just fast enough that we really couldn't say for certain.

It was a valuable experience and had things at the end gone differently, I'd probably still be out there. Mr. Janney has a problem with following distance and the truck's cameras dinged him one too many times. He was politely invited to quit. I'm not sure I agree with how the company handled the situation, as there was some miscommunication over a previous safety ding (the company doesn’t like you exceeding their personal speed limit even if you’re still in the legally posted limit). I drove Solo for about a month or just over.

We almost lost our home. Still on the verge of losing the Nissan Rogue that was supposedly a birthday present a few years back.

Oh, and I almost died last summer.

No, I'm not being overly dramatic by saying that. Only mildly dramatic. Do I tell that story now, or make it a post of its own? It would be a little mean to mention it and not elaborate. Even though I am quite clearly still alive to tell the tale.

Well, to make a long story short, I was unable to get my weekly diabetic shot. And the longer I was off, the higher my blood sugar climbed. I may have been able to compensate by becoming stricter with my diet, but there were quite a few days where I was eating 0 carbs and my sugar wasn’t going low enough. It finally did though, and once I was able to get my medication again it all smoothed out.

However, I am in that ‘no health insurance’ place again for a little bit. The new insurance should kick in at the beginning of March, but I don’t know exactly when I’ll be able to get the shot. It’s a miracle drug as far as I’m concerned. More about that another time.

Let me know if you want the longer story and I’ll make it into a separate blog post. For now, I think I am going to sign off. I’ll edit this post, pray I get all the typos, then post. Ever since I began journaling back in January, I’ve had ideas for blogging and I’ve finally decided to make the leap. I have a literal list made up! Mr. Janney did say he wants to see me get back into writing, and journaling & blogging is a good step in that direction.

Until next time, I bid you ado!

Robin Janney

x

A Year Later

Here I am  opening up blogger to try and write a new post finding out that it's been a whole year since I've posted something. Almost to the day!

And as usual, I have no idea what to write. My original idea vanished as soon as I saw the date of my last post because it was like, no I can't just start talking about ... well, anything after all that silence.

I have the same problem with my blog that I do with my YouTube channel ... I'll have all these great ideas in my head, and then as soon as I turn on the camera or the computer, it all goes POOF.

Not sure what my hang-up is, depression mixed with pain probably. Between the arthritis in my knee, my lower back, my shoulder, and my Achilles tendons, I feel like I take a bath in Voltaren gel. An ineffective bath at that.

I take prescription meds for both the depression and the arthritis, but sometimes I feel like they cancel each other out. When the pain doesn't go away, it's hard to feel peppy and motivated and shit like that. Mr. Janney commented yesterday that it looked like I was walking better...and what I should have said out loud was "That doesn't mean it doesn't still hurt, I've just learnt how to compensate."

And that's what it boils down to. Learning how to live with the pain and the depression so that I can remain a functioning adult because life shows no mercy for anyone ... oh wait, it's Cobra Kai that show no mercy ... no, no, I'm sure it's life ... lol

I can't tell if I'm feeling sorry for myself ... or if I'm legit overwhelmed and in need of help. Maybe I just need fully caffeinated coffee. In the summer, I had to go through some hoops to pass my yearly physical for my CDL because the doctor thought my resting heartrate was too fast. Had to go through a battery of tests just to determine that my thyroid meds were doing too good of a job! Better safe than sorry, but one of the things I've tried incorporating in my life to keep my heart rate lower is less caffeine ... and let me tell you, life without caffeine is no joke. When I say that, keep in mind that during my work week my 'get your ass out of bed' alarm goes off at the ungoldy hour of 1:30AM! Even if I've managed to get to bed by 5PM, and asleep before 6, it's still hard as heck to stay awake driving that early.

And yes, I see that spelling error up above and am deliberately leaving it in there. ;)

Okay, enough venting for now. I'm going to publish this, then work on another post for later.

Two Steps Forward...

 And one step back. That's how the old saying goes, right? Or is it one step forward and two steps back? Or maybe, the farther ahead I get, the farther behind I fall?

That last is the sentence I've expressed to my husband most frequently the past couple of months. I'm not sure why I thought changing to a local driving job would make my life easier, because I sure was wrong. When we were being recruited, we were told that most of the runs would be 10-11 hours or less, and in the beginning they were. But as the company has been growing and adding runs, more and more we're being stuck with runs that come close to running our 14-hour clock out.

For those who don't know, a truck driver has two clocks they need to be mindful of during their day. A 14-hour clock, which is the amount of time we can be On Duty - from the time we 'clock in' to the time we 'clock out' for the day. During that time period, we can only drive on the roads for 11-hours, the other clock we have to be aware of. Driving on customer properties don't count against the 11-hour clock if we remember to change the status on our log. A local driver can utilize a 3rd clock once a week if needed, and that would be a 16-hour clock - which only adds to how long we can be considered on the clock, but not to how many hours we can drive. Twice now I've been pushed into using that 16-hour clock, and both times due to circumstances beyond my control I was illegal. One day was almost 17 hours long, so I took the next day off.

