We almost bought a new house today. We saw the lot that we want. Now we just have to wait until the builder is ready to offer that particular lot up to the public and we need to be there, first in line. Next month? November? Stay tuned. Same channel, same time, same bat station. I used to watch Batman a lot. I also used to watch Man From U.N.C.L.E. and I Spy. I miss TV. Real TV. Not what passes for TV these days. I just don't understand or appreciate Reality TV I guess. I don't like to watch Soap Operas either.

Today's Little Bit of Trivia

Toads do not have teeth. And there really isn't anything more I can add to that except that contrary to my Grandmother Geilfuss' warning, you really can't get warts from playing with toads...at least I never did and I played with lots and lots of toads when I was growing up.

I spent the day hunting. The Ultimate of Hunting! I was stalking a new house. One must never let on for a moment that they are actually interested in buying a new house. Therein comes the "stalking" part of the hunt. I may have hinted in past blogs about my dissatifaction with the HOA (Home Owner's Association) here in my current dwelling. I think the time has come to start looking around for something different. I want something with no grass, desert loving trees and shrubs, and little or no maintanance. I want to turn the thermostat to 96°, lock the door and head off to Wisconsin knowing that I won't come back to any surprises or nasty letters in the mail. Nice neighbors would be a definite plus. I have great neighbors now...most of them. Maybe I can talk them into coming with me. Of course, the final roots can't be ripped from my current residence until after my son graduates in June. But I can dream. I can definitely dream. And in the meantime, I can hunt and stalk when I'm not going to Italian classes, planning my daughter's wedding, and dealing with daily disasters and menopause.

Today's Little Bit of Trivia

When statues of horseback riding heroes are constructed, the horse's position signifies how the hero died. A statue showing the horse with two hooves raised indicates the hero died in battle; one hoof raised, he died of battle wounds; and if all four hooves are on the ground, the hero died naturally. So, what if the hero is still alive? Or do you only get a statue if you're a dead hero?

I went to church today. It is Sunday afterall. This doesn't make me any better then someone who didn't go to church. This just makes me someone who enjoys going to my church. I love my church and love communing with the other people who go there. I played my clarinet with the church orchestra for two services today. How many churches can you think of that can boast of a church orchestra, a contemporary music group, and a brass ensemble on top of their choirs? If you're thinking that this church is a Lutheran church, you are correct. Lutherans love their music. I play in both the church orchestra and the contemporary group which keeps me pretty busy. I'd sing in the choir too but I'm married and I have to spend some time with my husband. Music is a blessing that makes the world a much nicer place. I'm talking about "music". Something with a melody, something that you can hear and understand. I don't equate yelling, screeching, and screaming with "music". I guess that makes me "old". I'm attaching a "funny" that a friend recently sent me. Enjoy!


HOW TO STAY YOUNG
(George Carlin)

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctor worry about them. That is why you pay him/her.

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. " An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.


Today's Little Bit of Trivia

"Utopia" is an ancient Greek word meaning "nowhere". So what we've always strived for all these years, that perfect utopia, is in reality the perfect nowhere. Makes you think, don't it?

Our second Italian class was this morning. The only one complaining about the two hour long class is the teacher. The rest of us didn't notice when the two hours were up. Lots more homework this time. Lots. This is going to be a challenge. Soon I will be mixing up my Spanish with my Italian and no-one will understand me. I hope I don't forget my English.

Today's Little Bit of Trivia

If "beauty is only skin deep," it can't be more than 3/16 of an inch thick.

I completed my Italian homework...finally. Interesting to have homework again. Meantime, I've been doing wedding stuff. And post-wedding stuff. And dusting. And cooking. Oh...and I washed my hair. My life is so eventful. I may even make strawberry jam next week.

Today's Little Bit of Trivia

The electric razor made its debut on the American marketplace March 18th, 1931. It should be noted that, until any kind of razor was invented, man shaved by pulling his hairs out individually or by cutting them with sharp-edged stones. I thought we'd come a long way until someone invented that Epi-lady. Back to ripping one's hair out by the roots. Which reminds me, I need to shave.

Goldie Locks has hair. While shopping at the mall with my daughter yesterday, we came across a booth where some oriental ladies were selling jeweled hair-clips and hair pins and hair pieces. I've passed this booth many times and have always thought the jewelry was interesting but who on earth would buy a hank of hair to put in their own hair. Well now I can cease my wondering because it has become apparent that my daughter and I would. We had stopped to admire the jeweled clips thinking that they may look nice for the wedding...we were really looking for a tiara but they didn't have one that was "just right". The two oriental ladies attacked my daughter's hair with combs and hair-pieces. I must say that I was impressed. My daughter was thrilled. Her exact words were, "I look like such a girl!" followed by, "I have hair!" Her own hair is cut in a short bob. We left the mall with two hair-pieces, instructions on their use, several jeweled hair pins and a butterfly hair clip. My daughter commented, "Who needs a tiara? I have hair!" She still had hair when I saw her today. I cautioned that she may want to save the hair for the wedding but she seemed so happy that I let her keep her new hair to play with for a while. I hope she doesn't break it.

