Go West they said, so we did!

Back from a week long trip/vacation.  We spend 2 days in Wyoming at Saratoga.  Here is a pic of the Platte River, it was low enough that you could walk across it.  Weather was beautiful. Got a sprinkle the first nite there.  Ate at the old Wolf Hotel.

Mountain range east of Saratoga in the Medicine Bow Range.

Next is a peak into the bar of the Wolf Hotel.

We got a private tour of the old museum in Saratoga,  Hubby's cousin is a volunteer there and here is an older picture of her modeling their grand mother's wedding dress from around 1900. Their grand parents homesteaded in Saratoga and later he built a butcher shop to provide meat to the miners and she built a hotel called the Palace Hotel which she ran till she died in 1960 and it was torn down by her last wishes.

We left Saratoga on Wed. and dropped down into Colorado on the western side of the Rockies so missed the rain that Denver had.  We had beautiful weather the rest of the week. 
Here is a picture of the lake where we spend 2 days.  It is north of Gunnison Colorado, Taylor Lake.

We stayed in one of these rustic cabins.  You can see part of the lake in the back ground.  We were at 8,000 ft. elevation. It was 27 degrees both mornings we were there so had to scrape a little ice from the windshield before we could go fishing.

We caught a total of 10 trout to bring home.  Very good eating! The lake level was really low here also.  We drove our vehicle down to the lake edge where we used to park 20 to 30 ft back up the bank.
As we left this area we drove over Monarch Pass, and the trees were beautiful.

As we got over the pass we saw the first fresh snow that fell in the night mountain tops a couple days before.

Over all we had a good trip and hubby's sister was a good sport for staying in a rustic cabin for 2 nights.  We love that stuff but she missed her Fox news fix everyday.  Last night we stayed in Dodge City Kansas at a decent motel and she had that TV on so fast she could hardly eat any dinner! 
Me?  I could have cared less.  But we made it home safe and sound. 
Short week at the store this week.  Will be closed tomorrow so I can do my first craft show.  Anxious to see how it goes.  My sister and I are working together on this with our hand made crafts.  Will take some pictures and post next week. 
Where the heck did September go???  So glad to be having nice fall weather at last!

My Toad cactus (Star cactus)

This was the first bloom before I moved it out onto the front porch.  I don't think it liked the heat but it was my only option as it is in the shade at least.  Poor plant is used to 76 degrees in the house and its been in high 90's this week.  Glad it is about done blooming.  It really smells up the porch and attracts these really big flies.

As you can see in this close up picture.  I feel privledged to have such an unusual plant and enjoy tending them and watching them grow big.  Have a couple other unusual plants I will mention later.

Been getting stuff ready to do my first craft show later this month.  Will post some pictures about that.

Almost ready to give birth!

Well not me but my toad cactus!

I have only had one blooming about 7 years ago from the plant that I took this start from.  The old plant got a fungus on it and I finally had to give up on it.  So this plant is about 4 years old.  This morning I could cup the biggest pod in the palm of my hand. Its about 4 to 5 inches long. 

Here is a picture of the old plant when it bloomed. The bloom measures 12 inches across and I wish you could feel it.  Sort of a cross between velvet and rubber.  But oh, the smell is terrible.

I have 10 good bloom pods on my cactus now.  About 5 tiny ones dried up.  I copied the following from a site that I looked up for more info.  There seem to be several varieties as some blooms are fat and more toad like.

  "Orbeas are a genus of succulent plants in the Apocynacea family, they're evergreen- leafless plants native to Africa. Starfish Cactus and Toad Cactus are misleading common names because this plant is not a cacti-it is a succulent. A better common name for this Orbea is Carrion Flower or African Carrion Flower."

From reading this article I learned that the smell of a "rotten mouse" is to attract flies to help pollinate the plant.  It also said that to get the blooms you need to let it get pretty dry during the winter then put in more sunlight (hot hot sun) and give more water in the spring to get it to bloom.  So guess I just accidentally did something right to get it to bloom.  I know I have killed some of my starts by watering them to much.
So there you have my Toad/star cactus which is not really a cactus.

Visit me on my other blog

I seem to have trouble trying to decide which blog I should write on.  I started my second blog to be about my book store and then it morphed into being about my crafts and anything related to my store. Didn't know that their would be a link between the 2 blog sites so its not a secret that I have the second blog.  But sometimes I feel like I am loosing out on the folks who read this one.  Can't believe I have had somewhere around 1200 hits on this site.  I enjoy chatting away with my computer and it serves as a great place to keep track of whats going on in your life.  This blog site is 5 or 6 years old now and I like going back and reading some of the events I was living thru several years ago.
Just think when I get senile I can read my old blog entries and it will all be new to me!
So here is my link to my other life: http://readagainbooks.blogspot.com/.  Hope to see you there!

I think the gal on the left is the one I will be when I get old!  Don't say what I know you are thinking BIG Brother!

Guess I can't go to this store anymore

My trip to the store.

>>> > There was a bit of confusion at the store yesterday. When I was ready

>>> > to pay for my groceries, the cashier said, "Strip down facing me."

