Word of the Day

Tidge - State of excitement.

20 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road*

I dutifully took my camera outside this morning to take pictures of the fall colors. The sky was a bit overcast and there was a spit of rain but one does what must. So...after breakfast I noted that the sky had cleared up and the fall colors look so much nicer against a blue sky. So...off I went to take more pictures. HTP downloaded the pictures to my computer. A picture is always worth a thousand words, so here's 4,000.









Murphyism of the Day

The Lippman Lemma

People specialize in the area of their greatest weakness.

* Disclaimer: The countdown has started but it isn't written in blood. I make mistakes and we all know that you just can't pin down life like a bug on a entomology class display board.

Word of the Day

Thoughtomatically - An automatic thought...instantaneous.

21 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road *

When I look outside the window of our office, I see a sea of yellow, red, orange and green leaves. The leaves on the trees in the woods seem to change as I watch. It's a truly amazing sight.

Last night I went down to sit on the dock for a while. Earlier in the evening the lake seemed to call to me as I was cooking our supper on the grill. The lake was so quiet and still. Just enough leaves have fallen from the trees to make the lake clearly visible from our deck.

So I went down to the dock after supper and sat. It was so quiet but I could hear the faint call of Canadian geese in the distance. And there was that faint moaning sound made by the neighbor's cows. It was getting dark but I could still see the fall colors of the trees that line the lake. A fish rolled up on the surface of the lake and I watched the resultant ripples spreading and then gone. A few bats darted here and there, daring to skim close to the surface of the water. And the moon, not a full moon, but one of those story-book moons was shining in the night sky. One of those picture moons where you see a fairy or an angel sitting on the edge of the crescent moon, gently rocking.

There wasn't a single light from the cabins across the lake. I guess it's too cold now for jet-skiers. Their loss, my gain. As I walked back up to the house, I noted the smell of autumn leaves. No underlying aroma from a fireplace fire since I hadn't wanted to build one. It had been sunny and relatively warm during the day. Maybe tonight.

Every season has its own unique perfume here at The Lake. Spring, summer, fall, winter. I won't be here to enjoy the fragrance of winter but that's OK. I remember and maybe someday I'll be sitting here painting a verbal picture for you of a winter here at The Lake. Not this year. This year I will remember while I enjoy the warm comfort of the Arizona sun and the unique perfume of the Arizona desert.

Murphyism of the Day

Joe's Law

The inside contact that you have developed at great expense is the first person to be let go in any reorganization.

* Disclaimer: The countdown has started but it isn't written in blood. I make mistakes and we all know that you just can't pin down life like a bug on a entomology class display board.

Word of the Day

Thoughtimous - A thoughtful act in a huge way.

22 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road *

I have done absolutely nothing today that wasn't somewhat necessary to keep me and HTP alive. I mean, I suppose I didn't really need to eat in order to live but it seemed necessary at the time. Oh...and the Orkin guy came. OK...I admit it...I worked on Sudoku puzzles too.

Murphyism of the Day

Loftus's Law of Management

Some people manage by the book, even though they don't know who wrote the book or even what the book is.

* Disclaimer: The countdown has started but it isn't written in blood. I make mistakes and we all know that you just can't pin down life like a bug on a entomology class display board.

Word of the Day

Thinksgiving - Wishing you could help.

23 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road *

I'm totally amazed at how fast the leaves are turning and falling this year. Have we entered mid-October and I failed to notice? My sister keeps telling me that The Lake should experience a very mild winter this year. El Nino. I plan to play a wait and see game on that.

I made 11 more jars of Italian Eggplant/Green Tomato Pickles today. I decided to experiment with two different recipes. HTP thought that my last batch had too much vinegar in it if I was trying to duplicate the recipe his Grandmother and Mother used to make. He also told me that it should be saltier and have a LOT more garlic. And he remembered a bit more hot pepper. So...back to the drawing board. Hopefully these two new batches will be closer. HTP will have to be the judge of that. I kept a record of the two recipes that I made so I'll know how to alter things for next year if I don't get it right this time.

Murphyism of the Day

Loftus's Theory on Personnel Recruitment

1. Faraway talent always seems better than home-grown talent.

2. Personnel recruiting is a triumph of hope over experience.

* Disclaimer: The countdown has started but it isn't written in blood. I make mistakes and we all know that you just can't pin down life like a bug on a entomology class display board.

Word of the Day

Thightning - Thunder and lightning.