Today's Little Bit of Trivia

Thomas Edison wanted to put a large phonograph in the mouth of the Statue of Liberty to give it a voice that could be heard all over New York Harbor. His idea was met with silence. Ghostbusters II decided to take that idea one step further as I recall. I think I preferred the first Ghostbusters.

It's getting late here in Arizona and I find that I've been so busy today that I haven't written my blog yet. I went wedding shopping with my daughter. I love the hunt. We found the perfect wedding cake topper. Two really. Just in case. We'll decide which one will actually go on top of the cake when we see the cake. One may be too big....one may be too small. Which one will we use? We'll use the one that's just right. And Goldie Locks lived happily ever after.
A friend sent us the following "funny" that I thought I'd share. The wife in the "funny" could be me, the husband could be my husband.


Positive Input.....

A husband and wife are getting ready for bed. The wife is standing in front of a full length mirror taking a hard look at herself.

"You know, love" she says, "I look in the mirror and I see an old woman. My face is all wrinkled, my boobs are barely above my waist, my butt is hanging out a mile. I've got fat legs and my arms are all flabby."

She turns to her husband and says....."Tell me something positive to make me feel better about myself."

He thinks about it for a bit and then says in a soft voice......."Well......there's nothing wrong with your eyesight."

How long do you give him until she kills him?

Today's Little Bit of Trivia

A flea expert is a pullicologist. MMMM. What would you call an expert nit-picker? I think that would be my husband.

I've been chasing dust all morning yesterday. OK...not all morning. First I had to remove the dead bodies of the plants that my son murdered. Negligent herbicide? I still haven't figured out how he killed those cactus. He must have really been trying which would make it premeditated herbicide. He's a herbicidal maniac. Thankfully, some of my plants are almost impossible to kill. The spider plant that was flourishing when I left Arizona in June looked nauseous. I had to repot it. 1/3 of its poor roots were all rotten. I think he forgot to water the poor thing and then he drowned it. I was able to rescue it and some of its babies...I think... after major surgery. I only dusted the family room. From the looks of things I'll only be able to tackle one room at a time. The dust is that thick. I'd be surprised weeds haven't sprouted in all that dust but if my son can kill cactus he can kill weeds too.

Today's Little Bit of Trivia

The Douglas fir is not a fir. It is a pine tree. With my son's green thumb any pine tree in his care would be a mere shadow of it's former shade, an everbrown, pineless even.

I am totally amazed at how many "hits" I'm getting for my blog about what I wrote about Pogo. Don't you people have a life? I know that I don't. LOL. I actually sat and played Greenback Bayou for hours yesterday. Why? This has got to be the dumbest game existing. I played it the first time to get a badge. After I got that first badge I promised myself that I'd never play it again. Then another Pogo Club Badge Challenge reared it's ughly head. So I played Greenback Bayou and jumped little flies and attempted to grab that illusive blue butt lightening bug again. What I don't understand is all these people, myself included, who keep coming back to play when there is no badge challenge. I think it just may be that this is one game where you really don't have to use your brain to play while you're engaging in a chatroom conversation. Everyone I've met in Greenback Bayou chatrooms has been nicer then nice. I guess that's why I keep going back there. It certainly isn't the sound of those wierd flies buzzing or that awful alligator who keeps biting my frogs on the butt. It isn't for the tokies either. Greenback Bayou has become a quiet, peaceful oasis where I can play and chat. On a side note: I have not been back to Squelchies. I'll get to it. It was a fun game but I'd find myself getting all tense. I think you have to be in the right kind of mood for this. Peace is what I'm seeking right now while I continue planning my daughter's wedding at the end of next month.

Today's Little Bit of Trivia

The Canary Islands were named after a large breed of dogs which were found there. Canariae insulae (Island of Dogs). I couldn't find any pictures of those dogs. I'll have to keep looking. Anyway, the Canary Islands were not named for that little yellow bird that can be purchased at your local pet store.

What is it with these people who live in Arizona? Oops. I guess I'm one of them but I don't set the thermostat in my house at "WINTERY COLD". I drove to church in the cool comfort of my car...not frigid...cool. I played with our contemporary jazz group for two services and nearly got frostbite. I'm sure many were wondering how I could produce that neat vibrato on my clarinet. My teeth were chattering. I get out of church, get my coffee on the patio where I attempt to thaw out and then I head to the music room to practice with our church orchestra for next Sunday's church service. Thermostat set on "WINTERY COLD". After an hour of this, I head out to the outdoors 101° and my car. The 101° feels really good. Feeling starts to return to my fingers by the time I arrive at a nearby restaurant where I'm meeting my son for lunch. Out of the heat and into "WINTERY COLD" again. I should have worn a sweater today. It was 102° when we exited the restaurant and headed to Target to get some much needed supplies. My laundry baskets disappeared sometime while I was in Wisconsin this summer. I have my suspicions but that's another subject for a future blog. Are You Ever Really An Empty-Nester or Who Used Up All The Laundry Detergent? Back to "WINTERY COLD". Yup! Target keeps it's thermostat set at -5° below "Wintery Cold". Perhaps this is to encourage Arizona residents to buy winter clothing while it's still 103° outside by this time. When I got back to my car, I thawed my poor frozen fingers off on the steering wheel in my car. It felt good...really good. I'm glad to be back home where we keep our thermostat at a reasonable temperature. Unfortunately, I think I'm coming down with a cold now.

