Riding Dead Horses...............by Diane Ogden

So this is ME!  But I am changing it TODAY!

Great list from Daniel Gullo in agile-leaders@googlegroups.com group that i read today. I must share it

Ways to remediate failed projects (aka dead horses):

1. Change riders.
2. Appoint a committee to study the horse.
3. Arrange to visit other sites to see how they ride dead horses.
4. Increase the standards to ride dead horses.
5. Appoint a tiger team to revive the dead horse.
6. Create training to increase riding ability.
7. Change the requirements declaring that “This horse is not dead.”
8. Hire contractors to ride the dead horse.
9. Harness several dead horses together for increased speed.
10. Form a quality circle to find uses for dead horses.
11. Say this horse was procured with cost as an independent variable.
12. Promote the dead horse to a supervisory position.
13. Outsource the dead horse to a low-cost country.

I play with Numerology.  Numbers - Letters = energies.  My lifepath is a 9!  That is an exceptional number.  It tells my and anyone else who has that life path number a story.  My story is that I am a natural giver.  I have executive leadership qualities.  I am a humanitarian.  I cant let go of the past.  I may have issues with a parent or parents that abandoned me or that I felt totally responsible for....  and so on. Might I focus on the sentence that said I cant let go of the past.  Indeed.  I have tried to ride about a hundred or more dead horses in my life.  When a relationship or marriage ends I am forever trying to figure it out vs letting it go.  I am a fixer.  So there lay the dead marriage or job on the ground and I am trying to straddle it, get a leg under it and wrap myself around it like its going to get up and walk again.  Notsomuch!  Have you ever seen a dead horse laying on the ground?  How would one get one's leg under that "ton of dead."  I must think its easier to try to ride the dead horses than move on.  Obviously fear of the unknown is more fearful than laying around with dead horses. Or I may have an advanced case of over-ANALysation of issues.

I was praying last night.  I asked God for some extra wisdom.  Actually I asked for some genius mentality for a bit of time so I could figure out why I continue to ride dead horses.  And why I walk into back yards with biting dogs more than once.  Throughout life I have eyes in my donkey (ars)....I see things very clearly after they have passed.  I need to see them clearly before they enter not after.  My eyes are nearer my brain then my donkey (ars).....so what's with the backwards act?  Yes I have dyslexia.  Could that be it?  I turn right when someone says left.  I bat left handed but I am right handed?  I have to rearrange certain numbers to add them more quickly.  Yup its true. Could be a minute part of this 8 x 10 glossy.  Yet most folk get it after a couple hits. 

And as for the natural giver.....Oh yes if I am not giving I am not happy.  But I continually give to people that are unkind in return.  That has to stop also.  I have dead horses laying all around me, needy dogs biting me from their own yards that I invade to try to help. Oh duh.  These things didn't take any genius mind to figure out.  And it only took me six decades.  That dang learning curve! 

Kindness may just be weakness in this case.  Not sure on that one.  I tell people to live on the positive side of their numerical energies and here I am struggling with the negative side of my own lifepath.  I'll get it!  Cause I'm mad now.  I AM CALLING THE HORSE HEARSE!  And I found a new ride!!!   Eeee-haaw   

   Later's.....

 

How to Wash Paper Towels..............by Diane Ogden

My helper must have been thinking about laying on a beach somewhere or maybe she was not thinking today.  Or maybe I did it!  Imagine that.  At the end of every days work I launder a load of cotton towels as I did today.  A LARGE load of towels large and small.  In fact I washed them twice to make sure they were clean for tomorrow.  Then I sauntered over to the washer proudly..... considering we finished early and I had almost the entire afternoon off. Nice, until I opened the washer to find a dang mess.  Someone had mixed up the rags bag with the trash bag of paper towels.  I suspect I washed several of them little lovely paper thangs.  Photo is AFTER I shook out every and all 30 some rags.....I had paper towels pieces in my hair, shoes, pants, shirt, and tracked onto my carpet!

 

 

 

I stood there staring at the inside of that washer machiner thinking, how am I going to get all that outta there?  I started manually scraping.  Then decided I might let them dry and vacuum them out.

 

This would be the floor after shaking the rags out.   Hadn't cleaned out the washer yet.  I was having the time of my life don't cha know it? 

Now I know how to NOT wash paper towels. I hope it never happens again although it isn't the worst thing that could happen for sure.  All is good now.  I want a couple brownie's for sure.  Later's.......

