Maybe This Will Help

Most of you are aware that Mr. T works for a company called Mitsubishi Fuso, as he has for nearly 16 years. Almost all of you realize that he travels about 80% of the time. Some of you might even remember that he is a District Sales Manager, working with Fuso dealerships on the Eastern seaboard from the upper reaches of Maryland to Charleston, SC, and inland to Greenville, SC, up to Roanoke, VA. But I'm guessing few of you could identify the actual product that his company manufactures and sells (through those dealerships).

Well, operating on the theory that "a picture is worth a thousand words," I give you a picture:

New Fuso purchased by Black Dog Salvage:
"Salvage Dawgs"

So, what are you looking at? I was messaged this pic yesterday and wanted to share it with you. That's Mr. T in the red (Fuso!) jacket on the left. And he's standing with one of the principals of Black Dog Salvage in Roanoke, VA, taking delivery of their new truck. The Fuso is in the middle.

Does the name Black Dog Salvage ring a bell? If it does, then you are probably DIYers like we are. If not, you will want to check out their program, Salvage Dawgs, which is currently in their second season on the DIY Network on Thursday nights. They have recently begun filming for their third season, so you can tell it's gathering a loyal viewer base. [Follow that second link to read the heart-warming story about the Salvage Dawgs.]

And, guess what truck will be used in that third season? Woo hoo...the Fuso!

Hopefully, that helps you understand what Mr. T does for a living...other than travel a lot.

Now, since he IS traveling, I think I'll fix a nice pot of cooked cabbage...which I love, but he hates with a passion. Says the only way he can tolerate the smell is if he is in another state. Ah well, his loss...

 

Is It Wednesday Already?

I was finally able to get a video of the bright red (male) Cardinal that has been visiting our fountain on the deck outside our breakfast room door. I was too afraid to speak while filming, lest I scare him off, but you will hear the soundtrack of the AMC movie "Christopher Columbus" on in the background. Odd choice of music, I know...but I couldn't exactly ask Mr. Cardinal to "wait a minute while I mute the TV."

Where has this week gone? It's hard to believe that we've already arrived at Hump Day. Wasn't it just yesterday when I was leaving for Atlanta? No...it was last Wednesday!

I had a good trip to ATL last week. I took this picture (right) from my exit row window seat on my Delta flight home on Saturday. It's the first time in the four years we've been here that I've actually seen the Arch from the air...woo-hoo!

It hasn't exactly been the greatest week (so far, of course...it could get better any minute now). Mom's got some health issues, including a new medication that caused her not to be able to sleep for 48 hours. Hopefully, we've got that part under control. Hopefully.

Speaking of lack of sleep...last night around 2:00, I was awakened from a lovely, deep sleep to the chirpy, squeeky beeping of the smoke detector in our bedroom. Chirp-beep! Chirp-beep! Chirp-beep! Every 30 seconds. Chirp-beep! Sounded like a bad battery, but how could that be, as Mr. T had changed all 9 of them mid-summer? And, there's a really good reason that he gets the chore of changing them...I'm too short. Even using the step-ladder we keep inside the house, I can't reach the dang things. So last night...or rather, early this morning, I tried everything I could do from my 5'2" height. Was a sensor covered in dust? Tried "sweeping" the detector with a towel-covered broom. No luck. Thought maybe the test button had gotten stuck, so I used the broom handle to activate it...this only made ALL of the smoke detectors in the house go off. Chirp-beep! Chirp-beep! Chirp-beep!

Then, Duchess got into the act. She did exactly what you would hope a loyal pet would do when the smoke alarm is raised. She tried to get me out of the house. She wouldn't get back on the bed while the beeping was going on...just whined and whined and whined for me to leave the room. Then, she went to Nana's room and "herded" her out by jumping on her bed, circling up around her head, and then sitting on her pillow...all while whining, mightily. Nana, who you will recall hasn't had much sleep this week, was baffled at the commotion. What's going on with Duchess?
I know, I know...but I just want to get some sleep!

I finally stuffed cotton in my ears (didn't really help), turned my floor fan on "high" (which sounded like a jet engine...in addition to the beeping), and told myself to pretend I was in the hospital with a heart monitor by my side. Chirp-beep! Chirp-beep! Chirp-beep!

When the real morning arrived, I managed to get a tall-enough ladder from the disaster area AKA the garage and replaced the almost-new battery with a brand new battery. No more beeping. Ever the optimist, I've kept the taller ladder inside...just in case.

Could Spring be on the Way?

Yesterday was absolutely beautiful here in O'Fallon! The skies were blue, the birds were singing, and the snow was almost all melted away...oh yes, and it reached the mid-50's! Who could ask for anything more? I took this picture from our deck of a male cardinal in the thicket in our back yard. He and his mates were busy at the feeders all afternoon.

It's hard to believe that this time last week, we had 5 inches of snow on the ground...and it hit 5 degrees at 5:00 a.m. The snow was beautiful, but we are all ready for Spring!

I started back working on my novel yesterday, with a renewed sense of purpose. I've determined that the key to reaching my writing goal is DISCIPLINE...at least, that's what I read. I'm happy to be moving forward, even though it feels so scary to not know what I'm doing...a bit like stepping into the darkness. I know that as I am successful at figuring out the process, I'll feel much more confident...and want to work that much harder to reach my goal.

I've also determined that I need to begin a Business Blog, too. I've been working on my email signatures, and I realize that a new blog can help me. I'll mix that into my writing to keep me fresh...and to help relieve the pressure of staring at the page without writing anything of substance!