Hi Ho Hi Ho

The countdown has begun..24 more days until the end of contract for those of us who are Amazon elves! Funny, I never looked SO forward towards Christmas's arrival before.

The weekend starting with Black Friday was crazy. Friday night they had every shift scheduled to work. I have no idea how the actual numbers were for the night, but there were so many people working in Crisplant department that we were literally tripping over each other. I'm so glad that is behind us. We have gone to overtime already, going to 5 nights and 50 hours  starting last week. We have gone into work, eat, sleep mode for the next three weeks. Making things more fun, we had to scramble again for car-pooling as they switched Al's hours to 6:30PM-6:00AM, while I stay at 5:30PM-4:00AM. Luckily, we have enough friends at the park now that I can bum a ride with :-). And it's only another 3 weeks.

What happens when you leave your husband home alone with a shopping list? You come home to a fully decorated trailer!

Laura and I turned the corner at the top of the hill leading into the campground and there at the far end of the campground was blinking lights, and a dressed-up for Christmas Mickey lantern. We're quite festive now, aren't we :-)?

A close-up of the Mickey lantern that my wonderful husband built...I've been wanting one for a long time and he finally had the time to put it together, as well as a Lowe's nearby, while waiting to start at Amazon. Isn't it cute? I can't wait to put it up while we're at Fort Wilderness this winter!

Thanks for the ideas about Nova Scotia, I'm going to start researching things to do there, and in the Bar Harbor area this winter. Its always good to have a list of things to do and explore for those days off...we certainly don't want to sit around doing nothing now, do we ;-)?

That's about it for now. Nothing too exciting, but wanted to check in and let everyone know we are still working hard and ready to process those important Christmas orders! Have a great week :-).

Which is Worse?

I don't know which is worse...the endless political ads, or now that the election is over we're bombarded with Black Friday ads. I don't know anyone who actually goes shopping on Black Friday!

I've stopped watching the news again. I'm finding I'm much happier :-).

Packing is ramping up at Amazon, along with every other job there. This week we were given the opportunity for voluntary overtime. I decided to take it, so this week I'm working 5 days, or 50 hours. It sounds like a lot, but being on the night shift isn't so bad. The nights I'm not working I'm just sitting home in the trailer amusing myself with television (not news), reading and crafts, so I might as well be working and make some money. I started a counted cross stitch design of an Amish quilt block design...its helping me get used to these darn bifocal glasses. After reading the jacket of Ken Follett's book "Fall of Giants: Book One of the Century Trilogy", I decided it was worth $9.99 for a book over 1000 pages and bought it for my Kindle. I hope its good, I have read and enjoyed some of his older books.

Al finished our Mickey light pole, and I'll take a picture as soon as we get it dressed for Christmas in a Santa hat :-).

Its so fun to hear so many people enjoy watching "The Big Bang Theory".

We were discussing out summer in Maine next year. One thing Al wants to do is visit Nova Scotia. If any readers have been there, I'd love to hear your thoughts on "must do" and "can't miss" activities. Mark Johnson over at Box Canyon Blog said in a comment we'll love it....I'm sure we will, but Mark, if you're reading this, let me know what you really enjoyed when you were there. I know you seek out the activities and spots that the general public doesn't know about ;-).

Well, the blogs aren't nearly as interesting this time of year, but I try to put down random thoughts to let folks know we're still out here, and yes, even having a good time for the most part. We have such a beautiful site to stay at for the three months we're here, and its so lovely to wake up and sit outside enjoying our lakefront property before heading into work. The folks that have discovered this gem along with us are great people as well, and a bunch of us are getting together to go to Thanksgiving dinner Thursday at a local restaurant, The Creekside.

So, on that note, that's the report for the week, and Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!

Random Thoughts

There will be nothing cohesive in this entry, just a series of random thoughts that have been wandering through my head as I enter my "packing zone" and count down the days until we head to Florida for the winter.