>>> > Making a mental note to complain to my congressman about Homeland

...>>> > Security running amok, I did just as she had instructed.

>>> > When the hysterical shrieking and alarms finally subsided, I found out

>>> > that she was referring to my credit card.

>>> > I have been asked to shop elsewhere in the future.

>>> >

>>> > They need to make their instructions to us seniors a little clearer!

>>> > How embarrassing was that?!!! ):

Go away you unwanted advertizements!

I hate all these ads showing up on my blog site.  Even when I go to the page to edit something, there is a big ad right across the upper part of my postings so I can't even access the first one without clicking on the ad and opening it up.  Anyone know how to get rid of this crap???  Don't want it!

Just Shoot Me!

Had a guy in the store this afternoon,  he talked non stop for 1 1/2 hours!! I knew I was in trouble when I asked if he lived in the area and I got a detailed map of how to get to his home.  He rambled on and on and on about his claim to fame being a historical photographer.  Many outbreaks of tears and looking at the ceiling talking to his wife who I assume is in heaven.  Finally a phone call saved me and I got him out of the store.   I sat and ripped up some denim waste bands that were in a sack.  Glad I had something to do!  Well I do get characters come in.  I feel he was harmless, just wanted an audience.  He gave exact dates for every event and every make of car he owned.  His trip down the lane with cancer, treatment by treatment.  Ect!!!!
Makes me feel so good to be normal.  Not sure where his mental state falls.  Any ideas?  Don't think its Schizophrenic.

OK I am out of here for a few days.  Got to feed the cat and water a couple plants.  Hope we get some more rain tomorrow.
And YEA on the VP pick for the Republicans!

Welcome! My Foot!

Been getting my "Welcome to Medicare" "free" medical work up done.  Since I already had my Mammogram this spring I didn't need that but I did the bone density test last Monday.  Got a call from the Dr. office a couple days later and the nurse wanted to know what pharmacy to call a script in to for some Fosomax.  I said WHOA!  I would like to wait till my apt with the Dr. to talk about this. 
Since then I have talked to several women who have taken this drug and not a single one had anything good to say.  Every one had bad side effects, mostly bone pain and one had her 4 lower front teeth loosen so much she ended up having them pulled and getting a partial!   Besides I am doing most of the things that they recommend and want to look at beefing up my routine.  Calcium with D, weight bearing exercise, and stop the soda.  So I am going to increase my treadmill at the gym and give up the one can of soda that I drink a day.  Plus will go on line and see what else I can do.  I really don't think I fall into the usual risk group.  I am not short and petite like most people with osteoporosis are.  Of course I couldn't believe that I have early cataracts either!!  Damn! Don't we hate to admit we are getting old? 
Next Monday I go for the carotid ultrasound, so lets hope I am getting enough blood to my brain!

Crikey!

Crikey! Isn't she a beaut! "Crikey means gee whizz, wow!"
A quote from Steve Erwin.


 We aren't to wild about them nesting under our utility shed so we have caught 2 of them now and they have been relocated, along with all the chipmunks I caught in my tiny trap.  But I just thought her fur was so pretty with the silver tip and she was so docile, not like the 2 raccoons that we caught and released.  Now we live right in town!  We are in deer alley too as they travel thru our property to get to a couple small ponds that are across the street.  We never know what we will see.  The birds have sure hung around the water  pans and bird baths.  Sometimes they just sit in the water. 
Finally got an inch of rain last nite.  So thankful.

48 years and a life time ago

How many of us have Other Lives?  This is me in my other life.  48 years ago today I married this guy.  I was all of 17 and he was 19.  The year was 1964.  This picture was taken I think 1970.  The kids were 1 1/2 and 3.  No we didn't have to get married, at least not in the traditional way.  See my folks were moving out of state from Iowa to Va. to live with my older brother and I was getting ready to start my start my senior year. Since I was "in love" I didn't want to go with them, so they signed for me to get married instead. Also Bill was on the list to be called up into the military and prob end up in Vietnam. Being married gave him an exemption. 

I was remembering my wedding this morning and realized how poor we were.  I moved my belongings into a little cottage house that was on his step-dads farm.  Bill had actually already moved there and had a few hogs he was raising.  Someone loaned me a short veil, I bought an inexpensive dress that I could wear for church later and (gasp) I wore pink heels as that is what I had from my prom and couldn't afford to buy another pair of shoes. Its a wonder that I didn't wear the pink prom dress that I had made the prev. spring.    It was a church wedding and only a few friends of the family present.  Aug 2nd and it was so hot!  For a "honeymoon" we went to the drive-in about 20 miles away then went "home".   I started my senior year but by Nov. dropped out.  Back then you were not allowed to participate in any extra activities if you were married.  There were 2 of us married by our senior year, and sadly the other gal was a star basket ball player about 6 ft tall.  So anyway I got booted out of FHA and I had been vice president the prev year.  Since I didn't play sports other than a short stint in track, I was to be manager of the concession stand that year so that was nixed too.  Guess I was just disappointed and decided to take a full time babysitting job for Bill's boss and that extra $15 a week was alot back then.  Our first year was very rocky and should have been a sign of things to come and we should have gone our separate ways then.  But I am a stick with it kind of girl and hung in there.
Just for the record I did sign up and take a correspondence course to get a certificate of graduation then 10 years later went to college for an LPN nursing degree, and even later in "this life" I finished my RN degree.  So not bad for a high school drop out. 
Life is strange isn't it?  When I look back 48 years and try to remember that young girl in the borrowed veil and pink heels I still remember how she felt even though I have forgotten alot of the little stuff.  The marriage barely lasted 14 years. 
I still look back and feel this was my "other" life.  I am a different person now, finally grew up and have learned my worth.

