DEATHS. 

They say it comes in 3s and if the last 3 weeks are any example then that is definately true.

My BFF's Aunt Better Lou - a delightful character that I have known for seveal years was put in hospice. That said, she seemed to be comfortable and wanted to stay around until at least Christmas. Unfortunately that wasn't the case and she passed away 2 days before thanksgiving.

Then my brother, Joe, was put in the hospital with a combination of Covid and Legionnairres Disease (I KNOW RIGHT??? Haven't heard about that for 15 years or more).  Unfortunately, the combination of the two just drove over him like a loaded Peterbuilt heading down a mountain then suddenly heading for the runaway ramp.  He went to his peace about a week later.

My Aunt Barbara - ok she is actually my first cousin once removed, but what kid can understand that? We always called my parent's contemporaries 'Aunt' or 'Uncle' so that's how it stays. She had a rare form of cancer and headed to her next adventure just before Thanksgiving. 

OK that's three, right? Well there have been other sudden loses, but these three for me are closest because I have visited their home or shared several meals with them. 

So why am I babbling (once again) about it? Well it is because for the most part, these were (for me) utterly unexpected and I didn't have a chance to see any of them and say goodby.   Believe me, no matter what your relationship with the person, it feel very surreal and other worldly when it comes out of the blue. 

Everyone is effected in different ways - some folks are all about getting everyone to arrange their arrangements now and make sure everyone knows about them. Some can't even here the persons name because the emotions are a hot knife in their heart.  Others want to give up all the activities they used to do with the deceased because 'it won't be the same without them'. Some have no clue what to do so they write things and make photo presentations in an attempt to let it settle in as reality. 

Each person grieves in their own way, once they figure out how they need to grieve because its different everytime. 

YES it comes in 3s and it's horrible and senseless and anger-induing and hurts all over. Just know - you are not alone and comfort is here when you are ready.

If you'd like to see the presentation I did, go here:  https://www.krismcg.com/in-memoriam

Seems like everyone is diving into geneology these days. Sites like 23 and Me and Ancestry DNA are collecting a lot of valuable data and it is interesting to see how that data is becoming more and more valuable.

I'll admit it - I've been interested my whole life - I want to know where we are from back several generations and I want to go visit those places.  I want to stand in the feet of my ancestors, touch what they touched, see what they saw. I want to understand how the way they lived their lives has impacted each generation and how it was passed to the next. 

I want to yank the ghosts out of the family closet, air the dirty laundry of the past uncover the sad, the funny and the tragic. Bring on the gossip!  If it happened almost 100 years ago - how can it hurt today really?

Ok - so I'm sure you are asking - what the heck is going on in this picture?  Well, back in the late 40s there were a thing called "A Tom Thumb wedding or miniature wedding is a pageant where children act out the marriage ceremony. They were popular in the early 1900s, inspired by the 1863 wedding of General Tom Thumb (Charles Sherwood Stratton) and Lavinia Warren. There were various scripts, with brides named Jennie June or Lillie Putian." Neat, yes? My mom and my aunt are two of the little brides maids along with their cousin, who I think was the groom.  Anyway - I thought it was an appropriate bit of history, so I included it!

As for the rest of the day - well, I picked up my grocery order at Walmart, grabbed a few items from Aldi, had a Big Mac for lunch, unloaded the car, put everything away and then come to find out the driver's side window on my car won't shut..... Right now there just isn't a budget to fix it, so my next project is moving crap around in my garage and putting the car in. Blerg.  Oh and one other thing - I found out someone hacked into the Etsy shop and has been selling crap under my name.  I think not people.  I deleted all the listings and deleted the shop.  Changed the passwords, too. Jerks.  Well, glad I solved that one without too much drama!

Luckily, it is a beautiful day, not too hot and I have some delish left over spaghetti for dinner.

Not a bad Saturday!

I haven't made mention of it here, but I've been living alone since December 31st 2020. I don't mind living alone - I have done it many times, but this time I am in a much bigger home (more floors/space).  It has been kinda weird because I still hear footsteps in the upper floors (it is actually the house next door making the noise) but I'm pretty much used to it.  But it is still kinda weird. 

What is nice is that I am working from home again and during the day, its pretty quiet - if you ignore those loud birds outside, harleys and vehicles driving too fast. But as long as the weather permits, I'm going to sit in my living room office with the front door open and enjoy the fresh air, the chats with the delivery folks and all the other sweet things that come with living in a small town. 