24 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road *

HTP and I drove out to an Apple Orchard yesterday afternoon. It was a perfect day for it. I've been craving apples. I'd bought some apples at the grocery store last week. The problem with buying store-bought apples is that you don't get to taste the apples before you buy them. It's like buying a pig in a poke. You never know what you're getting until you get it home. On top of that, I bought a bag of apples and when you do that you always end up finding a few bad apples in the bag. Anyway, these apples were awful. They tasted as if they'd been picked last year and they'd dragged them out to sell this year. I made a pie with them and they were OK but....I wanted really fresh apples. Tart. Sweet. So, HTP and I drove out to an apple orchard.

When we got there we discovered that they grow all kinds of different apples. They had samples of each type. I tasted every single one of them. Yummy! I narrowed my choice down to two different types. One was called Honey Crisp and the other, Haralson. We were handed a bag and directed to three rows of trees. This is a U-Pick apple orchard if they don't have any of a certain type of apple in their store. HTP and I picked 10-pounds of Haralson apples. Perfect small red apples. We were very selective. Among all the apples on the trees, the majority were damaged. I'm not sure why this was but finding perfect apples wasn't all that easy. However, we persisted and managed to pick 10-pounds of perfect Haralson apples. Since there were some Honey Crisp apples in the store, we decided that there was no need to pick our own. Honey Crisp apples are HUGE. I ate one yesterday and I ended up eating half of one for lunch and saved the other half for after supper. I won't go into how many Haralson apples I've eaten. I'm sure they won't kill me.

If an apple a day will keep the doctor away, as they claim, will several apples a day REALLY keep the doctor away?

Murphyism of the Day

Parkinson's Law of Delay

Delay is the deadliest form of denial.

* Disclaimer: The countdown has started but it isn't written in blood. I make mistakes and we all know that you just can't pin down life like a bug on a entomology class display board.

Word of the Day

Thesaurusaurus - A dinosaur with an extensive vocabulary.

25 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road *

#1 son is back on U.S. soil, in his apartment at college. He called to tell us that he was safe and sound at around 10 PM last night. I'm not sure if that is exactly when he got back to his room or if that's when he thought to call us. It really doesn't matter, I'm glad he called. Jet-lag should hit him hard about the time his alarm goes off this morning and he heads off to his first class of the day. I'd be totally amazed to hear that he got any sleep last night.

HTP and I have to go into the city to replenish supplies. I'm running out of pickling spices. I don't plan on buying any spinach...still. Since people are still getting sick and they have really pinned down the cause...other than spinach from California...I think I'll stick to head lettuce and maybe some broccoli. I need to buy veggies now that the garden is done. We finished up the last of the zucchini last night. I could start using the beans that I canned but I'd rather save those for Arizona and when we get back here in the spring.

Murphyism of the Day

Robertson's Rule of Bureaucracy

The more directives you issue to solve a problem, the worse it gets.

* Disclaimer: The countdown has started but it isn't written in blood. I make mistakes and we all know that you just can't pin down life like a bug on a entomology class display board.

Word of the Day

Thankles - Thick ankles.

26 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road *

Blue skies! I can go outside without getting wet. It's still pretty cold and since Autumn has officially arrived, what else would one expect? They're predicting rain and a low of 29°F on Thursday. I suppose it won't be raining if it gets that cold. We'll have snow. Maybe the weather guy couldn't find the snow icon. Or maybe it'll clear off before the temperatures dip that low.

#1 son gave me a call yesterday morning. Long distance from Taiwan. Their solar car team got stuck in Taiwan due to a problem with the airplane. Fuel leak. The airlines rescheduled them on another flight (a whole series of flights). The delay means that they won't get here until tonight sometime. Poor #1 son! He'll get back here late and then have to race off to school early tomorrow morning. I imagine he would have preferred the buffer of at least one day to unpack, do laundry and get organized again. OH!!!! I forgot to tell you. Their team finished in fourth place. Go Team! We're all very proud of them.

Murphyism of the Day

Mollison's Bureaucracy Hypothesis

If an idea can survive a bureaucratic review and be implemented, it wasn't worth doing.

* Disclaimer: I'm starting the countdown but it isn't written in blood. I make mistakes and we all know that you just can't pin down life like a bug on a entomology class display board.

Word of the Day

Testimoney - Fees paid to expert witnesses.

It's another rainy day. I remembered why I'd set aside my crotcheting last year. After crotcheting through two skeins of yarn, my fingers started gently reminding me that The Old Grey Frog's joints Ain't What They Used to Be. So...I'm back to Sudoku. I'll have to limit the time I spend on my crotcheting. Even so, I should be able to complete this afghan before we head back to Arizona. At least...I think I can.