New job

So after landing my new job as a store greeter, although a good find for many, I lasted less than a day. Here's the story....


About two hours into my first day on the job a very loud, unattractive, mean-acting woman walked into the store with her two kids, yelling obscenities at them all the way through the entrance. I said pleasantly, 'Good morning and nice children you have there. Are they... twins?' The ugly woman stopped yelling long enough to say, "NO, they ain't twins. The oldest one's 9, and the other one's 7. Why in the world would you think they're twins? Are you blind, or stupid?' So I replied, 'I'm neither blind nor stupid, Ma'am, I just couldn't believe someone slept with you twice. Have a good day and thank you for shopping here today.'

My supervisor said I probably wasn't

cut out for this line of work.

Breakfast on the deck

We love our new little grill.  Had pork chops on it last nite, then this morning we woke up with no electricity.  The power company was out in our back yard at 6 AM.  Seems there was a break in the underground wiring that they put in 10 years ago.  They were able to pull in a new line from about 5 houses down.   In the mean time, hubby was so happy to fire up that generator so I could make coffee.  We cooked oatmeal on the BBQ grill, did I mention that I love this little red beauty?  Then he fired up the generator again so I could make toast.  So we ate on the deck and watched the crew work on the power.  By 9 AM we had electricity again.  It was 85 degrees by then.

It is going to be 102 here today, So if you have a cat, give it a shave like this one and it will feel so much cooler, guaranteed!

Now tell me, does this look like a Great Grandma??

Well I am and this little gal is # 2.  She has a big sister that just turned 4!  Was fun to just cuddle this little one.  Oh, and big sister noticed that Great Grandma had crabs in her ears!!

Go Green!

I borrowed this from a friend and just love it! 

Tick Removal

Tick Removal


>

> A nurse discovered a safe, easy way to remove ticks where they automatically

> withdraw themselves when you follow her simple instructions. Read this one

> as it could save you from some major problems. Tick Removal: Spring is here

> and the ticks will soon be showing their heads. Here is a good way to get

> them off you, your children, or your pets. Give it a try. Please forward to

> anyone with children, hunters or dogs; or anyone who even steps outside in

> summer! A School Nurse has written the info below--good enough to share--and

> it really works! "I had a pediatrician tell me what she believes is the best

> way to remove a tick. This is great because it works in those places where

> it's sometimes difficult to get to with tweezers: between toes, in the

> middle of a head full of dark hair, etc." "Apply a glob of liquid soap to a

> cotton ball. Cover the tick with the soap-soaked cotton ball and swab it for

> a few seconds (15-20); the tick will come out on its own and be stuck to the

> cotton ball when you lift it away. This technique has worked every time I've

> used it (and that was frequently), and it's much less traumatic for the

> patient and easier for me.." "Unless someone is allergic to soap, I can't

> see that this would be damaging in any way. I even had my doctor's wife call

> me for advice because she had one stuck to her back and she couldn't reach

> it with tweezers. She used this method and immediately called me back to

> say, "It worked!" Please pass on. Everyone needs this helpful information.

>

> This has to be better then pulling them with tweezers which leaves the head

> embedded and can cause infection.

>

Who you gonna call? ChipBuster!

We have been over run with these cute little critters.  Of course it wouldn't be that my husband and his sister love to put out bird seed.  They aren't happy enough to just put it in bird feeders! No!!!!!!!!!!!
They dribble it along the retaining wall, a trail along SIL's sidewalk, and a nice pile of corn along her driveway for the deer.  We have an acre of timber along her side of the house.  Deer do come out and drink from the bird bath pretty regularly.  So along with the chipmonks we were seeing mice and I warned them that next would be black snakes.  I mean one critter follows the food chain right?  Now the funny thing is that my husband thought the answer was to put concrete in all their holes.  Duh!  They just go make another hole!  So I bought this cute little humane trap,  it is about 12 inches long, with a trip door on both ends. I put birdseed in it! 
So far I have caught 1 sparrow (released it) 3 young rats and one small vole (they went to rodent heaven)  then I have caught 4 fat chipmonks that got relocated about a mile away in a nice grassy area near a recycle center.  Thought they would meet up and start their colony there.  I believe we have a couple more then I will concentrate on seeing if I can catch any mice out by the tool shed.  Thats where hubby keeps all the rodent goodies!  You know bags of birdseed and corn. 
Sometimes I think I am the only one that has any sense left, but gotta love them, their hearts are in the right place, they have just lost their minds.