Whether it is quiet or not, There is still a great feeling to be sitting at my desk, admiring my newly redecorated living room/office space and feeling accomplished.

I am sure many of you are not aware that I came to a parting of the ways with Hydro at the end of November. It wasn't exactly a surprise; I don't believe either of the parties involved were devestated by the action but it still put me in a tough position.
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Of course I immediately started job hunting - many applications every day and I had some funds to cover me (and luckily the christmas shopping was done before the end of November), but let's face it, December is a lousey month to job hunt.  Businesses are thrilled to get the applications, but there is so much going on with holidays, extra business and year end deadlines that interviews aren't always high on the list. AND THAT IS OK! I expected that going into it. 
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But as I so often quote the book "Fortunately" by Remy Charlip, everything is 

really only a ride on the teeter/totter - up and down, up and down. Being unemployed isn't any different; for example: approved for unemployment but it took almost 6 weeks to recieve the first payment (and don't bother calling them - you will sit on hold for hours - trust me I did it!); and it was all the same with the rest of the benefits I was grateful to receive. 

Let me back up a little - at the beginning of October 2021 I had my second bout of Covid-19 - I am thrilled to report that the vaccine I had in April 2021 made this second episode so much more bareable - I mostly slept, listened to podcasts (thank you My Favorite Murder!) and audio books (thank you Audible!) and ate deliveries by Door Dash as I didn't have the energy to cook.  A couple of folks dropped off some supplies and stayed outside the quarantine range, so it was all good. I am just thrilled that I didn't loose over a week like I did the first time where all I can remember is coughing and getting cooked by the fever. 

So it was with not much excitment that I drifted into 2022, and really thing only thing I wanted was a job. Which I did get at the end of February and yes, I get to work from home again and yes, it is in Pharma again! W00t!!

But let's not forget the war.  It is a very frightening time - especially for those of us who have grown up with the power and distruction of nuclear diseaster. The world seemed to have drawn a line in the sand when it came to these weapons and started eliminating them and not using them as threats (and hey, some of those empty missle silos have made amazing homes and diving schools!). I'm not sure that is the case now.

In any case, I am trying to do what I can to help and that has mostly been through shopping a small stores in Ukraine where the money can go directly into the hands of those that need it now! Believe it or not, the postal system between our two countries is still working great and I didn't have to wait long for my treasure - which have all been wonderful!  I have also participated in fund raisers where profits are going to relief efforts. We need to help each other. We also need to remember that there are a lot of Russian soldiers sent to the Ukraine because they were lied to or told nothing and because Ukraine and Russia are so close in many ways, it is not uncommen for a family to have members in both countries! No one wants to be sent to grandma's neighborhood and shoot it up! I pray it gets better soon, before something none of us wants comes to pass and change or eliminate our lives forever.

It is insane how fast this last year has gone.

Last year this time, I was working for the bottling plant until I wasn't.  Then I went to work for Hydro - one of the largest aluminum extrusion plants in the United States. Originally it was just a temp position that went until Christmas, but I was lucky to get a permanent job at the same place starting in January.

It hasn't been and isn't always easy, but I work with some awesome fellas - smart, funny, hard working and I kind of feel like they have accepted me a little, at least I hope so!  

And then there is a covid, less covid, more covid crap of which I am no longer impressed. I have been vaccinated - I got the J&J single shot - why that one? Cause I did my research and decided that I wanted that particular shot since I was going to get a shot. Research people - don't put your heads in the sand and take the word of the person who hollers the loudest.  As my friend April says - YOU ARE SMART ENOUGH. And you are - pick it apart, find out as much as you can, make your own decision. 

So I'm working full time, trying to start my own business and working as a consultant AND I got two more artist commissions. I've also had a successful doctor's appointment and made some changes that help me feel like I am coming out of a fog. Its a relief in a way I can't possibly describe. 

Which is why this is a short post - I have a TON of stuff to do today.  Ya'll have a lovely day and get outside and get a dose of sunshine! 

I have always loved Mack trucks.  My dad drove them for many years and there was just somehing about their shape and the sound of the engine that wormed its way into my heart.  There are 2 things I can clearly identify by hearing only - one is a Harley Davidson motorcycle and the other is a Mack Truck.

I spent just over a year working at a water bottling plant. Truckers came in and out all day long picking up and dropping off loads. The most exotic ones were the train trailers because they were going into Harrisburg to be loaded onto the trains and sent down south carrying our products to the Southern states. Pretty cool.

