Happy Spring Ahead Week!

 This week went by quickly!   And That is with the additional Saturday I volunteered to commit to.  So what makes a six day work week fly by so quickly?   Oh!  Lots of things... Mostly stuff I can't remember.  (Because it flew by so quickly....  Like a blur!)   

Things I can remember:   The weather!  

First!   Rain!   A warm spring rain greeted us earlier in the week.   I only remember this because I had the forethought to actually take a picture after work.   I'm sure the warmer temps also played a role in my decision.   Whenever there is something that is "a change from the norm."  I make a mental check to try to catalog it.   (For a possible Blog posting later.)  

That Spring-like weather was followed by a cold wave.   ( Which I skipped, because we have had enough cold!)  

But then the fog rolled in!   I'm always enchanted with a foggy day.   I always attach it to a number of memories from my past.   Most of them from the early "Paper Route Days" from my childhood. 

 Or those John Carpenter's movies that never really scared us, but we use to tell each other about late at night camping in the backyard.  There was even that day we went fishing on Lake Michigan and got lost in the fog in Grand Traverse Bay!  (Good times!) The fog was so thick, a Robin flew out of the mist and landed on Dad's fishing pole for a rest!  That kind of freaked Dad out, since we did not know exactly the direction of the shore!

And then there is the song:  Foggy Day in London Town.   Gershwin!    Sung by the Legendary Ella Fitzgerald!    Every Foggy Day that passes by my window,  this song pops into my mind and I sing a few bars.   

After that, it has been a battle with the wind.   If the wind direction if from the right place,  warmer weather is enjoyed by all!  If it switches back from the north,   then the colder weather returns!    Today,   it was from the West.   Meaning it started out cold, but soon warmed up to nearly 60! (With lots of Sun!)  I went out for a walk by the lake to see  the calm waters and feel the sand once more.  

The picture is deceptive!   Because it "Looks" calm... But if you turn to face the land, you get pelted with a strong wind!   I think it is funny that a strong wind from the west will "calm" the waters of Lake Michigan.   But that is how things work on this side of the Lake.  

I forgot to mention the Thunderstorm on Friday.  I believe that was the first one of the year here.  It was fairly early in the morning, so I did not get to enjoy much of it. But I do love falling asleep during the rumbling of thunder and the patter of rain hitting the windows.  I'm not sure the Cat enjoyed it as much as I did though.

Speaking of the Cat!  She can be a serious distraction from time to time.   Case in point:  This morning for Church.  With the missing hour,  I was set to rise up with the Alarm an hour before Church  today.   But with her sleeping so soundly on my chest,   I hit the snooze, figuring I would give her an additional five minutes of peace before disturbing her.   

AN HOUR LATER.... I missed the first service and was forced to attend the later one at the east Campus.  Not a huge deal.   And I'm sure that my exhaustion from working last night played an additional role in that mishap.  But, I do find that The cat provides me the "wrong Motivation" whenever I have to get up or move.   She simply wants to stay warm and toasty on my lap.   And I enjoy that. 

I thought about making the cat my new Muse...  ( Get it?   Mews... Muse?  Sounds like a Dave Joke)  but that might be limiting, since all she does is sleep and occasionally attack the Rug and furniture.  To be frank,  she is actually a rather boring cat. Which is good for me.   I like boring!  Heck!  I think I'M boring!    So we are a good match.   

Besides,  the definition of "Lap Cat" is one that does nothing but cuddle up on your lap and sleep.   No where in the job description is there a clause for being "Interesting".   So She could argue she is doing exactly what she is supposed to do.   And She does a pretty good job at it.   So, I really should look elsewhere for my Blog Material.  

Perhaps something more fun and exciting will happen this Summer.   ( Hopefully nothing as "exciting" as last year.)  And that will provide me the inspiration to write more.    We shall see how things pan out.  

In the meantime,   We shall try to make every second count!   Especially since time is so fleeting and there is not much of it left. 

The Days When The Gummies Win!

Ever want a job with action and adventure?   Then you should consider a career as a material handler at a Gummy Factory! 