Honestly, I was doing fair before that first 16 hour day. I say fair because I've been struggling with torn cartilage in one of my knees since before that.  I get a cortisone shot this afternoon to tide me over until my crappy health insurance can get around to authorizing a different shot treatment. "Fair" may be a slight exaggeration, but even though I was in pain I still had energy and wanted to do things. Ever since that first too long day, I've been plagued with low energy. It may have more to do with the pain in my knee, but for whatever reason I connect the fatigue to that day.

I've been struggling with writing, formatting, and remembering things. I'm still not sure what I wanted to talk to Mr. Janney a few days ago, but hopefully it wasn't anything important. That could be brain fog, but who knows?

My endocrinologist has been changing and adjusting my meds, so it's possible that none of this has anything to do with work - or not as much. Because let's be honest, the hours they work truck drivers are a bit insane. But anyways, the Endo added a thyroid med, changed one of the shots I take for my diabetes and when that failed to do as good of a job, she added another. I legit have a string of alarms in my phone to remind me when to take my meds...and I still forget the shots once in a while. I am one hot mess!

But I keep plugging away. I have no choice! Life keeps demanding my attention.

That's enough venting for today. I've been quiet online recently because no one likes a whiner, even when the whiner has legit reasons for their whining. But I refuse to sugarcoat things online because I believe in being 'real' online. Bites me in the butt sometimes, but hey - that's life, right? I don't believe in sharing everything, but when I do share I want it to be honest. As honest as I can be when I self-edit my language and eliminate all the 'lols' I want to add...lol!

If you're reading this, then I've decided to hit publish. I'm not sure yet, especially since at this point I don't have any photos thrown in to catch the eye and break up the reading blocks. Pictures are always so much work to add in because for some darn reason they mess up the formatting and I have to work harder to fix it...which, if you're reading this, I gave up and the goofy formatting errors around the Shutterstock photos will just add to the charm today!

Stay safe, my peeps.

The Blank Page

Oops, I missed a week. No doubt because we were trying to get home last weekend and the hours were being pressed together. And then I missed another week due to...well, MEN!

 I may have spent too much time chasing this girl around

But here I am now, staring at the blank screen wondering what to write. A while back I put up a Facebook asking what people wanted to read here. I received some good suggestions that I'll follow through on someday. The veterans/PTSD suggestion is one I want to take some time to do properly and not half-arsed.

My one sister suggested something that still has me amused. She said to not forget the interesting people I meet on the road. I find it amusing, because I'm quite certain that Mr. Janney talks to people more than I do!

Maybe some small talk with the cashiers at truck stops, or another driver. But for the most part I try to keep to myself. Mr. Janney on the other hand can talk for hours to a stranger about...anything.

The two most memorable conversations that stick out was the one truckdriver who commented about what we'd do without coffee. Our decision was we'd just be grumpy. And then I added chocolate to the mix, which he heartily agreed with. And that the Snickers candy bars with the creamy almond butter, or any of the creamy candy bars, are like crack. Not that either of us have ever done crack, but it's probably the closest we've ever come.

The other was a conversation I witnessed between Mr. Janney and two other guys in a Subway about the death of Dale Earnhardt. It got a little heated because one of the other gentlemen insisted that they've never released the exact cause of death. Really, dude? Because I found a bazillion websites backing up my husband!

For the most part, I just want to do my job. Get the product from point A to B, make it to the bathroom when needed, and have time to take pictures of the scenery. There are some sections of the United States that if you don't stop at a restroom before you go in, you'd better hope your body is up to the challenge of holding it for a long time!

Unless you want to hear about the interesting driving tactics of others on the road, but that's something I myself try to forget as soon as I can! None of us are perfect out there, but some make more blatant mistakes than others.

Frozen, But Not the Movie

Here we are, sitting in the truck parking area of a truck stop while the wind howls around us. The picture to the left is actually a rest area, that I should have stayed parked at because of the weather but I carried on hoping to get to a certain stop in the hopes that we could shower while we were down. Didn't happen.

It is currently 7 degrees F, with 30+mph wind gusts. I don't even want to think what the wind chill is. Steady wind is somewhat lower, but that is little consilation. Our load is far too light to rik those wind gusts, and so we sit.

Abd how am I spending this unscheduled downtime? Am I writing on Book 3, or anything related to it? Am I working on blog posts to keep myself current and mybe even ahead? No. I'm sleeping or playing one mobile game or another. My favorite is Design Home. Or trying to talk the dog out of going outside. Or eating. Kwik Trips usually have a good selection of food to choose from. 

Except for right now, of course. Writing this little update while Mr. Janney watches a YouTube vid in the background. I might get the book file opened. My toes are cold and I'm thinking of putting socks back on.

I'm going to end this one early, maybe write another for next week. Or I  may charge my tablet and take a nap.

Wherever you are this Friday, stay safe and warm.

Ready...Set....

Waiting on the GO!

If all goes as planned - which has seldom happened this past year - I should be meeting my company driving trainer late tomorrow afternoon.

I'm excited and nervous all over again.

All over again because the last time I was assigned a trainer, last week, turned out to be a false alarm. Not sure if it was a lack of communication (on others' part, not mine) or just bad timing. Especially since the initial phone number I was given turned out to be a wrong number! Regardless, it's over and done with and I was assigned a new trainer yesterday. And this time the number was the right one!