Today's Little Bit of Trivia

My daughters and their cats will be happy to know that catgut string does not come from a cat. It is from a sheep's intestines. Baa, Baa Black Sheep.... Not guts, no glory takes on a whole new meaning.

Back to School. School Days, School Days, Good Old-fashioned School Days...
HTP and I had our first Italian class today. I think it went well. "Buongiorno, mi chiamo Old Grey Frog. Piacere di conoscerti." There are only ten of us in the class which should make things easier. Our class lasted 2 hours with a 5 minute break. We have homework but I don't feel too stressed about it. No grades. I used to have nightmares about being back in school. I wonder if I'll have flashback memories tonight in my dreams.

Today's Little Bit of Trivia

Language is a funny thing. Shooting stars are not stars at all. They are meteors. Black-eyed peas aren't peas. They are beans. The flying fox is really a bat.

HTP (Husband Type Person...my daughter refers to her boyfriend at BTP, Boy Type Person, so I thought I'd follow suit) and I signed up for an Italian class at the community college near us. It's really not all that close since it'll take about 1/2 hour to get there but there aren't too many places where you can learn Italian. Today, we went out and bought our class books and cassettes. I hope this doesn't end up like where we're plunked in front of a tape recorder in a language lab somewhere. Aside from the fact that I think this is a terrible way to teach a language, HTP and I only bought one set of language tapes. Being married, we figured that we could share the expensive cassettes and if this becomes impossible, we'll make another copy...mmm...maybe we should do that anyway and be on top of the game. We each got our own book though. Books are harder to copy.

After getting our school books, HTP surprised me and took me to a movie. Bill Murray. His new one. Lost in Translation. Yup! Sure was. Lost in translation. Actually, I got it. I understood it but....so what? I'm sure the critics will all exclaim and ponder the depths but I'm not into artsy movies. Sorry. I'm surprised HTP made it through the whole thing without falling into a deep sleep which would have made me thankful for his nose surgery last year. The sweet young thing that was the "love interest?" reminded me of my daughter. I put "love interest" in quotes and a question mark because I really couldn't figure that one out...I think they were just two lost and lonely people who became friends. Quite frankly, I prefered The Man Who Knew Too Little which I watched on HBO this morning while drinking my morning coffee. I always prefer comedy to drama. I get way too much drama in my reality...though sometimes the line between real drama and real comedy does tend to blur a bit. Sometimes you just need to take off your glasses.

Today's Little Bit of Trivia

The Tokyo Zoo in Japan is closed for two months a year to give the animals a vacation from the visitors. If you bother to go see Lost in Translation, you'll know why I picked this little bit of trivia.

The top of my stove was a disaster. It was clean when I left Arizona in June. My refrigerator was clean too but that's another story. My son was home alone for one month. When my husband came home the stove was a disaster. He hesitantly told me this when he came to Wisconsin. He told me that we'd have to replace all the grates and the drip pans. This is a KitchenAid cooktop. For the cost of replacing the grates and the drip pans, I could buy a whole new stovetop. He told me that the grates and drip pans were black. The grates are supposed to be a light gray and the drip pans were supposed to be eggshell white. I can testify to the fact that they were black when I got home. I don't know how they got that way. I'm pretty darn sure that I don't want to know. Shudder! Yuck! What a mess! This was a true commercial opportunity. I should have left the mess and called Proctor & Gamble. Instead I decided to give Dawn Power Dissolver a try. Amazing stuff. I had to use an entire bottle of the stuff and leave it "soaking" overnight but it worked. My cooktop is clean. I'm exhausted but the cooktop is clean. I put Dawn Power Dissolver on my shopping list. One must be prepared for these little (huge) emergencies. I may even buy two bottles of the stuff. My husband asked it if would work on the bottoms of the frying pans that my son must have been using on the top of my stove. I'm not ready to go there yet. Besides, I'm out of Dawn.

Today's Little Bit of Trivia

Chewing gum magnate William Wrigley, Jr. started his working career as a soap salesman. I'm a little old to be following in his footsteps.

I'm home. My other home. I'm back in Arizona. I know it's not all that hot. It was only 101°F when we hit town at 4:30 PM. I knew it was going to be hot. I wore shorts. The drive from Albuquerque to Phoenix was a bit of a challenge. The gale force winds were creating interesting squealing noises as they raced through the closed windows of our car. My thoughts turned to my brother and his dock organ. I'll leave you to ponder that one. My dogs may never forgive me for that short walk I took them on in Gallup. Have you ever seen two dogs flying on the end of a kite string? Well if the wind had been just a tad stronger and if you'd been there in Gallup today my dogs would have been flying and I would have been controling the strings.

The shortcut from Hollbrook that runs diagonally down to Phoenix turned out to be not so great of a shortcut afterall. ROAD CONSTRUCTION!!! We should have gone through Flagstaff...the long way. Oh well. The drive was scenic and we got to ponder...whatever...on the half hour wait as we all shut down our engines and sat in the 85°F northern Arizona heat. At least there was a breeze and the smell of the pine trees. We did get to eat at this really neat restaurant near Heber. The Red Onion. Don't order their french fries. They didn't pass the wimp test. Some people just don't know how to make good french fries. The hamburgers were great! And what they do with bacon is absolutely fabulous. I saw a B.L.T walk by and I almost followed it. Thankfully, the waitress brought my Red Onion Dip by then (French Dip with Bacon) and I sucked down every calorie. I'll diet tomorrow. Honest. I just have to go grocery shopping first.

