sexist pigs ;)

I'm talking about Mill House Quilts in Waunakee, WI.

I went searchin the net one day for Wisconsin quilt shops, and found several nice shops. Though I've never been there, Mill House Quilts in Waunakee has a really nice website, and looks like a terrific place.

Like many shops with websites, they offer a periodic newsletter sent out via email. For those not familiar with the newsletter, they include class info., sales, links to online shopping, etc. Dakota Cabin Quilts in Hettinger, ND, sends out a really terrific (weekly) newsletter. They are some of the nicest, most helpful people you could find on the 'net, and they have a huge and very tasteful selection of fabrics, books, kits, patterns, etc. They always include a "slice of life" as well... some personal story about the goings-on in their lives... it's really a treat to read.

Anyway... back to Mill House. Their newsletter started out okay... and then their "hunting" newsletter arrived. The letter starts out - "When the men go hunting, the ladies go shopping!" That's all of that particular newsletter I bothered to read. I went and unsubscribed.

I guess it's "tradition" in Wisconsin (and other states), and I'm sure no harm was intended, but - sheesh. While I don't hunt myself, I come from a long line of hunters. Several of the women hunt/hunted, and often do a better job than the guys do! Likewise, many men quilt - and have been doing so for years. Many men - like Ricky Tims for example - are darn good at quilting.... so much so, that they've won awards for their work.

Isn't time that we get rid of some of the old stereotypes surrounding quilting - and life in general? I've been in plenty of quilt shops that sneer at you while you're shopping, cluck their tongues and sigh heavily while they're cutting your fabric - just cuz ya happen to be a guy. But their hands are outstretched and their mouths are drooling when ya drop a couple hundred bucks on quilting supplies.

Who needs it? Again, Mill House seems like a very nice store.... and I'm sure people will continue to shop there. But there are plenty of quilt shops around the country - many online. We have choices. And we don't need patronize those places that hang on to antiquated stereotypes.

Happy hunting, ladies! And happy quilting, guys! >:-)

this is getting ridiculous....

I realize that every place has snakes.... I just never thought I would happen to encounter every snake in one place!

Last night I went out to the fridge in the garage for a soda. I reached for the handle, and then I heard sort of a hiss/rattle. I looked down, and there - coiled up next to the side door of the garage - with it's tongue darting in and out - was another snake!

This one was larger than previous snakes encountered. It was quite a bit noiser, too. I did see the diamonds, and the photo above looks almost exactly what I saw.... an Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake... which I've read is the most dangerous and gets to be the largest snake in the U.S. ???

I didn't know this at the time, of course. And while I enjoy most of the wildlife in Florida... and have gotten used to what I don't like (gators), I will never enjoy - or even tolerate snakes.

Fortunately, this snake was right next to the side door of the garage. I slowly unlocked the door, and slowly opened it just a little, to make sure it would open. There was a long pole with a brush attached (used for cleaning the eaves) that I could reach without moving, so grab it I did. Then I slowly pushed open the door (while the snake arched and rose up - probably planning to eat my face).... and quickly shoved that booger outside! Bam! I slammed the door shut and ran inside the house! hehe

Now I'm wondering where the next snake will show. I did hear a hissing in the house one night, and thought it might be a snake, but then figured I was just imagining things. I guess as the weather gets cooler, the snakes look for warmer places. I hope the next snake doesn't show up in my bed! I thought for a minute about getting bunk beds & sleeping on the top bunk, but these snakes can climb... so that wouldn't do any good. I don't know what keeps snakes away.... But I'm guessing we won't keep them away... and I'm guessing I'll run into another one soon enough. Hopefully I can get away fast enough - if it's a rattlesnake, or get it away from me fast enough so it doesn't get the chance to bite me. Oh well. I guess it makes life exciting!

dinner with mr. loud

Just wrote a little review on Oakwood restaurant, and was reminded of one of our visits there.

We were there early one evening and the place was pretty crowded. As usual, there were lots of seniors there.... trying to keep their false teeth in their mouth while sucking on rib bones, I guess. Anyway, a group of four had come in and sat down. Three of them had been taught to use their indoor voice, but the forth - an elderly gentleman - evidently never learned about indoor voices, or was hard of hearing. He SPOKE SO LOUDLY!

A few minutes after they sat down, his cell phone rang. I couldn't name the tune, but I know it had to have been a favorite on the "The Lawrence Welk Show" (thank you, Bobby and Barbara!). The man was YELLING into the phone, and if the people on the other end weren't originally deaf, they would be after a few calls from this man.