This trainer sounds as nice as the first one, so I'm optimistic again. It's hard forming an opinion of someone based on how they sound on the phone. Honestly, she sounds like a little old granny to me, so I think she sounds nice.

Isn't she adorable?

I've been trying to keep myself busy as I've been waiting. We aren't allowed to check out of the hotel, so I'm feeling the miles between me and my doggy right now. I know she's being taken good care of, I get the occasional picture, but it's hard when I hear reports of her not eating well. There's nothing I can do for her except get through my training as soon as I can without cheating myself out of learning time.

My trainer runs a dedicated route, so I won't be getting out of the east coast. Which kind of bums me, but once I can join Mr. Janney on his truck that will change so there's that much. If I understood my trainer correctly, I'll probably be in a motel room at least one day a week on the weekend. It is what it is. As long as I get trained correctly.

To keep myself entertained while I wait, I've read two books and watched a lot of Ion and USA when I haven't been doing one thing or another at the Terminal. I've been through the simulator and let me tell you it sucked - the motion of the screens as I pretended to drive around a virtual rig made me dizzy because I wasn't actually moving. I'd rather play GTA any day, and I hate GTA.

I've tried writing on Book 3. It's been hard because I've been battling depression and anxiety over the entire trainer issue from last week. I have made progress, but there has been more than one night I've opened the file only to add one word here and there before calling it good. Of course, right now I've got the excited anxiety going on so I might not be able to write much tonight because I'm too high strung with hope.

Hopefully I'll be able to check in later this weekend. Have a good week all.

Daffodils outside the hotel 

The Latest Update

Finally able to buzz my hair!

I think one of the hardest things about writing blog posts is coming up with a good enough title. I'd rather title a poem or a book. Those are almost easier...a few words to sum up a whole novel or poem theme. Blog titles need to be catchy and there's nothing catchy about 'The Latest Update' but that's exactly what this is!

So, I made it through orientation. My blood sugar behaved well enough to be passable that first day for the physical. I'm not sure why it hopped up from 105 to 170 after breakfast, especially since all I had was coffee and cheesy eggs...AND I even remembered to take my meds that morning! I don't know, but I've had much better readings than what I had during the first part of the month, so the changes I've made are working and I need to keep with them.

They are letting me try again even though my A1C (the 3 month average test) was on the too high side - up to an 8.5!! And they're giving me 3 months to bring it down to 7.9 or better. If I keep eating the way I am - low carb - and do my best to stay active even during training (which may prove difficult, but we'll see), bringing that number down will be the easy part. KEEPING it that way will be the harder part.

Especially since Mr. Janney doesn't have the same dietary restrictions I do. It's very hard to watch him eat something like mashed potatoes when it's something I should stay away from. He is very supportive though and I know that once we're in our own rig as a team, things will be a tad easier.

Speaking of which, it's to the right. I have ridden in it, and it's a smooth enough ride even though Mr. Janney is far from impressed with it. But it is new and still needs to be broken in so maybe it'll get better.

Mr. Janney was in the general neighborhood when I began my orientation this week and he was able to get a load even closer so he could take a few days to visit with me. It was so nice! The last we'd seen each other was on Valentine's weekend when I drove out to Michigan to visit him while his trainer was on vacation. We were only able to get a room one night, so the other night we had to sleep in his rig if we wanted to be together. That was fun, since the bed is technically only meant for one person, but we managed.

So here I sit in the hotel room, waiting for a trainer to become available. I have to report in to the terminal every morning during the week until I'm assigned a trainer and can take off with them. If I stick with my desire to have a female trainer, I may be here for a while. It's not an easy decision to make, because I'm going to feel weird even with a female so I can't imagine how awkward it would be with a male. Especially if whichever trainer I end up with sticks me in the top bunk, as is their right. I climbed up into the top bunks of 'our' rig, just to see if I could do it. It's not pretty, just like my 90 degree backing maneuver, but I can do it.

I get paid either way, so there's that much. I either take walks on the treadmill, or around the hotel building. There is a shuttle van available, between here and the terminal and other places like Walmart and the laundromat (tomorrow's agenda). I spent most of yesterday trying to fix my smartphone. Not sure what changed all of a sudden, but I was getting pop ads outside of apps. Not cool. I can't be having that happen when I'm out on the road because the phone is needed to do the job. I tried restarting the phone, deleting apps, restarting again. Then I decided to do a factory reset, and things were okay for a while...but then they started happening again.

So when one was playing, I saw an Info button and I hit it to see what I'd get. One of the options was 'Why am I seeing this ad?' DO TELL! So yeah, the answer was - "Facebook". Really? So I disabled the app on my phone...the closest I could get to uninstalling it. And haven't had an ad pop up since.

Doing what I do best - waiting!

Look Facebook, I have no problems with ads when I'm on Facebook. But as soon as I close that app - the ads should stop!! I can't be having random videos playing telling me I'll lose my reward if I shut it down while I'm trying to do business and math, because dammit - math is hard enough!

Rant over. I'll probably finish my even either by working on book three or reading or binge watching 'Blue Bloods'...or, knowing me, all three. With the A/C on because it was in the 70's today and my room is still a little warm! My roommate already got her trainer, so I have the room to myself, for the time being. It'll probably change tomorrow or as soon as another female employee gets a trainer.

Stay safe everyone! I'll do my best to check in once in a while.