 

Chasing LuLuBelle..............by Diane Ogden

Today was the day for LuluBelle to move to her new home.

 She has resided with me off and on for several years.  This past run was one year and eight months.  She isn't a trusting cat so I was never able to take her to pic her up much let crate her for a vet visit.  Although she has never been sick or even outside except the other day when she finally figure out she could jump the porch fence.  I got her back inside rather quickly though.  So no worries about catching anything.  Back to my point.
 

My daughter carried out the litter, two kitty beds, two bags of food, one gallon glass jar to mix the foods in, treats, catnip, brush, litter box, short cat tree, and some toys.  Then came time for her to pick up Lulubelle and gently put her in the carrier and take her home.  NOTSOMUCH!  (Photo is before Lulu realized what all this fuss was about!!



After about 45 minutes of chasing and hissing and water bottling as well as baby talking.  My daughter unbenounced to me asked the young couple moving in upstairs of me TODAY if he would help her.  I about fell off my mental boat/bridge etc.  So now three people are chasing this poor scared cat and the cat is winning.  When I walked back into my apartment/home all the furniture was strewn about, they had gloves on, towels in hand and the cat was still winning.  I went outside to de-stress myself.  

That is when after another twenty minutes my daughter comes walking out with LuluBelle in her carrier!  Then into the car and off to her new home.  (I am taking a deep breath as I type this) 
I said my goodbye to her and to the Grand daughter and daughter only to find out the young man that helped my daughter unbenounced to me got a serious scratch on his arm.  Once again I about fell off my emotional branch of life.   I must go tell him to doctor with Neosporin and that the cat is an indoor cat with no illness's OMG!! 

Now all I need is a loving home for Bob the "Bubby" Ogden.  I will miss him.  Just received a text photo of Lulubelle very happy in her bed on my daughter's bed.  She has waited a long time to go "home."   Happy Happy day.   So until the next fiasco, be safe, be well be happy.  LuLuBelle is!  As I am!  After today I could go for a good cigar about now.  But then I would just throw up.  Quit the smoking deal ten years ago come July 31st. 

Heil Zum Sieg........................by Diane Ogden

Today was a quiet day.  Cold as the dickens whatever the dickens means..... here in Wisconsin you never know what the next week might bring and so it is, today is was in the 50's overnight and the high was something like 62 degrees.  IN JULY!   I took Gracie dog to the Pet store for an outing as well as I needed kitty litter and some cat food that costs nearly a big bill.  No not $100 but it rang up at $70 with a $5 discount from one of the little cards you can keep on your key chain or until you get so many you just give your phone number to everybody and anybody at all checkouts.  Jeez I thought.  For litter, two bags of food, three small cartons of cat milk, catnip, two small treat bags....$70.00.....robbery I say. 

Then on the way home I decided to stop at a garage sale that wasn't in the garage but out in the cold Wisconsin air.  I didn't find much of anything except a small brass worn match box holder.  It said something German on it with a price of $2.00 so I bit and bought.  And low and behold......got home and went to see if I could find it on the Internet which I did for the most part.  I found some similar ones anyway.  Some on EBay ranged from $8.00 to $295.00.  Then I decided to see what the German words printed on it meant.  "Heil zum Sieg." 

I am from German descent and should have been able to tell what that mean just by saying it a couple times.  Heil zum Sieg.....Hail to Victory!  Hitlers insisted upon phrase to be said at all public gatherings while he persecuted millions.  I cant believe I bought that dang thing.   But then I suppose if I didn't associate it with Hitler I could consider it a good find.  We could all use a Hail to Victory every day of our lives.   Yeah, well I cant not ass-o-ciate it with donkey Hitler so I will continue to find if it has any value.  It has a name under the photo of the man who doesn't appear to be Hitler on the face of it.  I tried to get a photo of it but you must look carefully.  Used the computer camera whereas should have pulled out the canon I suppose.  Laters............

Nails Came With Good Listening..............by Diane Ogden

The man that does my nails is Billy.  He is from Viet Nam and on occasion he tells me some amazing stories.  I blogged about the time he told me about the ghosts in the trees tops.  There were so many killed in the war that on certain lands where fighting was dense, the tree tops are full of spirits.  Must be that some don't know how to move onto the light or how to move on period.  Billy was a person with the ability to see those passed on young men who fought that war and died.  And he was only a young boy scared of trees from then on. Who wouldn't be if they saw a bunch of white misty soldiers hanging around in the tree tops.  The young boy is trying to walk home and suddenly he see's aboritions.  No not abortions....I just cant spell it so sound it out thanks. 