It was a tough week at the Haribo this week.   But I managed to survive.... (Que dramatic Music....) 

 Barely!

So what makes working at Haribo so exciting and adventurous?   Well, a number of things.    One of which is that the Gummies Never Stop!

It also "helps" when there are fewer material handlers than are scheduled.   That means there is a job that needs to be done with no one there to do it!   Oh!  Sure....   If a number of lines are down for any given reason,  then you "might" be able to handle things with one less person.   

But if TWO material handlers are missing...   (There are supposed to be at least 5!)  That means that the remaining three have to move mountains to stay on top of things.  And by mountains... I mean a mountain of Gummy Bears!

And so it was for two of the 6 days that there were only three of us.   Tino, Elsa and myself....  Holding back the flood doors of Gummies as they vortexed down the Mogul system.  Usually,  the management pulls another Fork Truck Driver to help us out.   And if they can't find one,  they will jump on a Stand-up  to give us a break.   But this week,  no third shift-ers or any operators could help.  It was just us....

We did manage to pull it off.   Luckily, several of the "Serious" lines were down either due to parts or change-overs.   So we were not completely buried in finished goods or gummies.   But even then, Sacrifices had to be made!   Elsa and I barely got our lunch and NO breaks...  Tino managed to get his first break that that was all.  

But the day flies by when you are in "the Zone" of moving pallets and gummies around the floor.   And keeping the lines fully stocked with boxes and materials even though you are maxed out with other tasks to complete.   It usually means that things get "put aside" instead of sent to the warehouse.   But eventually,  things get caught up on Saturday.   

And Tino and I worked yesterday and took a large chunk out of the clean up.   I finished all of the "Returns" and Tino cleaned up the broken pallet stacks that were cluttering the charging area.  I doubt third shift was able to do much more, since only one material handler showed up.   But at least we set up the Monday first shifters with a cleaner floor.   

And that is not to mention the Gummies!   Tino mostly focused on keeping the lines stocked, and second shift alone cleared out several rows of  Peaches and Wildberry Gold Bears from the floor.  Even Elsa showed up for 4 hours yesterday to help out first shift!  

There are times when you end the day at Haribo with a feeling of frustration of fatigue.   Knowing that there was nothing you could do to stop the tidal wave of candy coming down from the second floor.   

However,   Most of the time, there is this great feeling of satisfaction that washes over you when you are able to ride the waves and stay above water.   And instead of drowning in Gummy Bears,  you find yourself Surfing  and having fun with your Team.  I genuinely enjoy the team aspect of the job.   I'm not sure what it is like on the other shifts, but Second Shift has some great people who help each other out as best we can and, I think,   genuinely enjoy working with each other.  Of the five Material Handlers that punched in yesterday,   Three were from Second Shift!

I have been working with a couple of the temps that can drive Fork Trucks.   They are good guys and we all work well with each other.   Haribo does not like using Temps for material handlers (for Obvious reasons...)  But Alex has been working there longer than any of us.   And is still a Temp!   

My hope is that those guys eventually get hired on permanent and can join the team full time.  But until their contract with the Temp agency ends,  we can only hope that they are able to help out from time to time.  

So... Another Busy week at Haribo.  And a new month is upon us.   Which means MORE gummies for the employees.  ( Each month they give us two to three boxes of Gummies!)  I'm not sure what I'm going to do with all of them.  I have been giving them away since I can't possibly eat them all ( nor should I!  Too much candy!) Luckily, there are some folks at Church and at the Clubhouse who enjoy them.  And The Bartenders share them with some of the regulars while the Teachers share them with the Kids at KLA.   In all,   Spreading the Joy of the Gummy Bear is something I enjoy doing.  

Time to prep for Monday!  Another Week of Sparing with the Mogul Guys as they dump tons of Gummy Bears down on the Packaging Floor.    AGAIN!    Hopefully, this week, we will be able to keep up with them and ride the waves instead of simply treading water.  

A Challenge and Goal  I shall look forward to....  All while making every second count.

A Taste Of Spring!

 A quick post about the wonderful weather we have been having.   In fact,  Today it nearly rose to 50 degrees!  You could walk outside comfortably with a T-shirt, if it were not for that strong breeze.  