I unpacked my two suitcases, read some of my mail which has been accumulating for the last few months I've been in Wisconsin. None of it was too vital. Slot tournaments in Las Vegas, credit card applications (everyone seems to want to give you a credit card these days), mail order catalogs, stuff like that. I'll sort through it more tomorrow, and the next day, and the next. I like those catalogs. Make good bathroom reading. I found space in my cupboards for most of the canning that I brought back to Arizona with me. Tomatoes, pickles, jam, and green beans. I cleaned the refrigerator and then unpacked the cooler.

Time to quit and leave the rest for another day. I refuse to look at the dust or the layer of grime on top of the stove. I will worry about all that tomorrow. Tomorrow will be another day.

Today's Little Bit of Trivia

There are ten times as many sheep in Australia as there are people. As you count sheep tonight, you can think of this little bit of trivia from down-under and ponder whether or not sheep count people when they have trouble sleeping...and do you or anyone you know actually count sheep in order to go to sleep?

We arrived in Albuquerque early. I was exhausted. I can only think this is because my husband did all the driving. My husband is a great driver but I like to drive. I guess I'll have to make sure that I drive tomorrow.

We had a fabulous supper tonight. The half a pitcher of margaritas that I drank has nothing to do with it. Actually, I didn't drink the entire half pitcher of margaritas. I abstained from that last glassful. Really good margaritas! House margaritas too. We had supper at El Pinto. Wow! We almost turned away and left after seeing the entrance of this place. Posh! Amazing! I was envisioning women in formal gowns and men in tuxedos. I was wearing blue jeans. I felt lots better when I saw all the women in shorts and jeans. I think the lady wearing leather biker chaps was actually the one who really did the job when it came to relieving my dress code mind. No problem. My husband was leary about the amount of cars parked in the lot. He thought we'd be laughed at because we didn't have reservations. Again...no problem. The place is HUGE! I mean HUGE! They seat over 1,000 people. I'm amazed that I could find my way to and from the restrooms from our table. The wait staff was truly amazing not only because they were unusually friendly and helpful but because they don't get lost. I did notice that the various rooms are labeled with discreat signs. We had our choice of tables. Inside or out. We ate inside but after our absolutely wonderful meal, we toured the outside patio...patios and gardens and park. Yup, there's a park. I think we really must go back and eat outside on one of their patios next time. Atmosphere! Food! I had stuffed sopapillas. New Mexican cuisine at it's best. One was stuffed with marinaded pork and the other was stuffed with shredded chicken. The whole was covered with red and green chili sauce, shredded lettuce and cheese. I don't know about you but I judge my Mexican and New Mexican restaurants by their salsa and chips. No disappointment there. No way. The chips were not store bought. I would swear that they were homemade and fried. The salsa was, I hate to admit, better then my homemade salsa. I'm told that El Pinto may actually market this elixir at Walmart. What a waste! I'm not fond of Walmart. This salsa was great. None of your Pace Picante Sauce stuff. I could have been more then content just feasting on the chips and salsa...and the house margaritas. These margaritas aren't those frozen Icee type margaritas. I got the impression that Icee's are not served at this restaurant. Again El Pinto has now become my favorite Albuquerque, New Mexico restaurant. I still like Rancho De Corrales (how can one really compete with a good ghost story?) but the food at El Pinto blew the cobwebs out of my mind. I will return to El Pinto. Good thing I don't live here in Albuquerque...diet, don't you know. By the way, I did note that there are many vegetarian and lowfat selections on the extensive menu. Since I don't stop in Albuquerque more then twice a year...I threw away my diet and endulged. You who live in Albuquerque may judge the lowfat and vegetarian cuisine on your own time. El Pinto has a website so you can explore at your leissure. As I said before, I will return to sample more of their fine cuisine the next time I return to Albuquerque. June? Something to look forward to.

Today's Little Bit of Trivia

The words loosen and unloosen mean the same thing. My tongue becomes loosened...or unloosened after I drink half a pitcher of margaritas.

Note from The Mink
After a wee bit of surgery... IIIiiiiiiii fix-ed it. GO ME! I rox! =p

