PIE MAKES IT ALL BETTER

 Aurora Borealis ROUND TWO.  Isn't it gorgeous?  Oh yeah ... they said the second night would be the best in HISTORY.  Amazing ... just amazing!!  Yeah, the second night was worse than the first.  Just cloudy and dark.  Not even the teeniest spec of any color, so I thought I would color it up for you.

The day started out with a bang.  Rain, rain and more rain.  I'm good with that since I turned my sprinklers off last week.  Mr. Cooper wasn't too happy about it though.  He is NOT a fan.  Five times a day I have to let him out, and five times a day dry him off from head to toe.

Kitters ... well she is just weird.  There's that brand new huge cat bed I bought for her to lay on, and she choses to hold on to 4 inches of hard wood instead.  The yellow is a refection from the kitchen light.  

I wielded phone calls all morning long, mostly complaints about everything at the lodge.  Unless I see a problem, I don't do anything but listen to them rant.  It makes them feel better.  Little did I know what was to come.   

It was a day of false starts.  I started cleaning, but that didn't last long before I remembered to check the battery charger on the van.  So far so good.  Then there was that bush that didn't get trimmed and the garbage that didn't get picked up.  

On the way back from checking that, I found a cute little soaking wet dog in my flowerbed, doing you-know-what.  I ran inside and grabbed a leash.  If he's lost, I'll find his people.  Ummm yes he looks suspiciously like the one from next door whose owner lets him out into MY yard to do his duty.  

I banged on their door.  It was a young gal who said "OH NO ... I'm just the doggie babysitter".  Well you're not doing such a great job because this dog has been running around outside for some time.  He's soaking wet.  She took him inside and shut the door.  I turned around just in time to see the SECOND dog from next door coming around the corner.  I banged on the door again.  I think she's going to get an "F" in dog sitting.

Knowing I had a big Elks board meeting, I decided to fortify myself with lots of sugar.  I tried a brand new recipe for Caramel Pecan Pie.  I mean really, who could turn THAT down.  It was easy peasy, poured into a Marie Callender FROZEN pie shell.  Here's the secret ... place a metal pan in the oven when you preheat it, on which to place the pie pan to bake, and you will have a perfectly cooked crunchy crust on the bottom.

I'm never making any other pie as long as I live.  No kidding .... this was DELICIOUS!  Yes, I overbeat the whipped cream.  I've never had cream whip up that fast in my life.  If you want to try it, look up Bigger Bolder Baking on the internet.  This gal is from Ireland and has some great recipes.

Sugared to the brim, I was off to the lodge after a frantic phone call.  The reports say we are $$$$$$$ in the hole.  That can't be!  Oh yes ... yes it can.  It didn't take long for me to find it.  There are three pay periods in October.  Weren't they shocked to actually look at some numbers and realize just how much the 20 employees cost the lodge.  

Honestly, I'm just so surprised at how many people spend every dime without thinking about that property tax bill coming up ... or that insurance bill due next month.  My little no vote against 4 others didn't hold water.     

Then there was the hour long marathon discussing year end employee bonuses.  Apparently no one has ever run a business either.  Bad Nancy ... I played solitaire on my phone while they argued.  At some point, it will sink in I guess!

It was 10:30 when I got home and tried to sleep to the sound of pouring rain, thankful there was no blasting music to go along with it.  It's another day ..... and that piece of caramel pecan pie for breakfast is going to make it all better.