It's a tough call to name top grinch this year because I have so many personal favorites to nominate for this very special honor when times are as hard as they are in my little world. I do believe, though, that this year's grinch shall be the money grubbing bastards at DirecTV who robbed me blind with an unauthorized charge to my debit card. HOWEVER....a close second goes to my local bank for not reimbursing me for this nearly 500 dollar hit which they allowed to go through without a blink. I am beyond broke. And I am tired of fighting the system and losing. Don't you people know it's Jesus' birthday???

After attempting to fix (and failing miserably) my mother's printer this morning so that she can do her Christmas cards, I headed east on Hwy 104 to the place out in the boonies where they crack pecans and blow the dust off. NINETY SEVEN POUNDS is what those four bags weighed. No wonder I'm so sore!!! There is probably that amount again laying in their yard, which I will get to when the weather becomes a bit more picker friendly.

I think I've mentioned before about the old guy who comes out and piddles around under the trees picking up a sackful now and then. He was out like me this morning, scouring the ground following those high winds. He stopped by where I was working and asked "What do you do with those pecans?" "Crack 'em...eat 'em" was my reply. He then offered to give me the pile that was in the bottom of his bucket. My basket was almost full and I told him I didn't think it would hold them all. "You got no faith" was his reply. And he managed to fit them all in there with room to spare.

Yep, mister. I got a little faith, but I'm always praying for more.

^j^