Why did my blog repeat itself yesterday? Why did Blogger change it's format again? I'm really getting too old for all these changes. I am not responsible for the double post of yesterday. I think Blogger hiccuped. I hope he's feeling better today or you'll be seeing double again.
I spent the day with a twinging sore neck because I must have slept funny last night at the hotel in Omaha. Clubhouse Inn. I didn't get much sleep so I can't figure out how I could have slept funny. Maybe it's because I lay awake funny. The air-conditioner was REALLY LOUD in our room last night. We tried everything. My husband was ready to do surgery on the fan. It sounded like we had a motorcycle idling in our room. When we turned the fan down to "low", the resultant dishwasher sound wasn't much of an improvement. Our final resort was to turn the dang thing off and open the window....a crack. This wasn't too safe since we were on the ground floor but it was either open the window or suffocate. My thoughts at 3 AM was that even thieves and murderers have to sleep sometime. Please don't enlighten my ignorance. I prefer to live with my rose colored glasses. Thankfully, we survived the night and are now getting ready to sleep in Denver, Colorado.
I've mentioned in past blogs about time changes. We "gained" an hour just before we crossed the Nebraska-Colorado border. Sorry. I don't feel any different. I'm still tired. I look forward to a sleep-filled night. The air-conditioner here in our Wellesley Inn room is blessedly quiet. It's purring gently. Too bad I don't have anything to cook on the stove provided in our room or put in the large refrigerator. Why do they always provide such tiny coffee pots though? Oh well...I'll drink the one cup in our room before my husband gets up and grab more at the breakfast buffet tomorrow.

Today's Little Bit of Trivia

Kleenex was called "Celluwipes" when first marketed in 1924. Hah! I always called them "Nose Clothes". My oldest daughter told me that her teacher used to give her grief about that one. My son's teacher didn't care for the term "lupper" either (that meal that combines lunch and supper). Some teachers have no sense of humor or creativity. They get all upset if you color the grass blue too.

The trip from Wisconsin to Omaha, Nebraska was uneventful. So uneventful that I mentally found myself playing that old "alphabet game" that my parents had us play when we were kids in the car for those long car trips. I managed to finally find a "Z" as we were just entering the outskirts of Omaha. There was a sign advertising a Zoo. By the time I got my Z, I could no longer remember what my "A" was. It's not that I wanted an eventful trip from Wisconsin to Omaha but endless fields of dried out corn really doesn't help pass the time. Our only bit of excitement was the two younger drivers who appeared to be attempting to find a bit of open highway where they could drag race. Sorry guys, it was a Sunday and the roads were too busy with "weekenders" returning from wherever for that sort of thing. Try again tomorrow. My highlight for the evening was meeting my oldest daughter and her boyfriend at The Nebraska Cattle Company for supper. I had Prime Rib and ate lots more then I probably should have had. I'll go back on the diet at a future date.

Today's Little Bit of Trivia

Jaguars are scared of dogs. Hah! Not my dogs. I've got chihuahuas. Of course, my poor dogs really think that they are dobermans so they'd probably chase a jaguar given the remotest opportunity. You should have seen them last year when they hurled insults from the deck at our lakehome at a black bear not 10 feet away. After I restrained my two "dobermans" I didn't stick around to explain things to one confused black bear.

OK. I'm packed...all except the refrigerator stuff which can't be put into the ice chest until tomorrow morning. Now I just have to figure out how to get all this stuff into the car. I suppose if I re-read my June 2nd blog from before I left Arizona I could just copy and paste and not bother writing a blog at all except this time I'm dragging my feet leaving Wisconsin and "The Lake" and I'm not really looking forward to getting back to Arizona and "Reality". At least there's "The Wedding" to look forward to but that's in Las Vegas and not until the end of October.

Today's Little Bit of Trivia

Dirty snow melts faster than white snow because it's darker and absorbs more heat. This is well-known by anyone who lives or has lived in an area where snow falls and accumulates during the long winter months. I still remember those nightmare years when we had snow on Easter. Brrrr!!!!! I remember desperately waiting for that last batch of snow to finally melt off the boulevard. Maybe getting back to Arizona won't be so bad afterall. I always have my snowglobe collection if I want to see that white stuff that falls out of the sky.

Anyone have a spare brown paper bag I can use? Paper bag not plastic bag...I'm not suicidal. I hear that brown paper bags are supposed to help if you breath into them when you're hyper-ventilating. Since I've never hyper-ventilated I can only go by hearsay. I am in panic mode however. I'm almost packed. Tomorrow we're going to drive into Minneapolis one last time to have lunch with my husband's folks. Our boat is winterized and stored in the garage. I made the relish and canned three quarts of tomatoes. I had to re-can one quart of tomatoes because it was being stubborn. Besides this I did all the laundry and packed....mostly. I cleaned out the refrigerator and took a load of stuff over to my folks place for them to use. I forgot some stuff so I'll have to bring that stuff over there tomorrow on our way to Minneapolis. We lock up our home here in Wisconsin, close and padlock the gate to our driveway, and hit the open road on Sunday morning. First stop Omaha. If I can get my head out of a paperbag for any extended period of time between now and the then I'll try and blog. We'll see.

Today's Little Bit of Trivia

For some odd reason, the oak tree is struck more than any other by lightening. Thankfully, all of my oak trees (lots and lots of them) seem to have weathered last night's storm just fine. I did have to clear three trees off my parents' driveway however. Despite all the wind, we only got 1/2" of rain and I did not witness any lightening. Wisconsin is still experiencing drought conditions.

