Word of the Day
Re-mail - An e-mail that has probably already made the rounds once, but you think it is worth a second look.
Dental appointment. I now have a temporary crown. Pffft! I hate those things. Top it off it doesn't seem to actually fit quite right. I guess that isn't all that much of a biggy. If it were a permanent crown I wouldn't put up with it. Only...I have to live with this one until the end of the month. Groan. Oh well, at least it seems to be a bit bendable. I'll just have to beat it into shape.
I went to the Pottery Shed and bought another couple of mugs and a new vase. I actually was thinking about picking wildflowers today to put in my new vase but...it's too hot. Hot and humid. Groan. There are lots of things that I should be doing outside right now and after moments outside I decided to race back to the comfort of our air-conditioning. Maybe I'll go out and pick the beans tomorrow morning. And if that doesn't kill me, I'll pick some wildflowers to put in my new vase.
Murphyism of the Day
The First Rule of Excavation
If you are in a hole, stop digging.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Word of the Day
Refunable - Something you enjoyed so much you'd happily do it again.
We had a really fun light show last night. Finally!!! We really need some rain here at The Lake. I love storms. Well...let's qualify that...I love storms as long as they don't cause major damage that takes numerous calls to an insurance adjuster. I don't know why but I've always loved storms. The lightening flashes, the thunder shakes entire house, the wind blows and the trees bend and sway, the weather radio sends out numerous alarms, I dig out the candles. There is nothing like a good storm. Anyway, we finally got a bit more than 2 inches of rain so I won't be needing to do that sprinkler dance again this week. I hope. I hear it's going to be really hot this week...and humid.
I walked up the road this morning (along with a berry bucket) to check to see if the storm had knocked over any trees. Actually, I wasn't expecting to see any damage because although we had a spectacular light show last night, there never was much wind. I did manage to pick some late wild raspberries and some early blackberries which I cleaned and froze. I figured that I'd wait for a cooler and dryer day to make jam.
I salted down some sliced zucchini for supper. I made zucchini parmesan/zucchini lasagna for supper. I also cleaned and snapped the beans that I picked from the garden...yesterday. I knew at the time that I should have done this yesterday but I ran out of energy. The thing is that it took twice as much energy to clean them today because beans are always harder to snip and clean after they've gotten all sweaty and wet from the fridge.
As you know, I don't like to use real names when I blog. So, I'm sitting here trying to think up a name for a friend and co-genealogist enthusiast who came to visit us today. UMMM. You know...it isn't easy thinking up inventive names. OK...let's just call her...umm... IBM. I'm going to let her figure out that one. Anyway, IBM came to work on a project with HTP today. Lots of scanning. Me? I just stayed out of the way. Sometimes it's best when two genealogists get together to just stay out of the way. I hope no-one thinks I was anti-social. I did a lot of genealogy research and footwork when I was growing up so I've learned that sometimes it's best to just stay out of the way. I had to snip the beans and sweat the zucchini.
I'm happy to say that my zucchini parmesan/zucchini lasagna turned out pretty good. Sweating the zucchini is key. I served sugarfree blueberry pie ala mode for dessert. And now? I'm trying to forget that I have another dental appointment tomorrow.
Murphyism of the Day
Barry's Rule
If you stop to think, remember to start again.
Refunable - Something you enjoyed so much you'd happily do it again.
We had a really fun light show last night. Finally!!! We really need some rain here at The Lake. I love storms. Well...let's qualify that...I love storms as long as they don't cause major damage that takes numerous calls to an insurance adjuster. I don't know why but I've always loved storms. The lightening flashes, the thunder shakes entire house, the wind blows and the trees bend and sway, the weather radio sends out numerous alarms, I dig out the candles. There is nothing like a good storm. Anyway, we finally got a bit more than 2 inches of rain so I won't be needing to do that sprinkler dance again this week. I hope. I hear it's going to be really hot this week...and humid.
I walked up the road this morning (along with a berry bucket) to check to see if the storm had knocked over any trees. Actually, I wasn't expecting to see any damage because although we had a spectacular light show last night, there never was much wind. I did manage to pick some late wild raspberries and some early blackberries which I cleaned and froze. I figured that I'd wait for a cooler and dryer day to make jam.
I salted down some sliced zucchini for supper. I made zucchini parmesan/zucchini lasagna for supper. I also cleaned and snapped the beans that I picked from the garden...yesterday. I knew at the time that I should have done this yesterday but I ran out of energy. The thing is that it took twice as much energy to clean them today because beans are always harder to snip and clean after they've gotten all sweaty and wet from the fridge.
As you know, I don't like to use real names when I blog. So, I'm sitting here trying to think up a name for a friend and co-genealogist enthusiast who came to visit us today. UMMM. You know...it isn't easy thinking up inventive names. OK...let's just call her...umm... IBM. I'm going to let her figure out that one. Anyway, IBM came to work on a project with HTP today. Lots of scanning. Me? I just stayed out of the way. Sometimes it's best when two genealogists get together to just stay out of the way. I hope no-one thinks I was anti-social. I did a lot of genealogy research and footwork when I was growing up so I've learned that sometimes it's best to just stay out of the way. I had to snip the beans and sweat the zucchini.
I'm happy to say that my zucchini parmesan/zucchini lasagna turned out pretty good. Sweating the zucchini is key. I served sugarfree blueberry pie ala mode for dessert. And now? I'm trying to forget that I have another dental appointment tomorrow.
Murphyism of the Day
Barry's Rule
If you stop to think, remember to start again.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Word of the Day
Re-enjoy - To read a great book or watch a classic movie again and again
I lost another battle with the raccoons. This time it wasn't really my fault. I got distracted. By a cat...and adolescent cat. Our place here in Wisconsin is actually a bit in the back of beyond. It's always a bit startling to me when I actually see a cat that isn't a wildcat or a dog that isn't one of my own. Anyway, HTP and I and #1 son were enjoying supper when #1 son says, "There's a cat on the driveway." Now, living here in the back of beyond, I immediately had to check this out. If #1 son had said that there was a deer in the driveway I wouldn't have blinked an eyelash. Anyway, there's this cat in my driveway. I figured. Good. Maybe it'll kill a few of those nasty little chipmunks that have been raiding my garden. I returned to my meal.
In the meantime, I was dancing with sprinklers all day. The timer went off and it was time for me to move the sprinklers again. The cat was still hunting. I noted its position and minded my own business. I also noted that this was one noisy cat. Noisy cats don't actually catch their prey but I didn't really think too much of it at the time. I went inside to enjoy the new episode of Monk.
The timer went off and I decided that it was time to shut down the sprinkler dance for the night. Noisy cat was really making a racket by this time. Curious, I decided to check it out. Ok...let's be honest. I'm a real bleeding heart when it comes to animals. However, I was really having a heated argument with myself. Cats are cats and this one probably wandered in from a neighbor's dairy farm. Right? This poor cat. It came up to me and wound itself around my legs. I hardened my heart against its antics. It reached up and did that "sharpening its claws" thing on my leg. Groan.... Moan.... Dang it! This cat had been de-clawed. There was no way that I could ignore the fact that a de-clawed cat had wandered into my universe.
Now, HTP isn't fond of cats. Actually, HTP isn't fond of ANY animal. He humors me with the dogs. I'm sure I wrote a blog about the one and only cat we owned. Although I actually think he mourned when that cat died, he never really admitted to liking that cat. I often wondered if Lucy's un-cat-like behavior was a result of HTP's threat that "If that stupid cat gets into one thing, causes one minute problem, she's out the door." Anyway, I figure Lucy deserves a spot at the feet of St. Francis. She NEVER got onto the furniture or onto the kitchen counter or table or shredded drapes. EVER. Even when I had tempting shrimp cocktail up there for company. She was truly a saintly cat.
But...on with my tale. My cat tale. Here's this de-clawed cat out here in the back of beyond. Please note that in a prior blog I mentioned coyotes. I couldn't leave it out there to fend for itself. Sigh. I picked it up. I could just feel the bones and the woodticks. I brought it inside. On a side note, I'm a good wife. I popped into our office and warned HTTP that I'd brought a cat into the house...his domain. He was otherwise occupied with his computer. There is a God. Anyway, I have to admit that although I wouldn't actually mind adopting a cat, OK....I don't want a cat. I have two dogs and that's really enough right now to offset my Mothering instinct. However, I did call our local sheriff to see if he had any ideas on the subject of abandoned and lost cats/kittens. This wasn't a full-grown cat.
He told me that this cat might belong to a neighbor of mine. Now....I have to admit that I'm a bit of a recluse. A hermit...so to speak. I do not know my neighbors....willingly. It's not that I don't like to interact with people, it's just that...OK...I like interacting with people but then I'm not really all that good at it. I'm not really shy but after a while I tend to run for cover when it comes to dealing with people. I do a lot better with animals. Anyway, our sheriff knows EVERYONE! So I knew that he'd be able to help me on this. He told me that a neighbor of mine LOVES cats and maybe this cat belonged to her. I dug up #1 son and we went over to meet the neighbor.
Meeting the neighbors. Now...this is why I don't do this sort of thing. #1 son drove me over there with said abandoned, de-clawed cat. I swear I had some Hitchcock theme music looping as theme music in my head. We knocked door...OK...I knocked on the door, #1 son stayed in the car with the engine running. No response. There's a beagle running loose in the front yard. There's a truck. The garage door is open. I hear dogs barking out back. I see cats wandering inside and out. There's a cute little beagle outside (lightning flashing as a backdrop to the coming storm) and this poor dog is belly cowering. I see a litter box decorating the yard. I see pink flamingos. At this point I'm ready to jump in the car and run...and I want to take that poor little beagle with me. As a good citizen and a cat-lover and an animal-lover, I conferred with #1 son and we figured that we should leave a note...moan...with my phone number. Moan...HTP hates security lapses like that.
I have to admit that I didn't get a really wonderful feeling about my neighbor. When I went to pat the beagle it cringed as if I was going to kick it. There was neglect and "cat-lady" indications everywhere. #1 son was ready to adopt the abandoned kitty right there and then. HTTP would have loved that. Anyway, it was decided that we'd have to keep the kitty for the night.
Now, this is where I had to teach #1 son all about "making do". He mentioned driving into the city to pick up cat stuff. Litter, box, food. I nixed this. Pointing out the numerous card-board boxes that we keep in our garage because...well...I don't know...you just hate to throw that sort of thing away, and the bountiful supply of sand that the glacier saw fit to dump on our property, I noted the we had a litterbox. Food? HTP bought some tuna by mistake. I buy the nice albacore chunk white tuna. He bought the chunk light tuna by mistake. Kismet.
We decided to house our little rescue cat (noisy cat) in my laundry room. We set up our improvised litterbox and food. She (I actually checked this morning) into the tuna with gusto. I left #1 son and said kitty/cat playing in the laundry room. It stormed out last night. Lightning, thunder, rain. I'm glad rescue kitty was inside last night.
So...That's why I forgot to bring in the bird-feeders and the raccoons won another battle. Anyway, the war continues. I brought the feeders in tonight.
This morning I got a call from my neighbor (The Cat-Lady). DD Daughter needs to know that this could be her someday. Anyway, I'm talking to my neighbor. She tells me that this isn't her cat. On top of this she tells me that she'd be happy to adopt this cat her husband messes up one more time and ends up in jail. Blink!!!! I guess her husband has a drinking problem. One more DUE and he's landing his rear-end in jail. (Mentally, I'm backing myself back into hermit'sville) But, I have this abandoned kitty in my laundry room and I live with HTP. Then...she tells me that she's got a daughter who might want this cat. See me grasping at a rescue line dragged behind a boat heading in the opposite direction.
The end of it is that #1 son took me back over to the neighbor's house and we ended up depositing the abandoned cat over there. I got to meet my neighbor who seems to be a really nice person. If you know me, you know that I have a huge collection of frogs. My neighbor has a huge collection of cats. It actually was a bit scary...but...I suppose all my ceramic frogs would be a bit off-putting. She showed me around. She had one closet that had six litterboxes in it. Every room was a cat room. She had six real live cats and one of them was very preggy. And...she has a tattoo of little cat paw prints around her ankle. OK. Time to go home. #1 son had the engine running for a quick get-away. The last I saw, the abandoned kitty was digging into a huge supply of cat-food at my neighbor's place. I know she's found a wonderful and caring home.
Oh...and both my scary cat-lady neighbor and me agreed that it really sucks that there are heartless people out there who figure that it's OK to abandon cats, worse still de-clawed cats. That poor cat was starving and had no way to defend or feed herself.
Murphyism of the Day
Grossman on Menckem
Complex problems have simple, easy-to-understand wrong answers.
Re-enjoy - To read a great book or watch a classic movie again and again
I lost another battle with the raccoons. This time it wasn't really my fault. I got distracted. By a cat...and adolescent cat. Our place here in Wisconsin is actually a bit in the back of beyond. It's always a bit startling to me when I actually see a cat that isn't a wildcat or a dog that isn't one of my own. Anyway, HTP and I and #1 son were enjoying supper when #1 son says, "There's a cat on the driveway." Now, living here in the back of beyond, I immediately had to check this out. If #1 son had said that there was a deer in the driveway I wouldn't have blinked an eyelash. Anyway, there's this cat in my driveway. I figured. Good. Maybe it'll kill a few of those nasty little chipmunks that have been raiding my garden. I returned to my meal.
