Back from Power Books. It was only me helping for a bit and then a couple arrived. They are only open 10-2 MTW now so it limits when I can go.

Pouring rain here now so I wasn't able to pick up flower pots and the cemetery like I planned today. Hopefully tomorrow…

I did a retirement zoom and am planning to call one of the ladies tonight so we can visit privately. She has the update on our friend that has pancreatic cancer. Julie and I haven't talked in awhile so it will be nice to check in with her.

I hope you are all well.

Sunday we had a meeting after church for planning for our Missions Conference that is coming up end of October into November. I told myself repeatedly NOT to volunteer to decorate for the banquet we do on the Saturday evening. Guess who's decorating for the banquet? 🤪

I found an idea of a center piece that uses mason jars (I have some I want to get rid of) and sunflowers. I decided to do brown tablecloths and yellow napkins. You always hope the idea in your head comes out and looks good at the end!

This Saturday is a double baby shower for two ladies in my church who are both having boys next month. It's the second for one (her first is the cutest little girl!) and for the other it's her first.

The Blue Jays won the AL East title!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! First time in 10 years!!!!!!!!!! Now just to keep doing what they are doing and make it to the World Series!

I haven't had a working dryer in a month. I text my landlord on Thursday evening and when he responded on Friday he told me he had a hectic month and had forgotten. Um. My washer/dryer is right beside his washer/dryer, has he not been doing laundry for a month???? The top of it has been open exposing the drum unit! (It needs a new belt.)

I am off today from work (Monday). Tomorrow (Tuesday) is our office is closed for National Truth and Reconciliation Day. A nice 4 day weekend.

There were so many cherry tomatoes ready to pick. I have a colander full so Russ is going to make home made marinara sauce for spaghetti tonight. Last pick I roasted some, vacuumed sealed and froze for soups and chilies this winter. I actually picked several carrots, multi colored. They are probably a little big but I hope they taste alright. I gathered all my flower pots and Russ dumped them on the back acreage for me.

My sister Becky and I rode the bike trail an hour south of us. It is an old railroad made in to a paved trail that goes to a city, Grand Rapids, a couple of hours south of us. It was very straight but the scenery was beautiful. Wetlands, forest, rolling farmland and pops of Fall color. We agreed to go 20 miles one way, turn around and 20 miles back. We made the 40 miles but both of us were so tired, had sore butts, and could barely move when we got back to the car. I'm sure I burned hundreds of calories but we probably over did it. I had an awful leg cramp when watching TV last night. It was in my thigh and I had to massage and stretch. I kept drinking water and it went away. I slept well last night!

I was planning to go to Power Book Bags today but am rethinking that plan. I don't know that I want to sit and do repetitive actions such as stickering books or standing and packing books. I'll see how I feel after my coffee. I may just go to my favorite farm stand and buy a spaghetti squash so I can make a dish for myself with that. Russ won't eat it.

I hope you are having a good week. Our Fall weather is beautiful although I would prefer chillier temps.

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long story - trying to shorten - Nebraska has a new law that employers that:

Nebraska's paid sick leave law, the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act, went into effect on October 1, 2025, following voters' approval of a ballot initiative in November 2024. The law 

requires employers to allow employees to accrue and use paid sick time for personal or family health needs, up to a cap of 40 or 56 hours per year, depending on employer size

Which I feared would just become our vacation. But even worse. For example for me at 8 to 14 years, I had 120 vacation hours and 24 personal hours (which I used whatever needed in there for appointments). At 15 years (in less than six months) I was looking at going to 160 vacation hours and the 24 personal hours. The 24 personal hours was all employees. They have changed from loading personal at January 1 and vacation at anniversary, to removing all personal hours from all employees and adjusting all the other hours to being called 'paid time off', accruing, not being able to use above accrual and lowering the overall amount. The very bottom of hires did increase a bit because they had to go up to 56 hours, but I towards the top lost 24 hours. I'm so mad and sad. Continuing to de-incentivize 'seniority'. Wages have been stagnant for going on two years due to financials and we will have a 20% benefit price increase in a couple of months. And the way they worded it like we couldn't figure out we lost hours and flexibility. Using complying with the law to make things worse. It's not illegal, it's just *kitten*.

Primary doc appointment went ok. He somewhat was ok with me wanting to go another year not taking a statin. I am going to focus on my eating, hopefully. I have been increasing fiber, but now am struggling not getting a deficit as I watch my weight creep up. Gah.

Very warm still this week - 90's!! I want cool, brisk, fall weather. Not sweaty, not snow. 50's to 60's. Dream on.

I was feeling discouraged this morning and told myself a run would help. So unlike other times, I did just that. I went for a 6km run. I didn't get out for my run until 10:30 and I had been up since 8am. All I had before my run was coffee. Nothing to eat. I didn't expect it to go as well as it did. Maybe the hat helped me. Lets go Blue Jays!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You both are enjoying your sports. I haven't taken time to watch vball yet.

Today I shopped at vintage/refurbished shops with a young friend and then we met another mutual friend for lunch at an Italian restaurant. In a little bit, Russ and I will go the concert in town at the theater.

It is very hot here for our county, high 80's today. I want crisp, cool days!

I finally got my dental implant!!!! It's been a longer then normal process but I finally have it.

I am currently up watching my Jays. If they win tonight they win the series. They are currently winning 2-1 in the 6th. I am going myself to 10:30 and then I need to turn off the game and go to bed. I have to work tomorrow!

Marla, glad your temps are dropping. We are in the 50's to very low 60's now. I love it. I hope conditions and communication at work improve for you but it does sound pretty dysfunctional. No effective leadership since that merger you had a couple of years ago.

Angela, congratulations to your Blue Jays. They are doing well. The Tigers lost so it's up to your team now.