Thought for the day: The thing that I lost and miss the most is my mind (read that somewhere recently)

I WANT THIS DOG!

http://sorisomail.com/email/74298/como-se-danca-o-merengue.html  This is a must see if you love dogs.  Such training and the dog looks like she just loves every minute of it!!

Have we lost our senses?

While at the gym this morning I saw a gal with her bra straps showing because  she had a top on with criss cross straps.  The thought went thru my head as it has many times the last few years.  Where is our sense of what is decent to wear in public?  I mean the thongs that show above the low cut pants, the bra that shows, and the PJ's worn to Walmart or the mall.  Anyway when I logged in today to the computer I got this link from someone, so will share it. My little bit serendipity here.  Now I haven't seen many of these folks at our Walmart so not sure where these pictures where taken.  What is the weirdest thing you have seen at Walmart?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghrDIQ-K8mg&feature=player_embedded

Trapped

I just had an interesting "person" in my shop.  "He" goes by the name Anna and is in early 60's.  Somehow in our conversation it came out of him that he is a transgender.  Was married for 30 some years and has at least one son that he mentioned.  From here on I guess I should say her.  She has written the manuscript for a book if she could find a way to publish it.  She mentioned how hard it was growing up with parents that didn't understand and she didn't understand herself why she felt like she did.  Her father would beat her and tell her she was a boy and better start acting like one.  So as a young man he married to prove the was a man.  When he finally "came out" just a few years ago, she decided that they should divorce.  Her wife said she always thought that maybe "he" just didn't love her and in truth she/he did but not in the right way.
The big dilemma is that this person has had so many things happen that just leaves her practically homeless.  I sent her to someone I thought might help at least in the short term and she has some things in the works to get back on some medical care.  She has been on hormone therapy for several years.
This is the second time she has been in the shop and I sort of felt this about her the first time I met her.
I loaned her a book that I read this past winter called "Middle Sex"  Which was the name of the town in New York where the story took place but also it was about a girl who was born with sex organs of both male and female. The male part being very small.  At about 14 her family was going to have her surgically altered to be a girl but she felt she was a boy and always had.  Anyway it was a good book, written in his words of what it was like growing up and then running away to find his own way as a man.
So I just wanted to write about this person.  I can't imagine what it must be like to be trapped in a body that is not who you perceive yourself to be.  What a tragedy,  she told me many times these folks end in suicide because they are so misunderstood. Then on top of all that to be in poor health, and living day by day.

There but by the grace of God go I.

Blog cheating?

I think I been cheating on this blog site.  Been posting too much onto my other blog as I mostly been writing about my weaving.  So I will post one picture here of the latest project.

This is my floor loom that I got this spring and have set it up with my second warping.  Made 3 rugs on the first go around.  This one is set up pretty wide, 28 inches.  I am using denim to weave with.

Just joined the YMCA  today again.  Looking forward to going back and doing a little strength training and maybe do the pool class.  I always feel better when I exercise a little and right now my treadmill is all "tied up"  Really!  Been draping extra warp (string) from my weaving and there is no room to lower it to use for right now.

Not much to grouse about today,  just wanted to get a post done.  Oh, Goody!  Gas is down to 3.12 today.  Like an hour after I filled up at 3.14.  But hey  it sure beats the 3.69 we were paying last month.  Sneaky don't you think?  Get it so high that we think 3$ gas is a bargain!

So guess I did have a little grousing in me after all!

 

No other words needed here

Had to borrow this from a fellow blogger

10 PIECES OF ADVICE TO BE PASSED ON TO YOUR MOM, DAUGHTERS OR GRANDDAUGHTERS, NIECES, AUNTS, GIRLFRIENDS, ETC.


1. Don't imagine you can change a man - unless he's in diapers.

2. What do you do if your boyfriend walks out? You shut the door.

3. If they put a man on the moon - they should be able to put them all up there.

4. Go for the younger man. You might as well, they never mature anyway.

5. Men are all the same - they just have different faces, so we can tell them apart.

6. Best way to get a man to do something is to suggest he is too old for it.

7. Love is blind, but marriage is a real eye-opener.

8. The children of Israel wandered around the desert for 40 years. Even in Biblical times, men wouldn't ask for directions.

9. If he asks what sort of books you're interested in, tell him check books.

10. Remember a sense of humor does not mean that you tell him jokes; it means that you laugh at his.

Now I think only a real man would have posted this on his blog site.  What do you think? 
Actually I think most of them are pretty true.
But here is one other that I found somewhere and have been saving it.  Seems it fits right here:

A profound quote worth reading

"You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.

You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.

You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.

You cannot lift the wage earner up
by pulling the wage payer down.

You cannot further the brotherhood of man
by inciting class hatred.

You cannot build character and courage
by taking away people's initiative and independence.

You cannot help people permanently by doing for them,
what they could and should do for themselves."