In the meantime, I was dancing with sprinklers all day. The timer went off and it was time for me to move the sprinklers again. The cat was still hunting. I noted its position and minded my own business. I also noted that this was one noisy cat. Noisy cats don't actually catch their prey but I didn't really think too much of it at the time. I went inside to enjoy the new episode of Monk.
The timer went off and I decided that it was time to shut down the sprinkler dance for the night. Noisy cat was really making a racket by this time. Curious, I decided to check it out. Ok...let's be honest. I'm a real bleeding heart when it comes to animals. However, I was really having a heated argument with myself. Cats are cats and this one probably wandered in from a neighbor's dairy farm. Right? This poor cat. It came up to me and wound itself around my legs. I hardened my heart against its antics. It reached up and did that "sharpening its claws" thing on my leg. Groan.... Moan.... Dang it! This cat had been de-clawed. There was no way that I could ignore the fact that a de-clawed cat had wandered into my universe.
Now, HTP isn't fond of cats. Actually, HTP isn't fond of ANY animal. He humors me with the dogs. I'm sure I wrote a blog about the one and only cat we owned. Although I actually think he mourned when that cat died, he never really admitted to liking that cat. I often wondered if Lucy's un-cat-like behavior was a result of HTP's threat that "If that stupid cat gets into one thing, causes one minute problem, she's out the door." Anyway, I figure Lucy deserves a spot at the feet of St. Francis. She NEVER got onto the furniture or onto the kitchen counter or table or shredded drapes. EVER. Even when I had tempting shrimp cocktail up there for company. She was truly a saintly cat.
But...on with my tale. My cat tale. Here's this de-clawed cat out here in the back of beyond. Please note that in a prior blog I mentioned coyotes. I couldn't leave it out there to fend for itself. Sigh. I picked it up. I could just feel the bones and the woodticks. I brought it inside. On a side note, I'm a good wife. I popped into our office and warned HTTP that I'd brought a cat into the house...his domain. He was otherwise occupied with his computer. There is a God. Anyway, I have to admit that although I wouldn't actually mind adopting a cat, OK....I don't want a cat. I have two dogs and that's really enough right now to offset my Mothering instinct. However, I did call our local sheriff to see if he had any ideas on the subject of abandoned and lost cats/kittens. This wasn't a full-grown cat.
He told me that this cat might belong to a neighbor of mine. Now....I have to admit that I'm a bit of a recluse. A hermit...so to speak. I do not know my neighbors....willingly. It's not that I don't like to interact with people, it's just that...OK...I like interacting with people but then I'm not really all that good at it. I'm not really shy but after a while I tend to run for cover when it comes to dealing with people. I do a lot better with animals. Anyway, our sheriff knows EVERYONE! So I knew that he'd be able to help me on this. He told me that a neighbor of mine LOVES cats and maybe this cat belonged to her. I dug up #1 son and we went over to meet the neighbor.
Meeting the neighbors. Now...this is why I don't do this sort of thing. #1 son drove me over there with said abandoned, de-clawed cat. I swear I had some Hitchcock theme music looping as theme music in my head. We knocked door...OK...I knocked on the door, #1 son stayed in the car with the engine running. No response. There's a beagle running loose in the front yard. There's a truck. The garage door is open. I hear dogs barking out back. I see cats wandering inside and out. There's a cute little beagle outside (lightning flashing as a backdrop to the coming storm) and this poor dog is belly cowering. I see a litter box decorating the yard. I see pink flamingos. At this point I'm ready to jump in the car and run...and I want to take that poor little beagle with me. As a good citizen and a cat-lover and an animal-lover, I conferred with #1 son and we figured that we should leave a note...moan...with my phone number. Moan...HTP hates security lapses like that.
I have to admit that I didn't get a really wonderful feeling about my neighbor. When I went to pat the beagle it cringed as if I was going to kick it. There was neglect and "cat-lady" indications everywhere. #1 son was ready to adopt the abandoned kitty right there and then. HTTP would have loved that. Anyway, it was decided that we'd have to keep the kitty for the night.
Now, this is where I had to teach #1 son all about "making do". He mentioned driving into the city to pick up cat stuff. Litter, box, food. I nixed this. Pointing out the numerous card-board boxes that we keep in our garage because...well...I don't know...you just hate to throw that sort of thing away, and the bountiful supply of sand that the glacier saw fit to dump on our property, I noted the we had a litterbox. Food? HTP bought some tuna by mistake. I buy the nice albacore chunk white tuna. He bought the chunk light tuna by mistake. Kismet.
We decided to house our little rescue cat (noisy cat) in my laundry room. We set up our improvised litterbox and food. She (I actually checked this morning) into the tuna with gusto. I left #1 son and said kitty/cat playing in the laundry room. It stormed out last night. Lightning, thunder, rain. I'm glad rescue kitty was inside last night.
So...That's why I forgot to bring in the bird-feeders and the raccoons won another battle. Anyway, the war continues. I brought the feeders in tonight.
This morning I got a call from my neighbor (The Cat-Lady). DD Daughter needs to know that this could be her someday. Anyway, I'm talking to my neighbor. She tells me that this isn't her cat. On top of this she tells me that she'd be happy to adopt this cat her husband messes up one more time and ends up in jail. Blink!!!! I guess her husband has a drinking problem. One more DUE and he's landing his rear-end in jail. (Mentally, I'm backing myself back into hermit'sville) But, I have this abandoned kitty in my laundry room and I live with HTP. Then...she tells me that she's got a daughter who might want this cat. See me grasping at a rescue line dragged behind a boat heading in the opposite direction.
The end of it is that #1 son took me back over to the neighbor's house and we ended up depositing the abandoned cat over there. I got to meet my neighbor who seems to be a really nice person. If you know me, you know that I have a huge collection of frogs. My neighbor has a huge collection of cats. It actually was a bit scary...but...I suppose all my ceramic frogs would be a bit off-putting. She showed me around. She had one closet that had six litterboxes in it. Every room was a cat room. She had six real live cats and one of them was very preggy. And...she has a tattoo of little cat paw prints around her ankle. OK. Time to go home. #1 son had the engine running for a quick get-away. The last I saw, the abandoned kitty was digging into a huge supply of cat-food at my neighbor's place. I know she's found a wonderful and caring home.
Oh...and both my scary cat-lady neighbor and me agreed that it really sucks that there are heartless people out there who figure that it's OK to abandon cats, worse still de-clawed cats. That poor cat was starving and had no way to defend or feed herself.
Murphyism of the Day
Grossman on Menckem
Complex problems have simple, easy-to-understand wrong answers.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Word of the Day
Recomember - Recall; retain in the mind.
In my infinite wisdom, I decided to wait until after supper to go out berry picking yesterday. I figured that by that time things might cool off a bit outside. Actually, I was right. However, it was still hot and humid. It was still light enough to pick berries but around 8:30 PM, I heard an unmistakable sound. Having lived in Arizona for over 20 years, I know the sound of coyotes. Normally, you only hear a small group of coyotes calling in Arizona. What I was hearing was a lot more than a small group. Here I was out berry picking all by myself, it's getting dark, and all I have in the way of a weapon to defend myself were two small plastic buckets. I decided that it would be a good idea to speed things up a bit on the berry picking front. I never did see the coyotes, thankfully. I just heard them. However, I think I'll do my berry picking in the morning from now on. And...I'll keep a closer eye on the dogs.
It's hot and humid again today. We may actually end up hotter here than in Arizona today. Though we're under a thunderstorm watch, I have my doubts that we'll be getting any measurable rain. I've made the sprinkler dance my top priority today. I started with the garden.
Despite the heat, I made bread this morning. Thank goodness for air-conditioning. I'm pre-cooking some ribs in the oven for supper tonight. #1 son doesn't have to work tonight so I thought BBQ ribs would be a nice celebration. I better make some of the zucchini that I picked from the Earthbox too.
Murphyism of the Day
Mencken's Maxim
There's always an easy solution to every human problem--neat, plausible, and wrong.
Recomember - Recall; retain in the mind.
In my infinite wisdom, I decided to wait until after supper to go out berry picking yesterday. I figured that by that time things might cool off a bit outside. Actually, I was right. However, it was still hot and humid. It was still light enough to pick berries but around 8:30 PM, I heard an unmistakable sound. Having lived in Arizona for over 20 years, I know the sound of coyotes. Normally, you only hear a small group of coyotes calling in Arizona. What I was hearing was a lot more than a small group. Here I was out berry picking all by myself, it's getting dark, and all I have in the way of a weapon to defend myself were two small plastic buckets. I decided that it would be a good idea to speed things up a bit on the berry picking front. I never did see the coyotes, thankfully. I just heard them. However, I think I'll do my berry picking in the morning from now on. And...I'll keep a closer eye on the dogs.
It's hot and humid again today. We may actually end up hotter here than in Arizona today. Though we're under a thunderstorm watch, I have my doubts that we'll be getting any measurable rain. I've made the sprinkler dance my top priority today. I started with the garden.
Despite the heat, I made bread this morning. Thank goodness for air-conditioning. I'm pre-cooking some ribs in the oven for supper tonight. #1 son doesn't have to work tonight so I thought BBQ ribs would be a nice celebration. I better make some of the zucchini that I picked from the Earthbox too.
Murphyism of the Day
Mencken's Maxim
There's always an easy solution to every human problem--neat, plausible, and wrong.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Word of the Day
Realicious - Really delicious.
I almost forgot to blog. My sister and I went to get our hair done. I can now say that the only Grey on this old frog is in my blogger name. Oh..and my sister's hair is even shorter than normal. After a morning at the salon, we came back here and racked the wine (s). And, as promised in yesterday's blog, we sampled the liqueurs. I sent them home with her and made another batch for me to keep. We made plans to experiment with peach and pineapple liqueurs and make another couple of batches of the strawberry.
The estimate for staining our deck finally arrived. I think that the process will start this weekend sometime. They plan to powerwash everything first. Let things dry out. And then start the staining process. They're going to wait until fall (October?) to stain the deck flooring and the stair treads. Anyway, I'm told that I don't need to worry about the plants on my deck....yet.
Murphyism of the Day
Burke's Rule
Never create a problem for which you do not have the answer.
Corollary
Create problems for which only you have the answer.
Realicious - Really delicious.
I almost forgot to blog. My sister and I went to get our hair done. I can now say that the only Grey on this old frog is in my blogger name. Oh..and my sister's hair is even shorter than normal. After a morning at the salon, we came back here and racked the wine (s). And, as promised in yesterday's blog, we sampled the liqueurs. I sent them home with her and made another batch for me to keep. We made plans to experiment with peach and pineapple liqueurs and make another couple of batches of the strawberry.
The estimate for staining our deck finally arrived. I think that the process will start this weekend sometime. They plan to powerwash everything first. Let things dry out. And then start the staining process. They're going to wait until fall (October?) to stain the deck flooring and the stair treads. Anyway, I'm told that I don't need to worry about the plants on my deck....yet.
Murphyism of the Day
Burke's Rule
Never create a problem for which you do not have the answer.
Corollary
Create problems for which only you have the answer.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Word of the Day
Rawtarian - A person that eats only raw foods.
My dental appointment went just fine. I now have a shiny new gold crown to add to my collection. From what I here, because of the rise in the cost of gold, porcelain crowns are not about the same price as gold crowns. I've never had much luck with porcelain crowns. I don't know if it's all the acidic foods I eat, all the alcohol I drink, the ice I like to chew on, or the fact that I unconsciously grind my teeth but porcelain crowns tend self-distruct in my mouth...usually at the most inconvenient of times. Anyway, I still have three more dental appointments scheduled. Only one more for this month. Two for next. I'm pretty sure that none of the remaining appointments will prove to be painful. Hopefully.
I picked, cleaned and canned 3 quarts of French-cut beans and two quarts of regular green beans. I decided that the Italian beans that I planted lend themselves to making French-cut beans. I also picked another five zucchini from my gardens. There is no way that I can use all these zucchini on my own. My sister told me that she'd love to have some so there's another worry off my back. I won't have to abandon zucchini in someone's unlocked car....at least not at this point. I've been enjoying zucchini blossoms for breakfast. The male blossoms. I pollinate the female blossoms and leave them on the plant to produce more zucchini. I'm still waiting for a golden zucchini to actually produce something.
I've got two blueberry pies in the oven right now. I wish I could say that the blueberries were picked from our own blueberry bushes but alas the chipmunks and birds did a real number on my bushes this year despite all my best efforts. Next year I'll have to set traps (Havihart traps) and banish my live captives to the next county, or state. I only had enough to blueberries from my bushes to make blueberry pancakes. Oh well...they were delicious. However, I did throw a handful of my own blueberries into the pies. The other blueberries came from several pints that #1 son bought at the grocery store. He severely overestimated the amount of berries that he'd need to make blueberry muffins. Oh well...waste not, want not...there were enough berries to make two blueberry pies Sugarfree. HTP decided that a nice slice of warm blueberry pie with vanilla ice cream would make a wonderful supper.