I collect plastic containers. Sad but true. This is a heretitary condition. Never throw anything away that may be of use at some future date. I can't tell you how many cottage cheese cartons I have. I can't tell you how many old butter tubs I have. I have old Kool Whip containers. I have old ice cream containers (not the cardboard ones, I'm not totally crazy though we used to save old cardboard milk containers when I was growing up...they worked great for freezing and storing fish....it's cheaper now to buy milk in plastic gallon jugs. I throw those away.) I must admit that I don't buy much Tupperware. If you come to my house, expect to go home with the leftovers in old butter tubs and cottage cheese containers. That's just the way I was raised. I use some old ice cream containers when I go out berry picking. They have nice little handles that can be attached to your belt, thus freeing your hands for actual berry picking and mosquito swatting...not to mention deerfly shooing. Last night I used an ice cream container to catch an invading bat. See? I am vindicated. I keep the lids too. Thank goodness. Where would I have been last night when I went after that bat if there hadn't been a lid to my ice cream bucket? This is not to say that all my plastic containers have lids. There should be lids but like that odd sock that shows up in the laundry (I have a whole basket of odd socks) there is always going to be a container with a missing lid.

Today's Little Bit of Trivia

Six people can feast on one scrambled ostrich egg for breakfast. I'm down to six chicken eggs in the fridge and I refuse to buy any more at this point since we're leaving on Sunday. I can either make omelots tomorrow morning and we can skip breakfast on Saturday or I can make French Toast (Freedom Toast) which will help use up the bread. I think I'll make Freedom Toast.

My whole house smells like my husband's Italian Grandmother's home. MMMM!!!! Fried Italian Peppers. I made Fried Italian Peppers for supper....and to freeze for winter. Italian Peppers are nothing like the domestic Sweet Bell Pepper. I grew the Italian Peppers myself. It isn't easy to get real Italian Peppers. You have to know someone. My husband's uncle gave me the plants. He saves the seeds. These are honest to goodness heirloom Italian Peppers from the Old Country. I sneer at Sweet Bell Peppers. OK. They have their uses. I use them when I want Stuffed Green Peppers. But NOTHING compares with real, honest to goodness, Fried Italian Peppers. MMMMM!!!!! And the aroma!!!! MMMMM!!!!!! You can't fry up Sweet Green Peppers like you fry up Italian Peppers. OK. You can . But it just isn't the same. I'll have to really ration my frozen Italian Fried Peppers this winter. I don't have many. You fry Italian Peppers with onion and garlic in just a little bit of virgen olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. MMMMM!!!!! Nothing can be better....well...maybe some Godiva's Chocolates but let's not compare apples with oranges.

Today's Little Bit of Trivia

The eggplant was a "mad apple" and believed to be poisonous in the 1800's. Didn't they think tomatoes were poisonous too? Eggplant parmesiano anyone?

PS

Old gallon ice cream buckets come in really handy when you need to remove a bat who has invaded your house. I knew that thing would come in handy some day. I will now wash it and return it to the cupboard for the next time a bat invades my house....or....whatever.

Pretty in Pink

Counterfeiter's Beware! The mainstay of our monetary unit, the bill most often counterfeited is going to be changed. I wonder if I'll see the new $20 bills in Vegas when I'm there for my daughter's wedding. I suppose that the color "peach" was picked because not many people can actually tell that the color used is actually peach and not pink. I know that when I decided on the color peach as a color for the walls of my lake home I encountered one major difficulty. I got a frantic call at 4 AM, Arizona time, from my builder. "The paint is PINK! Do you really want PINK walls!" Since he was in Wisconsin and I was in Arizona, there was no real way for me to actually see his terror. I couldn't verify his definition of "PINK" either. My response was, "Is the color Mary Kay PINK?" He didn't know. I begged my mother to go over and check. My builder asked his wife. My mother, the builder's wife and I have all decided that men are genetically incapable of seeing the difference in certain colors. My walls were and are not PINK. My walls are PEACH. My walls in Arizona are SALMON. They are not PINK. Women know the difference. Most men haven't a clue. Most men, even if they are not actually colorblind, are color challenged. They see only in the basic Crayola colors. Blue, Green, Yellow, Purple, Red, White, Black, Brown, and Pink. I'd be willing to bet that the majority of the 100 + packs of Crayola's crayons are sold to and for little girls.

Today's Little Bit of Trivia

One cord of wood can make seven and one-half million toothpicks. This little bit of trivia struck me because I just ordered a "face cord" (4'x8'x17")of wood to be stored in my garage in Wisconsin. It'll be delivered on Friday. I don't need a whole cord of wood (128 cu. feet). I only want enough dry firewood for a few fireplace fires next spring. Check another thing off my list of things to take care of for my return to Wisconsin next spring.

A big part of any planned trip is in the "planning". I've mentioned in past blogs my dependency upon lists. It's hereditary. A great part of my day was spent on list making. I've already checked off numerous items from "The Closing List". I've arranged to have my boat winterized and stored. I've arranged to have my dock dragged out of the water. I've visited with our Post Mistress and arranged to have my mail forwarded. She told me that I can pay for my P.O Box rental next June when I'm already planning my return list. I called the plumber...Aaron...he raises beef cattle and is as concerned about this drought as I am...and arranged to have the water turned off and drained from the house so the pipes don't freeze and break this winter. I asked him to reverse the process next spring. Now I won't have to call him next spring to tell him to reactivate my water. Two birds with one stone is always nice. I planted all the tulip bulbs. I planted my three rose bushes that have been pretty all year in the planters on my deck. I believe in killing two birds with one stone when it comes to decorative plantings for my deck too. I picked more tomatoes from my garden. Lettuce too. I'll wait until Thursday to do the final garden stuff. My closing list is pretty long but this year my husband is here to help me with everything. I'm sure he'll be a great help. Really. I really need to learn to delegate more.