The friends that the Loud party were waiting for had come in the front door... and instead of just looking for their pals, the newcomers decided to call them on their cell - while standing next to the hostess station (and blocking the front door, of course). Kids these days.

The gentleman sitting near us not only forgot about his indoor voice, but I guess he forgot he was on a cell phone too - because as soon as he heard they were inside the front door, he started yelling even louder on the phone! Waving frantically he screamed, "WE'RE OVER HERE!" Did he think of giving them a hint as to where "here" was (like near the window, in the back?)? Nah. That would have been too easy. Let em hunt for us!

The friends that had come in the front door were incredibly short (maybe the sole-surviving Munchkins...who knows?); so while we could see them from where we were sitting, they couldn't see over the dividing wall. They heard their master's voice, but couldn't see him, so they were frantically and aimlessly rambling around the restaurant with a look of desperation on their faces.... like the wicked witch of the West had just shown up in a cloud of smoke, and they needed a place to hide.

After a couple more minutes of YELLING (!) - the two parties met, sat down, and after a few really bad jokes directed toward the waitress, all was calm. Mr. Loud was LOUD the entire time we were there, but fortunately his dinner companions dominated the conversation; so we didn't hear a lot more from him.

A short while later, though, just as we had finished our dinner, the fun started again. We suddenly heard, "OH MY GOD. THAT'S TERRIBLE!" It was Mr. Loud. He continued... "YOU HAVE TO GET A RING! GET YOURSELF ONE OF THOSE INFLATABLE DONUTS! THAT'S WHAT I USE! I HAVE HEMORRHOIDS! YOU HAVE TO PROTECT THE HOLE!"

Oy.......... I'm sooooo glad we were done eating, and too stuffed for dessert. After hearing that, I don't think I could have eaten anything else. We paid the bill and headed toward the door. All in all though, it's a nice place. The food & service are outstanding, and the diners are usually entertaining.

Oakwood restaurant

Okay... if you're in Florida, and are in the Leesburg/Lady Lake/Clermont area, Oakwood is definitely a place to check out. Rib places are plentiful, but I don't think you'll find one with better ribs, or better service!

Their ribs are meaty, with no fat... have just the right amount of sauce, and the meat really does fall right off the bone. I think the menu lists the "full rack dinner" at $12.95 (which includes two sides), but they have a nightly special, and the ribs are usually $10.95. That's a great deal considering most rib prices in the area start at about $15.

The menu prices run in the $10-$15 range (up to $25 at Red Oak). We've tried just about everything, and I would recommend just about anything. The barbeque pork is great too. It comes chopped or sliced... or you can opt for the barbequed pork sandwich. They have great combo plates, generous "meal" salads, and mouth-watering sides. My favorite sides are the roasted corn salad (more like a 'corn slaw' - served cold, and the onion rings. We usually order the onion rings as an appetizer, but eat fast, because no matter how busy they are, the food is at your table just a few minutes after you order.

Unlike many area restaurants (esp. rib joints), the place is clean! The service is outstanding - better than we've received at great restaurants in Chicago, Vegas, or anywhere else. They have four locations - check out Oakwood's website - and stop in and see them! All of their locations are very popular though, so go early, or be prepared to wait. Their Red Oak in Clermont has a service bar, and a nice outdoor patio where you can wait for your table. The steaks are excellent, and it's one of the few restaurants I've been to that knows how to cook polenta.

There are a couple of "I wonder about that" issues.... I ordered the barbequed chicken once, and it was pretty nasty. It was like chicken that had fallen off the grill and landed in the coals, and then just lightly brushed off and put on a plate. I'm not sure whether it's like that all the time, but - I didn't care for it. Maybe it was a one-time incident, because the rest of their food is outstanding.

The other "issue" that's confusing is why all of their African-American employees are behind the grill/counter, while all the people on the front lines are lily white. I asked a waitress a couple of times, and you get that uncomfortable laugh that says "Like ohmigod! No he didn't! Now what do I say?"

Don't forget... It seems the terms "barbeque" and grilled are interchangeable in the South. Barbeque to me means anything with barbeque sauce. In the South (and at Oakwood), 'barbeque' means grilled food with or without barbeque sauce. People will probably look at you weird, but be sure and clarify. I was a lil disappointed the first time I ordered "barbequed pork", and it came with no sauce. Of course Oakwood - like the other area restaurants - include barbeque sauce at the table. So you can use as little or as much as you like!

Their menu is on their website. I highly recommend them!

red & yellow & pink & green....

...purple and orange and blue.... I can sing a rainbow... sing a rainbow...