Abraham Lincoln

The Power of Love

I borrowed this joke from someones blog.  I thought it was pretty funny but I wanted to share the REAL thing with you!  So the next picture is one I actually took of the real thing 2 years ago in my back yard.  Yes it was daylight and they were going at it.  Well I assume they were.  It was sort of hard to tell.

I thought it was rather sweet that she was so shy!

Another great grand daughter arrived safe and sound

Big sister is holding her baby sister, born yesterday.  As you can see her little face is rather beat up as she weighed 9 pounds.  Mom and Dad worked as a team and he got to do the delivery with Dr. standing by.  It will count for his paramedic program.  Sneaky guy!

Puppy/Donkey love!

http://www.youtube.com/user/domgmbh2305

Gotta watch this video.  It is just to darn cute

Big sister loves baby sister

My second great grand daughter is due any day!  Isn't this just a precious moment! My vote is for another little red head!

Here's to old friends

Have been on vacation, more on that later, but just wanted to jot a few lines while I remember my waking thoughts.  Do you do that?  Wake up with something really brilliant on your mind then by the time you have breakfast it is gone in a puff of steam off the coffee.

What do Rosemary, Linda, Suzanna, and Maggie have in common?  ME!  These are old friends I got to reconnect with in Carson City this past week. Rosemary and I went to nursing school together, Linda is the one who taught me how to set up and run my book store, Suzanna is an old friend of my SIL and I thank her for her kindness, Maggie and I used to work together at the prison.  So a well rounded bunch of friends.  It was great to yak and catch up and make sure we will stay in touch with our computers now.

Last one......maybe

As you can see, they are all beady eyed now and getting feathered out.  Will be gone a few days so they may be gone when I get back.  Next year we will put a basket under the nest right off and let them have at it.  Our little house wren is back and has decided to nest in the gourd that I hung just inside the carport.  They are happy as can be, and singing up a storm.  Have another one hanging in the tree, but I think we just have the one pair so far.  I sat on the deck last pm and let him/her sing to me from across the deck.  

One last picture till later........

23 Adult Truths

(Just a little something I sort of borrowed from a friend)

1 Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How on earth are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind-of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Light than Kay.

17. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

19. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?

20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

22. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.

23. The first testicular guard, the "Cup," was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important.

Ladies.....Quit Laughing.

Their nest runneth over!

We got 3 inches of rain over the weekend and as a result the back side of the robin nest was sagging badly and the kids are getting pretty big, so of course we had to mess with Mother Nature.  I used a bag that avocados came in and we pinned it up behind the nest, then pulled the back down under the nest and tied it off.  Hopefully this will help.  Someone told me that they helped their robins by actually using a small basket and putting the nest in it and fastened  the basket to the tree and the Momma didn't mind at all.  Ours are working hard to feed the 4 babies.

Been keeping an eye on a the pair of crows that live nearby.  We have seen them carrying baby birds in their beak with a flock of robins squawking their heads off, chasing the crow.  And you know they weren't taking the baby birds to adopt! DANG Crows!

When you look do you really see?

This is a video site that I wish to share.  I was very moved by it and hope others will take a few minutes and watch it.  The photography is beautiful and the message is timeless!

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=gXDMoiEkyuQ&vq=medium

Oh, babies outgrow things so fast

They are either 4 or 5 days old here.  All mouth!  Mom and Dad are hard at work now trying to keep them full.

Are you bored yet?  Sort of like watching cement dry huh? 

We have babies!

Just hatched baby robins!  Mom and Dad are staying close by and feeding these little babies.  So guess you will have to see pictures of them as they grow up.  Won't take long!

Look Hard!

See anything about in the middle?  Look hard now!

I bet you see now!

Awesome huh?  This nest if just off my front porch.  Since I didn't lay the eggs you have my permission to take this picture.  If you enter a contest with it and win lots of money I strongly encourage you to share,  it would be the right thing to do!

Out of body experience

Thought I would share this bit of info that I read recently and I felt I could relate to it.  Maybe you will see yourself here too. The following paragraph is copied from the article.

Ever get the bizarre feeling that you're floating out of your skin?  It can happen as your brain is transitioning to sleep and the temporal-parietal junction (area responsible for synthesizing a sensation of position, gravity, motion,k and vision) turns off while you're still conscious.  Without all that information, a person can feel as  if she's detached from her body, looking back at her physical self.

I don't exactly feel detached, but often just as I start to doze off I do get a strange sensation of floating or detachment.  Sort of like when you are given that injection that sends you into sleep when you have a procedure or surgery.

Thought for the day:  If you are never the lead dog, the scenery never changes!

More serendipity!

Looks like Spring/Summer is here to stay.  Lots of mowing and gardening going on!

I just finished a very good book that I will do a review on for my newspaper column but just wanted to mention it here. 

