Back to normal

We got home yesterday. The kitties were SOOO happy to see us. They keep checking up on me to make sure I'm still here. Last night Sophie jumped on the foot of the bed, ran up along my side and meowed in my face, just one meow, then she left. It was so funny! Still trying to figure out what it meant. Do pets think their people got out and ran away?

This morning I picked up our dog, Trixie. She stayed with my daughter so she brought Trixie to work with her and I met her there. So now that we have eaten home cooked food gotten a good night's sleep we feel back to normal.

Now for some pictures:

The balcony outside our room

Looking toward the Inn

Saturday from the conference room---the sun peeked out for a few seconds

Sunday morning---fog on the lake

On the pier looking back at the Inn

One of four lakes at the Natchez Trace

Clouds reflecting in the water. So blue!!

And clear

Moss garden

Beaver work

Postcard perfect lake

Monday morning fog

Dad getting ready to leave.

We enjoyed the fresh air and quiet. The scenery was so beautiful!

Vincennes

We're staying in a better place this time. Also found a decent Mexican restaurant, La Fiesta. Home tomorrow. I miss my kitties!!!!!!!!!!

Natchez Trace State Park, TN

I started this post on Thursday the 15th. It's now Sunday, the 18th and we're still here! The weather for the conference was disappointing, chilly, damp and cloudy. Of course Sunday, the day everyone had to leave, was sunny and gorgeous. So...we didn't leave. I took lots of pictures but I'm not sure if I can edit them until I get home. I didn't install my editing software.

Back to the 15th:

We are here, tired, and about ready to grab something to eat. I hope it's sunny tomorrow so I can get a nice picture before my head is buried in all the conference work (didn't happen).

The drive down was rather unremarkable. Western Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee don't have the spectacular rock outcropping and cliffs. I saw field after field of corn and soybeans. We saw cotton in parts of Kentucky and Tennessee. The most unusual thing we saw was long, covered conveyor belts for moving coal to the railroads in western Kentucky. They undulated up over roads and down through farm fields for miles.

Thursday night the boss, vp and I sorted out all the shirt orders and stuffed the gift bags. Friday morning I set up the equipment area in the conference room. It was a long day so we crashed early and planned an early start on Saturday. The weather was cold and gloomy.

Dad and I finished all the equipment in time for dinner with the employees. We enjoy their company and honestly would rather talk than work. But that's "my marathon" I call it. I cleaned, checked and updated 19 laptops (I think---my list is packed) and printers. Dad cleaned all the inventory calculators.

Sunday (today) morning we packed up all the conference related stuff and decided to stay. We took several walks and ate yummy pizza from Sparky's in Lexington, TN, only about 10 minutes drive away. It's time to post this and head to bed. We must start home tomorrow!

What a day!

This is a very busy time of the year for me. The conference is barely over 2 weeks away and preparations are in high gear. I have been shopping and purchasing gifts for the employees and taking orders for the two free company shirts they receive every year. So today when my DSL went down I decided to not become frustrated and take a break from the computer. I got a laptop set up and re-potted some violets. Then the mailman knocked on the door. He had a box for me. You have to go to my Violet Obsession blog to find out what was in it. (link is on the right).

Pickles :-)

Today we canned some bread and butter pickles. It's been years since we last did any canning, and I no longer have my big canning pot. So until we have the proper equipment, batches are just going to remain small. I can tell you I was pretty nervous listening to the jars dancing in the boiling water because there was no rack to hold them.

Cucumbers, bell peppers, sweet banana peppers, all from our garden.

They look like they turned out fine. Now---the long wait, not opening any for at least 4 weeks. Haven't tried the tomato preserves yet, either.

In other news, if you love cats, or even remotely like cats, you must watch Nora play the piano! Nora even had a concerto written for her, a CATcerto!

The Conference this year will be in Nashville. Sounds like fun. More later...

Sunny and Mild!

It got up to 71 today! We opened the house, and between jobs, you guessed it, I hung up clothes on the line. So I'm old fashioned. Old fashioned gray haired lady who hangs clothes between doing work on a computer. hahaha

This morning the boss stopped by and dropped off the other three laptops and couple other items I sent home with someone who was driving. I know I have to get off my butt and contact Dell about getting the warranty repairs done. But it's so much more fun to take pictures of my African Violets! Ok, I am sooo busted.

Actually I spent the morning finalizing the shirt order with the uniform company. Six shirts are on back order, two items were missing and two people needed replacement shirts because the ones they got didn't fit right.

Dad was going to cook salmon tonight but decided against it. It was easier to make a pot of chili that could wait on the stove while we handed out candy to trick or treaters. There were a few cute costumes, but several kids were just making the rounds with a plastic grocery bag, no costume, just a mumble instead of a thank you. On the other hand, there were several parents with their children in costume who made sure the little ones were polite and said thank you.

We watched "Fun With Dick and Jane" tonight for the umpteenth time, I mean third time. It's funny no matter how often you see it, only now it is so relevant to what is going on. Tomorrow is going to be another nice day. I can't wait to take our mini trip around southern Indiana!

Home--on Sunday

The equipment-cleaning-laptop-upgrading marathon is over. Actually, I finished on Saturday with an hour to spare before dinner. I had two helpers inventory and clean the ICALs (inventory calculators) and printers. I also had help with check-in and packing. I could never had done it alone. Here are some pictures:

The gift bags stuffed on Thursday night. Two free shirts for everyone, plus other assorted gifts.

Friday, equipment arrives. From my room looking into the equipment area.

In the equipment area with my sleeping room to the right

My view of Little Rock

That's about all I got to see because I had my head stuck in all the equipment. I don't mind because that's my job, it's not a vacation. Every piece of equipment is checked for loose or missing screws, cracks, or broken parts. All the keyboards are cleaned, and all laptops were updated with new software and scanned for problems. I had three new laptops that I issued and five dead ones to bring home.

Dinner on Saturday was good. It was at the Loca Luna, a very trendy, artsy place, rustic, lots of candles, neat atmosphere. I had the salmon with some kind of cranberry glaze. It was nice to relax and talk to people.

After dinner I headed back to the hotel so people could pick up their equipment. Sunday is usually pick-up day but most people pick up on Saturday if their stuff is ready. I was glad because I had to have absolutely everything packed and ready to go for Sunday. Two people loaded up their cars with all the boxes of equipment that needed to be returned. I vacated the room by 9 AM Sunday and those of us flying home caught a shuttle to the airport. The flight was about 2 hours long. I landed in Midway about 12:20 PM, grabbed a bit to eat at "Pegasus on the Fly" in the food court at Midway Airport. (I had a Greek savory pie made of Philo dough, spinach and feta cheese---yummy!!!) and then caught the bus home by 1 PM. It is so nice to be home!! I was so tired I was incoherent, so I took a nap. I think I have recovered. One more picture:

Sunday morning sunrise, Little Rock.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is Thursday, the day I'm flying to Little Rock. The only thing left to do is throw a few things in my carry-on bag and go. Oh, and water my plants, tell Dad again how much I'll miss him (I will) and pet and hug all my kitties. I fly out of Midway at 2:50 pm and land at 4:35 pm. I leave Little Rock on Sunday. My flight is at 10:40 am and I arrive at 12:20 pm. I really wish Dad was going with me. I'll have some helpers, though. Well, see you all Sunday!

OH! Dad cleaned the furnace and it seems to be working fine!