The company also employed a company to act as a jockey in our yard and a few shuttle drivers to move items between our local warehouses.  One of the trucks provided was a Mack. Sure - it didn't look as cool as the old style ones, but it had that great Mack sound. Spending time talking with the truck drivers and admiring all the different trucks did so much to reawaken my love of Mack.

Everyone is familiar with the iconic Bulldog on the front - in the newer models, it doubles as a handle for lifting the hood as well as pointing the way.  What most folks don't know is that there is a secret to the dogs - some are silver and the others are gold.   If you know the secret - leave a comment below!

As we all know, Mack was acquired by Volvo and some of the company operations have moved down south but I am proud to say that they are still assembled right down the road in Macungie, PA!  

Macks can make you feel like a kid again - sitting high in the tractor and eager for the next road adventure. Believe me - some of us need that right now, so if any of you Mack drivers are reading this - if you get the signal - please blow the airhorn!

Oh yes, I too have made this same joke as a million other people blogging through the quarantine....
Except they are trying to make the quarantine be gone and that really isn't the rigth move I think, but that's a discussion for another time.

My parent's self quarantined for over 3 months. On the rare times I saw them, I stayed in my car across the driveway and they sat in the garage and we talked. I was happy to do it.  As an essential employee, I never stopped working and was exposed to many many strangers (masks or not) so it was the smart thing to do on all our parts.

That said I honestly feel like I had this damn virus the first week of January. All the symptoms were the same, high fever, coughing, pain in the chest, weakness, exhaustion, and I couldn't get out of bed for a week; upon getting up and going back to work, it still took a good 2 months to stop coughing and feel like I was human again and not a walking sleeping beauty!  And before you ask, no I did not get tested - why? there are actual sick people who need those tests more then I do!!

So everyone is starting to feel better about life and restrictions are easing and here is where I KNOW we are going to get slammed again - how do I know? Same pattern as the influenza pandemic of 1919 (and we all know I know way too much about that one).   In the meantime, still working, still mask wearing, still avoiding crowds (not that I was a fan of crowds in the first place.....).

If there was one thing I really learned about all this is that humans are not meant to be without physical touch. See - I have a housemate, but we aren't the touching each other kind. Of course my parents weren't getting near me, let alone hugging me and I haven't seen my siblings, nieces, nephews or friends in months. So - no hand shakes, no hugs, no cuddles... the best I've gotten are the elbow bumps I exchange with some of my co-workers as that is the only touching we are allowed during the Covid.  All I want is to sit snug between a few of my best friends and just feel like I'm still alive and not alone. A nice long hug would really be nice.  I've begged the land lord to allow me a pet (I am restricted in my lease) but it was a grand NO NO NO! So I don't even get to hug a dog or cat. This has been the biggest Corona punishment for me and I am very hurt by it, inside and out.

I guess we will see what the next few months bring - now that people are using public pools, considering face masks optional and standing too close together. Hell at this rate, we should all go to the movies and get it over with, right?

On second thought - I'll pass and just stay home.

I think that stupidity has nothing to do with intelligence and vice versa. I just think that at times humans say or do stupid things,  make stupid decisions, etc.
Me? I'm a master at shooting myself in the metaphoric foot. I get carried away, I worry too much what (the right & wrong) people think, blah blah blah.
I've found that the best way to get past it is just accept it. 

Wisdom of the day.

Why? Turns out that any herbal product that is ingested falls under the auspices of the FDA's dietary supplement rules and regulations as outlined in the Federal Code of Regulations Title 21 Part 111.

Side note:  if you are looking for some odd but interesting reading, take a gander at the Federal Code of Regulations - these are the rules created by our congress that cover just about anything you can think of from the FDA/USDA to Indian Affairs, the Postal Service, the ATF, Housing and Urban Development.... you get the picture!

This has been quite the learning experience for me, deciphering Title 21 Part 111 and making that information work for my client, but I have to tell you - I am really enjoying myself!  It is factinating to see something at the bottom - at the starting point - and watching how it will grow.  At the same time, it is a bit scary because there are a LOT of herbalists out there creating their products in their kitches, putting labels on their bottles and making claims they cannot or have not substantiated (and against the FCR) which ultimately puts themselves in the FDA (not to mention the Federal Trade Commission's) cross hairs - and most of them have no idea they are crossing the line they should be towing.