Okay, okay....enough of that. Anyone that's been here more than once knows that I keep changing things here. Can't help it. I get tired of looking at the same colors (and those songs are drivin me nuts!) I liked the black background, and the photos (I think) look best with a black background.... But - "I" had trouble reading the posts - maybe others did as well. So I have a new look - again. Maybe it'll stick - maybe it won't. If they come out with more templates, I'll probably try all of those as well!

In the meantime, feel free to comment on the layout, colors, etc. It would be appreciated!

Superior storm

We have music.......... well sort of....

Okay.... I've tried to liven up this blog by adding music - via finetune.com. It's a great site, and has a bazillion songs. I managed to find every obscure song that I was looking for on the site. It's easy to install on a blog as well.

That's where the fun ends. When you click on one of the blog sections, the music stops. I see a new player shows up on each page, but then you have to click to start it up again. Obviously you're only going to spend a couple of minutes on each page... so it's really not what I was hoping for. I guess though, if you have some office work to do - bills to pay, or a hand-written letter (yeah right), you can visit my site, turn on the tunes, and listen while ya work. Okay, I guess you can turn on the tunes, minimize the window, and then open a new browser window or Word or something, too.

I also have a problem with finetune.com insofar as you can't choose the songs you want played. You have to set up a playlist on the site first - and you must fill it with 45 (count em - 45!) songs, or it won't work on yer blog. And while I now know how to operate the lil music thingie (jukebox?) on the bottom of my main screen, it's confusing enough so a new visitor might not get it at all. Oh heck... scroll to the bottom of the main page, and when you see the arrow pop up in the middle of the box with the teddy bear, click it. The music should play. There are "shadows" on either side of the main song playing... those are actually "albums" turned sideways. If you click the left one, you can play the song you just heard. If you click the right shadow, you get the next "randomly chose" song in the list. Unfortunately you cannot scroll through all 45 songs to experience my weird tastes. After scrolling through about 4 or 5, a pop-up shows up that tells you that you have to listen to some of the songs.

I made a handful of visits to my blog after the music was installed, and found too, that there's lots of repetition. So I'm not sure that even I will get to hear all 45 songs... and there doesn't seem to be any way of getting to the songs I wanna hear. I believe too, that songs have been included on my playlist that I didn't personally add. I mean, I like Fergie's "Big Girls Don't Cry", but I would never admit that to anyone.... ;) and I wouldn't include it on a playlist.

Oh well. I guess I'll be lookin around for a new music source. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy what you hear - if you get the thing to work. As always, comments/suggestions/feedback are appreciated!

* * * * * * * *

Update: After checking out several of the websites that host music and provide a player for your blogs/websites, it seems that finetune.com is actually one of the better choices. Their player is a little more sophisticated than others. They don't seem to have a "pop-up" player, but then so many computer users have pop-up blockers, so they wouldn't be able to take advantage of the player if they wanted. I went and hunted for more tunes at finetune.com, and still didn't have any trouble finding most of them. I guess I'll be keeping them until something better shows up.

Write It When I'm Gone...

Since I haven't yet developed the skills required to write a good book review, I'll simply provide a link to the amazon.com review of this book, and you can read the official review there. Heck, you can order the book while you're there, too.

I also recommend you read the customer reviews on this book. They've done a very nice job of saying everything I would say about this book. Although one reviewer read the book in a day, I spread it out over two days. But the book really is that interesting that you want to keep reading.

Gerald Ford was an important part of this country's history and our culture. He was intelligent, likeable, and respected by most. If you only have one book about Gerald Ford, this is the book to have.

recent project

Denise & Jeff!

Thank you for calling Target Pharmacy!

Well, it's that time of year again... the dreaded "snowbird" season.

Tis the time of year when all those Q-tips and moss backs load up their RV's and Lincolns, sedans & mini-vans - and start heading south into Florida.

From mid-September until June, the roads are inundated with these pesky lil critters. They make a mess out of traffic... they extend the wait time at your favorite restaurant by at least three days or so, they crowd the movie theaters and bowling alleys, they spread their germs everywhere (I'm convinced we wouldn't have a "cold & flu season" here in Florida if we didn't have snowbirds) - AND - they start to call the house.

By some annoying coincidence (or maybe God with a twisted sense of humor), the telephone number for the local Target Pharmacy is VERY similar to our home phone number. So we get calls...and calls, and more calls.

"Hello."

"Hello. Is this Target Pharmacy?"

"No sir. It isn't."

"Oh. Well then why did I call you?" CLICK
* * * * * *

"Hello".