We got a total of .46 inches of rain yesterday. I guess I'll be dancing with sprinklers tomorrow. HTP called the guy who mows our lawn. I expect that he'll show up tomorrow sometime. All the more reason to do that sprinkler dance...after the lawn gets mowed.
On top of all that, tomorrow I plan to take my very life into my hands and have a my hair dyed by a local (from our little hamlet or town) beautician. This should be really "interesting". My sister is going to let them trim her hair. Afterwards, we plan to rack the dandelion wine and the lilac wine. Oh...and sample the liqueurs. Of course, I've already done that but my sister hasn't and since I can't just let her drink alone.....
Murphyism of the Day
Big Al's Law
A good solution can be successfully applied to almost any problem.
Primary Political Corollary
A good slogan beats a good solution.
Rawtarian - A person that eats only raw foods.
My dental appointment went just fine. I now have a shiny new gold crown to add to my collection. From what I here, because of the rise in the cost of gold, porcelain crowns are not about the same price as gold crowns. I've never had much luck with porcelain crowns. I don't know if it's all the acidic foods I eat, all the alcohol I drink, the ice I like to chew on, or the fact that I unconsciously grind my teeth but porcelain crowns tend self-distruct in my mouth...usually at the most inconvenient of times. Anyway, I still have three more dental appointments scheduled. Only one more for this month. Two for next. I'm pretty sure that none of the remaining appointments will prove to be painful. Hopefully.
I picked, cleaned and canned 3 quarts of French-cut beans and two quarts of regular green beans. I decided that the Italian beans that I planted lend themselves to making French-cut beans. I also picked another five zucchini from my gardens. There is no way that I can use all these zucchini on my own. My sister told me that she'd love to have some so there's another worry off my back. I won't have to abandon zucchini in someone's unlocked car....at least not at this point. I've been enjoying zucchini blossoms for breakfast. The male blossoms. I pollinate the female blossoms and leave them on the plant to produce more zucchini. I'm still waiting for a golden zucchini to actually produce something.
I've got two blueberry pies in the oven right now. I wish I could say that the blueberries were picked from our own blueberry bushes but alas the chipmunks and birds did a real number on my bushes this year despite all my best efforts. Next year I'll have to set traps (Havihart traps) and banish my live captives to the next county, or state. I only had enough to blueberries from my bushes to make blueberry pancakes. Oh well...they were delicious. However, I did throw a handful of my own blueberries into the pies. The other blueberries came from several pints that #1 son bought at the grocery store. He severely overestimated the amount of berries that he'd need to make blueberry muffins. Oh well...waste not, want not...there were enough berries to make two blueberry pies Sugarfree. HTP decided that a nice slice of warm blueberry pie with vanilla ice cream would make a wonderful supper.
We got a total of .46 inches of rain yesterday. I guess I'll be dancing with sprinklers tomorrow. HTP called the guy who mows our lawn. I expect that he'll show up tomorrow sometime. All the more reason to do that sprinkler dance...after the lawn gets mowed.
On top of all that, tomorrow I plan to take my very life into my hands and have a my hair dyed by a local (from our little hamlet or town) beautician. This should be really "interesting". My sister is going to let them trim her hair. Afterwards, we plan to rack the dandelion wine and the lilac wine. Oh...and sample the liqueurs. Of course, I've already done that but my sister hasn't and since I can't just let her drink alone.....
Murphyism of the Day
Big Al's Law
A good solution can be successfully applied to almost any problem.
Primary Political Corollary
A good slogan beats a good solution.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Word of the Day
Rawsome - The awesome health benefits of eating raw foods.
Laundry. On the surface that would seem to be enough work for one day but such is not the case. I can't just sit around doing nothing while clothes are being washed by a machine and clothes are being dried by another. Sometimes I wish there was a magical machine for folding clothes but this much I think I can handle on my own.
So, while the clothes were washing and drying, I drained and filtered the various kinds of schnapps. The Limoncello isn't ready yet. I figure another couple of weeks before I have to mess with that. I drained and filtered the Currant Schnapps. I drained and filtered the Rhubarb Schnapps. I drained and filtered the Strawberry Schnapps. Then...I made Currant Liqueur, Rhubarb Liqueur, and Strawberry Liqueur. I figure they'll be ready for a taste-test on Thursday.
After cleaning up my mess in the kitchen, I started a new mess. I made three batches of Rhubarb/Strawberry Jam. Sugarfree. I could have made another batch but I decided that I'd save the rhubarb for pie-making. Another job for another day. I'll worry about picking the beans again some other day too.
The laundry is still processing. As soon as I get up a bit of energy I'll head down to the laundry room and check on it. I expect there's a load that needs folding about now.
Tomorrow is another dentist day. HTP seems to have felt the need to jab me with this fact repeatedly today. I have no idea what they'll be doing to me tomorrow. Regardless, I plan to take my happy pills.
Murphyism of the Day
The Kibbitzer's Rule
It is much easier to suggest solutions when you know nothing about the problem.
Rawsome - The awesome health benefits of eating raw foods.
Laundry. On the surface that would seem to be enough work for one day but such is not the case. I can't just sit around doing nothing while clothes are being washed by a machine and clothes are being dried by another. Sometimes I wish there was a magical machine for folding clothes but this much I think I can handle on my own.
So, while the clothes were washing and drying, I drained and filtered the various kinds of schnapps. The Limoncello isn't ready yet. I figure another couple of weeks before I have to mess with that. I drained and filtered the Currant Schnapps. I drained and filtered the Rhubarb Schnapps. I drained and filtered the Strawberry Schnapps. Then...I made Currant Liqueur, Rhubarb Liqueur, and Strawberry Liqueur. I figure they'll be ready for a taste-test on Thursday.
After cleaning up my mess in the kitchen, I started a new mess. I made three batches of Rhubarb/Strawberry Jam. Sugarfree. I could have made another batch but I decided that I'd save the rhubarb for pie-making. Another job for another day. I'll worry about picking the beans again some other day too.
The laundry is still processing. As soon as I get up a bit of energy I'll head down to the laundry room and check on it. I expect there's a load that needs folding about now.
Tomorrow is another dentist day. HTP seems to have felt the need to jab me with this fact repeatedly today. I have no idea what they'll be doing to me tomorrow. Regardless, I plan to take my happy pills.
Murphyism of the Day
The Kibbitzer's Rule
It is much easier to suggest solutions when you know nothing about the problem.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Word of the Day
Randumb - A foot chase gone bad.
I went shopping again today. There was a sale at JCPenny so I took #1 son to fill out his wardrobe a bit more. We only went into the city this time. We stopped at Culver's for lunch. I got a butterburger basket. We would have gotten dessert but just before we were getting ready to pack it in a saleslady came up and offered us a free rootbeer shake. Blink. Rootbeer shake. Apparently, they had made one by mistake and decided to offer the mistake to us. We took it. Actually, though unusual, it wasn't too bad. I only took a taste before handing it over to #1 son. We both decided after that experience, we really didn't need more ice cream or actually, they call it frozen custard.
We got a bit more rain while #1 son and I were in the city. Not much. A mere .16 inches. We'll need a lot more than that to save the berry crop.
I finished one of my books and have started on a second. It's wonderful to know that I have so many books that I've never read before just waiting for me to pick them up. I hate to take the time out from reading to make supper. Sigh.
Murphyism of the Day
Herman's Law
A good scapegoat is almost as good as a solution.
Randumb - A foot chase gone bad.
I went shopping again today. There was a sale at JCPenny so I took #1 son to fill out his wardrobe a bit more. We only went into the city this time. We stopped at Culver's for lunch. I got a butterburger basket. We would have gotten dessert but just before we were getting ready to pack it in a saleslady came up and offered us a free rootbeer shake. Blink. Rootbeer shake. Apparently, they had made one by mistake and decided to offer the mistake to us. We took it. Actually, though unusual, it wasn't too bad. I only took a taste before handing it over to #1 son. We both decided after that experience, we really didn't need more ice cream or actually, they call it frozen custard.
We got a bit more rain while #1 son and I were in the city. Not much. A mere .16 inches. We'll need a lot more than that to save the berry crop.
I finished one of my books and have started on a second. It's wonderful to know that I have so many books that I've never read before just waiting for me to pick them up. I hate to take the time out from reading to make supper. Sigh.
Murphyism of the Day
Herman's Law
A good scapegoat is almost as good as a solution.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Word of the Day
Ramdumbtious - Cross between being rowdy and not too bright.
Yesterday was spent in The Big City. We bought a suit for #1 son. Actually, we bought an interview wardrobe for #1 son. One formal black suit, a sport jacket, one white shirt, one royal blue shirt, and one tan shirt, a pair of black suspenders, and three ties. I also got the chance to visit a couple of bookstores. Barnes&Noble and a used bookstore. I now have plenty of reading material. It should last me for at least a few days.
We found a Sushi restaurant in The Big City. Fun. We all gorged ourselves on sushi washed down with Saki. We'd never visited this restaurant before. You sit at a bar that encircles the sushi chef. In front of you there is a circular moat where boats float by with tempting treats. The chef fills the circling boats, the patrons merely need to reach out and take the tiny plates of sushi as they pass in front of them. It was a unique presentation which was really fun.
I finally got my beans picked this morning. It took all morning to snip and clean them. Then I had to dig up my canner and some jars and some lids and rings. After that I had to cut up all the beans....maybe I should have done that while I was snipping and cleaning. Anyway, the end of all this is that I just finished canning 6 quarts of green beans and I still have enough uncanned beans to serve with supper tonight.
In addition to picking beans, I picked my first viable zucchini this morning. Seven of them. Most of the zucchini came from the plants that are growing in my Earthbox. They really seem to love growing in the Earthbox though I'm finding that they all do better if I help the pollenation along a bit. Not a real problem. The only real problem is that I have to constantly add water. Zucchini plants seem to drink an inordinate amount of water. The garden zucchini aren't getting nearly as much water which may be the reason that they aren't doing quite as well. The garden doesn't get as much heat and sun as the deck plants. However, the green beans don't seem to mind. Witness the previous paragraph.
Murphyism of the Day
Issawi-Wilcox Principle
Problems increase in geometric ratio, solutions in arithmetic ratio.
Ramdumbtious - Cross between being rowdy and not too bright.
Yesterday was spent in The Big City. We bought a suit for #1 son. Actually, we bought an interview wardrobe for #1 son. One formal black suit, a sport jacket, one white shirt, one royal blue shirt, and one tan shirt, a pair of black suspenders, and three ties. I also got the chance to visit a couple of bookstores. Barnes&Noble and a used bookstore. I now have plenty of reading material. It should last me for at least a few days.
We found a Sushi restaurant in The Big City. Fun. We all gorged ourselves on sushi washed down with Saki. We'd never visited this restaurant before. You sit at a bar that encircles the sushi chef. In front of you there is a circular moat where boats float by with tempting treats. The chef fills the circling boats, the patrons merely need to reach out and take the tiny plates of sushi as they pass in front of them. It was a unique presentation which was really fun.
I finally got my beans picked this morning. It took all morning to snip and clean them. Then I had to dig up my canner and some jars and some lids and rings. After that I had to cut up all the beans....maybe I should have done that while I was snipping and cleaning. Anyway, the end of all this is that I just finished canning 6 quarts of green beans and I still have enough uncanned beans to serve with supper tonight.
In addition to picking beans, I picked my first viable zucchini this morning. Seven of them. Most of the zucchini came from the plants that are growing in my Earthbox. They really seem to love growing in the Earthbox though I'm finding that they all do better if I help the pollenation along a bit. Not a real problem. The only real problem is that I have to constantly add water. Zucchini plants seem to drink an inordinate amount of water. The garden zucchini aren't getting nearly as much water which may be the reason that they aren't doing quite as well. The garden doesn't get as much heat and sun as the deck plants. However, the green beans don't seem to mind. Witness the previous paragraph.
Murphyism of the Day
Issawi-Wilcox Principle
Problems increase in geometric ratio, solutions in arithmetic ratio.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Word of the Day
Babyneese - Language only babies understand.
Best laid plans and all caused me to forget to blog yesterday. I'm afraid the same holds true for today. Yesterday was all about a hands on definition of second cousin and first cousin once removed. Today we have to drive into The Big City with #1 son to have him fitted for a suit. I tried to pick the beans yesterday but it rained before I even picked a quarter of one bed. Not enough rain to make a real difference with the berries. Just enough to make the beans too wet to pick. I meant to pick the beans today but I found out about The Plan to Get a Suit in The Big City last night when we were on our way to Friday Fish Fry. I thought I'd better duck in here to quickly blog or there'd be another day lost in blogdom. Oh well...maybe I'll have a chance to hit the bookstores when I get to The Big City. Oh...and have a Grande Latte Double Shot.
Murphyism of the Day
Gardener's Philosophy
Brilliant opportunities are cleverly disguised as insolvable problems.
Corollary
The reverse is also true.
Babyneese - Language only babies understand.