Waiting and More Waiting

Well, I shouldn't be surprised. Very few things have gone 'as planned' in my life for over a year now, why should it start now?

I began my Orientation as planned, and was sent home in the middle of it for a doctor's note and a blood test. All because I had half a slice of french toast with my breakfast which was enough to drive my blood sugar over the limit for the physical - if they'd warned me they were going to prick my finger, I'd have skipped breakfast all together and given them a fasting reading!

So, the very next day I was put on a bus and found myself back home.

I have had my blood drawn. My A1C reading is higher than what it was a few months ago, but still within the legal limits for a Professional Driver. The A1C reading gives you the average blood sugar reading for the last three months. I don't know how that works, just that it does. And I also received the medical release from my primary doctor. My doctors have all been behind this plan from the beginning.

The papers were faxed Monday afternoon, and I was told to call on Wednesday if I hadn't heard anything. Which I did. And was told they never received the fax!! So I took pictures with my cellphone and emailed them to my recruiter. She's been great, trying to help me get through this. I gave her the information she needed today...but I called back a little while ago only to find out I'm STILL in review.

She enjoys having me back home! lol

If there's a cosmic reason for this, I would love to know what it is!!

In other news, Mr. Janney has finished his training and is being dropped off by his trainer sometime tonight. Somewhere out in Ohio. Probably at a hotel. Hopefully he won't have to wait for too long to be assigned a truck.

Also in other news, as I was heading out for my daily walk yesterday, another piece of book three fell into place and I've been pecking away at that. So I guess this waiting time isn't a complete loss.

One Week Left

The one spot I asked my husband not to weed eat or mow...
cuz....daisies!!

So, for those of you who remember, I've been off work for about three months now. I returned to work in April after my March surgery only to have another problem crop up. 

I've been going to physical therapy for a while, and having been receiving a steroid treatment to the trouble spot. It's not 100% better, but it's well enough to try going back to work next Monday.

Looking forward to getting a paycheck again...being out of the air conditioning and away from my computer - not so much. But still, there are bills to be paid, so until I hit the big time, "day job" it is.

I was told that my specific position was put up for bid since I've been out longer than 90 days, so I'm not even certain what I'll be doing when I go back (no anxiety there!). I'll find out more about that tomorrow.

I've been working my way through my second novel while the first one is out to people to be read. I'm afraid I'm going to have to end up reworking the entire middle section of the book because it feels to me like I'm doing more telling than showing. I will probably wait on doing that until I've worked my way through the novel for the first set of changes.

So I have a week to finish that first going through. I do have One Drive installed on my smartphone, so as long as I have internet on my phone, I'll be able to work on my stories anywhere. It's not my most favorite way to write, but it is better than nothing. I'll go back through my blog posts about Farmer's Daughter, see what I hit and missed on what I wanted to talk about in the first place. I can't believe I pounded out 3 posts last week, all in one sitting. Especially since I'm sitting here now thinking 'wut r words?'

That said, I'm signing off for my Monday blog. Here's hoping to a productive week!

Much love!

Squirrel!!

Medically relaxed before surgery

Boy, I sure do distract easily! I work on keeping these blogs active, then have one little surgery and blammo..."What's a blog?" My hubby picks on me all the time because just like the dog in Up I distract rather easily...hence the title!

That was back on March 7th. And here it is 2 months later. I have done a lot of binge watching different tv shows thanks to Ion, USA and WeTv. I have finished the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy by Tad Williams and am all set to start the The Last King of Osten Ard by same.

I have written a few words in my work in progress, but I am probably going to have to do the same as Mr. Williams did when he began to write his new trilogy...read the first books to refresh my memory.

Still off work at Easter but well enough to travel, Mr Janney and I took my mother to her sister's for the weekend. The biggest challenge I had that weekend was sleeping on our air mattress...getting back up was the hardest part, especially trying to do it without waking Mr. Janney. I never was able to, even though that one time I simple rolled out right onto the floor! Each time one of us even shifted, the other felt it. Still, it was a good weekend and worth that irritation.

I returned to work in mid April, probably a little too early but I was willing to give it a shot. I think if surgery had been my only issues I would have been able to soldier through it. But my life is never that simple. A few years back, at my previous job, I had some foot issues that kept me out of work for a few months. Guess what??? Different issues, same foot. It's probably both feet, but we only did MRI's on the one. When the doctor came in to discuss the results of said MRI's his leading line was, "It's probably be easier to list what's NOT wrong with your foot." Not very encouraging to say the least.

Everything from possible ganglion cysts to tendinitis to a chronic sprained ankle. Oh, and arthritis. Just regular arthritis - thankfully I tested negative for rheumatoid arthritis! And don't let me forget the fact that I apparently have an extra bone in my foot! I feel like a genetic freak sometimes. I'm in the middle of my second week of physical therapy, and the doctor and I will be talking about work on Wednesday.

Regardless of all that...my top two wisdom teeth will FINALLY be coming out on July 5th. They've been bothering me for a few years now and I decided I'd had enough. Since I've been getting everything else done, might as well just do it and get it over with.

"Really Mom...another picture?"