Rumors are flying that UBL (Osama Bin Laden) died of typhoid fever last month...or he's really sick from some water-born illness. Rumors. Breaking News! Rumors. News Alert! Rumors. Can you tell that there really hasn't been a lot to watch on TV today aside from the news. It's been like that scene from The Music Man. "Pick a little, talk a little, pick a little, talk a little, cheep cheep cheep, talk a lot, pick a little more." Oh well...it makes fairly decent white noise while I'm crotcheting.

Murphyism of the Day

Post's Managerial Observation

The inefficiency and stupidity of the staff corresponds to the inefficiency and stupidity of the management.

Word of the Day

Terrierist - An annoying small dog.

It's a rainy day. There isn't a speck of sunshine to chase away the dreariness. It's cold enough that I'm wearing my USMC sweatshirt that DD Daughter gave me. There were turkey bones from last night's dinner just sitting there in the fridge. There were vegetables gleaned from the garden sitting on the counter waiting to be dealt with. We still have plenty of firewood in the garage. Combine all the above items and what do you get? A cheery fire in the fireplace and turkey/vegetable soup simmering on the stove.

I've decided to put aside my Sudoku puzzles during daylight hours. I'm not getting anything done. OK. I am getting things done but I'm not getting everything done that I want to get done. I've got an afghan that I started last summer and it's just been sitting there because I've been working on Sudoku puzzles. So? I'm working on the afghan again and maybe, just maybe, I'll get it done before we leave for Arizona. The weather is perfect for sitting in front of the fire, watching TV, and crotcheting. I still plan on solving Sudoku puzzles but I'm going to limit myself to doing those while I'm trying settle down for bed at night. Of course, that will cut into my reading time but then again it'll help me save on my book budget.

Murphyism of the Day

Owen's Theory of Organizational Deviance

Every organization has an allotted number of positions to be filled by misfits.

Corollary

Once a misfit leaves, another will be recruited.

Word of the Day

Tentrum - A camping argument.

I slept in this morning (until 7 AM) so I couldn't see if it froze again last night. The temperature this morning when I finally dragged myself to the kitchen was 33°F. The air felt crisp when I put the bird-feeders back outside. Yes, my on-going war with the raccoons continues. They've scored a couple points with me but I think I'm winning. My folks decided to employ the same campaign tactics that I'veinitiatedd. As long as the feeders are brought inside before dark, the critters can only stop by for a visit. No damage done. My folks decided that having the black bears doing battle with raccoons over bird-feeders was a bit more than they were willing to deal with anymore...especially when the bird-feeders ended up destroyed in the resultant wars. And here we thought the squirrels were bad.

I'm making Italian Green Tomato/Eggplant Pickles today. I made my regular Green Tomato Pickles yesterday. The remaining "green" tomatoes that are sitting on my counter right now, look like they may ripen...maybe. If not, I'll grind them up to make relish. I noticed that although I have some jars of relish back in Arizona, I'm down to my last jar here at The Lake.

Murphyism of the Day

Soper's Law

Any bureaucracy reorganized to enhance efficiency is immediately indistinguishable from its predecessor.

Word of the Day

Teleplegic - Unable to read your mind, especially when dealing with a boss or spouse.

I feel oddly vindicated. When I got up this morning, I made a point in checking the outside temperature. The thermometer read 31°F. It froze last night. My gamble paid off. Though I would have loved to have my garden produce for another few weeks, the weather guy was right this time. Now...all I have to do today is get busy making those green tomato pickles. I may even start a batch of relish but I'm not sure I have all the ingredients that I'll need for that. I think I'd better hold off because I may end up with a few more green tomatoes from my folks.

Murphyism of the Day

Young's Law of Bureaucracy

It is the dead wood that holds up the tree.

Corollary

Just because it is still standing doesn't mean it's not dead.

Word of the Day

Telephonitis - A condition of not being able to stay off the phone.

Despite my best hopes, the weather report is still calling for freezing temperatures tonight. Darn! I just couldn't put it off any longer. I picked the rest of the green beans and tossed the plants onto my non-existent compost heap...into the woods. I also harvested the rest of my cucumbers and all the eggplant...big and small...and tiny. Then...I harvested every tomato that was growing, ripe and not. I decided that I can cover the plants in my Earthboxes tonight. But I brought the geraniums inside for the night.

