Yet another productive day at work, except for a run-in with a rogue sales rep. Sigh. They pump those guys full of motivational tapes, and throw them behind a phone, still foaming at the mouth, and then we have to train them to actually work within the system. As long as I've been doing it, it is still exasperating.

Brings me to another theme I've been noticing lately. I have much less patience with bullshit than I used to have. Growing older, it seems people either go one way or another. Either you become more patient and able to deal with it all, or you realize the clock is ticking, and you just don't have time to listen to a bunch of crap you've heard before, when you know what the outcome is going to be already anyway. I kind of wish I was more like the patient and kind Mrs. Claus, but as time goes by, I seem to get more and more like Maxine on the Hallmark cards. I really feel, a lot of times, like "been there, done that, know how this is ending, let's just shortcut this". I have to really try hard not to cut people off sometimes; and even a lot of times when I'm successful, I still hear Maxine's voice in my head. It's not good, because that's how you get crotchety and close-minded, which I don't want to be. Still, some people do appreciate my ability to get to the bottom line expediently - to get to the heart of things. I just have to remember to do that only when I'm ASKED to do it LOL. Also, it does make me more appreciative of the wonderful older people I have known in my life who took the time to listen to me, even though they had heard and experienced it all before. I am going to try to be more like them.

Last night was a good night. Russ had to cancel my haircut, but that was OK, I was busy anyway. I went to see Miss Kat, Dana, and Helen. I had a lovely time, as always. Dana has a cold, bless her heart. She works so hard.

We had a great visit, and since I was feeling very loquacious last night, I just told stories. It was nice just to sit around and talk, and I love to make them laugh. Helen came up for a while and talked to us. She spends a lot of time in her "apartment" downstairs.

I also took them the last of the pumpkin squares, which they really enjoyed. I had one with them. They were better than I remembered them being. I may have to make another pan of them sooner than I thought...

So I got in about 10:30, tired, but with the pleasant flush of good company to see me off to sleep

Where I proceeded to have weird Kafka dreams all night. I was at the campout with no desserts, which is my campout job. They had decided to do Japanese food, and it was my job to come up with desserts that would complete the theme. I could think of only two Japanese desserts, Umeboshi paste on rice cakes, which I wasn't sure everyone would eat, and the other one I couldn't remember, try as I might. For some reason one of the guys from work was there, and he was just tickled with the Umeboshi idea, since he loved it, and I kept trying to explain that not everyone would eat it, and that it would cost a lot and be difficult to lay hands on enough to feed everyone. I woke up still trying to explain it to him. Don't know what the heck that was all about!

***

Pumpkin Pie Bars

18 1/2	ounces Pillsbury yellow cake mix
1/2	cup butter, melted
4	eggs
1 (30	ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
1	cup sugar, divided
1/2	cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2/3	cup evaporated milk
1 1/2	teaspoons cinnamon
1/2	cup chopped walnuts
1/4	cup butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 and grease and flour a 13x9 baking pan.

1. Remove 1 cup of the cake mix; reserve. In small bowl, lightly beat 1 egg. In large bowl, stir together remaining cake mix, melted butter and the beaten egg.
2. Press into prepared pan.
3. In large bowl, lightly beat remaining 3 eggs, Stir in the pumpkin, 1/2 cup of the sugar, brown sugar, evaporated milk and cinnamon. Pour over cake mixture in pain. To the 1 cup reserved cake mix, add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, walnuts and softened butter; mix until crumbly. Sprinkle over pumpkin mixture.
4. Bake 50-60 minutes, Serve warm or cold.

I used pecans instead of walnuts, but either way, use raw nuts. I roasted mine first, and they got a bit too done. I mixed a bar of cream cheese into the pumpkin recipe just for the heck of it. This turned out a lot better than it sounds!