Best laid plans and all caused me to forget to blog yesterday. I'm afraid the same holds true for today. Yesterday was all about a hands on definition of second cousin and first cousin once removed. Today we have to drive into The Big City with #1 son to have him fitted for a suit. I tried to pick the beans yesterday but it rained before I even picked a quarter of one bed. Not enough rain to make a real difference with the berries. Just enough to make the beans too wet to pick. I meant to pick the beans today but I found out about The Plan to Get a Suit in The Big City last night when we were on our way to Friday Fish Fry. I thought I'd better duck in here to quickly blog or there'd be another day lost in blogdom. Oh well...maybe I'll have a chance to hit the bookstores when I get to The Big City. Oh...and have a Grande Latte Double Shot.
Murphyism of the Day
Gardener's Philosophy
Brilliant opportunities are cleverly disguised as insolvable problems.
Corollary
The reverse is also true.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Word of the Day
Quizine - Multiple choice quiz; a menu of answers.
I waited a bit for the heat of the day to cool and finally went out hunting the wild raspberry. We really need some rain. There are wild raspberries but they're all really tiny and dry. I managed to pick a bucket of them but it was really hard picking. I just finished cleaning them all and I got a total of 4 cups after all the hulls were removed...and the bugs and worms. Yuck! I'm hoping for some rain. There still are wild raspberries out there that haven't ripened. I'll go out again in a couple of days to pick again. Hopefully, I'll manage to get enough for at least one batch of wild raspberry jam. I noted that there were a lot of blackberries out there that are waiting to ripen. They'll need rain too our they'll dry on the bushes and produce more seeds than juice.
Sunday, July 16th, was the day we left Laughlin. HTP and I had to meet our shuttle to the airport at 7:05 AM. It was supposed to depart for the airport at 7:20 AM. We got downstairs with plenty of time for me to get coffee and rolls to take with us to the airport. HTP made a final visit to the player's club desk to get some Walmart gift cards for his points. It's amazing how slow people move when you're in a hurry. HTP and I barely made it to our shuttle before it was due to depart.
There was a long line at the airport as we all waited to check on our bags. Strangely, although they asked to see my driver's license, no-one asked me if some stranger messed with my luggage. No-one had but... Anyway, after our bags were checked in, HTP and I took one look at the security line and decided that we didn't have to stand in that line for a while. We chose to get some more coffee at the gift shop. We still ended up standing in a long line to get through security but at least HTP only tripped the metal sensor once. He forgot to remove his watch.
The airport in Bullhead City has added on some since our visit through there last August. Big improvement. After going through security, we moved onto another building with real air-conditioning and a real bathroom. Woohoo! It wasn't long after that that we were able to board our plane back to Wisconsin.
I think they plane shrank. HTP tells me that it was the same type of plane that we arrived in but I don't remember the plane that we came in having so little leg room. The thing is, I have really long legs. I admit it. My theory is that they squeezed another whole row of seats onto this plane. I traveled 3 1/2 hours with my knees embedded into the seat in front of me. Ouch! By the time we got to our destination, my ankles were swollen twice their normal size. Not to worry. This happens to me occasionally. It's just feels weird. Again we were fed. This time, we got cheeseburgers. They weren't fantastic cheeseburgers but they were edible. They would have been better if someone hadn't petrified the buns. No amount of catsup and mustard will reanimate a petrified bun.
After deplaning, HTP and I collected our luggage and toddled off to find our car. Home. Well...almost. HTP and I drove as far at the city, where we thought it might be a good idea to stop for groceries. Neither of us had any idea if #1 son left us any food in the fridge for our return. We loaded up on groceries and hit the road to my folks' place. We had to stop at my folks place to pick up our dogs. They had been dog-sitting for us because #1 son was sure about his work schedule or whether or not he would have to make a trip into The Big City while we were away. Anyway, it was early enough that I thought it would be a good idea to retrieve the dogs.
By this time it was around 4 PM and the temperature outside was beastly hot and humid. It was so humid that when I stepped out of the car, my glasses fogged up. We quickly loaded up the dogs and continued on our way. Home. Well...almost.
Not 20 feet down our driveway a wondrous sight met our travel-weary eyes. Right there in front of our car was not one, not two, but three huge trees. Now...I maybe should explain that our driveway is 1/2 mile long. You cannot see our house from the end of our driveway. I've had many a deliveryman tell me that he thought he was lost when he was looking for our house down this driveway. So, 20 feet isn't all that far down the driveway when we have to stop. We have lots of trees in our woods. Unfortunately, these three trees decided that it was time to fall right across the driveway.
Now, as you recall, we have in our car, our luggage, a multitude of grocery bags full of groceries, and two little dogs in their kennel. The temperature outside the air-conditioned car was well over 90°F and the humidity may have almost equaled the temperature. There was no way that HTP and I planned to haul our luggage, all the groceries, and the dogs down the 1/2 mile driveway to our house. I called #1 son who was hopefully at the house using our cellphone. Thankfully, he was at the house. He drove up to the other side of the fallen trees and parked.
HTP, #1 son, and I managed to transfer all the luggage and the groceries to #1 son's awaiting car on the other side of the fallen trees. This required a slight detour through the woods to circumvent the obstructing trees.
At this point all that remained in our car were the dogs in their kennel. I know how heavy the kennel is when the two dogs are inside it. I decided that it would be a better idea for us to carry the empty kennel through the woods and around the trees and let the dogs use their own little legs to walk that distance. Made sense to me. It's not like I haven't had dogs who used to love running wild through these woods when I was a kid. Tiny dogs. Many a time I remember how my tiny little dogs would corner skunks in hollow logs and how we'd have to spend hours bathing them with tomato juice and vinegar. So, I figured, my two little dogs would follow in my footsteps, into the woods, and around the fallen trees. We'd already beaten a path. I took the dogs out of their kennel. #1 son took off with the kennel down our beaten path. I whistled to the dogs and headed down the path. And then...I looked back. My wimpy weenie dogs (two little spoiled rotten chihuahuas) took one look at the woods and the path and turned tail back to the car. There was no way that they wanted anything to do with heading off into uncharted territory. The woods. No amount of coaxing on my part would change their minds. They gave me this look that I interpreted as saying, "Are you nuts?! Bears pee in that woods!" OK. By this time, #1 son called out to see what the hold up was. I informed him that we owned wimpy weenie dogs who were afraid of the woods and that he's have to come back and carry one of the wimpy weenie dogs. I must say, that it was truly hilarious watching #1 son gently cradle Mancha as he carried her through the woods. I carried Muggsy...but I must say, I'm totally disgusted with their wimpiness. Good thing I love those stupid dogs or with all the heat and humidity, I would have left their sorry scrappy bones out there for the bears to find. Shhh...don't tell GI Joe about this incident! He already has a poor opinion of what he calls little yappy rat dogs. Oh well...at least I don't have to worry about them disappearing into the woods and tangling with any skunks.
#1 son drove us and our all stuff and the stupid dogs the rest of the way to the house. Home! We were finally home. HTP headed off to see what he could do with the fallen trees but...well...I could see that it was a job that was a bit too big for HTP and me. I called a neighbor who does this sort of thing and arranged to have him clear the trees for us...the next day. In the meantime, #1 son drove up to the fallen trees, hiked around the trees, and then drove our car to work that night. Maybe I should have reminded him about the flashlight that I keep in the glove compartment but he managed to get through the woods upon his return by hitting the unlock and lock button on the remote for his car...on the far side of the fallen trees.
Our neighbor came bright in early the next morning to clear the trees. We didn't even hear the chainsaw. At least, I did hear the chainsaw when I hiked up the driveway to see if I could take a picture of the fallen trees. I got there just in time to see him finishing up the job. So all that was left for me was to retrieve the car and return it to our garage.
And so ends the saga of our Laughlin trip. I'm sure there's a moral to this story somewhere but you'll have to figure that one out on your own.
Murphyism of the Day
Beryl's Second Law
It's always easy to see both sides of an issue we are not particularly concerned about.
Quizine - Multiple choice quiz; a menu of answers.
I waited a bit for the heat of the day to cool and finally went out hunting the wild raspberry. We really need some rain. There are wild raspberries but they're all really tiny and dry. I managed to pick a bucket of them but it was really hard picking. I just finished cleaning them all and I got a total of 4 cups after all the hulls were removed...and the bugs and worms. Yuck! I'm hoping for some rain. There still are wild raspberries out there that haven't ripened. I'll go out again in a couple of days to pick again. Hopefully, I'll manage to get enough for at least one batch of wild raspberry jam. I noted that there were a lot of blackberries out there that are waiting to ripen. They'll need rain too our they'll dry on the bushes and produce more seeds than juice.
Sunday, July 16th, was the day we left Laughlin. HTP and I had to meet our shuttle to the airport at 7:05 AM. It was supposed to depart for the airport at 7:20 AM. We got downstairs with plenty of time for me to get coffee and rolls to take with us to the airport. HTP made a final visit to the player's club desk to get some Walmart gift cards for his points. It's amazing how slow people move when you're in a hurry. HTP and I barely made it to our shuttle before it was due to depart.
There was a long line at the airport as we all waited to check on our bags. Strangely, although they asked to see my driver's license, no-one asked me if some stranger messed with my luggage. No-one had but... Anyway, after our bags were checked in, HTP and I took one look at the security line and decided that we didn't have to stand in that line for a while. We chose to get some more coffee at the gift shop. We still ended up standing in a long line to get through security but at least HTP only tripped the metal sensor once. He forgot to remove his watch.
The airport in Bullhead City has added on some since our visit through there last August. Big improvement. After going through security, we moved onto another building with real air-conditioning and a real bathroom. Woohoo! It wasn't long after that that we were able to board our plane back to Wisconsin.
I think they plane shrank. HTP tells me that it was the same type of plane that we arrived in but I don't remember the plane that we came in having so little leg room. The thing is, I have really long legs. I admit it. My theory is that they squeezed another whole row of seats onto this plane. I traveled 3 1/2 hours with my knees embedded into the seat in front of me. Ouch! By the time we got to our destination, my ankles were swollen twice their normal size. Not to worry. This happens to me occasionally. It's just feels weird. Again we were fed. This time, we got cheeseburgers. They weren't fantastic cheeseburgers but they were edible. They would have been better if someone hadn't petrified the buns. No amount of catsup and mustard will reanimate a petrified bun.
After deplaning, HTP and I collected our luggage and toddled off to find our car. Home. Well...almost. HTP and I drove as far at the city, where we thought it might be a good idea to stop for groceries. Neither of us had any idea if #1 son left us any food in the fridge for our return. We loaded up on groceries and hit the road to my folks' place. We had to stop at my folks place to pick up our dogs. They had been dog-sitting for us because #1 son was sure about his work schedule or whether or not he would have to make a trip into The Big City while we were away. Anyway, it was early enough that I thought it would be a good idea to retrieve the dogs.
By this time it was around 4 PM and the temperature outside was beastly hot and humid. It was so humid that when I stepped out of the car, my glasses fogged up. We quickly loaded up the dogs and continued on our way. Home. Well...almost.
Not 20 feet down our driveway a wondrous sight met our travel-weary eyes. Right there in front of our car was not one, not two, but three huge trees. Now...I maybe should explain that our driveway is 1/2 mile long. You cannot see our house from the end of our driveway. I've had many a deliveryman tell me that he thought he was lost when he was looking for our house down this driveway. So, 20 feet isn't all that far down the driveway when we have to stop. We have lots of trees in our woods. Unfortunately, these three trees decided that it was time to fall right across the driveway.
Now, as you recall, we have in our car, our luggage, a multitude of grocery bags full of groceries, and two little dogs in their kennel. The temperature outside the air-conditioned car was well over 90°F and the humidity may have almost equaled the temperature. There was no way that HTP and I planned to haul our luggage, all the groceries, and the dogs down the 1/2 mile driveway to our house. I called #1 son who was hopefully at the house using our cellphone. Thankfully, he was at the house. He drove up to the other side of the fallen trees and parked.
HTP, #1 son, and I managed to transfer all the luggage and the groceries to #1 son's awaiting car on the other side of the fallen trees. This required a slight detour through the woods to circumvent the obstructing trees.
At this point all that remained in our car were the dogs in their kennel. I know how heavy the kennel is when the two dogs are inside it. I decided that it would be a better idea for us to carry the empty kennel through the woods and around the trees and let the dogs use their own little legs to walk that distance. Made sense to me. It's not like I haven't had dogs who used to love running wild through these woods when I was a kid. Tiny dogs. Many a time I remember how my tiny little dogs would corner skunks in hollow logs and how we'd have to spend hours bathing them with tomato juice and vinegar. So, I figured, my two little dogs would follow in my footsteps, into the woods, and around the fallen trees. We'd already beaten a path. I took the dogs out of their kennel. #1 son took off with the kennel down our beaten path. I whistled to the dogs and headed down the path. And then...I looked back. My wimpy weenie dogs (two little spoiled rotten chihuahuas) took one look at the woods and the path and turned tail back to the car. There was no way that they wanted anything to do with heading off into uncharted territory. The woods. No amount of coaxing on my part would change their minds. They gave me this look that I interpreted as saying, "Are you nuts?! Bears pee in that woods!" OK. By this time, #1 son called out to see what the hold up was. I informed him that we owned wimpy weenie dogs who were afraid of the woods and that he's have to come back and carry one of the wimpy weenie dogs. I must say, that it was truly hilarious watching #1 son gently cradle Mancha as he carried her through the woods. I carried Muggsy...but I must say, I'm totally disgusted with their wimpiness. Good thing I love those stupid dogs or with all the heat and humidity, I would have left their sorry scrappy bones out there for the bears to find. Shhh...don't tell GI Joe about this incident! He already has a poor opinion of what he calls little yappy rat dogs. Oh well...at least I don't have to worry about them disappearing into the woods and tangling with any skunks.