The weather has been iffy today. Every time I went out to glean the garden it would start to rain. I'd come back inside and the sky would clear up and the blue sky would provide a beautiful backdrop for the colorful fall leaves. *Sigh* I finally gave up and finished the garden despite the periodic rain showers.

Oh well...the job is done. I still need to "put the garden to bed" for the fall but that can wait. Freezing temperatures and frost won't matter now. And if it doesn't freeze tonight? It wasn't a gamble that I was willing to take. I'll have the guy who mows our lawn put the last clippings on the garden beds to keep the weeds down.

Yadda, yadda, yadda. It's late at night and I just checked the weather forecast. They promise me that it'll get even colder tonight than expected. I drove over to my sister's place and gave her all my green beans. I harvested all that was in my Earthboxes so I can store them away tomorrow if all the plants freeze and die. The window guy should be coming to view our leaky window tomorrow morning. Our lawn guy should be coming tomorrow sometime AND....*sigh* our alarm went off again in Arizona so we'll have to do something about that tomorrow afternoon. I'll try to fill in the gaps tomorrow with finishing up the laundry and starting a batch of Italian Green Tomato/Eggplant Pickles.

Murphyism of the Day

Fox on Bureaucracy

A bureaucracy can outwait anything.

Corollary

Never get caught between two bureaucracies.

Word of the Day

Telepathetic - People who go around thinking they can read minds and tell the future.

Tired. Exhausted. When I discovered that I'd forgotten to blog today, I felt an audible groan bubbling up from the general location of my diaphragm.

My sister and I drove into the city to buy wine bottles, corks and all kinds of other wine bottling paraphernalia that we needed. After we got back, we bottled, corked and labeled the wine. We bottled 17 bottles of wine. 8 bottles of dandelion wine and 9 bottles of lilac wine. HTP makes wonderful labels. Our wine really looks professional. We also bottled the last of the liqueurs. Strawberry liqueur and Peach liqueur. After that we racked the Rhubarb wine and the Rhubarb/Gooseberry wine. We may have to wait to bottle those wines next spring. They're not ready yet. Maybe next month. Stay tuned. We need to get some more bottles. Next month. We need to bottle the Limoncello...next month.

I hope it doesn't freeze tonight. I'll deal with the garden tomorrow. Too tired and it's too late now. Besides, it's raining. If I wake up to snow on the ground, I will not be a happy camper. Regardless, the garden is on tomorrow's To Do List. Tonight...I'm just going to drag my body to bed.

Murphyism of the Day

The Bureaucracy Principle

Only a bureaucracy can fight a bureaucracy.

Word of the Day

Teleounce - What telegrams were known as before the metric system.

From the look of the t-shirt that I'm wearing, you'd think that I went ten rounds with a bushel of tomatoes and lost. I am here to dispute that finding. I went 10 rounds with a bushel of tomatoes and won! It took some time and effort but I now have 21 quarts of canned tomatoes and 3 quarts of tomato juice. I plan to enjoy the juice and bring half of my canned tomatoes back to Arizona. I'll store the rest in my basement pantry.

My canning efforts last night were interrupted by a call from our alarm company in Arizona. Somehow, some way, something tripped the sensor of one of our windows. The alarm company monitors called the police and then they called us. HTP and I called our neighbor. Unfortunately, I forgot that our neighbor is in the Bahamas right now. So...onto Plan B. We called a friend of ours who has the code and our house key. Only...they don't live real close. After some thought, we also called another neighbor of ours who doesn't have the code or key but lives only a few blocks away. They went over and met with the police and waited until our other friends could meet them to reset the alarm. They called us to let us know that everything looked fine. I'm really glad I have such good friends who could help us out on such short notice.

I'm not sure what triggered the alarm. It makes me a bit nervous. There have been break-ins in the area and according to our friends the weather was just fine and it wasn't at all windy. Though we've had problem with the back door sensor before, we've never had problems with any of the window sensors. Could someone have tried to break into the house but got scared away when the alarm triggered? It's not like there's many neighbors, next door or across the street, who would notice. And sometimes burglars think that people just put those security system signs out in front of their homes to scare off burglars and that's the sum total of their security system. Or...maybe we need to do a thorough exam of our security system when we get home. Sensors can go bad. I'm not even sure what happens if someone triggers a sensor. Is there an audible alarm? How audible? It's on the To Do List for when we get home.

Anyway, I finished up the canning this morning after breakfast. I know I'll have more canning to do before we leave here for the winter but I've done all I can until first frost.