The election is over. Thank goodness. No more political ads. Whole new cans of worms however. Naive optimistic little me, I thought maybe we would see a new, more congenial tone, a willingness to announce that we are all Americans, and we should work together to solve our pressing issues. Doesn't it seem as the levels of discord are getting louder?

Secession? Really??

Doesn't the whole Petraeus scandal seem to be just a bit on the juvenile side?

I really resent being pigeon-holed as a certain type of person because of the way I vote. It's insulting. I can't believe these talking heads on TV get paid for the drivel they spout.

The Northeast is still reeling under the effects of Superstorm Sandy. I comb the internet for the local news of our former hometown. Luckily, the East End of Long Island escaped with a pretty hefty bruising, but not the outright devastation of the shoreline to the west and New Jersey. Brutal. The best in folks are brought out, and I am happy to report after reading this article that I am very proud of our former home area. Several of these folks mentioned were former clients of mine. We are especially proud of our hometown Sag Harbor, Al's former ambulance corp. and one of our best friends, Ed Downes, for their relief efforts on behalf of the devastated community of Broad Channel.

I enjoyed reading Kim's blog entry on the first 12 weeks of their life on the road. Missing things was thought provoking. I really don't miss my house as much as I thought, and I don't even miss the area...knowing we'll always be going back for visits. I miss the family and friends we left there. I miss the "experience of community" a bit. For example, it feels a little odd out here on the road and going to local festivals and events, and not knowing anyone there. Back in Sag Harbor, we literally could not walk more than a couple of feet at the Fire Dep't. carnival, or the Whaler's Festival without meeting people we knew.

On the flip side, we create new communities within the campgrounds we stay at, mostly where we're working for awhile. Taking the dogs for a walk takes quite awhile now, by the time you stop and chat with everyone...at least, everyone who is awake here at Green River Lake :-). And its wonderful. The RV community is a very caring, friendly group, generally speaking. We love to share our experiences!

I had a really nice chat with our neighbors Rhonda and Wayne. They have started a blog Turn When The Road Does. They've been out here for three months now I think. Having a great time :-).

Does anyone else like watching "The Big Bang Theory"? I think the show is a hoot!

I know there are "Survivor" fans out there. Isn't this a good season? How about "The Amazing Race"? I love James and James, the Chippendale dancers. They are so goofy and having such a good time. I love seeing that.

I sure am glad my job at Amazon is only temporary. I couldn't imagine having it as a full time year round job.

I am really looking forward to working in Bar Harbor Maine next summer. It looks like there is so much to see and do in the area. I can't wait to see real live puffins!



I'll end this entry as I have been the past few....cooking! We found we were able to cook an entire turkey dinner without too much difficulty...we roasted a turkey breast, made stuffing, mashed potatoes and steamed green beans. Excellent! And there was enough left over for turkey and stuffing sandwiches, and another dinner, turkey tetrazinni.


Ingredients
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 pound mushrooms thinly sliced
1 tablespoon Madeira
4 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 to 3 cups leftover cooked turkey, cut into 3/4-inch dice
1/2 pound linguine cooked to al dente stage
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese mixed with 2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet. When the foaming subsides, add the mushrooms and saute, over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes until the mushrooms have absorbed the butter and are tender. Stir in the Madeira and evaporate over high heat.

In another saucepan heat 3 tablespoons of butter. When foaming subsides, stir in the flour and cook for a minute. Whisk in the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cook, over low heat, for about 5 minutes or until thickened. Remove sauce from heat and stir in the cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Fold in the mushrooms and turkey.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 1 1/2 quart casserole. Layer half of pasta, half of mushroom and turkey mixture and repeat with pasta and turkey mushroom mix. Scatter Parmesan and bread crumbs over the top and dot with remaining tablespoon of butter. Heat for 45 minutes or until heated through, sauce is bubbling and top is browning. If you wish, slide casserole under the broiler for a moment to brown the top.

Enjoy!!