  
Today we were laughing about a lady who comes to his business and drinks too much and doesn't make good decisions regarding much of anything.  She brings a flask of vodka everywhere she goes.  Worse yet she is a small town school bus driver.  I swear I about fell off my swivel chair.  And yes I may do some turning donkey (ass) in.  Billy is a good businessman and farmer and felt he probably shouldn't have discussed a client, which he never does any other time. 

After he confessed to not usually discussing clients, we moved onto me telling a couple stories.  Nothing serious until I inquired about whether someone should co-sign for another when the person is truly in need of help.  Billy sat up stiff, rolled his chair back, then forth, then said, "In VietNam there are Two Important Life Rules.  One is never to introduce a love to anyone because you will be the fault person when it doesn't work out.  And Two is to never co-sign for anyone for anything.  Like those were Viet Nam Laws. I am talking stiff laws not to be broken.

An interesting and informative day so far. 
Leaving me with a bitch of a decision.  I bet you get it?  No not whether to carry a flask of vodka and drive a school bus, as that was not me!! No, it was whether to break one of those VietNam Laws or not. Yet still not as bad as the vodka toting client who loaned the man $30,000 to become part of a business that wasn't even his, for her only to find out he gave her bogus contracts printed off the internet and she bought it hook line and sinker and lost him and her $30,000.00 and said bogus business.  My life is good.  Laters.............  
photo from: www.travel.nationalgeographic.com 

Me and a Tree!........................by Diane Ogden

       When people are packed up by moving companies they are not allowed to  have their plants packed up. Obviously!  Sooo, I got the tree from my clients home and I couldn't be happier considering large tree's in nice pots cost a considerable amount of money.  The drawback is the availability of transporting such a large item without an open top truck.  I have a truck with a moon-roof, but not a tree-roof for sure.  That was not going to deter me from getting my tree home!  I called the lady upstairs and asked to borrow her heavier than cement dolly.  No clue how I got that "piggy" into my back seat floor but I did.  I was born with determination which is the only reason I am still alive for sure.  Back to the tree.  My work helper carried it down a flight of stairs and around the yard to my truck with no tree-roof.  She weighs a whole 115 lbs. We viewed the situation and decided to put the pot in through the side door, then I held it while she ran around to the back and slid it to the farthest part of the truck with no tree-roof.

At that time I got into my truck with no tree-roof hole, and sat among the leaves all about my head and shoulders! 

And then I drove home.  I figured I could slide it out the back and onto the ground or dolly.  Notsomuch.  I couldn't even budge it.  I texted my trusted neighbor friend upstairs on first floor.  She said, "Give me two minutes!"  She who weighs probably 90 lbs. lifted that almost 7' tree out of the truck and that is when it started to tip over and out of the pot.  Except I caught it.  She sat it down on the dolly leaning the weak side against the back, as she crouched down in the center of the branches holding them in place.  It was a sight.  Then into the elevator!  A must see!

Then out and down the hall into my abode where she tied it to the upstairs second floor neighbors dolly.

 

It shall sit in the sun room until my daughter comes this week and moves her belongings out to her new home. At that time, the tree and me will find a permanent place for it.  I just hope Bob Ogden (the cat) doesn't try to climb it. omg.  If that happens the dolly will fall on Bob Ogden and kill him and I wont have half the problems I do now from rescuing him.  Okay I don't mean it.  Sort of. 

 

Laters..............

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jack or Joe, Joe or Jack?.........by Diane Ogden

 

 

Okay so one of these is Jack Nicholson and the other is my Dad Joe barely out of the anesthesia after a kidney surgery.  I just had to  document this somewhere for future giggles.  Dad is gone now after cancer took over his body.  Been 13 months but I have many pictures to remind me how funny he could be.   We as people are way too dang serious way too dang much of the time.  Including myself. 
Haven't been blogging much lately because I have been way too serious about this serious life.
Working on finding my sense of humor that got run over by a truck, stepped on with stiletto's, shot at, chit on, and then buried alive,  but it "aint" dead, just crawlin' its way back out.  Laters......

photo from:www.dreamstime.com