Murphyism of the Day

Utvich's Law

One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions.

Word of the Day

Tehranny - Any government that exercises rigorous and/or lawless power over its subjects without their consent and without regard to their liberty or safety in order to support and uphold fundamentalist beliefs.

It's raining. I wish we would have received a bit more of this earlier in the summer. I'm not fond of dancing with sprinklers.

It has become glaringly apparent that if I want to can tomatoes this year, I'm going to have to purchase some ripe tomatoes from one of the local farmers. My own tomatoes remain stubbornly and persistently green. I put out the call last night and got an immediate response. HTP and I are going to pick up a bushel of tomatoes this afternoon. Depending upon what they look like, I may end up peeling and canning tomatoes for the rest of the day and night. I decided to purchase only one bushel of tomatoes this year since I still have some canned tomatoes from last summer though not enough to last us through an Arizona winter. As for my green tomatoes? Waste not, want not.

Murphyism of the Day

Law of Retrospection

You can never tell which way the train went by looking at the track.

Word of the Day

Technolabotical - To cause befuddle by technological complexity.

What a beautiful day! Perfect. The sun was shining. The temperature neither too hot or too cold. The wind blowing just enough to keep the sun from getting too hot.

HTP and I went shopping in the city. We've cut back on the number of trips that we make to the city because of the price of gas. Of course, now, the price of gas has been coming down a bit. $2.59/gal. I suppose it's better than the $3.15/gal. it was earlier in the summer. I'm afraid I still think that the price is way too high. It's not like I can drink the stuff like I can drink milk...which happens to cost about the same per gallon. And we live in a dairy state.

#1 son called us from Taiwan! He's doing fine. There's a thirteen hour difference in time from here to there. They'd just finished eating breakfast and were starting out for the day. The World Solar Car Rally. Go Minnesota! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they win. It was wonderful to hear his voice.

Murphyism of the Day

Pirsig's Postulate

Data without generalization is just gossip.

Word of the Day

Teaquilibreum - To have your tea fixed perfectly.

HTP is busy designing and printing up my labels! Woohoo! I've got labels.

I'm not going to start the countdown clock for our return trip to Arizona. Not yet. I always manage to screw it up an then I have to go back and apologize and fix things. I did make our reservations for three of the nights. At least, I think so. We're going to stay three nights in Vegas before we continue on to our home in Arizona. HTP is going to make reservations for the rest of the nights. That's a more difficult task.

I picked the beans. I think this may be the last picking until first frost. Though I think I could can the beans that I picked, I think we'll have them to eat with supper tonight instead. I'll still have to glean the rest of the beans when I put the garden to bed for the winter. That should produce another few quarts.

We're supposed to get rain this weekend. I've noticed a definite drop off in the number of weekenders. I suppose once school starts the weekenders find their weekends filled with school sports, etc. That's just fine with me.

The cooler weather has really speeded things along in the fall leaf department. The leaves are changing on a daily basis. The colors are beautiful. Reds, oranges, yellows, and green. The sound of acorns dropping on the roof is always a sign of Fall. I'm still waiting for the ladybug invasion. When the ladybugs start attacking, then it truly is time to start packing stuff up for our return trip to Arizona.

Murphyism of the Day

LaGuardia's Law

Statistics are like expert witnesses--they will testify for either side.

Word of the Day

Tanorexic - One who is obsessed with being tan; one who never feels bronze enough ...

I know. I forgot to blog. The day just got away from me. It started so quietly. Just another laundry day. And then I figured that I'd better get started on the next step in my Limoncello making project. And while I was doing that, I figured that I should finish up with some of the liqueur making. So, I started the filtering process on the blackberry schnapps and while that was doing its thing, I started making the simple syrup for the Limoncello in one pan and the simple syrup for the liqueur in another pan. The recipe for the Limoncello simple syrup is different from the one I use for the liqueurs. While all this was going on, I've sorted out the laundry and I was working on that. And then there were all the normal things that go unsaid that I do each morning. Note to self: I'm out of birdseed again. I've gone through LOTS of birdseed this summer. I probably should purchase an economy size bag next spring.

