The Icy Fingers Of Old Man Winter

Old man Winter isn’t quite ready to let go of his grip just yet! Yesterday morning, not only did northern Illinois get rain... But, we also got sleet and snow! The temps last night also got down to freezing. Here it is the end of April and I had to scrape ice off my windshield!

Finally finished reading “The Grapes of Wrath” for Lit class. I actually read the ending twice because it was one of those where you think: Did she really do what I think she did?!? A bit of trivia – When John Steinbeck wrote the novel in 1939, a lot of it was based on his experiences and observations of how the 300,000+ emigrants from the southern plains states were treated when they arrived in CA on the premise of a better life and jobs. You can equate it to the Mexican/Hispanic problems of today, only these were people who actually were FROM the US. In the original manuscript, Steinbeck used a lot of F-words. Both the F-bomb and the ending were very controversial at the time. The publishers wanted him to take out the F-bomb and change the ending. Steinbeck struck a deal in that he’d take out all the F-words if the ending was left as is. Did you also know that the word “Okie” in CA back then was offensive like the N-word is? Or, that one of the characters in the book was intentionally made to be a Christ-figure in the novel? Or, that the movie ending had nothing to do with anything in the book (since the ending is pretty controversial)? Things that make you go “Hmmmm......” I have a 4-question essay quiz due for next week. Last night I started reading “The Color Purple”. It’s really easy and fast to read. I’m about 2/3 through it already. It’s the last book of the semester. Tonight, I’ll rent both the movies for Wrath and Purple.

I think I did an insane thing last week. I talked to my college advisor and he suggested I take Music of the USA during the pre-summer session. It’s for one of my Gen Ed requirements. Well... Pre-summer classes last 3 weeks. This class is for 3+ hours Mon-Thur nights. I’m hoping the instructor doesn’t keep us the entire 3 hours, otherwise I’ll be up until midnight studying! The good news is: After next fall I’ll have only one class left before I obtain my AS in Business Administration. After that, I’ll probably transfer to a 4-yr institution to work on the BS degree. It’s still a year away, but I’m excited!

Boys and their toys!! I’ve been putting stuff on Ebay for my brother. He’s got this lawn tractor he restored, and each day he gets *at* least 100 hits. 36 people have it on their watch list! It’s insane. LOL, I’d like to take some credit since I photograph all his items and I DO know how to make them look as good as they are. He’s very adamant about being very, very honest about the quality of the things he sells. Isn’t that admirable?

I’m almost finished with “To the Moon” bookmark for one of my nieces. I’ve changed some of the colors and added metallic threads, as well as her name. Really haven’t had much time to stitch this past week.

I almost forgot... I completed my 2nd certification in QuickBooks software. I’m considered a QuickBooks ProAdvisor. What is THAT, you ask? Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors help you get the most out of QuickBooks, so you can spend more time on your business and less time on your books. ProAdvisors are experts in helping small businesses learn, use, and customize QuickBooks. Many, like myself, are accounting and tax experts. After working with a ProAdvisor, many business owners are more satisfied and comfortable with QuickBooks, and feel hiring a ProAdvisor is a valuable investment. LOL, Do I sound like a walking, talking billboard??