Wow, an entire week!

That's how long it has been since I have posted. Getting back into the groove with life back in South Dakota has been, well, busy. It didn't help that I as the IT person here at the house had to deal with the satellite and all that entailed.

Thanks to Mary Beth and to Diane for the blog friend awards! I don't feel like such a great friend right now as I think I have greater than 200 posts in Google Reader and I sure won't get to all of them. Forgive me!

I did take a break on Tuesday to join many of my Democracy In Action friends at someone's home to watch the inauguration of our new president! I wept off and on from the moment the camera showed President Obama (how sweet to be able to say that!) preparing to descend onto the inaugural platform, and then throughout the ceremony. I wasn't the only one. This was a joyous occasion.

And I'm also not the only one whose spouse thinks the nation has been duped into electing a fool. Several of the women there have spouses like mine, who think that electing President Obama was the worst mistake this country could have made, so they were there with us instead of at home. We stood around commiserating.

(I had a new acquaintance say to me at that event, "I don't know if I could be married to a Republican!" Of course I was a Republican when we married and did a huge change on him, so he is faced with the thought, "How can I be married to a Democrat?" I also wonder if what my rector said in another context could apply here: "We are not called to agree, but we are called to love each other.")

I was annoyed with Rick Warren's prayer as it went on too long and was too much about him and his beliefs for such an occasion. The Rev. Lowery's benediction was spot on, and just really wonderful IMHO!

Afterward we raised our glasses for a toast to our new president and his success. After all, if he is successful, then we as a country will be as well. We all must get behind him and not simply go shopping when the going gets rough.

When I got home, our new satellite receiver awaited. I installed it, got it to work, was starting to watch the inaugural parade, then the picture went out while I was programing the remote for the other TV. I started doing all of the stuff I know to do--unplug the receiver, play with the cable, etc, and nothing worked. I spent an hour on the phone with Dish Network tech support doing all sorts of stuff, and all of a sudden the picture came back on. Turns out that the HDMI cable was faulty, and that the fact the picture went out when I was programing the remote was simply a coincidence. So after I made sure the problem was the cable (connected it to the Blu Ray player and the same problem ensued), I tossed that cable and hooked the cable that was to the Blu Ray to the TV.

Then it was time to make supper.

Wednesday and Thursday I worked. There are lots of changes going on at work and so I get the opportunity to work as much as I want! BTW, I never finished my resume' so I still have the same job. My resume' is a priority still as the new hours will only last for a couple of months, but I realized after I started the resume' that with as many years of experience I have and the many different jobs I've had, both in and out of nursing, that this is too much for me. I'll take some of the money I will earn in the next couple of months and have a professional one made. Then I'll apply for a transfer as the position I've desired continues to be open.

Yesterday I cleaned for the first time since we got back. I had done a few things but I had the mop bucket and scrubbing tools out this time! Whew. Things look and smell better. Yesterday was a good day to do that as the wind chill was well below zero. I took Taciturn to the doctor on the local military installation yesterday afternoon for a check up; while he was at the appointment I went to the commissary to buy some groceries. Just taking out a few bags really made my face and ears hurt, it was so very cold! (BTW, Taciturn was given a clean bill of health. Thanks be to God!)

Today I will straighten my desk and make an egg casserole for the annual meeting at church tomorrow. It remains way too cold to go outside for any length of time, so I'll hang out here and catch up on my blog reading!