And then the phone rang. It was the dentist office. Have you even noticed how cheerful these people are when they call you? My brand new crown (the one that didn't fit the first time so they had to send it back and then it didn't work the second time so they had to send it back) had arrived....again. They wanted to know if I could come in to the office yesterday afternoon and give it another try since they had an opening. So, HTP drove me over to the dentist's office and..... It fits! It fits! Woohoo! It fits! I have a brand new crown to add to my growing collection. And then they while they had me there they also fitted me for a mouth guard that I'm supposed to wear at nights so I don't damage my lower teeth anymore from all the teeth grinding that I must do at night. I didn't even know that I ground my teeth but...whatever. That process was fun. I spent the rest of the night picking blue crap that they used to make the forms out of my teeth. However, on the plus side, I only have one more dental appointment before we return to Arizona this fall. One more dental appointment and this one is just so I can pick up my mouth guard and I imagine that they'll want to make sure if fits and show me how I'm supposed to wear it and all.

Anyway, so what with all the liqueur making and the limoncello making and the laundry and the dental appointment....I forgot to blog. I still didn't get all the laundry done. Oh...and I still need labels!

Murphyism of the Day

Buechner's Principle

The simplest explanation is that it just doesn't make sense.

Word of the Day

Tankateer - A tankateer is someone who drives a tank, or a really big car.

Do you know what day it is? It's GI Joe's birthday today!

Happy Birthday GI Joe!

Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birthday Dear GI Joe! Happy Birthday to You!

Since you happen to be in a dry state right now, I'll lift a proxy glass of beer for you...later...this afternoon. It's still a bit early. Somehow, a glass of beer in the morning just doesn't seem right. Coffee, yes...beer, no. So...until this afternoon, here's to you GI Joe. I raise my cup of coffee and wish you many happy years to come.

Murphyism of the Day

The Monroe Doctrine

A little inaccuracy sometimes saves tons of explanation.

Word of the Day

Talibanned-What you are if you picked the side of terrorists.

DD Daughter is on her way back to her base. She and HTP left for the airport at 4 AM. HTP just got back. It was nice to have even the short while that she was here.

We didn't get freezing temperatures last night. My garden got a reprieve. Hopefully the freezing temperatures will hold off for another few weeks yet. I'm not at all sure I'm looking forward to making green tomato relish and green tomato pickles. One does what one must.

I need to start thinking of tackling the final processes in making Limoncello and the other schnapps brews in the basement. I also need to bottle the rhubarb wines and re-bottle the other wines. I guess I'll have to go visit the specialty shop in the city to pick up bottling supplies. I'm hoping HTP will design some labels for me. Let's see....I need labels for Lilac Wine, Dandelion Wine, Rhubarb Wine, Rhubarb/Gooseberry Wine, Blackberry Liqueur, Strawberry Liqueur, Pineapple Liqueur, Mango Liqueur, Peach Liqueur, Viola Liqueur, and Limoncello. Oh...and I need some more Green Bean labels and some more labels for my canned tomatoes and some relish labels and some dill pickle labels and some green tomato pickle labels and some Italian green tomato/eggplant pickle labels. Oh my! That's a lot of labels!

Murphyism of the Day

Mullin's Observation

Indecision is the key to flexibility.

Word of the Day

Tacktician-Upholsterer.

We're home. Home Again, home again, jiggidy jog. Or...is it jiggity jog. I keep these little tidbits of nursery rhymes stored in a seldom used corner of my mind. At one time I had one whole book of nursery rhymes memorized. The book was a favorite of my children. We read it to death and then we bought another one just like it to replace the first. My children had those rhymes memorized too. I remember that I'd start a phrase and the kids would chime in and finish it. Actually, the first part of the rhyme isn't appropriate for the occasion at all but the second part....It's really good to be home.

Funerals are what they are. This was the first time I attended a Catholic funeral. It was different from the funerals that I have previously attended but not really. It was what it was. An opportunity to say good-bye, and opportunity to share grief, an opportunity to celebrate life, an opportunity for commemoration, communion and fellowship. And as we sat in the church and later stood at Fort Snelling, I was certain that HTP's Aunt was smiling over us saying, "Yes. That's how it's supposed to be done. This is how I wanted it." And in my memories I recall the following quote from the Bible as an Angel chidded the mourners who came to find an empty tomb, "Why do you search for the living one among the dead? He is not here; he has been raised up."

We're back home at The Lake. I've got DD Daughter for one whole day. One day to fit as much as we can fit into time here at The Lake. She's got to fly back home early tomorrow morning. She and GI Joe have been invited for Thanksgiving in Arizona, Christmas in Arizona. Easter? I know that GI Joe's folks would love to have them too. I figured if I get my invitations out early....?