You know that I believe in serendipity! (An apparent aptitude for making accidentally fortunate discoveries)  Or coincidences (  An accidental occurrence of related or identical events, ideas, etc. at the same time)   Actually I don't really think there are coincidences.  I think that is just our higher self guiding us to see things that will help make us more aware.   All that said, the book that I just finished is called: Those Who Save Us, by Jenna Blum. 
For some reason I have been drawn to read historical fiction this past year or so.  I like a good book with some sustenance to it that actually make me think.  I frequently find my self going to my Atlas to see just where the story setting is located, or to the Internet to learn more about a real person who was mentioned in the story.  This book goes back and forth from the mother in the late 30's and early 40's during WW 11.  And her daughter in a more modern time of the 90's.  The mother is a young 18 year old in Germany during the uprising of Hitler.  She falls in love with a Jewish veterinarian and ends up hiding him in her attic, till months later her father finds out and turns him to go to one of the "camps"  She runs away and finds refuge with a Jewish woman who is a baker and stays with her and delivers a baby girl.  Fast forward to the 90's and this girl is a professor of German history at a university and gets involved in a study of how the German population dealt with all that happened in Germany during these years.  Over the years her mother has very closed mouth about how she survived.  Toward the end of the book there is a quote with the title of : those who saved us, (those who shamed us).
I found this to be a wonderful read, and recommend it to others of my age who were born just after this war and really don't have a very good understanding about what all has happened.
Now for the serendipity part.  Just as I finished the book, I got an e-mail from a friend and it was a commentary (to long to post here) I did a copy/paste of the heading, so maybe you can google the article.

(ALL EUROPEAN LIFE DIED IN AUSCHWITZ The following is a copy of an article written by Spanish writer Sebastian Vilar Rodriguez and published in a Spanish newspaper on Jan.15, 2008. It doesn't take much imagination to extrapolate the message to the rest of Europe - and possibly to the rest of the world.)

It is very good reading and compares what happened with the Jewish population and with all the political correctness now, the Muslim population is exploding in Europe and it compares the accomplishments of the 2 nationalities. 

So that's my story for today. I don't really intend this all to sound political, but just stuff to ponder. If you need some deep thoughts I offer these things to read.  Will copy this for my other blog too.

Afternoon sex

Afternoon Sex




The only way to pull off a Sunday afternoon 'quickie' with their 8-year old son in the apartment
Was to send him out on the balcony with a Popsicle and tell him to report on all the neighborhood activities.
He began his commentary as his parents put their plan into operation:

- 'There's a car being towed from the parking lot,' he shouted.

- 'An ambulance just drove by!'

- 'Looks like the Anderson 's have company,' he called out.

- 'Matt's riding a new bike!'

- 'Looks like the Sanders are moving!'

- 'Jason is on his skate board!'

- After a few moments he announced, 'The Coopers are having sex!'



Startled, his mother and dad shot up in bed! Dad cautiously called out..

'How do you know they're having sex?'



'Cause Jimmy Cooper is standing on his balcony with a Popsicle.'

Stop, Stop I can't take it any more!

No good reason to use this picture, but it just makes me laugh every time I see it in my file, so here it is. Got nothing interesting today so just leaving for "my" weekend and wanted to leave a few parting words.


Just before the funeral services, the undertaker came up to the very elderly widow and asked, 'How old was your husband?'

'98,' she replied..
'Two years older than me'
'So you're 96,' the undertaker commented..

She responded, 'Hardly worth going home, is it?

Lets think healthy this spring.

I like these 10 rules!

For your Health:


> 1. Drink plenty of water.

> 2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.

> 3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants..

> 4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy

> 5. Make time to pray.

> 6. Play more games

> 7. Read more books than you did in 2011 .

> 8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day

> 9. Sleep for 7 hours.

> 10. Take a 10-30 minute walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Do taxes make you mad?

I am so dang mad!  Last year we got talked into investing some money in the stock market.  So of course we bought local stuff that we were sure was secure, our local Electric company that has been around for ever.  I always heard that you invest in what you use alot.  Sounded smart.  The dumb thing was to put a stop/sell flag on it. (we were sort of talked into this)  That made sense in case Obama did something really weird and the market crashed.  At least we wouldn't lose all of it.  Well about 2 months later the Joplin tornado hit and guess what happened to the stock market value of the electric company?  It dropped like a hot potato!  So guess what?  Of course it sold with out us even having a chance to say, whoa, we will ride this one out. Done, done, to bad. Gone.  Lost almost 3,000$.  Now I went to have my taxes done and find out, you guessed it, now I have to claim this sale of stock as income for 2011!!!!  Dang, this was money that was in the bank the first of the year and had already been taxed before it got there.  Now all of a sudden it is income and we get taxed again.   All seems very unfair, except we can take the amount lost as a loss.  Whoopi!  Won't know till next week when taxes are finalized how it will come out.  So just beware, if you have stock and you have a stop/sell on it you could get into trouble.  Heck look at Martha Stewart!  Except she got in trouble cause the stock sold when it got HIGH, not low.  We are to stupid for the stock market.

PS: just found out this is my 700th post!