Today's Little Bit of Trivia

The male mosquito does not bite--only the female does. This just goes to show you.

Pogo Club

I joined the club. Sigh! I really tried not to join but I couldn't help myself. I love playing Pogo games. They're free...if you don't mind the frequent intermission breaks with all the ads blinking at you for what seems an endless 30 seconds. Pogo Club is a recent addition to the Pogo scene. I first became aware of it when a few people showed up in the chat room area with funny emblems in front of their "names". Where did those neato emblems come from? Pogo Club? What's that? You paid how much for an emblem? But you can play for free. Why would you give them money for this? NO ADS! Private MEMBERS ONLY rooms? IF YOU WIN THE JACKPOT (please note that I've never known anyone who as actually won these jackpots) MEMBERS GET PAID DOUBLE THE AMOUNT? And to top things of you can win BADGES? BADGES!!!!!! PREMIUM BADGES!!!!! OK. I was won over when they mentioned the no more ad feature. I sat and stewed with those ads since I started playing in January. I do not want a free coffee pot. I do not want to go to online casinos and blow my children's inheritance away in one single night. ( I'd rather go to Vegas for that. ) I held out for about a month, after learning about Pogo Club. I read everyone's comments in the chatrooms. Most would comment that they would never pay to play....and then I'd see the telltale emblem show up before their names. OK. I agreed to try it for one year....and I got 14 days for free. Never mention free stuff to me. I get all warm and squishy. I am now a member of the Pogo Club.

I mentioned PREMIUM BADGES. For the cost of being a member of Pogo Club, you too can become a BADGE ZOMBIE. Every week or so members compete to earn their Challenge Badges. Yes, I too am a BADGE ZOMBIE. I used to only play Video Poker and on an odd day Solitaire games. Now I've been drawn into Dice Derby (sad to say I never earned that badge...the game made me dizzy), Greenback Bayou (I like frogs but really, all those flies. I did earn my badge though), Squelchies (kind of like Diamond Mine but Under the Sea), Pop Fu (Balloons? Again kind of like Diamond Mine but with this weird oriental cactus guy), Word Whomp Whackdown (this one I may go back to....QUICK UNSCRAMBLE THE LETTERS AND MAKE WORD BEFORE YOUR TIME RUNS OUT! And then you have to get to go down into a hole to get that big carrot for a chance for the JACKPOT.), and Jungle Gin (I like this one too but I always feel bad when I win against a real person instead of the computer. I'd rather play the computer...that way I don't have to be a good sport about losing.)

This week I earned badges in Jungle Gin and Solitaire. I may never play Solitaire again. I had to win 50 games of Solitaire in one week to earn my badge this week. My husband, as he watched me play, described my fervor as that of a pigeon madly punching that red button in hopes of getting a seed. I madly punch and click the button on my mouse so I can earn that next badge. I have become a BADGE ZOMBIE. Personally, I'm beginning to wonder if it's all a government conspiracy. I think the government has paid Pogo to study how long people will actually spend at their computers, mindlessly playing the most ridiculous games...and just to earn a PREMIUM BADGE. This actually could be a NASA study. The people who spend the most time at their computers will be rounded up, placed on the new space shuttle and sent to a galaxy far far away. We'd all be busily playing Pogo-type games on the long journey, kind of like gerbils on an exercise wheel. I've spent hours and hours on my computer. I think my eyesight is being affected. I know my brain is gone. When they send me off into space, know that "it is a far far better thing that I do than I have ever done before". I wonder what next week's Badge Challenge will be?

Today's Little Bit of Trivia

The left bank of a river is the left side as you look downstream. Watch me as my mind slowly sails downstream. Please note whether or not you are standing on the left bank as you watch me slowly lose my mind.

Yesterday was spent getting my garden ready for winter. I don't have a big garden. Just six small raised beds surrounded by a six foot fence to keep the deer out. The job is half done. I ruthlessly ripped the zucchini and the summer squash from their comfortable beds. I grabbed the twining tendrils of the cucumbers and dragged them from the safety of their fenced world. I removed the heads from the lettuce and tossed them into the woods. I'll deal with the tomatoes and the green beans next week. Insert evil laugh here. Maybe the remainder of the plants will work hard in hopes that they will be spared. They hope in vain. I plan to make green pickle relish next week and there is just enough lettuce out there for a few more salads.

Today's Little Bit of Trivia

Honking horns on wedding cars dates back to the old practice of blowing horns and ringing bells at newlyweds to ward off evil spirits.

I wrote a perfectly wonderful blog. It was lost somewhere out there in blogger internet space, never to be recovered. I covered such wonderful subjects as A&W Root Beer and Dairy Queen Dilly Bars. The real thing. Tough! I'm not going to try and re-write it. Maybe tomorrow. If Blogger is really nice to me.

Today's Little Bit of Trivia

The "A&W" in A & W Root Beer stands for Roy Allen and Fred Wright, the founders of the root beer stand.