There have been a few other things I've been up to while I've been off on medical leave. But I think I'll break them up into a couple posts. Myself, I don't like reading overly long blog posts, so I try not to write them. I will say that my beautiful doggy Jaclyn has been very spoiled these past few months having both of us home (Mr Janney has been unemployed since February - more about that another time). I was working on organizing my desk earlier and found her laser light so I'm sure that'll be coming out and keeping her entertained sometime tomorrow.

Never giving up!!

One thing I'm going to be doing for a little bit, to save myself some energy, is copy and pasting these blog posts so that both of my blogs are kept active and hopefully relevant. And I'll still be posting pictures on Wednesday. Just because I like taking pictures, much to my husbands amusement. I have been using my Instagram quite a bit recently, as well as getting into Tumblr a little bit.

For now, take care and never underestimate me...I keep plugging away hoping to blossom just like my mom's dormant daffodils! I just hope I don't go through a decade long dormancy like they did! They've been steady for about 8 years now.

Never giving up!

Wispy Thoughts

The other night, I was thinking as I usually do when trying to fall asleep. I had two thoughts for blog posts...I decided to use one for my shared blog over at Broads of Feather and to save the other one for here. I did not write them down, and sadly only remembered one. It was the one I had decided to use for Broads, you can read it here.

Daisy at the junkyard.

I'm not sure if it's the brain fog from Hashimoto's thyroid, or if it's just my old age catching up to me. Probably both!

So, since I forgot my original idea, I'm writing about how I forgot it! Humorous, yes?

As I detailed in my post linked above, I'm presently doing all my computer work on a tablet instead since my laptop has apparently died (thank you Windows 10...and thank you Windows for the Surface lol) It seemed like, as soon as my laptop died, my brain began working overtime on my novel. To the point where it was keeping me awake one night.

Any more, I dislike writing by hand. It hurts to do it for extended amounts of time. Even for work, I use shorthand whenever possible - I assume people higher up than me are able to figure it out, as I've never been asked about it by them. So, I didn't really want to get up and start handwriting.

I can't begin to imagine how much time I wasted debating whether to grab my phone and make some notes on it. Debating because I once read writing advice stating that you shouldn't write your ideas down right away, because if they're good enough ideas you'll remember them then next day. Talk about note-taking shaming! This was several years ago, but for whatever reason it's a piece of crappy advice that's plagued me ever since.

That may be too harsh. Calling it crappy advice, I mean. I'm sure there are some people that this advice works for. For me, it is a recipe for disaster. If my depression and anxiety are high, I have trouble remembering everyday things. Just the act of writing something down, helps cement something in my memory. There was a time not too long ago, that I had to make a list of things to do before I went to bed... not only so I'd remember to do things I needed (like phone calls), but so it would help ease the anxiety that liked to keep me awake at night. I still keep occasional lists.

So, yes...I ended up grabbing my phone and taking enough notes not only to remember it the next day, but to see if that would turn down the volume of my brain. Thank God it wasn't a work night, because as it was I only ended up getting maybe 2 hours of sleep... and that's being generous. Awesome ideas aside, it was a rough night.

It just goes to show, that all advice is not equal. What works for one, may not work for another. Whether for writing or not. If something works for you, we shouldn't feel shame for it! Something I need to remember myself, I know. There is no harm in experimenting and trying new things, but let's always remember that we don't need to keep doing them if they're not working for us.

So, fellow writers... are you a nighttime note -taker too?

When Days Blend

Normally this is a slow time for our work. Last year we were lucky if we made it 6 hours a night. This year has not been slow. Mr. Janney and I have been working 40+ hours since...I really don't know how long it's been. Since before the holidays even.

I'm not complaining, the paychecks enabled us to be generous at Christmas and to go on a trip over the week we had off between Christmas and New Years. But it does get tiresome. Especially when they have you work both days of the weekend. That 12 day stretch causes the days to blend into together, especially when there are 12 hours shifts mixed in there.

I'm Batman....AND Robin
I'm special like that! Lol

What I have complained about to hubby, has been the frustration I've faced when it comes to writing. Both blogging and my novel. I'll have all sorts of great ideas at work, during transit, but when I get home...well, we're hungry, we're tired, there's always something to do - laundry, dishes, etc. and all too often all I want to do after is just sit in my recliner and veg. I don't get on my laptop to play Clash of Clans, and both hubby and I are huge clashers! We love to war, but we've only just recently started putting ourselves back into war.

By vegging, I mean I'm either reading - In Death or Star Trek novels, or watching tv...usually Law and Order SVU or Criminal Minds or NCIS. I have caught some original CSI episodes recently! Miss those shows so much! If there's nothing 'good' on, which isn't unusual at  midnight, I'll go to On Demand and watch a movie. The last one I watched was Cloud Atlas. I mean, you can't really go wrong with Tom Hanks - and the more the merrier (Polar Express!!). I'd read enough about it before hand that it wasn't too hard to follow, though I know I still missed tons. I mean hey, I was tired and was competing with Mr. Janney's music.