The other me

If you haven't checked out my other blog site, here it is. It started out to be all about my book store, then it sort of just morphed into a site for me to document alot of my crafts and stuff that I do at the store to entertain myself.  Thought I would share this site with anyone out there who reads this one.  I know you are there somewhere in the world as I have a stat counter.  Gotcha!
http://readagainbooks.blogspot.com/

Please drive carefully!

For some reason I have been addicted to looking at the accident reports in the local paper.  There may be 4 or 5 listed daily and over half are single car accidents and they say the driver ran off the road, of course then many times they either hit a tree or roll over several times.  Sometimes there are fatalities or just that routine care flight to the hospital.  What the heck are these people doing that they drive off the road!.  Then the other half of the accidents are one car crossing the line and hitting another car.  Same thing, what are these people doing??  I have a guess.  Bet you can't guess what it is!  Could it be the cell phone?  Or the meal they are eating while driving?  Or all the other personal things that are going on that distract the driver?
I just think we forget that we are driving a heavy piece of machinery here that requires our attention and respect.
In central Mo. about a week ago was a tragic accident of a gal crossing the center line and hitting a car head on.  Killed the father, 3 year old, and mother.  They were on way home from the hospital with a newborn baby!  The baby was ejected in its car seat and survived!  What a tragedy!  The other odd thing was that the new mother and the young girl driver worked together!
So look at your paper and tell me what you think.  Just for one day!  DRIVE CAREFULLY!

Thought for the day:  Life is just one damn thing after another....  Winston Churchill

Spring has sprung

Couldn't believe it when I looked closer to this huge tree in our front yard.  It is popping out with blooms and I took this on the first day of March, 73degrees!  The tornadoes that swept thru a couple nites ago missed us by at least 35 miles.  Scary things.  My elderly sister in law lives on the lower level of our house and I heard her alert radio go off a couple times during the nite.  She is obsessed with the weather!  Listens to her weather radio several times a day, cuts the weather deal out of the paper and keeps track of them.  Not sure if this is healthy but guess it gives her something to be doing.  But on the other hand she sure makes good chocolate chip cookies and pies for my hubby.  I hardly ever bake!

Spam in my Box!

OK  call me stupid but I can't find my blogger spam box!!  I have seen that some of my fellow bloggers are having their comments blocked because our big brother at Blogspot has decided to protect us from "bad" comments.  Well I just can't find the spam box so I can OK comments from folks that it is OK to leave comments.  I know you would help me out here but probably your comment will just get sent to the comment spam box and I won't be able to read it.  I did a copy and paste of the instructions.  Any ideas and if you have my e-mail address, at least a couple of you do.  Then send me info.  Thank you very much!

Blogger now filters comments that are likely spam comments to a Spam Inbox, much like the spam folder in your email. When someone leaves a comment on your blog, it will be reviewed against our spam detector, and comments that are identified as possible spam will be sent to your blog’s Spam Inbox, found at Comments
Spam.

You can help improve our ability to automatically detect spam comments by checking your Spam Inbox and deleting spam comments and marking real comments that may have been flagged as spam as Not Spam.

We are always seeking feedback on how to improve this feature, so please share your feedback with us by clicking on the Report Spam Filtering Issues.


LMAO:   Just as I posted this I was on the site that showed all my posts and to the left was "comments"  I clicked on it and there were all the comments and I couldn't believe the ton of anonymous SPAM comments that had been filtered out.  So I have to eat my words and I unspammed you coffeepot! 
Live and Learn huh?

It's me God

Subject: Fw: Eve chats with God - (You will enjoy this one)

"Lord, I have a problem."

"What is it, Eve?"

"I know that you created me and provided this beautiful garden and all of these wonderful animals, especially that hilarious snake, but I'm just not happy."

"And why is that Eve?"

"Lord, I'm lonely, and I'm sick to death of apples."

"Well, Eve, in that case I have a solution. I shall create a man for you."

"Man? What is that Lord?"

"A flawed creature with many bad traits. He'll lie, cheat and be vain. All in all he'll give you a hard time, but he'll be bigger and faster and will like to hunt and kill things. I'll create him in such a way that he will satisfy your physical needs. He will be witless and will revel in childish things like fighting and kicking a ball about. He won't be as smart as you, so he will also need your advice to think properly."

"Sounds great," says Eve, with ironically raised eyebrows, " but what's the catch?"

"Well,.....you can have him on one condition."

"And what's that Lord? "

"Well, since he'll be proud, arrogant and self-admiring, you'll have to let him believe that I made him first. And it will have to be our little secret .. you know, woman to woman."