#1 son drove us and our all stuff and the stupid dogs the rest of the way to the house. Home! We were finally home. HTP headed off to see what he could do with the fallen trees but...well...I could see that it was a job that was a bit too big for HTP and me. I called a neighbor who does this sort of thing and arranged to have him clear the trees for us...the next day. In the meantime, #1 son drove up to the fallen trees, hiked around the trees, and then drove our car to work that night. Maybe I should have reminded him about the flashlight that I keep in the glove compartment but he managed to get through the woods upon his return by hitting the unlock and lock button on the remote for his car...on the far side of the fallen trees.
Our neighbor came bright in early the next morning to clear the trees. We didn't even hear the chainsaw. At least, I did hear the chainsaw when I hiked up the driveway to see if I could take a picture of the fallen trees. I got there just in time to see him finishing up the job. So all that was left for me was to retrieve the car and return it to our garage.
And so ends the saga of our Laughlin trip. I'm sure there's a moral to this story somewhere but you'll have to figure that one out on your own.
Murphyism of the Day
Beryl's Second Law
It's always easy to see both sides of an issue we are not particularly concerned about.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Word of the Day
Quitchurbitchin - To politely ask someone to stop complaining.
It rained. I have no idea how much rain we got because my electronic rain gauge had a zucchini leave acting like a mini umbrella over it. I corrected the problem but it was too late. We didn't get much rain so...whatever. It did cool down but now it's too wet to pick wild raspberries. Maybe tomorrow. I did pick my first green beans. We had them with supper. Roast beef, fresh green beans, and fresh salad (also from the garden). Kudos to HTP for refraining from asking about the missing baked potatoes.
On Saturday, July 15th, HTP again availed ourselves of a wonderful free breakfast. Weekends in Laughlin are a bit too busy for me. We had to wait in line. Lots of children. And almost all of them dressed like surfer dudes. HTP and I are wondering if our future grandchildren will be dressed in surfer dude costumes complete with gold chains. HTP and I shudder at the thought that any of our future grand-daughters might end up dressed like Brittney Spears or her ilk. Oh well...no grandchildren yet. To be clear, I don't want any vampire wanabes either. But...I'll take whatever I get and love 'em to death.
Now....after breakfast, I headed right on back to the Aces with No Faces machines. There's only one bank of them in the entire casino. They're fun. I loved them last time we visited Laughlin. I still love them. Anyway, I plunked myself down and played. HTP knew right where to find me. He wasn't having much luck so he'd decided to take a break. I decided to continue on. My machine wasn't producing much but it wasn't eating money. I was pretty much even. One of the things that I like doing while I'm at the casino is people watch and a plus is when people want to talk to me. I love to listen to people talk. Anyway, the person next to me and I were chatting about the likelihood of ANYONE getting the mythic Aces w/No Faces dealt to them. None of us had ever actually had this happen but I informed them that I had actually seen it done on my last trip. Me? Never going to happen. Right? Wrong. All of a sudden, there it was...I got the mythical Aces w/ No Faces. My machine started to spit out quarters. Lots of quarters. And then? The machine froze with the Hopper Fill Needed notice on it. Someone came and filled the hopper and then MORE quarters proceeded to drop out of the machine. I'd never seen this before. After 1000 coins dropped out of the machine, my machine again froze. An attendant came over, took my driver's license and social security card, and left. Again, I waited. In the meantime, the machine was playing my favorite song. At least, it was a snippet of my favorite song. Turkish March. It actually was a compilation of songs and We're in the Money was part of it. Anyway, people from the surrounding area all came around to pat me on the back and admire my Aces with an eight of clubs which definitely qualifies as Aces w/ No Faces. The attendants came back to return my driver's license and social security card and hand pay me my jackpot. Almost $2000. And then? Well then you have to hold all four Aces...which I did...and then? Another 400 coins dropped into my bin.
I played on that machine until it was time to go for supper. HTP and I agreed to skip lunch. That was one fun machine. It kept giving me four of a kinds...even aces. But not the Aces w/ No Faces Jackpot. I was hoping to get the Royal but no such luck. Regardless, I had plenty of fun. And they kept bringing me Sol.
HTP and I had supper at Serrano's. It was....OK. I think that we'll try elsewhere should we decide to come back to Laughlin. The margaritas were great! We did have some entertainment. I noted that a big rig was on fire in one of the Laughlin parking lots. HTP ran to report it. By the time the fire department got there it was fully engulfed along with the big rig that was parked next to it. Lots of fire.
After supper, I returned to the Aces w/ No Faces. My machine was already occupied so I took another. I didn't have terrific luck but I did note that the person who had MY machine was raking it in still. Regardless, it was a huge party. High fives whenever anyone hit four of a kind or better. Lots of joking around. Good company. I finally headed off to bed at around 11PM. I knew that we'd have to meet the shuttle that would be taking us back to Bullhead City's airport at 7:05 AM. I stopped at the player's club desk one last time to see if there were any more freebies for me. I got another $25 in Walmart cards to add to my collection along with a manicure set.
Back in the room, I packed up. Usual stuff. I can't function in the morning so I pack the night before. HTP called the desk to make sure we wouldn't oversleep. And that's all she wrote for Saturday. Stay tuned for the continuing saga of this fascinating trip to Laughlin in tomorrow's blog. OK...but would you rather I tell you all how I picked the beans and stuff like that? Oh...that's right...I already did that.
Murphyism of the Day
McGuffin's Law
It's easy to see the bright side of other people's problems.
Quitchurbitchin - To politely ask someone to stop complaining.
It rained. I have no idea how much rain we got because my electronic rain gauge had a zucchini leave acting like a mini umbrella over it. I corrected the problem but it was too late. We didn't get much rain so...whatever. It did cool down but now it's too wet to pick wild raspberries. Maybe tomorrow. I did pick my first green beans. We had them with supper. Roast beef, fresh green beans, and fresh salad (also from the garden). Kudos to HTP for refraining from asking about the missing baked potatoes.
On Saturday, July 15th, HTP again availed ourselves of a wonderful free breakfast. Weekends in Laughlin are a bit too busy for me. We had to wait in line. Lots of children. And almost all of them dressed like surfer dudes. HTP and I are wondering if our future grandchildren will be dressed in surfer dude costumes complete with gold chains. HTP and I shudder at the thought that any of our future grand-daughters might end up dressed like Brittney Spears or her ilk. Oh well...no grandchildren yet. To be clear, I don't want any vampire wanabes either. But...I'll take whatever I get and love 'em to death.
Now....after breakfast, I headed right on back to the Aces with No Faces machines. There's only one bank of them in the entire casino. They're fun. I loved them last time we visited Laughlin. I still love them. Anyway, I plunked myself down and played. HTP knew right where to find me. He wasn't having much luck so he'd decided to take a break. I decided to continue on. My machine wasn't producing much but it wasn't eating money. I was pretty much even. One of the things that I like doing while I'm at the casino is people watch and a plus is when people want to talk to me. I love to listen to people talk. Anyway, the person next to me and I were chatting about the likelihood of ANYONE getting the mythic Aces w/No Faces dealt to them. None of us had ever actually had this happen but I informed them that I had actually seen it done on my last trip. Me? Never going to happen. Right? Wrong. All of a sudden, there it was...I got the mythical Aces w/ No Faces. My machine started to spit out quarters. Lots of quarters. And then? The machine froze with the Hopper Fill Needed notice on it. Someone came and filled the hopper and then MORE quarters proceeded to drop out of the machine. I'd never seen this before. After 1000 coins dropped out of the machine, my machine again froze. An attendant came over, took my driver's license and social security card, and left. Again, I waited. In the meantime, the machine was playing my favorite song. At least, it was a snippet of my favorite song. Turkish March. It actually was a compilation of songs and We're in the Money was part of it. Anyway, people from the surrounding area all came around to pat me on the back and admire my Aces with an eight of clubs which definitely qualifies as Aces w/ No Faces. The attendants came back to return my driver's license and social security card and hand pay me my jackpot. Almost $2000. And then? Well then you have to hold all four Aces...which I did...and then? Another 400 coins dropped into my bin.
I played on that machine until it was time to go for supper. HTP and I agreed to skip lunch. That was one fun machine. It kept giving me four of a kinds...even aces. But not the Aces w/ No Faces Jackpot. I was hoping to get the Royal but no such luck. Regardless, I had plenty of fun. And they kept bringing me Sol.
HTP and I had supper at Serrano's. It was....OK. I think that we'll try elsewhere should we decide to come back to Laughlin. The margaritas were great! We did have some entertainment. I noted that a big rig was on fire in one of the Laughlin parking lots. HTP ran to report it. By the time the fire department got there it was fully engulfed along with the big rig that was parked next to it. Lots of fire.
After supper, I returned to the Aces w/ No Faces. My machine was already occupied so I took another. I didn't have terrific luck but I did note that the person who had MY machine was raking it in still. Regardless, it was a huge party. High fives whenever anyone hit four of a kind or better. Lots of joking around. Good company. I finally headed off to bed at around 11PM. I knew that we'd have to meet the shuttle that would be taking us back to Bullhead City's airport at 7:05 AM. I stopped at the player's club desk one last time to see if there were any more freebies for me. I got another $25 in Walmart cards to add to my collection along with a manicure set.
Back in the room, I packed up. Usual stuff. I can't function in the morning so I pack the night before. HTP called the desk to make sure we wouldn't oversleep. And that's all she wrote for Saturday. Stay tuned for the continuing saga of this fascinating trip to Laughlin in tomorrow's blog. OK...but would you rather I tell you all how I picked the beans and stuff like that? Oh...that's right...I already did that.
Murphyism of the Day
McGuffin's Law
It's easy to see the bright side of other people's problems.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Word of the Day
Quinquiliquifier - Someone who enjoys adding pointless "qu"s to words to enhance difficulty in pronunciation.
Let's see. Laundry. Picked and cleaned the lettuce. Fertilized the tomatoes. Dancing with sprinklers. Still should go out and pick wild raspberries but I can't seem to find the energy. It's cooled off a bit. A bit. More important the humidity isn't so bad. The deerfly are still nasty.
So, on Friday, July 14th, HTP and I wandered down to the player's club desk to see if we'd earned enough points for a free breakfast. Shock! It seems that we earned plenty for a free breakfast and then some. We took the breakfast comp and after enjoying breakfast returned to the player's club desk to get our free garden tool sets and swim bags. I also earned enough to get a couple of $15 Walmart gift cards. And we got the comp for lunch at the same place we had breakfast. Great view!
I returned to my Aces w/no Faces machines. As luck would have it, I hit the Royal. Woohoo! Flushed with success. Aside from that not much hit but it was fun to get that Royal. I messed around some with some other slots. Won some, lost some.
Our lunch was good. After lunch we got a comp for a late movie and decided to eat at the same restaurant for supper. We decided to go to the movies REALLY late so we could avoid some of the kids. Sigh. Oh well...at least we tried. We went to see Pirates of the Caribbean. OH MAN!!!!! It was wonderful. HTP wasn't too fond of it but then I guess Johnny Depp doesn't do much for him. I can't wait until the third movie. We didn't get out of the movie until early Saturday morning. Just time enough to toddle off to bed.
These vacations tend to wear me out a bit. Stay tuned for the Saturday installment in tomorrow's blog.
Murphyism of the Day
Kelley's Law
Nothing is ever as simple as it first seems.
Quinquiliquifier - Someone who enjoys adding pointless "qu"s to words to enhance difficulty in pronunciation.
Let's see. Laundry. Picked and cleaned the lettuce. Fertilized the tomatoes. Dancing with sprinklers. Still should go out and pick wild raspberries but I can't seem to find the energy. It's cooled off a bit. A bit. More important the humidity isn't so bad. The deerfly are still nasty.
So, on Friday, July 14th, HTP and I wandered down to the player's club desk to see if we'd earned enough points for a free breakfast. Shock! It seems that we earned plenty for a free breakfast and then some. We took the breakfast comp and after enjoying breakfast returned to the player's club desk to get our free garden tool sets and swim bags. I also earned enough to get a couple of $15 Walmart gift cards. And we got the comp for lunch at the same place we had breakfast. Great view!
I returned to my Aces w/no Faces machines. As luck would have it, I hit the Royal. Woohoo! Flushed with success. Aside from that not much hit but it was fun to get that Royal. I messed around some with some other slots. Won some, lost some.