We had to order some things off Amazon recently, and for whatever reason it ended up being two orders. The first order I was a bit short for the free shipping, so I threw in a few books I've been wanting (Star Trek #71 Crossroad and Immortal In Death). No big deal, right? But then Mr. Janney wanted something else, so naturally I had to throw in a few more books right? I got what I thought was the sequel to a book I already, but alas --- I accidentally ordered book 3 of the Elvenbane series instead!! I can't read book 3 without reading book 2 first, at least to refresh my memory because it's been YEARS since I read it. Long story there, same with the other book I ordered - The Dragonbone Chair. I won't tell it today, but will think about sharing it later this year. After I've gotten back on track with the blogs and shared my adventure over our winter break. I have to get that written and posted soon -- I mean, it's February already for crying out loud!

Wish me luck this year! There's more to tell, but it's bedtime.

One Adventure After Another

Honestly, I have not been up to much these past few months.  Working during the week and reading any moment I can. Not much writing I'm afraid.

But I'm blaming that on Harry Potter as those are the books I devoured over the summer. He's such an evil influence, you know.  Teaching kids spells and how to do magic.

At least, that's what I was taught back in my church days.

However flawed that logic is, I put off reading the series until after I was no longer attending church. It was one of those things I wanted to make my own decision about, because at almost 30 I was tired of having other's make decisions for me. Aside from finding the novels a bit cliched, and some of Harry's antics rather irritating, I liked them. Although to this day I still feel slightly guilty. I have some family members who still go to church and have their noses turned up the books.

The books are far more harmless than some books I won't name. I mean, they're fiction.  I have yet to produce a Patronus when I yell Expecto Patronum (which literally translates as I await a guardian) or disarm someone with Expelliarmus.

In fact, there are a lot of good lessons in Harry Potter. Don't trust diaries that write back. Don't be quick to judge people. Have friends outside of your clique. Don't wait until the last minute to do your homework. Face your fears with humor. Chocolate is medicine for depression.

And those are just a few.

One weekend in late summer Mr. Janney and I went up to his parents to help with fire wood. That was fun. I got to operate the homemade wood-splitter Dad made. We polished off a good chunk of his wood pile that afternoon and thanks to an increase of Saturday work, we never did get back up to finish the rest.

We also took the dog with us that day. Jaclyn loves getting out of the trailer when she can, although she doesn't like having to be tied up. At least we didn't run into any snakes this time. A few spiders maybe, and a lot of bugs, but I didn't look that close. Was very glad I was wearing work gloves.

My mother turned 70 in the  beginning of October. Us five kids threw her a party, that was decently attended. I was really impressed how we were all able to work together without fighting (as siblings do) in order to make the day special for mom. Dad would have approved, were he still alive. I loved the moment when a couple of friends from a few hours away showed up - she had NO IDEA they were coming as I had never mentioned it to her so it would be a surprise for her since she knew all about the party in advance.

I managed to sneak a pretty good selfie of mom and us five. I'm in the blue, Mom's in the pink, Sara is on her left. Cliff is behind her right, Liston is behind Sara, and Duane's head is just behind Cliff. I'm not sure where our older half-sister was hiding for this picture. I was cheating and taking it while a friend was taking a group picture of us.

It was the one of the few Saturdays Mr. Janney and I managed to have off. I was really worried about it too. I even warned my supervisor about it. 'If we work that Saturday, I won't be able to be here. That's the day for my mom's 70th that we've had planned forever' or at least before Saturday work started.

Mr. Janney and I managed to buy a second vehicle. It's hard in our area to find anyone willing to work payments on a private purchase for a used vehicle. And even harder to find a decent vehicle for under a thousand. We had to go for a two hour trip for this car, and I think she'll be worth it. She needs a little TLC, but she runs. And has a sunroof! That's a novelty I've never had in a vehicle before and I love it. Mr. Janney's mother claims he's ridden with one before, but he doesn't remember it. Let's just say that I'm not the only one playing as we drive with it open.

It reminds me just a bit of the car we had repossessed during the hard time when Justin and I almost lost everything because of medical reasons. Mainly because it's silver and a sedan. A little smaller, and it's standard instead of automatic. But she giddy ups and goes, and that's all that matter.

It will help on days when Mr. Janney and I have different work hours. When he has a 12hour shift (like tomorrow) and I don't, or vice versa. Or when I get to go to first shift, some time after Thanksgiving. Which I'm really kind of excited about. I was on their day shift for training a year ago and I felt better working 7-3 than I did 6-3:30 at the old place. I'm hoping the change in shift will help my blood sugar numbers. They've been on the high side the past summer.

I was also diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. Hashimoto's thyroid. Simple means that my own immune system is attacking my thyroid, which is why it needs ever increasing doses of synthetic hormone in order to work right, and why I still feel like crap even though the drugs are doing an awesome job.  I've been experimenting with a gluten free diet because of this, because a lot of others with Hashimoto's report that it helps. I can definitely tell a difference, especially when I cheat and eat something I know has gluten in it.

Well, as I mentioned before, we have work this Saturday (today) and have to get signed off.  I guess I've been busier than I thought.  I promise I will write again soon.

Roller Coaster Day

Well, I'm back a little sooner than I expected, but there's nothing wrong with that!

Mr Janney and I have had a bit of a rough couple of months when it comes to having stuff stolen from us. Up until today it was nothing major, just a few treats stolen from our lunch box at work. Seriously, who does that? In the middle of my work day is the best time for me as a diabetic to have a treat, but oh well, no big loss. Irritating to be sure, even as 'minor' of a violation as it is.