 

My Angel

Ok I need to quit with the silly joke stuff or no one will read my blog!  Besides I think I have 15 peeps so far!
Today I want to chat about that Angel on your shoulder!  You know what I mean, that little voice that tells you something if you will just listen to it.  Sometimes it feels like intuition but I feel it is something more.  I had a friend in the store yesterday and we were chatting away and the conversation came around to this subject and I was telling my thoughts on it.  I like to think of it as my "higher self" since were were made in God's imagine why wouldn't we have these kinds of insight or power if we would just listen for it.  Anyway  I have to digress to something so that this all ties together.
About 3 months ago I was driving along and something nudged me to think about a house. It was probably 20 years ago when I first noticed this house.  I could see this house in my minds eye, see how it set off the highway in a little low area, and had willow trees growing around it.  I remembered seeing the house being built and the trees small.  It was one of those add on jobs, as you could tell that rooms were built a little at a time and it has strange turrets and a second story was added.  Well for some reason it really bugged me that I couldn't remember where the heck this house was located.  I could see it but not where it was.  So I tried real hard to think of all the little towns I had driven thru in my area, and I had taken that trip to Iowa last fall and wondered if it was up there.  So had to let it rest as I couldn't remember.
Well yesterday after my conversation with this friend, I was driving home and for the first time in several weeks that house popped into my mind and again I wondered where it was, and about a mile down the highway, I looked over to the left and there it was!!!  Only about 3 miles from my home.  It sat there in the willow trees, but sadly it has burned down!!! This was a shock as I just don't remember seeing a burned home along there so now I have to see if I can find out how long ago it burned down.
Cross my heart this is all true, and I do believe my little Angel on my shoulder wanted me to think about this and look over and put it all to rest, well at least till I find out how long ago it burned down.  Wonder if a neighbor would think I was nuts if I stopped one day? Think I will stop in the AM and take a picture to post.
So there you have it,  I am just a little weird huh?  Anyone else got an Angel on their shoulder?

PS.  Here is a picture of the site that I took this morning. If you click on the picture you can see the stone wall.  It is curved and has a sort of medieval look to it. Just wanted to share it along with my story.

A WOMAN'S WEEK AT THE GYM

Dear Diary,

For my birthday this year, my husband purchased a week of personal training at the local health club. Although I am still in great shape since being a high school football cheerleader 43 years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and give it a try. I called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer named Christo, who identified himself as a 26-year-old aerobics instructor and model for athletic clothing and swim wear.

Friends seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started! The club encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress.
________________________________

MONDAY:
Started my day at 6:00 a.m. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Christo waiting for me. He is something of a Greek god-- with blond hair, dancing eyes, and a dazzling white smile. Woo Hoo!!

Christo gave me a tour and showed me the machines... I enjoyed watching the skillful way in which he conducted his aerobics class after my workout today. Very inspiring!

Christo was encouraging as I did my sit-ups, although my gut was already aching from holding it in the whole time he was around. This is going to be a FANTASTIC week!! ________________________________

TUESDAY:
I drank a whole pot of coffee, but I finally made it out the door. Christo made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air then he put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I made the full mile. His rewarding smile made it all worthwhile. I feel GREAT! It's a whole new life for me.
_______________________________

WEDNESDAY:
The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the toothbrush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I have a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn't try to steer or stop. I parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot.

Christo was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other club members.. His voice is a little too perky for that early in the morning and when he scolds, he gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying.

My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Christo put me on the stair monster. Why would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete by elevators? Christo told me it would help me get in shape and enjoy life. He said some other crap too.
_______________________________

THURSDAY:
Butt hole was waiting for me with his vampire-like teeth exposed as his thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn't help being a half an hour late-- it took me that long to tie my shoes.

He took me to work out with dumbbells. When he was not looking, I ran and hid in the restroom. He sent some skinny witch to find me.

Then, as punishment, he put me on the rowing machine-- which I sank. ________________________________

FRIDAY:
I hate that *%!@# Christo more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny, anemic, anorexic, little aerobic instructor. If there was a part of my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat him with it.

Christo wanted me to work on my triceps. I don't have any triceps! And if you don't want dents in the floor, don't hand me the darn barbells or anything that weighs more than a sandwich.

The treadmill flung me off and I landed on a health and nutrition teacher. Why couldn't it have been someone softer, like the drama coach or the choir director?
________________________________
SATURDAY:
Satan left a message on my answering machine in his grating, shrilly voice wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing his voice made me want to smash the machine with my planner; however, I lacked the strength to even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours of the Weather Channel..
_______________________________

SUNDAY:
I'm having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go and thank GOD that this week is over. I will also pray that next year my husband will choose a gift for me that is fun-- like a root canal or a hysterectomy. I still say if God had wanted me to bend over, he would have sprinkled the floor with diamonds!!!

Love this gum!

I dropped into a discount grocery store a couple weeks ago, looking for old bread for hubby to feed the blue jays.  I saw this gum at the checkout for 33 cents so bought one.  It is coffee flavored.  Wonderful stuff.  Stays soft a long time too.  So went back next day and bought the rest that they had, about 8 packs.  I have never seen it in regular stores.  Made in USA too.

The Very Best Birthday Gift Ever

My daughter has been planning for several weeks for this day!  I was very proud that she set my birthday as her new day of no smoking.  She told everyone and prepared herself for success!                                                                                                        

I AM SO PROUD OF HER!

This is the best gift she could give her mother.

Besides I tell her I have to have her around for when I get old and senile.  No pressure there!

Love you baby girl!