Our lunch was good. After lunch we got a comp for a late movie and decided to eat at the same restaurant for supper. We decided to go to the movies REALLY late so we could avoid some of the kids. Sigh. Oh well...at least we tried. We went to see Pirates of the Caribbean. OH MAN!!!!! It was wonderful. HTP wasn't too fond of it but then I guess Johnny Depp doesn't do much for him. I can't wait until the third movie. We didn't get out of the movie until early Saturday morning. Just time enough to toddle off to bed.
These vacations tend to wear me out a bit. Stay tuned for the Saturday installment in tomorrow's blog.
Murphyism of the Day
Kelley's Law
Nothing is ever as simple as it first seems.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Word of the Day
Quilence - Quiet and silence.
We're Home! Obviously I haven't blogged in days. The dial-up modem speed in the hotel room was slow. I mean SLOOOOOOWWWWWW!!!!!! Plus, we had to pay 50 cents for each phone call and then they charged even more if you wanted to stay on the phone for more than a half hour. Plus, the stupid internet dial-up provider kept disconnecting us. After that first $2 connection, I figured it just wasn't worth the effort. So...I'll try to catch you up.
HTP and I got up at 2:30 AM on Thursday, July 13th. I'd packed the day before. Sleeping wasn't easy because I'd packed my favorite pillow and the XM radio. I don't sleep too well without the familiar background sound of talk radio. Somehow it helps me focus enough to be able to beat my ever present insomnia. So, by the time 2:30 AM rolled around, I'd spent most of the time checking the time on my bedside clock radio which tells great time but can't pull in diddly when it comes to radio stations. To be fair, we live in a really rural area. There really is no way that I could ever pull in an AM talk radio station signal. The best I've ever done is a radio station from Chicago with scratchy and fading sound and that was on a clear night with my best Grundig radio which I forgot in Arizona.
We piled into our car at around 4 AM because for some reason everything takes longer than you plan on. It was dark outside. The drive to the city takes about an hour and a half. We stopped at a gas station on our way to take care of my coffee addiction. Having much experience with gasoline station coffee, I bought a small coffee to hold me. HTP bought a large coffee. Poor HTP. I think it was finally cool enough to actually drink by the time we got to the airport. The coffee at gasoline stations is pretty good coffee but it's also hotter than lava spewing out a volcano. I got a small coffee because I knew that it would cool faster. Of course, if I'd had a cup of coffee before we'd left the house, I would have been smart enough to put a few cubes of ice in a large coffee cup before filling the cup with molten lava. Oh well, I got to drink my coffee with only a few blisters on my lip. Have you ever noticed that those sipper lids that you have to put on your coffee always seem to concentrate the heat in the very location that you need to drink from?
We arrived at the airport at 5:30 AM. I have no idea why they wanted us to get to the airport two hours before our flight but there wasn't anyone around who we could argue the point with. I do admit that there was someone there at the desk and we didn't have to stand in line. And, we weren't the first people to arrive that were taking this very same flight. However, now that our bags were all checked in, there really wasn't too much that we could do with ourselves. Thankfully, there is a really nice place to eat at the airport. Also, thankfully, they have incredibly reasonable prices. HTP was in shock and awe. Our experience with the restaurants at airports has left us with a decided negative attitude toward airport restaurants. We had a wonderful breakfast. And more coffee.
Our experience with the security check-in was another wonderful surprise. How wonderful to be greeted and asked to remove your shoes by a smiling individual! I've decided that I really like this little airport. And it is a little airport. We had to walk across the tarmac to walk up the rollaway stairs in order to board the plane. A blast from the past. I loved it.
The flight was uneventful. We had a bit of turbulence but nothing worth commenting on. During the three and a half hour flight, we were served beverages twice and something resembling an Egg McMuffin with sausage. They actually fed us? And we didn't have to pay extra? I think I like Sun Country Airlines. Actually, since this trip was comped, we didn't even have to pay for the airfare. You won't get any gripes from me.
We arrived at Bullhead City Airport at around 8:50 AM. Our luggage was collected and delivered to our room. We didn't have to worry about it. There was someone at the airport with an envelope for us which had all the information that we needed and the keys to our room at the hotel in Laughlin. At this point we boarded the awaiting shuttle with the rest of the people who signed on for this trip. It was a quick drive across the river and then into the cool comfort of the casino. The temperature outside was 94°F. I never did go outside for to sample the breath-taking 120°F temps that were bragged about by the casino employees and some of our fellow travelers.
HTP and I headed straight to our room to dump our carry-ons. Gambling? Well, that first day wasn't so great. The casino is rather old and the pay-offs on the video poker machines were a bit tight. All told, I would have preferred being in Vegas but Vegas didn't pay to have me come visit. Laughlin did. HTP and I used our comps to have a wonderful prime rib dinner at the Prime Bar Restaurant. I played on a progressive machine until someone got the jackpot. At that point, I figured it was time to head off to bed.
And so ends a recap of our travels and first day in Laughlin. I'll continue this tomorrow. I wouldn't want you all to get reader's cramp.
Murphyism of the Day
Ducharm's Axiom
If one views one's problem closely enough, one will recognize oneself as part of the problem.
Quilence - Quiet and silence.
We're Home! Obviously I haven't blogged in days. The dial-up modem speed in the hotel room was slow. I mean SLOOOOOOWWWWWW!!!!!! Plus, we had to pay 50 cents for each phone call and then they charged even more if you wanted to stay on the phone for more than a half hour. Plus, the stupid internet dial-up provider kept disconnecting us. After that first $2 connection, I figured it just wasn't worth the effort. So...I'll try to catch you up.
HTP and I got up at 2:30 AM on Thursday, July 13th. I'd packed the day before. Sleeping wasn't easy because I'd packed my favorite pillow and the XM radio. I don't sleep too well without the familiar background sound of talk radio. Somehow it helps me focus enough to be able to beat my ever present insomnia. So, by the time 2:30 AM rolled around, I'd spent most of the time checking the time on my bedside clock radio which tells great time but can't pull in diddly when it comes to radio stations. To be fair, we live in a really rural area. There really is no way that I could ever pull in an AM talk radio station signal. The best I've ever done is a radio station from Chicago with scratchy and fading sound and that was on a clear night with my best Grundig radio which I forgot in Arizona.
We piled into our car at around 4 AM because for some reason everything takes longer than you plan on. It was dark outside. The drive to the city takes about an hour and a half. We stopped at a gas station on our way to take care of my coffee addiction. Having much experience with gasoline station coffee, I bought a small coffee to hold me. HTP bought a large coffee. Poor HTP. I think it was finally cool enough to actually drink by the time we got to the airport. The coffee at gasoline stations is pretty good coffee but it's also hotter than lava spewing out a volcano. I got a small coffee because I knew that it would cool faster. Of course, if I'd had a cup of coffee before we'd left the house, I would have been smart enough to put a few cubes of ice in a large coffee cup before filling the cup with molten lava. Oh well, I got to drink my coffee with only a few blisters on my lip. Have you ever noticed that those sipper lids that you have to put on your coffee always seem to concentrate the heat in the very location that you need to drink from?
We arrived at the airport at 5:30 AM. I have no idea why they wanted us to get to the airport two hours before our flight but there wasn't anyone around who we could argue the point with. I do admit that there was someone there at the desk and we didn't have to stand in line. And, we weren't the first people to arrive that were taking this very same flight. However, now that our bags were all checked in, there really wasn't too much that we could do with ourselves. Thankfully, there is a really nice place to eat at the airport. Also, thankfully, they have incredibly reasonable prices. HTP was in shock and awe. Our experience with the restaurants at airports has left us with a decided negative attitude toward airport restaurants. We had a wonderful breakfast. And more coffee.
Our experience with the security check-in was another wonderful surprise. How wonderful to be greeted and asked to remove your shoes by a smiling individual! I've decided that I really like this little airport. And it is a little airport. We had to walk across the tarmac to walk up the rollaway stairs in order to board the plane. A blast from the past. I loved it.
The flight was uneventful. We had a bit of turbulence but nothing worth commenting on. During the three and a half hour flight, we were served beverages twice and something resembling an Egg McMuffin with sausage. They actually fed us? And we didn't have to pay extra? I think I like Sun Country Airlines. Actually, since this trip was comped, we didn't even have to pay for the airfare. You won't get any gripes from me.
We arrived at Bullhead City Airport at around 8:50 AM. Our luggage was collected and delivered to our room. We didn't have to worry about it. There was someone at the airport with an envelope for us which had all the information that we needed and the keys to our room at the hotel in Laughlin. At this point we boarded the awaiting shuttle with the rest of the people who signed on for this trip. It was a quick drive across the river and then into the cool comfort of the casino. The temperature outside was 94°F. I never did go outside for to sample the breath-taking 120°F temps that were bragged about by the casino employees and some of our fellow travelers.
HTP and I headed straight to our room to dump our carry-ons. Gambling? Well, that first day wasn't so great. The casino is rather old and the pay-offs on the video poker machines were a bit tight. All told, I would have preferred being in Vegas but Vegas didn't pay to have me come visit. Laughlin did. HTP and I used our comps to have a wonderful prime rib dinner at the Prime Bar Restaurant. I played on a progressive machine until someone got the jackpot. At that point, I figured it was time to head off to bed.
And so ends a recap of our travels and first day in Laughlin. I'll continue this tomorrow. I wouldn't want you all to get reader's cramp.
Murphyism of the Day
Ducharm's Axiom
If one views one's problem closely enough, one will recognize oneself as part of the problem.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Word of the Day
Quickify - To hurry things along.
I'll be spending time today packing for our trip to Laughlin. I've got to pick the blueberries that have ripened on Blueberry Hill. I covered the plants with netting so the birds don't get them all. The electronic timer seems to be working just fine for the Earthbox on the deck. I'll be taking our dogs over to my folks' place sometime today too. I'm not sure if #1 son will have to go to The Big City this weekend or not. So? Thankfully, my folks have agreed to look after the dogs for me. That leaves #1 son in charge of the plants on the deck. In my on-going war with the raccoons, I'll bring in the bird-feeders tonight. The birds will have to live without them while we're gone. I plan to make an early night of it tonight. We'll be heading off to the airport at 3 AM. It's a small airport in a Big City but not The Big City so I'm not really sure why they want HTP and me to get there two hours before our flight but whatever.
I'm not sure if I'll be able to blog while we're in Laughlin. From the blog entries that I made after our last trip to Laughlin, I gather that the dial-up modem speed at the hotel where we'll be staying is REALLY slow. I had to wait to blog when I got back to Wisconsin. Maybe they've improved things since then but.... We'll be bringing the laptop with us. If I blog, I blog. If I don't...don't be all that surprised. I may end up writing offline and then post the blogs after we get back here on Sunday.
Murphyism of the Day
Sevareid's Law
The chief cause of problems is solutions.
Quickify - To hurry things along.
I'll be spending time today packing for our trip to Laughlin. I've got to pick the blueberries that have ripened on Blueberry Hill. I covered the plants with netting so the birds don't get them all. The electronic timer seems to be working just fine for the Earthbox on the deck. I'll be taking our dogs over to my folks' place sometime today too. I'm not sure if #1 son will have to go to The Big City this weekend or not. So? Thankfully, my folks have agreed to look after the dogs for me. That leaves #1 son in charge of the plants on the deck. In my on-going war with the raccoons, I'll bring in the bird-feeders tonight. The birds will have to live without them while we're gone. I plan to make an early night of it tonight. We'll be heading off to the airport at 3 AM. It's a small airport in a Big City but not The Big City so I'm not really sure why they want HTP and me to get there two hours before our flight but whatever.
I'm not sure if I'll be able to blog while we're in Laughlin. From the blog entries that I made after our last trip to Laughlin, I gather that the dial-up modem speed at the hotel where we'll be staying is REALLY slow. I had to wait to blog when I got back to Wisconsin. Maybe they've improved things since then but.... We'll be bringing the laptop with us. If I blog, I blog. If I don't...don't be all that surprised. I may end up writing offline and then post the blogs after we get back here on Sunday.
Murphyism of the Day
Sevareid's Law
The chief cause of problems is solutions.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Word of the Day
Quething - Something small and seemingly inconsequential that completely discombobulates you.
Laundry. I caught the UPS guy before he could get away. My electronic timer for the hosebib arrived. My Jarhead Red got here. I set the electronic timer so that my zucchini in the Earthbox will get one minute of water a day. It's set so that I can see if the timer works tonight. If it needs tweaking, I still have time to adjust things before we head off to Laughlin. I stored the Jarhead Red away for future pleasure. I still have some Chablis that I'm working on finishing up. I'll pack tomorrow.
Murphyism of the Day
Holten's Homily
The only time to be positive is when you are positive you are wrong.
Quething - Something small and seemingly inconsequential that completely discombobulates you.
Laundry. I caught the UPS guy before he could get away. My electronic timer for the hosebib arrived. My Jarhead Red got here. I set the electronic timer so that my zucchini in the Earthbox will get one minute of water a day. It's set so that I can see if the timer works tonight. If it needs tweaking, I still have time to adjust things before we head off to Laughlin. I stored the Jarhead Red away for future pleasure. I still have some Chablis that I'm working on finishing up. I'll pack tomorrow.
