Suzi Strauss

Very early tomorrow I will head out of my warm bed in search of the elusive bargain, on Black Friday I will be out with many others in search of the same elusive bargain. Last year it was very hectic and I expect about the same this year, many people finish their Christmas shopping on Black Friday, and this year I have planned to do that very thing. If I can find the right deals I will be able to get my shopping done and not have to leave the house except to go to work for the next month. That would be a dream come true for me.

My five dogs are the light of my life, I love them just like they were my children and I hope that they love me back. I take them to work with me when I can and I try to make sure that each one gets the same amount of attention every day. I give them treats when they are good and scold them when they are bad. Our oldest dog Dottie is turning six this year and she is the queen of the house for sure. Dogs make you feel better when you are sick by cuddling up and licking your face, that always makes me feel better.

Friday morning as i was working the first snow of the year was falling on me and it was coming down pretty hard too. At one stop the cars in the parking lot of the hotel I was delivering to were covered with a layer of snow. It did not last very long or cover the ground but it was a pretty snow and made me think more about the holidays and the things that I need to get done before the crowds get crazy at the stores. Thanksgiving is already next week and I am not ready for that either.

The fire season in the west is in full swing and it looks like California is a fire storm, so many fires and the winds keep the firefighters on the run. I would not want to live in a place that had fires like that and I am sure no one wants to live any place that has natural disasters like fires, floods or hurricanes. We have a lot of twisters here and they can be very dangerous and they can destroy entire towns that lay in their path. We have had some minor floods over the years but it is not an issue most of the time. I am so very glad that we do not have earth quakes that is the worst as far as I am concerned.

Even after the so called bail out the stock market has continued to tail spin, my 401K has lost about half of its value over the last few months. It looks like I will be working for the rest of my life, I guess that I really did not want to retire and sit on a beach and drink Margaritas for the rest of my days. I guess I will go out like the rest of my family while at work. I hope the new government can put an end to this wall street disaster and put us back where we belong, and I mean soon.