And so, my thoughts are already turning to October and our return to Arizona. The weather this morning is really feeling like Fall. They tell me that there may be frost tonight. So much for gardening. My Mom has a small greenhouse. When I saw her last night, she was already planning on how to transfer some of her container gardens to the greenhouse in order to give the plants a bit more time. If we do get a frost? I'm going to be making lots of relish and green tomato pickles.

Murphyism of the Day

Whitehead's Rule

Seek simplicity, and distrust it.

Word of the Day

Swishbockling - Sword fighting with food, usually French loaves.

HTP's outside right now washing the car. It's awfully difficult to maintain a clean car look when you have a 1/2 mile dirt driveway. Oh well...

We'll be heading to The Big City in a couple of hours. We need to pick DD Daughter up at the airport. Tomorrow will be the funeral for HTP's Aunt and DD has been asked to act as one of the pall-bearers. We won't be returning to The Lake until late Friday night.

I'm not sure how much blogging I'll be doing between now and after DD Daughter heads back to her base in California on Sunday. Don't worry if you don't see a new entry. This time, I'm not sick. Knock on wood.

Murphyism of the Day

Schroeder's Law

Indecision is the basis for flexibility.

Word of the Day

Smedium - Used when you can't decide between small and medium.

We live in the age of instant gratification. I think it all came about after the invention of the microwave oven. Where it used to take an hour to bake a potato in the oven, now I wait impatiently while it takes THREE WHOLE MINUTES. Six minutes if I'm baking two potatoes. I remember that we used to only have baked potatoes when we were also having some kind of roast in the oven. The roast took a couple of hours to cook and the potatoes could be thrown in at the same time. Potatoes take longer to cook at the lower temps for which the oven needs to be set for meat. Does anyone actually make roasts anymore? Besides me? I'm making a pork loin roast tonight. It's in the oven right now. I suppose I could throw in a few potatoes too but what with our diet...I digress.

Anyway, I heated up my coffee this morning in the microwave. I stood there impatiently. It only took one minute to heat up my coffee but that single minute grated on my nerves. It seemed to take forever. And then I remembered, my Grandmother would reheat their coffee in a saucepan on top of the stove. Now that took more than a minute. My Mom had a Whistling Tea Kettle which she used to heat up water for tea or coffee...instant tea or instant coffee. I remember that it would take forever for that thing to start whistling...and then it wouldn't shut up unless you took it completely off the stove. I guess that's where I learned the true meaning behind the phrase, "A watched pot never boils." And now not many wait around long enough to bother about whether or not that pot will boil.

Of course, this instant gratification thing may be like one of those chicken or the egg things. Which came first? Man's desire for instant gratification which caused someone to invent the microwave oven...or was it the microwave oven that made things so fast that I couldn't even wait even a minute for the my coffee to heat up in the microwave oven this morning without getting all irritated. Oh well...I still stick around to see if the pot boils. Somehow you just can't make spaghetti too well in the microwave. I know that the time it takes to bring water up to a rolling boil from room temperature remains the same as it has ever been, but, since the advent of the microwave, there's no way that I'm going to hang around to watch....because "A watched pot never boils" and I can't hang around forever waiting.

Murphyism of the Day

LaCombe's Rule of Percentages

The incidence of anything worthwhile is either 15-25% or 80-90%.

Dudenhoefer's Corollary

An answer of 50% will suffice for the 40-60% range.

Word of the Day

Slurprise - The noise at the end of a drink.

We're at war! I've known for a long time but I only really woke up to the fact while HTP and I were in Italy on September 11th. Five years ago. And again when I hear the President of Iran claim that The Holocaust never happened and his country should be able to develop nuclear energy which he claims is for peaceful purposes. But then he says in the next breath, Israel should be wiped off the surface of the Earth. I believe he's made similar claims when it comes to The Great Satan...The United States. This President, a student then, who held hostages back in the day of President Carter. Hostages who were only released when Ronald Reagan became President. They waited so they could deliver this slap to Carter. Have we been at war since then? Have we been at war so long?

It struck me, when President Bush was giving his speech today, has there ever been a war before like this one? A war where the President of the United States has to remind the nation that we're at war? I didn't need reminding. I know GI Joe, DD Daughter and the rest of our troops, stationed here and abroad, didn't need his reminder. Those who sacrifice so much, never need reminding. It's really too bad, a shame. It seems at times like there's an invisible veil that keeps the sacrifices of the few who serve so many from being seen. All they see are sound-bites provided in newspapers or on the nightly news or numerous blogs that pontificate or the propaganda documentaries that spin this way and that.