"Yes, Target Pharmacy? I need to put in an order for my pills."

"I'm sorry ma'am. You've reached a private residence."

"Ohhhhh my goodness gracious! How on earth did I do that? You mean this isn't Target?"

"No ma'am. This is someone's home. I think you dialed the wrong number."

"Oh. Well my goodness! Do you have their number?" (we do now, but didn't originally have it).

"No ma'am. I don't have the number for Target Pharmacy. Maybe you can try directory assistance."

"I guess I can try that, but are you sure you don't have the number? Why don't you have their number?"

"Well, we don't have the number because we don't have a need to call Target Pharmacy. We shop Walgreens or CVS".

"Ohhhh... Well maybe I should go to Walgreens, too. You know they always have such good sales, and they always have those good coupons and the flyer in the Sunday paper. Do you think I should go there?"

"Well, we like them, but that's entirely your choice, of course."

"You know my daughter gets her prescriptions filled at Walgreen's. I think my daughter-in-law does, too. I think all my children go to Walgreen's. Maybe I should start going there. Then if I can't make it for some reason, one of my kids..."

"Ma'am, I hate to cut this short, but I need to go."

"Oh okay. So you don't have the number for Target Pharmacy?"

"No ma'am."

"Well, do you know where I can find it?"

"I don't know ma'am. Try the phone book. Maybe it's on your prescription bottle. Try directory assistance."

"But that's such a -I don't want to go through all that rigamaroll".

"I understand, ma'am. Well maybe you can just call Target Pharmacy yourself and ask them for the number." (insert devil horns here... hehe)

"Yes I could do that! Thank you very much for your help!"

"You're welcome ma'am. Have a nice day!"
* * * * *

Sometimes we leave the answering machine on. We often get "beeping" (someone trying to fax Target Pharmacy), or, we get people who just leave their entire prescription order on our voice mail. Other times, the message is from a doctor's office or the Mayo Clinic (in Jacksonville, FL I believe), calling in a prescription. There's a scary thought. You put your life and your medical history in someone's hands, and you trust they'll provide top-notch care. And here they are, leaving messages about prescriptions on a residential answering machine.

Mind you, there is nothing on our voice mail greeting that would give someone the slightest impression that they were calling Target, but they leave their prescription orders anyway. Although I've never followed through with the idea, there have been a few times when I've wanted to call the person back, pretend to be a pharmacist, tell them their prescription is ready, and let them know that they can stop by and pick it up.

The other day a very nice-sounding older gentleman called and left a voice message - again with a complete order prescription. When I got the message, I called back to let them know they had reached the wrong number. I talked to the man's wife.

"Hello?"

"Yes?"

"Someone just called here and left an order for a prescription on our voice mail. I think they were trying to reach Target Pharmacy..."

"Yes?"

"...but this isn't Target Pharmacy. This is a private residence."

"Is the prescription ready?"

"No. Ma'am, your husband called a private residence and left his message on a private answering machine. He did not call Target Pharmacy."

"Oh I see. Can you fill the prescription?"

"No ma'am. I can't. This is someone's home, not a pharmacy."

"Yes I heard you. But I don't understand why you can't fill the prescription."

"Okay, ma'am? I can't fill your prescription because this isn't a pharmacy. This is a private home. I can give you the number for Target, and then you need to call them and order your prescription."

"I don't need the number for Target. I have the number. I don't understand why you can't fill the prescription. Are you young? You sound young. Young people these days are such a problem. So smart-alecky."

"I'm sorry ma'am. I don't mean to sound smart- alecky, but I cannot help you because this is a private home. You need to call Target."

"Oh for pete's sake. We have always had our prescription filled with no problem. I don't know why you're giving me such a hard time. Maybe we'll just go elsewhere."

"Well ma'am, that's your choice then."

"You bet it's my choice. And it's my choice to write a letter to your president and complain about the service too. I don't think we'll be doing business with Target anymore."

"Okay ma'am. Well you have a nice day."

"Don't tell me to have a nice day. How can I have a nice day when I have to deal with idiots like you?"

"Ma'am...."

"Don't ma'am me." CLICK


And these people find their way across the country and to their winter residence each year? Oy.... I wrote down the prescription, called Target Pharmacy, explained the situation, and gave them the name and telephone number of the person who called. Hopefully they can get things straightened out, and hopefully these people can get their pills. I have a feeling they need em. I have a feeling we're gonna need some pills soon, too.

I'm still waiting for the State of Florida to start issuing snowbird licenses. Hopefully there will be no bag limit.