But today's experience was a little more serious.

I was awake but still in bed when my husband called me just a few minutes after leaving for work. He wanted me to check his dirty clothes for his wallet because he had found some cards on the ground next to the truck before he left. Uh oh. So I got out of bed and started looking.  I even checked the washed clothes in the dryer to see if I'd washed it since the last time he'd seen it had been Sunday before I started laundry. Nothing. He was like, 'Well, someone's been in our truck then. They took the coins in the dash and my wallet.'

Well, crap.

Since he was already on the road, I sent him to the state police barracks to report it while I got on the phone with the bank to report his debit card as stolen.  Once my part was done, I walked the dog and decided to wander out to our small driveway to see if there was anything else laying on the ground. Sure enough, his debit card and another older card lay face down on the ground almost at the end of the driveway, almost on the pavement of the trailer park road. Whew!! Even though it had been cancelled and he has to request a new one, it was still something of a relief to find that. I haven't figured out what to do about the driver's license or the permit to carry a concealed weapon, but that's what Google is for. right?

The thief did make off with some cash. Twenty dollars and a couple bucks in change. But since he (or she) dropped the debit card, which doubles as a credit card, it could have been much worse. Like I said to Mr. Janney, all they would need to order something online is the front and back numbers. Hopefully we dodged a bullet there.

So then, the day was off to a pretty dismal start.  No point in going back to bed for another forty-five minutes when my alarm would go off, so I stayed up and made my tossed salad and fried some chicken. I also managed to get some laundry put away, laundry that I've been trying to get put away for a few weeks now.  So low in energy even though the increased thyroid meds have lowered my levels down to just above 2. Which is good, but since I still feel so crummy we're going to try one more dosage increase.  Hopefully I'll be outrunning my husband then.

Work was its usual for about ten minutes. At which time I was told I had to go out for my annual hearing test in another ten minutes. Which was still an 'ok whatever, no big deal' reaction. Even though that was a weird experience in itself since they test about 8 of us at the same time, in the same room...well, it was kind of like a camper/trailer type thing and then the instructor shut the door and I was thinking "claustrophobic much?" But anyway, before that happened, like - about 2 minutes before I was going to set my door down and start walking in the direction I needed to go, my supervisor comes up to me and asks if I'm busy. Uhm, yeah, kinda...But she had white envelopes in her hands and I knew what that had to mean so even though I had very little time, she pulled me off to the side and informed me that I was finally able to be hired on as a full time employee (as opposed to working as a Temp). Yay!

So that lifted my spirits quite a bit. I get my health insurance through my husband, so I haven't been worried about that.  But I'll be able to start a 401K again and start saving for that imaginary day when I can retire. And I'll get paid holidays and vacation days.  And after that, nothing about the night was normal. Like I said to the one QA before leaving, it was just a weird night. People kept being cycled through for their hearing tests, so I was working in different places for about half an hour. We finally caught up with our product line and had to wait for new product to get to our section of the plant. No lunch and we ended up leaving just before 9pm. As opposed to the full night we had the night before. Go fig.

Life certainly can be a roller coaster sometimes! Sometimes several times a day! Here's hoping for a good rest of the week!

Work in Progress

Just checking in and saying HI!

While you're waiting for me to post a lengthy post here again, why don't you head on over to Broads of a Feather and check out my latest post there? Hopefully I'll have something to post here by the weekend. I do have a post in mind, but it involves interviewing some people to make sure I have my facts straight.  I won't make you wait too long for something though.

The pic I've shared is one I took at the end of Memorial Day weekend. I was dropping mom off at home and there was this squirrel. Cheeky little fella.

Hope the week goes smoothly for us all!

Transitions

I'd like to say my life is settling ... but I have the feeling that as soon as I say it, there will be an upheaval of some kind to prove me wrong!

I feel much better still being in bed at this morning hour...
in the evening, it's half an hour until my lunch break!

Probably the biggest news I can give you is that I've changed jobs.  I am no longer a day-shifter, but am headed into my second week of being back on second shift.  For training purposes I had to be on day shift for the first two weeks of my new job.  I'm still working on adjusting to a new schedule, but I'm already feeling better after leaving my old job.  Not all of my aches and pains have left, but enough for me to feel relief.

It is nice being on the same schedule as my husband.  While we're not allowed to work in the same department, we do work in the same building and he apparently sees me in passing more than I do him.  Probably because whenever he goes to break, I am too busy to look for him!  Of course, I am working through a temp agency and have about 75 more days left before the company will consider hiring me on directly. I have no doubts that they will, but I supposed anything can happen between now and then.

Of course, I've signed on during their slow season.  I have yet to hit a full 40 hour paycheck.  But through Mr. Janney's previous work experience, I know that this won't last long.  Soon it'll be 12 hour shifts and 7 days a week and we'll never be seen!  Our dog will probably end up killing us in our sleep!

I am almost to the point where I'm ready to resume writing.  It has been hard recently.  Absolutely no motivation to pen new words, no desire to visit with my imaginary friends and enemies.  Even blog posts feel like slogging through mucky mire.  Part depression, part stress, part anxiety.  It's slowly resolving itself, bit by bit.  That which has been caused by circumstances anyways.

And like I usually do, I will use that as fuel for my characters and plot.  Cuz that's how I roll.