We're at war and there's people who still deny it, will deny it until we win or we lose. We can win. We can lose. There are people in this world who have one goal. The death of Freedom, the death of the very foundation of our country. Maybe, just maybe, when everyone finds themselves sacrificing, they will finally awaken. I hope that they wake up soon and not too late. We're at war but the only sacrifice some make is to take their shoes off at the airport, pack their shampoo in their suitcase, and withstand the indignity of walking through a metal detector. Maybe if we made just a few of the same sacrifices made by the people who lived and fought during WWI and WWII, we'd finally wake up and realize. We're at war!

Murphyism of the Day

Lacopi's Law

After food and sex, man's greatest drive is to tell the other fellow how to do his job.

Word of the Day

Sillibus - A ridiculous plan for a course.

I did laundry today because HTP is going into The Big City tomorrow. (A doctor appointment for his Mom.) The thing is, #1 son left some of his dirty laundry here and....yes...I washed it, along with our laundry, only one day early. Anyway, I figured that HTP can drop in and drop off while he's in the neighborhood. He's got other stuff to drop off too. I've started a pile.

Murphyism of the Day

Weiler's Law

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself.

Word of the Day

Sighnusitis - Acute sinusitis resulting in audible sighs.

We had a cookout last night. #1 son and his friend built a bonfire. It really was a bonfire but...it kept going out. Weird. I think the wood needs more age on it. Anyway, they did finally cook supper for us all. Even dessert. Wonderful! Anytime, anyone wants to come and cook for me...come ahead on. I love to cook but I love not to cook too. Eating is a good thing.

We had breakfast this morning at The BlueHills Supper Club with HTP's sister and her family along with #1 son and his friend. Wonderful. But I didn't need to say that because the food at The BlueHills Supper Club is always wonderful. #1 son and his friend had to bugger out early...they got plenty to eat so don't feel too sorry for them....because #1 son had to take his friend to the airport in The Big City.

Murphyism of the Day

Miller's Law

You can't tell how deep a puddle is until you step in it.

Word of the Day

Sighentology - The study of boredom.

My tomatoes are finally ripening. I've gotten a few of my tangerine cherry tomatoes and I picked on Early Girl before this but it looks like I may just get enough tomatoes now and until first frost...to eat. Maybe I'll get enough to can but it's doubtful. Relish, and green tomato pickles. I need to make another batch of Italian Eggplant Pickles too. I promised my Mother-in-law.

I noticed that one of my garden beds just didn't produce well this year. The plants all look stunted. No bigger than when I first planted them. I've got a feeling I'm going to really have to do something with all the beds next spring before I plant anything.

I harvested more zucchini this morning along with more cucumbers. I need to get back out there to pick beans but I have to wait until things dry off some. Too dewy wet. In the meantime, I have no idea what to do with these zucchini. I made zucchini lasagna last night. However, I still have four more zucchini along with four that I picked this morning. Note to self, if you plant zucchini in an Earthbox, don't bother wasting garden space by planting zucchini there as well. The thing is that I had no idea that the zucchini would do at all in the Earthbox. I wonder how well cucumbers do in the Earthbox. And I guess my experiments done here may not work the same in Arizona. Climate issues. Regardless. I'm going to try this winter.

#1 son and his friend plan to visit us up here at The Lake. They're coming sometime today. His friend has to fly back to Arizona tomorrow so it'll just be a quick visit. Long enough to return HTP's cordless drill? HTP's keys to the Gator?

Murphyism of the Day

Segal's Law

A man with one watch knows what time it is.

A man with two watches is never sure.

Word of the Day

Sighcology - The study of apathy.

How can it be September already?! Where did August go?

I know that I made a promise to blog everyday but sometimes stuff happens. I never get sick but...I got sick. I've been progressively feeling worse since last Friday. I'm fine and I'm feeling a bit better today than I felt yesterday when all I wanted to do was stay huddled in bed, curled up and trying not to shiver because shivering hurt. The only part of my body that didn't hurt were my teeth and my fingernails and my hair. HTP dragged me out to see a doctor. I think he hit every bump in the road on our hour-long ride.

Anyway, I'm still tired. I still would rather be curled up in bed. But...I don't feel so cold and achy. I guess those huge nasty pills may be doing their job. I hate taking pills but sometimes you just can't avoid it.

Murphyism of the Day

Barth's Distinction

There are two types of people: those who divide people into two types, and those that don't.