By the way,   Did anyone know that it was President's Day last Monday?   I knew....  Yet I forgot and went to mail something at the post office.   Of course, the post office was closed!   (The one day I actually have to use it...)   So, being in downtown Kenosha that early in the morning, I decided to go for a walk near the Lake.  

This was the last of the Icebergs on Lake Michigan.  They slowly were floating out to sea as the west wind blew the waves out.   The entire lake looked so calm and peaceful...   And the Sun was nice and warm.  Too bad I could not stay longer. 

I am beginning to hope that my foot has healed enough to begin running again.   I certainly could use the exercise!  I used to run before heading to work back in the Summer...  I hope I can gain that habit again as the air warms up. 

Having missed Monday's mailing,  I still had the package and went back on Tuesday.   The temps held and I went for another walk along the pier.   This time there was a little more fog and moisture in the air.   But I walked around the Columbus Park again.   And with a few extra minutes to waste before work, I decided to visit the Kenosha Museum. 

I guess this month is "Shark Week" at the Museum.  ( Or better..."Shark Month!")   I did a quick lap to look at the pics of the sharks and read all the stuff I already know.  I though the display was pretty good!   Especially compared to the "Historic Women" display they had last time. ( Mostly political females you never heard about...) 

Anyway.  I hear the warm spell is not meant to last.   But we have already had our first Spring Rain of 2026.  It rained last night  just before We got out of Haribo.  Luckily, it was not hard enough to get us soaked, but I did have to engage the windshield wipers all the way home.

Tomorrow is our Monthly Haribo Meeting where they tell us all about how the Company is doing.   They gave us Tacos yesterday as a "Moral Booster" for the month.  (Good Tacos!)  And all of the little things to help bring the culture together.   I like it!   And everyday is a fan day at Haribo.  Honestly,  I get to drive a fork Truck around and work with a great team of people!   Who wouldn't want that? 

So that is all.   Time to head to bed and plan for tomorrow.   I have even been planning on some possible Sidewalk Chalk sessions this month.   As long as it does not rain.   

In the mean time,  I'm going to try to make every second count. 

The Weather Breaks!

 I was thinking of "A Break in the Weather" or A Break FROM the Weather."   But those titles seem to suggest something that is not intended.   We will continue to have weather...  and The weather is not broken only to "fix" itself back into the frigid temps of last week.  No... I mean Spring is beginning to manifest itself  here in Kenosha.  

It continues to dip down at night,  but mostly the biting wind chill and temps have mellowed.   And the snow is melting at an alarming rate!  Good news for everyone except Ice Fishermen!  (The "Full Retard" guy is Eddie Arnold.   Who spent the Week Fishing at "Lake Of The Woods."   Looked like a they had a Great Time)  

Speaking of the Ice!   I dropped in to one of my favorite places... Lake Michigan!    And checked out the scene there since I have not visited the shore for several months now.   The wind was out of the west and the lake was calm.    And the ice was piling up on the shore...

Kind of cool!   Seeing the giant cliffs and  "Icebergs" out there with the warm sun shining everywhere.  It reminded me of that time we were training on Spencer Glacier in Alaska.  Huge mountains of ice with deep pools of blue ice water.   It was a unique experience.  

But Lake Michigan coming back from the hard freeze is another sign that Winter's worst is most likely over.  I'll take it with a smile. 

In the mean time,   ever since that crock pot cook off, I have been making a huge pot of Chili and taking it to work for Lunch each day.   One pot lasts me six days!  It is a great way to  save money on food and having my entire week's meals planned.  

 It is also a great way to stay warm with some comfort food.  I'm sure after this last batch, I will be sick of it and planning my next round of meals with something different.   And since the colder weather seems to be on the outs....  I'm sure those "Traditional Cabin Favorites" will be out as well.  I wonder what would be a good "Spring time Lunch?"  

The Cat continues to bother me relentlessly.   She seems to want to be on my face whenever I am typing or watching a movie.  I should be grateful that I have a "muse" to write about.   And with Mushrooms and fishing reserved for warmer months,  a Cat curled up on your face seems like a good topic to write about. 

