4 x 10’s

Yep, I have jumped on the “4 x 10 work week” bandwagon that has been in the news quite a lot lately. I was offered the 4 x 10 shift almost a year and a half ago but I really had no desire to change my beloved schedule. I mean, in order to be to work by 7 I need to be up and going by 4:45 and that is only if I have packed my lunch the night before. Who in their right mind would want to get up that early? Plus, it also means that I need to be in bed no later than 9 so it kind of hinders my social life during the week. But, with the continual rise of gas prices combined with my desire for some down time in the middle of the week I took the leap (last week was my first 4 x 10 week). I now work 7-5:30 with Wednesdays off so I never work more than two days in a row. And to be honest, I have not really noticed much of a difference which makes me wonder why I didn’t jump on this ages ago when it was first offered? Oh I know, it was my need for sleep.

So far so good but I’ll keep you posted!

Pickin’ Peas with Grandma Homer

Most of you know that I live next door to my roommates grandma but what you may not know is that Grandma Homer is 92 years old but you may not know it to look at her. She is still really active. Anyway, for as long as I have known her she has planted something of a garden in our backyard(we share the driveway and the backyard) and she always shares the spoils. Well, last night when I got home from work Grandma Homer was standing in the middle if her pea patch eating peas she had just picked. She looked so cute just standing there smiling that I could not help but laugh. I went in to the house and quickly wolfed down a bowl of cereal and then went out to visit with grandma. She gets really lonely these days and I felt impressed to go out and visit with her. As I approached her she said “Do you want to pick peas with me Melissa?” to which I replied “I sure do”. We spent the next twenty minutes or so picking and eating peas out of the garden while I asked her questions about the other plants in the garden and how well she thinks her tomatoes are going to do this year.

She then invited me in to see her freshly washed windows in the basement and I got my yearly tour of the basement. She has given me the history of the finished basement many times but she never remembers so I just pretend like I had never heard her stories before. I actually do that with most of our conversations. I have heard almost all of her stories at least a dozen times but she never remembers that she has told them to me before so I always humor her and act like I have never heard them before. Good thing I have had years of practice with my own grandma. I would have to say; however, that the highlight of my visit with grandma (other than the fresh peas) was when she got on the HealthRider that she has in her basement and demonstrated how it worked. I will never forget the image of that 92 year old grandma riding the HealthRider. So funny!

Maybe Grandma Homer will be out pickin’ peas again tonight. She’s so cute!