Hope you all enjoy the rest of your day!

Changes To Be Made

A peaceful spot to get away from the stress...

As I discussed in my post at Broads of a Feather, I am going to be making changes to my online presence.  I haven't made up my mind entirely as to what these changes are going to be, but they will be made.

Which isn't a bad thing.

I've  been wanting to post here more often, but given the state of my mind and emotions these past few weeks, I haven't been able to come up with anything good to post. Which is my own fault because I've always wanted to have some kind of schedule/plan for a few weeks out so I don't have to come up with something fresh each time I want to post; I've never sat down and written one out.

I have managed to get some writing done this summer, though nothing like I had originally planned.  My stories are never far from my thoughts.  It has been a very stressful summer, and truthfully shows no sign of abating anytime soon.

Our home is scheduled to be sold through a Sheriff Sale in September. I was making payments on it before my husband and I became injured and our finances began to suffer.  Rent continues to be an issue as well.

Even though I managed to convince my doctor to release me back to full time work, he wouldn't do it immediately (he didn't want to do it at all) so my return is at an hour a day a week at a time and I won't be back up to 8 hours a day for another week.  It is frustrating because it's not going to be in time.  My husband says he's going to ask the doctor to return him back to full duty when he sees her again at the end of the month, and I'm a little worries because he's only back to about 85%.  But it's a few weeks away still so maybe he'll be ready.  Or ready enough.

Which will create another 'problem' as we work different shifts and since we lost the car earlier this summer, transportation will be .... interesting.  I'll be talking to my friend and neighbor about riding in with her in probably another week.  And maybe a ride home too, even though it won't matter who I ride with I'll have to wait for them to get done since I'll only be working 8 hours and our departments are actually working 9 right now.

I know all things will end up working out somehow.  I just wish it would even out already!  We could both use a break from "life"!

Never Too Old to Learn a New Trick

"You can't teach an old dog new tricks."

It's an old saying that I'm sure everybody has heard at least once in their life.  It is often used to refer to older humans as well.  Some habits can't be changed or broke, because it's so ingrained by then.

I suppose there is some truth to that.  I'm having a hard time curbing my sweet tooth.  I've lived with it for so long and have given in to it for just as long, that it is hard to say NO when the urge for a treat raises it's ugly head.  The other night my mother treated us to supper, and I saw the soda machine in the corner with a favorite soda showing and thought 'I don't drink soda that often anymore, it won't hurt to treat myself this once.' And boy did I regret it! I apparently can't drink any soda anymore without it going straight through me in a very painful way.

But since we never really stop learning until we're dead, there is always a chance of learning something new and having it stick.

In my case, as I'm all too quickly my 39th birthday, I am learning how to swim.

All my doctors want me to lose weight, but they don't want me walking or on my foot to exercise in anyway and all that's left to me is upper body exercises and swimming.  Which I don't exactly know how to do.  I know more now than when I first started this blog though.

There's only one free pool in out area, which is just over half an hour away from us so unfortunately we can't exactly go everyday.  So far, Mr. Janney and I have gone at least once a weekend since they've opened.   We've had a fairly active thunderstorm season so far, so there have been a few times they've had to close the pool due to weather.

I'm not really sure why I never learned how to swim as a youth.  We didn't really have any deep rivers or ponds available for us to swim in growing up, or parents that would have allowed it? I'm not sure which it would be.  My school didn't have a pool like my husband's did (it still does).  And I did have a scary experience in a small pool when I was in 4-H, which instilled a good deal of fear regarding water...especially water over my head.

I  mean, I hate it.  Especially water in my ears.  If it gets stuck in there, I have that plugged feeling for what feels like an eternity.

So, we've solved that problem by my using ear plugs (which to my deep regret I forgot on Sunday) and swimming goggles.  And what a difference they make!  Especially the earplugs!  They eliminated so much of that not-so-irrational fear that I was able to brave the water on Sunday when I forgot them.  Yeah I got water in my ear, but I was determined to make more progress so I kept on.  Between getting water in my ear, and some up my  nose - I haven't mastered the entire breathing thing quite right yet, I've irritated my sinuses to the point the nurse practitioner ordered some antibiotics this afternoon when I saw her.  So in a way, I guess I'm paying for my determination to learn - but it's so worth it!

I probably know just enough that I won't drown if I somehow get caught in deep water without my husband nearby.  As if!  My technique is lacking, but I can almost cross the pool on my own without floundering.  Almost.  I can doggy paddle, sort of, all the way across.  My hubby says I'm doing good, and even one of the lifeguards who works there was kind enough to comment on my progress as well.

Hopefully before summers end, I'll have it more or less mastered.  Already I'm relaxed enough in the water that I don't want to get out, even if I'm not ready to do some of the tricks that Mr. Janney now regrets (his shoulder maybe isn't recovered enough from surgery to be doing back strokes and underwater flips).

Still, not too bad for this 'old dog'.

What is something you'd like to learn to do, or a fear you'd like to overcome?



Just a reminder, you can by my books for your Kindle (or a paperback) at these links: Farmer's Daughter Kindle/Paperback, Ring of Fire Kindle/Paperback.  If you prefer Nook, use these links Farmer's Daughter/Nook, Ring of Fire/Nook.