Russ and I are going to the 2nd annual Power Book Bags fundraiser later today at a winery. I am going to buy a couple of raffle tickets to try to win another ebike. I don't need it but would be fun to have for guests or myself as I age. It is very different from the one I have. Lighter, a throttle if needed, etc.

I roasted two spaghetti squash yesterday and am baking a veggie spaghetti squash casserole in the oven for me to enjoy during this next week. Veggies, herbs, garlic, squash and parmesan…

Russ is out moving the lawn for the last time, hopefully. Tomorrow I will clean out the garden, put in some new soil and compost. Put mulch around the strawberry plants for the winter. Still time to do all this but need to start. I also have to prune some perennials that do better with Fall pruning.

Happy weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving Angela! I hope you can stay awake for your game when the time comes.

How far is the store where you shop for food? Great way to get your exercise if you are walking.

Today I cleaned out my garden tubs, removed some soil and replaced with new soil and compost. I need to get more soil and compost since I under estimated what I needed. I still need to winterize the strawberry plants and cut back some of my perennials that need Fall pruning. I'm tired so I will pace myself over the next week.

Russ worked on exterior house repairs and he is tired too. Luckily retirement allows us to spread out the work over several days/weeks.

My veggie spaghetti squash casserole is yummy.

Those stores are nice and close for you. I'm glad you will be able to watch your game too.

We just chose birthday presents for our youngest grand daughter Ellis. She will turn 3 yrs old on 10/27. We sent her an Elsa (Frozen) hairbrush with hair clips that have Frozen characters on them. We also sent her a Melissa and Doug wooden puzzle set with 4 animal puzzles, interlocking pieces. Halen's birthday will be 12/14 and she will turn 5 yrs old! I saw a cute karoake machine with two mics and a large Kindergarten workbook with early math, writing…skills. Chantrelle, Mother, likes the girls to have learning gifts and not too many small pieces. Their Christmas gifts will be a large magna tile set (they build all day and need more tiles) and baby doll carriers to carry their dolls. They stuff them down their shirts as of now, LOL! Now I need to ask FL DIL what the kids would like for Christmas this year.

My garden is ready for winter but I need to put leaves on top of strawberry plants but they haven't fallen off the trees yet. By the weekend I will have all my garden ornaments put away too. Getting ready for the beginning of winter.

I went to my water aerobics class today. It was a very good workout and I treated myself and my sore muscles to the hot tub jets afterward.

I am making goulash for dinner tonight. This is a college recipe from my grad school room mate who was on a tight budget. We would make a big pot and eat it all week. The kids and Russ have always loved this recipe. It is Fall comfort food…

I got together with a friend I had not seen in over 40 years this week. It was so nice to see her, have dinner and talk for 5 hours at her place. She and her husband may move up here from NC. It would be great to have another friend here.

I volunteered at Power Book Bags on Thursday for 3 hours. Friday I went to my new water workoutere class. We worked a lot on arms and legs. It felt so good. Too bad I don't lose weight or inches… this next week I am signed up for 4 classes, three water and one yoga.

Today I went with 3 of my cousins to the No Kings protest in Traverse City. I was a little nervous but it felt safe and was very well attended. There had to be 1000 to 2000 people there with signs, in animal costumes driving the main street honking horns at us and our signs, etc. There were speakers and it was a very positive gathering. It is encouraging to me that many people see the craziness of this current administration and are willing to show up to protest what is going on in this country. I would go to another one. Russ did not go. He has difficulty with standing too long on his shattered ankles so I'm guessing he did not want to be in pain. His feet have been hurting lately.

Marla, is inventory completed? How did it go?

'mobile clients', the scanners that contain the system to scan onto work orders. That was the basis for the payroll. While I was not/am not payroll, I was the link between. Making sure all the scanning looks good, is uploaded and hitting work orders and inventory correctly. A big part of the system is that is where all the job costing, efficiencies, overhead etc is coming from. Because most of the folks on the floor are direct labor, therefore if they don't get scanned into work orders they going to become overhead. Which hourly folks should not be overhead. So with all the deaths and new leadership and the True North bs - and our current ERP system being declared no longer an option - one of the things that happened was the implementation of time clocks and moving straight to pulling payroll from the the time clock scannings. So last week was the first week of the not getting the payroll hours from the ERP system (which still has to be maintined for inventory, job costing, overhead, manufacturing, etc.) - and the number of hours different between what payroll pulled vs what was scanned was staggering. Now I don't have a way to compare anymore - and payroll did pull a list of the differences but even at the end of the week they still hadn't gotten everyone to respond on where they were missing scanning in the manufacturing side. And the really insane part, is they won't do after last week because they had to pull each folk separately. I exploded in an email to my leadership, how is this what leadership wants? They have gone to a system with no back-checking and you can see the proof of folks not scanning correctly (this has been my job for 15 years). Why am I the only one who sees the problem? Eventually accounting is going to go - huh, why is overhead so high all of the sudden, why are all these projects getting amazing variances? And why have I bothered to spend the last 15 years doing this? Crickets. Nothing. It won't be until months down the road that someone decides its not ok and then what? I can keep up with it weekly, but I can't undo weeks of it. Again, what the actual fluff? Gah, just trying to type this (and obviously there's more) is making me upset and stressed out and defeated. You know, I drank the freakin' koolaid and believed in what I did and it's just another bullet to soul of, yeah, you're nothing,

I've been running on adrenaline for the last few days. The Jays games started so late and I stayed up to watch them. How I still got up by 5:30 the next day I don't know. They have to win tonight or they are eliminated from the play offs.

I need to get back into my running. I need to break my "doomsday" scrolling again on social media. I need to get away from those things and back into the things I enjoy. I've been "scrolling" and not doing by piano and voice practice - which is only detrimental to me and my learning.