Murphyism of the Day
Holten's Homily
The only time to be positive is when you are positive you are wrong.
Monday, July 10, 2006
Word of the Day
Questionhair - Form to fill out at the hairdresser.
HTP is going to give a presentation tonight of all the work he's been doing in recording and copying information from a local cemetary where many of his ancestors are buried. My folks and I are going to go to lend him moral support and maybe ask a few questions. There's a fine line between moral support and heckling.
I'm boiling up another batch of crayfish. There weren't supposed to be any because I hadn't baited the traps but I've decided that crayfish are really stupid. There must be a ton of crayfish in this lake or I wouldn't have caught so many without bait.
In the meantime, in the short while I was down at the dock, the UPS guy came and left. I didn't even know that he was supposed to be coming. I bet its my Jarhead Red wine. I ordered some more. The UPS guy couldn't leave it without an adult signature (or so the note said) so, I suppose I'll have to make sure I'm not in the bathroom or down at the dock or down in the laundry room when he sneaks in tomorrow. I'm expecting something to come tomorrow. Maybe they'll bring back my wine at the same time as they bring the timers that I ordered for watering my zucchini.
Murphyism of the Day
McGee's First Law
It's amazing how long it takes to complete something you are not working on.
Questionhair - Form to fill out at the hairdresser.
HTP is going to give a presentation tonight of all the work he's been doing in recording and copying information from a local cemetary where many of his ancestors are buried. My folks and I are going to go to lend him moral support and maybe ask a few questions. There's a fine line between moral support and heckling.
I'm boiling up another batch of crayfish. There weren't supposed to be any because I hadn't baited the traps but I've decided that crayfish are really stupid. There must be a ton of crayfish in this lake or I wouldn't have caught so many without bait.
In the meantime, in the short while I was down at the dock, the UPS guy came and left. I didn't even know that he was supposed to be coming. I bet its my Jarhead Red wine. I ordered some more. The UPS guy couldn't leave it without an adult signature (or so the note said) so, I suppose I'll have to make sure I'm not in the bathroom or down at the dock or down in the laundry room when he sneaks in tomorrow. I'm expecting something to come tomorrow. Maybe they'll bring back my wine at the same time as they bring the timers that I ordered for watering my zucchini.
Murphyism of the Day
McGee's First Law
It's amazing how long it takes to complete something you are not working on.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Word of the Day
Quadrammit - An expletive of fourfold frustration.
I picked the lettuce. I'm debating with myself as to whether or not I should replant. I'm getting plenty of lettuce right now but I know that it won't be long before the plants start to bolt. Oh well...does romaine lettuce bolt. I've been nibbling off the romaine lettuce that I planted in another bed. I guess I can wait until I get back from our Laughlin trip to make up my mind. I'm going to wait until then to pick my one and only eggplant. I'm not sure what to do with it but I've got time before I have to make that decision too. Right now I have to run out and pick the blueberries. They're really starting to ripen fast now. If I don't pick them, the birds will. I made blueberry pancakes with the blueberries I picked last night. Maybe I will get enough for muffins or even a pie. I'm not holding my breath.
Murphyism of the Day
Baxter's Law
An error in the premise will appear in the conclusion.
Quadrammit - An expletive of fourfold frustration.
I picked the lettuce. I'm debating with myself as to whether or not I should replant. I'm getting plenty of lettuce right now but I know that it won't be long before the plants start to bolt. Oh well...does romaine lettuce bolt. I've been nibbling off the romaine lettuce that I planted in another bed. I guess I can wait until I get back from our Laughlin trip to make up my mind. I'm going to wait until then to pick my one and only eggplant. I'm not sure what to do with it but I've got time before I have to make that decision too. Right now I have to run out and pick the blueberries. They're really starting to ripen fast now. If I don't pick them, the birds will. I made blueberry pancakes with the blueberries I picked last night. Maybe I will get enough for muffins or even a pie. I'm not holding my breath.
Murphyism of the Day
Baxter's Law
An error in the premise will appear in the conclusion.
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Word of the Day
Qcumbersome - A salad that has too many cucumbers.
I beginning to see a pattern. I water the grass and before I finish dancing with sprinklers, it rains. Mind you...it wasn't enough to make a difference in the needed water for my lawn but it was enough to make it uncomfortable for me to do the sprinkler dance. And now my hair is all fuzzy.
I went to a lake association meeting this morning with my folks. We felt that we'd better go just in case. The lake association isn't like an HOA...yet. I don't want to miss one of these meetings when they decide to enact such a thing. It was interesting and I was glad I was there. A DNR guy was there to tell us how many walleye are in the lake. There would be a lot more if we didn't have so many people overfishing the lakes. Anyway, we got to vote on a proposal to change the limit for walleye on the lakes. I had three choices. Keep the limit as is and risk total extinction of walleye in our lake. Up the size limit of walleye from the current 15" to 18"...keeping the bag limit of three the same. Or, limit the catch (a pocket limit) to walleyes between the size of 14" and 18" and you can only keep one over 18". I picked the later. Then someone complained that the perch were scarce in the lake so another limit was proposed for those. I could chose to limit panfish to a bag limit of 10 (you can't even have a meal out of that) or keep the panfish limit as is at 25 and put a bag limit on perch of 10 at 10" or bigger. Again, I picked the later. Anyway, the wheels of the bureaucracy that makes these decisions grind slowly. Our "poll" and suggestions won't get considered until next year and then no-one really can do anything until 2010.
Murphyism of the Day
Van Herpen's Law
The solving of a problem lies in finding the solvers.
Qcumbersome - A salad that has too many cucumbers.
I beginning to see a pattern. I water the grass and before I finish dancing with sprinklers, it rains. Mind you...it wasn't enough to make a difference in the needed water for my lawn but it was enough to make it uncomfortable for me to do the sprinkler dance. And now my hair is all fuzzy.
I went to a lake association meeting this morning with my folks. We felt that we'd better go just in case. The lake association isn't like an HOA...yet. I don't want to miss one of these meetings when they decide to enact such a thing. It was interesting and I was glad I was there. A DNR guy was there to tell us how many walleye are in the lake. There would be a lot more if we didn't have so many people overfishing the lakes. Anyway, we got to vote on a proposal to change the limit for walleye on the lakes. I had three choices. Keep the limit as is and risk total extinction of walleye in our lake. Up the size limit of walleye from the current 15" to 18"...keeping the bag limit of three the same. Or, limit the catch (a pocket limit) to walleyes between the size of 14" and 18" and you can only keep one over 18". I picked the later. Then someone complained that the perch were scarce in the lake so another limit was proposed for those. I could chose to limit panfish to a bag limit of 10 (you can't even have a meal out of that) or keep the panfish limit as is at 25 and put a bag limit on perch of 10 at 10" or bigger. Again, I picked the later. Anyway, the wheels of the bureaucracy that makes these decisions grind slowly. Our "poll" and suggestions won't get considered until next year and then no-one really can do anything until 2010.
Murphyism of the Day
Van Herpen's Law
The solving of a problem lies in finding the solvers.
Friday, July 07, 2006
Word of the Day
STRINGENDO - An unpleasant musical effect produced by the violin section when it doesn't use vibrato.
Dances with sprinklers. That explains all when it comes to how the day has gone so far. It has been windy but not a spit of rain.
Last night HTP and I took the cars into Wally World to get the oil changed. While all this was going on, I got my hair cut (not at Wally World) and HTP got his hair cut (not at a beauty parlor). We then took off in one car to get some supper...in Turtle Lake. The Casino there has an all-u-can-eat seafood buffet night. King crablegs. As for the gambling? I won. HTP didn't. I didn't win much. Just enough to pay for the gas and the meal and a bit leftover. I really don't like playing at the Turtle Lake Casino. The odds are tons better at winning even in Laughlin where the odds aren't as good as in Vegas.
Murphyism of the Day
Ruckert's Law
There is nothing so small that it can't be blown out of proportion.
STRINGENDO - An unpleasant musical effect produced by the violin section when it doesn't use vibrato.
Dances with sprinklers. That explains all when it comes to how the day has gone so far. It has been windy but not a spit of rain.
Last night HTP and I took the cars into Wally World to get the oil changed. While all this was going on, I got my hair cut (not at Wally World) and HTP got his hair cut (not at a beauty parlor). We then took off in one car to get some supper...in Turtle Lake. The Casino there has an all-u-can-eat seafood buffet night. King crablegs. As for the gambling? I won. HTP didn't. I didn't win much. Just enough to pay for the gas and the meal and a bit leftover. I really don't like playing at the Turtle Lake Casino. The odds are tons better at winning even in Laughlin where the odds aren't as good as in Vegas.
Murphyism of the Day
Ruckert's Law
There is nothing so small that it can't be blown out of proportion.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Word of the Day
RUBATO - A cross between a rhubarb and a tomato.
HTP and I are going into the city today. We both need haircuts. So, it's off to the barber for HTP because he refuses to have anyone at a beauty parlor cut his hair. And it's off to the beauty parlor for me, where I really should get my hair dyed but I won't have the time. Not this time. Besides, I'm debating with myself again as to whether or not I should let the grey hairs stay this time. It's not like too many people will actually see me this summer. I do, however, need a haircut.
Just as a note for myself, the zucchini that I planted in the Earthbox on the deck are blossoming. I found that they seem to require a lot of water. Every day I have to go out there and water them. The zucchini in the garden aren't doing nearly as well as the ones in the Earthbox. However, the blossoms on the Earthbox zucchini are all female blossoms. With no male blossoms to pollinate them the blossoms are for naught. This was an experiment for me to see if the zucchini would do well in the Earthbox growing system. Having to water the zucchini everyday is a bit of a pain. I ordered a timer for the hosebib. I'm not sure if it will get here before HTP and I leave for Laughlin or not. #1 son will water the plants if he's here but he might not be here. I do know that the zucchini in the Earthboxes will probably die if they don't get watered on a daily basis. The decision will have to be made if it is really worth my while to plant the zucchini in the Earthbox next year.
Murphyism of the Day
Seay's Law
Nothing every comes out as planned.
RUBATO - A cross between a rhubarb and a tomato.
HTP and I are going into the city today. We both need haircuts. So, it's off to the barber for HTP because he refuses to have anyone at a beauty parlor cut his hair. And it's off to the beauty parlor for me, where I really should get my hair dyed but I won't have the time. Not this time. Besides, I'm debating with myself again as to whether or not I should let the grey hairs stay this time. It's not like too many people will actually see me this summer. I do, however, need a haircut.
Just as a note for myself, the zucchini that I planted in the Earthbox on the deck are blossoming. I found that they seem to require a lot of water. Every day I have to go out there and water them. The zucchini in the garden aren't doing nearly as well as the ones in the Earthbox. However, the blossoms on the Earthbox zucchini are all female blossoms. With no male blossoms to pollinate them the blossoms are for naught. This was an experiment for me to see if the zucchini would do well in the Earthbox growing system. Having to water the zucchini everyday is a bit of a pain. I ordered a timer for the hosebib. I'm not sure if it will get here before HTP and I leave for Laughlin or not. #1 son will water the plants if he's here but he might not be here. I do know that the zucchini in the Earthboxes will probably die if they don't get watered on a daily basis. The decision will have to be made if it is really worth my while to plant the zucchini in the Earthbox next year.
Murphyism of the Day
Seay's Law
Nothing every comes out as planned.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Word of the Day
PIZZICATO - An indication to a musician that he or she has had too much coffee -- time to take a break.
Two down, four to go. I had my second of six dental appointments. And that's all I have to say about that other than this appointment was better than the last. I hope a pattern is starting to form.
I picked a very few wild raspberries yesterday. It looks like there will be a lot to pick in weeks to come but right now there really aren't enough to bother. I'll try again in a week. I did note that there is going to be a lot of blackberries this year...if they ever get ripe.
I bought three new mugs today at The Pottery Shed. HTP felt sorry for me and took me over there after my dental appointment. The Pottery Shed sells all kinds of pottery and art glass and just plain tourist junk. I'm always on the look out for coffee mugs. I prefer the ones that are big enough to hold a real cup of coffee. I also like them to have the character of something that can't be mass produced. You never know what you'll find when you step into the Pottery Shed. Their inventory is constantly changing. When I visited them last year, I found one mug that kind of fit the bill. However, I did find some other neat stuff. Today I found three mugs from three different potters. Some people insist on having matching coffee mugs in their cupboards. None of my mugs match. They each have their own unique personalities. Or at least I try to make sure that my mugs have that "one of a kind" attribute. I mourn their loss if one breaks.
Murphyism of the Day
Blair's Observation
The best-laid plans of mice and men are usually about equal.
PIZZICATO - An indication to a musician that he or she has had too much coffee -- time to take a break.
Two down, four to go. I had my second of six dental appointments. And that's all I have to say about that other than this appointment was better than the last. I hope a pattern is starting to form.
I picked a very few wild raspberries yesterday. It looks like there will be a lot to pick in weeks to come but right now there really aren't enough to bother. I'll try again in a week. I did note that there is going to be a lot of blackberries this year...if they ever get ripe.