This weekend, I attempted to do my taxes!   But ran into a few hiccups.   The BIG one was I did not have a W2 from Shoreland.   I'm sure they sent me one...  But probably to the last known address.   The one to the house that burned down.   And since it was nearly 9 months ago...  Chances are the Post office is no longer forwarding my mail to me here.   So..... I contacted Shoreland with my new address.   And Taxes are not due until April... So I have some time.  

Still,  I had the motivation to give the Government Money.   Something that is a VERY RARE thing for me.    And any reason to postpone that transaction,   seems bothersome.   Don't get me started on taxation without representation...   This post would end up as a  five page RANT!

I'm excited about the weather change.   I impulsively purchased the means to make some Charcoal sticks for some possible sidewalk art later this month. ( Weather providing.)  Perhaps I will invest in some chalk-making supplies as well.   Good chalk seems to be difficult to find these days.   And I always loved the way I made it.   Brighter colors! And enough of that color to allow me freedom without worrying if I had enough of a certain color to finish. But  I should wait before I dedicate too much time and effort into another hobby.   I hardly used my Origami paper I made this winter.   Too many hobbies and never enough time...

Other than that... The week flew by as usual.   And Haribo continues to challenge and delight me everyday.   Mario is back after a long leave time, and the "Three Amigos" from the back have been reunited once again.   It was a fun week working with Elsa and Mario again.  Unfortunately,  Elsa will be moving to first shift soon, and we will have another vacancy to fill on second shift.   Hopefully,  we will get someone who gels with the team and helps everyone out.  Material Handling is not a job a single person can handle alone.   It's a team effort.

Time to enjoy the last few hours of daylight  now.  Weekends are so Precious these days.   And when the weather is this nice,  you have to make every second count...

The Melancholy Of Snow.

 I love that word...  "Melancholy." It sounds so beautiful and poetic. Much more so than "sad."   And definitely less soul-crushing than "Depression. " 

Depressed people bring down the room with their purple aura of Sadness.  No one wants to be "Depressed".   

But Melancholy  is just a passing phase.  A "moment of sadness"  if you will...At least that is how I view it.  

And so it was that it snowed again tonight.   After donating another Saturday to Haribo,  I was welcomed with the soft white flurries fluttering  gently down.   And it was beautiful. Each flake a tiny ice  crystal of art!  

And I felt Melancholy. 

Perhaps it is because it is February and we have already passed Groundhog's Day.  Or maybe it was because I was alone as I walked out, and got to experience the beauty all by myself.    With no one else to share the moment.  A picture that a thousand words could not describe.  

 And yet...   Here I am.  Attempting to do so. 

As mentioned before,  I volunteered to work at Haribo again.  It really is not the tremendous hardship as I present.  In fact, I would say it is an easy day to catch things up.    And they compensate me handsomely   for my time,  which is nice.  I now understand why single men tend to "marry their jobs."  

Not much else has happened this week.  The routine is fixed:   I worked.  I ate.   I slept.  

It has been nice coming home to a cat each night though.   A Living creature  that actually looks forward to your return and loves to cuddle and play when you walk through the door. Aside from the constant meowing around 4 AM each night,   she is pretty nice to have around.  

I do find myself yearning for Spring time these days.   I have had enough of the cold and snow.  Even with the beauty I see before me,  I would rather have the Dampness and Color of Spring. Rather than the "Cold and Sanitized Winter.   As it is, I think I'm coming down with a bit of a chill at the moment.  Stuffy nose,   sneezy,   bit of a cough.   All signs that I would rather not have.    

But tomorrow is Sunday!  And I will have an entire day to rest and recover before a new week begins.  And hopefully,  I will be able to accomplish something significant.   At least more significant that simply saying I was able to sleep all day. 

And then the cycle begins all over again....

So I will end this melancholy post now.   And hopefully chock it up as a "check in" post rather than any deep-seated problem. or a cry for help.  It is not.   Just a moment of sadness that will pass.... 

Just like the melting snows of winter.  

So try to make every second count.