Thanksgiving

Good morning and Happy Thanksgiving to anyone out there who is on their computers! Our day is going to be very quiet which is nice!!! We are just having supper with our mother in law and the sister in law. I'll 'suffer' through the meal with SIL, listening to all the profound knowledge she has to offer.
She learns everything she knows by watching Dr. Phil and Oprah. Hmmm, very knowlegable!!!
Ask her about computers!!! She knows, by golly you can buy them on Home Shopping Network. You can get a Vista Computer very cheap.
Snort snort snort...she couldn't find the on/off switch on the vacuum cleaner, so how could she operate a computer? Ah, but she knows all about them from TV!

Thank goodness for midterms this week and a huge stack of homework to get done. I can beg off from staying all day and get home to peace and quiet, listen to TSO, and do my homework.
I suppose I could ask SIL to help me with my homework, after all she gives me medical advice all of the time.

Ok, I shouldn't be saracastic, this is Thanksgiving and I am really greatful that I have a wonderful family. Though, I'd much rather be spending the time with my son, his wife, my youngest son [his daughter], and my hubby's daughter [who won't make it this year because of a nasty flu bug].

I do like my relatives, but as with everything, in moderation.
Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends.

Dah Big Deer Hunt...

It is the second day of the Wisconsin 9 day gun-deer season. It is all the rage you know. Male hormones rage, their chests puff up, and they go out in the woods looking for the 'big' deer. While I make fun of the hunters one must realize that they are also doing a job. The deer population for our state is astronomical. One only needs to have a run-in with a buck or a doe with their vehicle to realize how dangerous they are. The statistics are pretty eye opening.
The crop damage is also something to be considered. In the DNR pamphlet it states that there are between 1.6 and 1.8 million deer in our state. Folks, that is a lot of deer.
The impact of the 9 day season is a boon to the WI economy. It supposedly creates $535 million in retail activity, and has a $1 billion total economic impact on the state each year. That is definitely big business.

There are downsides to this 9 day season also. Some hunters are not careful, some hunters are the bad apples that leave a bad taste in our mouths.

All in all, it has been a quiet opening and a very quiet weekend.
I've spent the weekend doing schoolwork and making my calendars and gifts.

The Walmart Wizard..not...

MMMM, my monitor which is a CRT monitor of old keeps changing colors. After much discussion and research I found a LCD 19" flat panel monitor of Dell's at our local Walmart. It will offer me more desk space and hubby a big screen view of things when he uses the internet.
While I was in the Walmart [I could have ordered from Dell direct, but it was $4 cheaper at Wally World and there was no shipping charges], Mr. Walmart Wizard of computers comes by to see if I needed help.
So of course I was curious as to his knowledge.
He thought I should by the same monitor for the same price built by a company that had poor reviews.
I do my homework.
His reasoning was ... why give Dell the $? Ah, duh, I thought I was shopping at Walmart.

He showed me the 1501 Inspirion Notebook and then proceeded to tell me I couldn't get it any cheaper any where else.
I don't think he liked it when I said, "Oh sure I can. I order direct from Dell, get the same components with XP OS...and a better optical drive, and pay $200 less!"
To which he said there were no computers built with Windows XP anymore.

I said, "Perhaps if you work in the computer section, you ought to research your products. Dell offers this Notebook with XP...and at a better price."

I winked and left.
I like being an informed consumer.
Mr. Wizard didn't....

But that is why he still works at Walmart after all!
[no offense to anyone employed there...okay?]

The Tin Can War

This is very very scary, if you see this deranged looking person anywhere in your vicinity, please run...run fast and far.

I spent part of Saturday target shooting in our creek bottom with my oldest son and his wife. Of course I 'posed' for this shot [the pistol is empty and doesn't even have a clip in it]...goofing off. Joy and I wear the ear 'muffs' to deaden the sound of their .45, and the two shot guns. The 'muffs' didn't exactly fit my Elmer Fudd hat well. I think that is apparent in the photo!

The Tin Can War:
We faced off the tin cans with an arsenal of firearms. My favorite being the .22 caliber rifle and my pistol.
The Cans lined up menacingly on the dirt creek bank. They glistened with all their silver glory just leering at us. I'm sure I could hear them shouting obscenities at us...
I was sure one of them called me a foul name.
I was sure they were gathering for an attack.
One can never be sure of sneaky Tin Cans lurking in the woodlands.
Lucky we had come armed as we did. Or the Tin Can War could have ended tragically.
A super hero showed up in camo and blasted the rest of them away...the ones that had been circling to attack!
Yep, we won, hands down. The Tin Cans were rounded up finally and sent to the recycling bin. A hard battle had been won.

Be Happy...

Life is good when you can get up in the morning and grab your favorite mule and with a 'leg up' from hubby, go for a quick spin in the fresh cold Wisconsin air. I consider myself terribly lucky. I was able to ride the ridgetop. I stopped with Badger and overlooked the expanse of sky and enjoyed the cold fresh air on my face.
Something unique happens while riding.
The worries of the world drop away.
Everything seems a bit brighter.
Everything seems a bit more alive.

Of course when that hen pheasant flew out of the tall grass next to us, I 'spooked' as my mule went stiff legged.
That broke all the tension from work and school up...
I became very happy. I trotted and loped my mule out to the tobacco shed and then back home. I was all smiles when I got back.
And I really didn't want to get off.
Can't I just stay here all day...pleeeeezeee????
Oh well, I'm happy!

What Dreams Are???

Dreams are often entertaining or have some strange meaning. Between school and continual storm clean up, I haven't been able to go riding much since August. I've been able to steal away a few precious rides, but not near enough to satisfy my 'riding cravings'. So....

Last night I dreamt we decided to go riding and we all had to pick out Breyer horses to ride!
Seriously.
We got on our Breyer horses and two of the folks that were with us had --- run a ways!
They must have gotten hurt badly because we couldn't find them or their horses, so we called the rescue squad.
Here comes the good part.
We searched the 'house' because it was a big house...and found the 'Breyer riders' laying in a closet with their Breyer horses.
Boy, now if that wasn't bad enough, the EMT turned to me and wanted to know why I called Rescue for plastic people.

Um.
Dreams do NOT make sense.
But I'm not riding any Breyers soon, they were way too wild!
BTW, the Breyer riders came out of it, and we found the horses in another closet...and one under the bed. [I think the Dust Bison, got it]

Sitting out by myself...

Thursday night I sat by the bonfire of broken trees while the sun lowered itself into the November night. I moved closer to the fire as the temperatures dropped. Morris snuggled in close to me ... I'm sure he did it to protect me from the Hoot Owl that was calling in the woods not far away.
There wasn't much to ponder, as it was...I just sat and stared into the flickering flames and embers. Once in a while there would be a loud pop and Morris would be startled.
I watched the sky turn from oranges to deep purples and pinks...to a black violet color dotted with stars.
Very peaceful. I wanted to stretch out there and not go back in the house.
The flames mesmerized me. I think I could have stayed there and let my mind wander for hours.
I mentioned to my hubby when I went in if perhaps when the 'kids' come to visit, if we should have a little campfire.