I bought three new mugs today at The Pottery Shed. HTP felt sorry for me and took me over there after my dental appointment. The Pottery Shed sells all kinds of pottery and art glass and just plain tourist junk. I'm always on the look out for coffee mugs. I prefer the ones that are big enough to hold a real cup of coffee. I also like them to have the character of something that can't be mass produced. You never know what you'll find when you step into the Pottery Shed. Their inventory is constantly changing. When I visited them last year, I found one mug that kind of fit the bill. However, I did find some other neat stuff. Today I found three mugs from three different potters. Some people insist on having matching coffee mugs in their cupboards. None of my mugs match. They each have their own unique personalities. Or at least I try to make sure that my mugs have that "one of a kind" attribute. I mourn their loss if one breaks.
Murphyism of the Day
Blair's Observation
The best-laid plans of mice and men are usually about equal.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Word of the Day
PESANTE - An musical effect distinctly non-upper-class.
Happy 4th of July!
Well...we missed the fireworks last night. It was too late to go out anymore by the time #1 son got back here. #1 son had to put in some overtime at work last night. He doesn't get paid for overtime so he was a bit pissed at being put on the spot like that because of poor planning and management. Apparently LOTS of people were having pizza cravings yesterday. Pizza Hut management was totally unprepared for weekend traffic on a Monday. Duh?! It may have been a Monday but this particular Monday was part of a three-day holiday weekend. Four Day if you include today. I bet tonight will be just as busy.
I noted that the wild raspberries are starting to ripen. The chipmunks are stealing whatever ripens off my tame raspberries so far. Time to go for a hike with my berry bucket. I really love wild raspberry jam. Later after breakfast and after the dew has dried off a bit. My blueberries are getting ripe too but I'm afraid I still may not get enough to do anything with. The birds and the chipmunks seem determined to take more than their share. I planted enough blueberry bushes that I should be able to enjoy some but so far I just seem to be attracting more and more chipmunks, squirrels, and birds. Thankfully I haven't seen the bear this year. I know I should cover them with netting but I was hoping that I wouldn't have to. Besides netting is expensive when you have so many bushes that need covering. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I may still get enough blueberries for muffins or pancakes. A pie? That would be a miracle at this point.
I just finished setting the last clock in the house...again. We lost power twice yesterday. I have no idea why (no storms) but someone somewhere must be laughing. I reset most of the clocks yesterday (twice) but I forgot the one for the answering machine. I hate setting the answering machine clock. I have to drag out the stupid user's guide every single time because I can't remember and everytime the power goes out this little clock flashes reproachfully at you until you reset it. Now...let's hope the power company actually fixed the problem this time.
Murphyism of the Day
The Roman Rule
The one who says it cannot be done should never interrupt the one who is doing it.
PESANTE - An musical effect distinctly non-upper-class.
Happy 4th of July!
Well...we missed the fireworks last night. It was too late to go out anymore by the time #1 son got back here. #1 son had to put in some overtime at work last night. He doesn't get paid for overtime so he was a bit pissed at being put on the spot like that because of poor planning and management. Apparently LOTS of people were having pizza cravings yesterday. Pizza Hut management was totally unprepared for weekend traffic on a Monday. Duh?! It may have been a Monday but this particular Monday was part of a three-day holiday weekend. Four Day if you include today. I bet tonight will be just as busy.
I noted that the wild raspberries are starting to ripen. The chipmunks are stealing whatever ripens off my tame raspberries so far. Time to go for a hike with my berry bucket. I really love wild raspberry jam. Later after breakfast and after the dew has dried off a bit. My blueberries are getting ripe too but I'm afraid I still may not get enough to do anything with. The birds and the chipmunks seem determined to take more than their share. I planted enough blueberry bushes that I should be able to enjoy some but so far I just seem to be attracting more and more chipmunks, squirrels, and birds. Thankfully I haven't seen the bear this year. I know I should cover them with netting but I was hoping that I wouldn't have to. Besides netting is expensive when you have so many bushes that need covering. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I may still get enough blueberries for muffins or pancakes. A pie? That would be a miracle at this point.
I just finished setting the last clock in the house...again. We lost power twice yesterday. I have no idea why (no storms) but someone somewhere must be laughing. I reset most of the clocks yesterday (twice) but I forgot the one for the answering machine. I hate setting the answering machine clock. I have to drag out the stupid user's guide every single time because I can't remember and everytime the power goes out this little clock flashes reproachfully at you until you reset it. Now...let's hope the power company actually fixed the problem this time.
Murphyism of the Day
The Roman Rule
The one who says it cannot be done should never interrupt the one who is doing it.
Monday, July 03, 2006
Word of the Day
PASTORALE - The beverage to drink in the country when listening to Beethoven with a member of the clergy.
I picked lettuce this morning as soon as it dried off a bit. We got a smidge of rain in the morning. A smidge is anything that measures less than 1/4". We got .18 inches of rain. Electronic gadgets fascinate me. I bought one of those wireless rain gauges to put out on our deck.
We lost our electricity this afternoon at around lunchtime. I have no idea why because it wasn't storming. Our generator kicked in (it's always nice to know that it really does work automatically) but our burglar alarm got all upset and the people who monitor our alarm system were a bit upset too. Our alarm system one of the necessary household appliances that we felt needed to be running on our backup generator. Anyway, apparently we disappeared from the monitor company's radar screens. I assured them that we were still here, safe and sound. HTP called the electric company and after talking to one of the computer generated voices for a while he hung up in disgust. He called them back and refused to answer or respond to any of the computer generated voice's queries. In total frustration, the computer turned him over to a real person who told HTP that we were in good company. 500 households were without power and with us 501. HTP was told that our power would be restored by 5 PM. Our power came back on at 1:47. I know this because I had to run around and reset all the clocks in the house that didn't have battery backup. It's truly amazing how many clocks we have in this house. We have the clocks on our two coffee-makers, the clocks on our two microwave ovens, the clock on the VCR. The clock on the DVD player. The clock on our answering machine. I won't even go downstairs to check the clock in the guest room. #1 son can fix the clocks down in the basement. That's HIS territory...except for the laundry room. That's mine.
We're going to take the boat out tonight onto the big lake...just through the channel from our own lake. They're going to shoot off fireworks over the big lake from the golf course. I know it's not 4th of July as yet but this is a resort area and it worked out best this year to set off the fireworks tonight. We'll head out as soon as #1 son gets back from work. It's going to be interesting to see if we can find a place close enough to anchor this year. Last year there were more pontoon boats then I'd ever seen before. It was weird. After dark they have headlights that make them look like cars driving on the lake. We used to watch the fireworks from a boat when the kids were young. HTP's folks had a place on a lake (different lake) and we'd all go over there to celebrate 4th of July. We'd take their little boat out and watch the fireworks as they exploded over our heads. Front row seats for everyone. The nice thing about viewing fireworks from a boat is that you don't have to worry about blocking anyone's view. And the mosquitoes and gnats aren't quite so bad either. The bad part? Well...after dark it's a real traffic jam with all the pontoons and boats all trying to maneuver on home without hitting each other. It gets a bit interesting navigating the channel after dark. HTP is pretty good at it. I'm pretty good at holding the spotlight so that we don't run into boats that forget to put on their running lights or stray trees and deadheads which don't have running lights.
We'll celebrate the 4th of July again tomorrow night. I'm willing to bet that #1 son won't let a year go by without setting off a few artillery shells from our dock. I won't let him buy the big ones but the ones he has seem huge and make a wonderful display over the lake. I sure will miss it when he's all grown and flown. I love sitting on our deck, watching the firework displays that he puts on. I guess I'll have to settle for setting off fountains in the driveway...maybe as soon as next year. Artillery shells are a bit beyond my expertise. I mean...you could blow your fingers off.
Murphyism of the Day
Disraeli's Dictum
Error is often more earnest than truth.
PASTORALE - The beverage to drink in the country when listening to Beethoven with a member of the clergy.
I picked lettuce this morning as soon as it dried off a bit. We got a smidge of rain in the morning. A smidge is anything that measures less than 1/4". We got .18 inches of rain. Electronic gadgets fascinate me. I bought one of those wireless rain gauges to put out on our deck.
We lost our electricity this afternoon at around lunchtime. I have no idea why because it wasn't storming. Our generator kicked in (it's always nice to know that it really does work automatically) but our burglar alarm got all upset and the people who monitor our alarm system were a bit upset too. Our alarm system one of the necessary household appliances that we felt needed to be running on our backup generator. Anyway, apparently we disappeared from the monitor company's radar screens. I assured them that we were still here, safe and sound. HTP called the electric company and after talking to one of the computer generated voices for a while he hung up in disgust. He called them back and refused to answer or respond to any of the computer generated voice's queries. In total frustration, the computer turned him over to a real person who told HTP that we were in good company. 500 households were without power and with us 501. HTP was told that our power would be restored by 5 PM. Our power came back on at 1:47. I know this because I had to run around and reset all the clocks in the house that didn't have battery backup. It's truly amazing how many clocks we have in this house. We have the clocks on our two coffee-makers, the clocks on our two microwave ovens, the clock on the VCR. The clock on the DVD player. The clock on our answering machine. I won't even go downstairs to check the clock in the guest room. #1 son can fix the clocks down in the basement. That's HIS territory...except for the laundry room. That's mine.
We're going to take the boat out tonight onto the big lake...just through the channel from our own lake. They're going to shoot off fireworks over the big lake from the golf course. I know it's not 4th of July as yet but this is a resort area and it worked out best this year to set off the fireworks tonight. We'll head out as soon as #1 son gets back from work. It's going to be interesting to see if we can find a place close enough to anchor this year. Last year there were more pontoon boats then I'd ever seen before. It was weird. After dark they have headlights that make them look like cars driving on the lake. We used to watch the fireworks from a boat when the kids were young. HTP's folks had a place on a lake (different lake) and we'd all go over there to celebrate 4th of July. We'd take their little boat out and watch the fireworks as they exploded over our heads. Front row seats for everyone. The nice thing about viewing fireworks from a boat is that you don't have to worry about blocking anyone's view. And the mosquitoes and gnats aren't quite so bad either. The bad part? Well...after dark it's a real traffic jam with all the pontoons and boats all trying to maneuver on home without hitting each other. It gets a bit interesting navigating the channel after dark. HTP is pretty good at it. I'm pretty good at holding the spotlight so that we don't run into boats that forget to put on their running lights or stray trees and deadheads which don't have running lights.
We'll celebrate the 4th of July again tomorrow night. I'm willing to bet that #1 son won't let a year go by without setting off a few artillery shells from our dock. I won't let him buy the big ones but the ones he has seem huge and make a wonderful display over the lake. I sure will miss it when he's all grown and flown. I love sitting on our deck, watching the firework displays that he puts on. I guess I'll have to settle for setting off fountains in the driveway...maybe as soon as next year. Artillery shells are a bit beyond my expertise. I mean...you could blow your fingers off.
Murphyism of the Day
Disraeli's Dictum
Error is often more earnest than truth.
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Word of the Day
OPERA BUFF - A musical stage production performed by nudists.
Happy Anniversary to my Devil Dog Daughter and GI Joe! I wish for you a long and happy marriage filled with joy and contentment.
Murphyism of the Day
Sten's Axiom
No problem is so formidable that you can't just walk away from it.
OPERA BUFF - A musical stage production performed by nudists.
Happy Anniversary to my Devil Dog Daughter and GI Joe! I wish for you a long and happy marriage filled with joy and contentment.
Murphyism of the Day
Sten's Axiom
No problem is so formidable that you can't just walk away from it.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Word of the Day
MAESTRO - A person who, standing in front of the orchestra and/or chorus, is able to follow them precisely.
What happened to June? I'll have to turn the page on my calendar. It's been a lazy, hot and humid day. I'm not moving as fast as I'd like. My jaw hurts. I can deal with the pain. It's minor. It's not like it's a migraine. Actually, you probably could cut off my arm and I wouldn't think that hurt as much as a migraine. I don't have a migraine. My head isn't exploding and my eyes aren't bleeding. It feels more like a regular headache, but more persistant. This is still from where the dentist took out my old crown and left the temporary temporary. My jaw seems to want to persistantly throb and I refuse to take the vicodan. Hopefully, it will have calmed down a bit before I have to go back to the dentist for round two of all this. Joy.
Murphyism of the Day
Biondi's Law
If you project doesn't work, look for the part you didn't think was important.
MAESTRO - A person who, standing in front of the orchestra and/or chorus, is able to follow them precisely.
What happened to June? I'll have to turn the page on my calendar. It's been a lazy, hot and humid day. I'm not moving as fast as I'd like. My jaw hurts. I can deal with the pain. It's minor. It's not like it's a migraine. Actually, you probably could cut off my arm and I wouldn't think that hurt as much as a migraine. I don't have a migraine. My head isn't exploding and my eyes aren't bleeding. It feels more like a regular headache, but more persistant. This is still from where the dentist took out my old crown and left the temporary temporary. My jaw seems to want to persistantly throb and I refuse to take the vicodan. Hopefully, it will have calmed down a bit before I have to go back to the dentist for round two of all this. Joy.
Murphyism of the Day
Biondi's Law
If you project doesn't work, look for the part you didn't think was important.