Word of the Day
Twitterpated - Having a crush on someone so attractive that your heart is all a-twitter and your brain is addlepated.
Happy Halloween!
I met Arizona daughter at the mall. This was the first time I've been to a mall since the last time I'd been to the mall with Arizona daughter. There really aren't too many malls near our home at The Lake. I got my glasses fixed. The nose pad had broken while enroute to Vegas. I still wore the things but it was beginning to bother me a bit. I also bought some really cute liqueur glasses at Bombay. Perfect for serving the liqueurs and limoncello that my sister and I brewed over the summer. They're really quite tiny compared to my other liqueur glasses. Perfect for pouring out just a small sampling.
It's Halloween today. HTP and I aren't really expecting any kids to come trick or treating but we still bought a couple of bags of candy...just in case (or so HTP claims and he's sticking to it). I've been a good girl and haven't touched any....yet. Tonight all bets are off. I love Butterfinger bars. I'm surprised that HTP hasn't started on his bag of Snickers. Those are his favorite.
Murphyism of the Day
Whistler's Law
You never know who's right, but you always know who's in charge.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Monday, October 30, 2006
Word of the Day
Twirrly - Too early.
Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble....
The yeast is in the must and all I have to do now is stir every day for the next week. Then it's on to the bottles to work. Pomegranate Wine and Blackberry Wine. It should be drinkable...eventually...I hope.
HTP and I planted two of the new plants that we bought. My arms are sporting brand new bloody scratches. The two plants bit me. Ouch. Spines. It's a good thing that we don't have to mess with them again. These natal plum don't really need too much pruning. At least, I don't plan to prune them. They should be fine. I never pruned the ones we had in our last house...or the house before that...or the one before that. HTP didn't prune them either. They were fine. We (He) also dug and found the leak in our irrigation pipe. I'll have to go buy what HTP needs to fix the leak when I'm out later today with Arizona Daughter. HTP and I will plant the other three bushes tomorrow...early. It's already getting warm outside. I expect it to reach the 90's today. Warm but not too hot. It's just too warm to do too much physical labor outside.
Murphyism of the Day
First Rule of Superior Inferiority
Don't let your superiors know you're better than they are.
Twirrly - Too early.
Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble....
The yeast is in the must and all I have to do now is stir every day for the next week. Then it's on to the bottles to work. Pomegranate Wine and Blackberry Wine. It should be drinkable...eventually...I hope.
HTP and I planted two of the new plants that we bought. My arms are sporting brand new bloody scratches. The two plants bit me. Ouch. Spines. It's a good thing that we don't have to mess with them again. These natal plum don't really need too much pruning. At least, I don't plan to prune them. They should be fine. I never pruned the ones we had in our last house...or the house before that...or the one before that. HTP didn't prune them either. They were fine. We (He) also dug and found the leak in our irrigation pipe. I'll have to go buy what HTP needs to fix the leak when I'm out later today with Arizona Daughter. HTP and I will plant the other three bushes tomorrow...early. It's already getting warm outside. I expect it to reach the 90's today. Warm but not too hot. It's just too warm to do too much physical labor outside.
Murphyism of the Day
First Rule of Superior Inferiority
Don't let your superiors know you're better than they are.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Word of the Day
Unbeweaveable - An outrageous hairstyle consisting of hair extensions.
Welcome Home GI Joe and the Entire 189th TC! I wish we could have been there to greet you as you came off the bus.
I hope someone took loads of pictures. Sacrificing any hope that laundry would actually be completed yesterday, HTP and I hit the stores. I had a shopping list that seems like it was growing in leaps and bounds. Pretty soon I would have had to call a publisher. I'm exaggerating but I'm allowed. Anyway, we went out shopping to pick up stuff that I needed to start my wine-making projects for the winter. We picked up Vodka and Everclear (I'm amazed that they sell it here) for my Limoncello-making project. We picked out five new plants to replace the poor souls that died in our yard over the summer. Poor things just couldn't take the freezing temperatures of last winter and the blistering heat and wind of the Arizona summer heat. Go figure. That's why we moved to The Lake. I decided to try a new variety that promises that it won't be bothered by freezing temperatures or desert heat. Dwarf Myrtle or Myrtus compacta. It grows slowly to 2-3 feet high and as wide. It says it's adaptable and hardy in both heat and cold. I also got a Texas Sage to keep my two Mrytle happy. That one shouldn't have any problems with the heat or the cold. Then...for the backyard...I bought two Natal Plum (Carissa grandiflora) which can grow as high as 5 to 7 ft. to replace the dead hibiscus. Thorns. They have thorns but I like the waxy white flowers against the dense green foliage. I already have the compact variety. It doesn't really like the freezing cold but it only gets damage if the temperatures drop to 28°F. From my experience and from what I read in the book, it recovers quickly in the spring. I'm trying to eliminate my "dancing with sheets" routine. Then...it was back to the grocery store because I couldn't find my powdered lemon , TrueLemon, that I like for my tea at the first store, Bashas. I almost abandoned all hope until I finally found it in the diet section of Albertson's and bought a box of the True Lemon and a box of the True Lime. I love both of them. Now I wonder if I might have been able to find it at the first store and they put it in the diet aids area of the store. I'll have to check the website to see which stores carry the product here in Arizona. They don't carry it anywhere near us in Wisconsin.