Home Owner's Associations. HOA's. I have two of them. One for the lake (moat) that surrounds our property in Arizona and one for the common land that encompasses the rest of the property in an around our subdivision in Arizona. Because of our HOA, I don't want to go home to Arizona. I want to stay here in Wisconsin, Land of the Free! I knew that we would be dealing with these people when I bought my property in Arizona but I didn't really have a clue what I was letting myself in for. I pay these people to make sure that certain rules and regulations are followed. This is supposed to make me feel good. They are protecting my property value. Right? Wrong! Instead I'm feeling harassed! I'm feeling hunted! I'm not feeling welcome in my own home. If I take my dog for a walk, there is someone spying on me, just to make sure that I clean up after my dog. I do. I'm a responsible pet owner. I'm not paranoid. They actually follow me as I walk my dog. Not a pleasant experience. There was one weed growing by the side of our house. One weed! It was 2 inches tall. I'm not lying. I sprayed the weed. Not 24 hours after I sprayed the weed I got a notice from the HOA that I was in violation of the HOA rules. I had a weed (which I had already taken care of). They're spying on me! One of my bushes was dying. I dug it out immediately and replaced it with another bush of the same kind, same size. I got a letter from the HOA telling me that I was in violation of the HOA rules. Apparently, I had to ask the HOA landscape committee for approval before I replace a dying bush. Submit a proposal which costs $25. I have another neighbor who got a letter from the HOA telling them that they were in violation of the HOA rules because they had a dying bush in their front yard. I had to get a variance from the landscape committee so I could have a 4 foot wide sidewalk (which came 4 foot wide standard from the builder) leading to my front door. I wanted to add more gravel to my yard to replace that which had deteriorated over the few years that I've lived in our home. According to the rules, I'm not allowed to have gravel dumped in the street and if I have it dumped on my driveway I have exactly one hour to spread the stuff before I get cited....you guessed it....HOA rules. A friend parked their motorhome in my driveway while they visited with us...less then 24 hours later I received a letter in the mail. I was going to be fined $500 if said motorhome was not gone in 24 hours. The motorhome was gone 12 hours before I got the notice. My neighbors and I refer to the letters that come in the mail as "NastyGrams". We speak of the "Lake Gestapo". I've heard some of my neighbors talk about the "Lake Nazi's". These organizations are the organizations that we pay money to so we can be harassed, followed about, spied upon like we were disobedient children. I'm too old for this kind of stuff. I live in a free country. I have rights. I think I'm going to move. Shhh!!!! Don't tell anyone that the HOA's in my neighborhood are a bunch of Nazi's. Who would buy my house if they knew? The HOA who are supposed to be protecting my property value just may drive away any potential buyers who can't park in the street in front of my house. Another HOA rule. No parking allowed on the street.

Today's Little Bit of Trivia

MAFIA is an acronym for Morte Alla Francia Italia Anela. "Death to the French is Italy's Cry." Hmmmm. Apparently the French's lack of popularity isn't a new thing. I wonder if my HOA is being run by the French? I wonder if I should warn them the my husband's people are Italian?

The wind is blowing today. The noise coming from my windchimes is no longer musical. A gentle breeze is all that is really needed. Not the gale that is blowing today. I have one windchime that sounds like some maniac has gotten control of the church bells. The rest of the windchimes are just laughing at me. Every year I add another windchime to my collection up here in Wisconsin. Perhaps I've bought enough windchimes though the wind doesn't always blow this hard. Maybe I'd better start another collection. I was thinking on the lines of maybe planting a tree every year but with my luck the stupid things would fall on the house. I think I'll stick to windchimes. They may be chiming hysterically today but the wind doesn't always blow like it does today and none of the neighbors have complained as yet.

Today's Little Bit of Trivia

The Japanese term Kamikaze means "The Divine Wind." I wonder what term they would would use for "The Satanic Wind."

I've got less then two weeks left here in Wisconsin before I have to head back to Arizona. I have to squeeze in all the things that I can do here that I can't do there in those two short weeks. Today was spent canning vine ripened tomatoes. My bushel of tomatoes produced 21 quarts of peeled and diced tomatoes. In your face Martha Stewart. Hah! As a side note, I've always wondered who in their right mind makes one dozen cookies....besides Martha Stewart but I've often wondered? But then again, who would spend a whole day canning 21 quarts of peeled and diced tomatoes and in the process turn her fingernails a really odd shade of orange. Makes more sense to me then baking a single dozen of cookies. (I've got three jars of dill pickles happily fermenting on my kitchen table too.) And you wondered what I was going to do with all that pickling salt. When entering the word "salt" in Yahoo's search engine (I suppose it should have been Google), there were 9,370,000 entries listed. Just goes to show you the importance of "salt".

Today's Little Bit of Trivia

The great horned owl is the only animal that will eat a skunk. I have great horned owls right here on my property close to my house. If a great horned owl will eat a skunk, I shudder to think what they would do with my two taco bell dogs. Needless to say I keep a close eye on my dogs when I walk them after dark...prime hunting time of the great horned owl. I'm wary of bald eagles that nest on the property for the same reason. My poor babies are no bigger then a large rabbit as I walk them on leash like bait on a fishing line.