Plans for the day? I think HTP and I plan to dig out dead plants and plant live plants. I plan to finish the laundry. I plan to sit quietly and work on Sudoku as I recover from whatever exercise I may get.
Murphyism of the Day
Stewart's Law of Retroaction
It is easier to get forgiveness than permission. (ummmm....I have severe doubts that this law would be anadvisablee course of action to follow in the military.)
Unbeweaveable - An outrageous hairstyle consisting of hair extensions.
Welcome Home GI Joe and the Entire 189th TC! I wish we could have been there to greet you as you came off the bus.
I hope someone took loads of pictures. Sacrificing any hope that laundry would actually be completed yesterday, HTP and I hit the stores. I had a shopping list that seems like it was growing in leaps and bounds. Pretty soon I would have had to call a publisher. I'm exaggerating but I'm allowed. Anyway, we went out shopping to pick up stuff that I needed to start my wine-making projects for the winter. We picked up Vodka and Everclear (I'm amazed that they sell it here) for my Limoncello-making project. We picked out five new plants to replace the poor souls that died in our yard over the summer. Poor things just couldn't take the freezing temperatures of last winter and the blistering heat and wind of the Arizona summer heat. Go figure. That's why we moved to The Lake. I decided to try a new variety that promises that it won't be bothered by freezing temperatures or desert heat. Dwarf Myrtle or Myrtus compacta. It grows slowly to 2-3 feet high and as wide. It says it's adaptable and hardy in both heat and cold. I also got a Texas Sage to keep my two Mrytle happy. That one shouldn't have any problems with the heat or the cold. Then...for the backyard...I bought two Natal Plum (Carissa grandiflora) which can grow as high as 5 to 7 ft. to replace the dead hibiscus. Thorns. They have thorns but I like the waxy white flowers against the dense green foliage. I already have the compact variety. It doesn't really like the freezing cold but it only gets damage if the temperatures drop to 28°F. From my experience and from what I read in the book, it recovers quickly in the spring. I'm trying to eliminate my "dancing with sheets" routine. Then...it was back to the grocery store because I couldn't find my powdered lemon , TrueLemon, that I like for my tea at the first store, Bashas. I almost abandoned all hope until I finally found it in the diet section of Albertson's and bought a box of the True Lemon and a box of the True Lime. I love both of them. Now I wonder if I might have been able to find it at the first store and they put it in the diet aids area of the store. I'll have to check the website to see which stores carry the product here in Arizona. They don't carry it anywhere near us in Wisconsin.
Plans for the day? I think HTP and I plan to dig out dead plants and plant live plants. I plan to finish the laundry. I plan to sit quietly and work on Sudoku as I recover from whatever exercise I may get.
Murphyism of the Day
Stewart's Law of Retroaction
It is easier to get forgiveness than permission. (ummmm....I have severe doubts that this law would be anadvisablee course of action to follow in the military.)
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Word of the Day
Uggling - Hanging out with friends in a relaxed, carefree manner.
I'm sitting here with the windows open, listening to the fountain as the water falls rather noisily into its basin. I hope the neighbors don't complain. I love it. The sounds here in Arizona are so much different than those at The Lake. I can hear the sounds of numerous cars as they pass by on the busy street a mere block away. Overhead I hear the sound of either helicopters or small planes...sometimes both. I haven't seen any military helicopters as yet but I used to see those last year.
I haven't heard any big trucks! When HTP and I were driving home, we noticed some new signs that may explain the blessed lack of trucks jake-braking as they near the stop sign on the main drag outside our development. No trucks over 5 tons, D.V.M. I imagine that the folks that live in the houses right across the street from us are jumping up and down with joy. I know I am. HTP was always cranking about those trucks.
Yesterday, as HTP was cutting up pruning debris (his choice...I would have done it), and I was sitting here at my computer feeling guilty, he looks up at me from where he's working with a decided cranky expression and asks, "Why aren't you answering the phone?" Blink. The phone wasn't ringing...at least OUR phone wasn't ringing. We have a really tiny backyard. You could spit watermelon seeds from my back door to our back wall. Oh well...less to take care of while we're enjoying the desert heat or lack thereof.
We're really going to have to get used to having CLOSE neighbors again. When you are outside on our patio you can hear everyone's phones ringing, their raised voices and conversations, cupboards slamming, vacuum cleaners running, dogs barking, visiting grandchildren laughing, squealing and crying, and closed windows don't muffle the sounds if someone is yelling at someone else. We're back to the city.
And I'm ordering new batteries for my dogs bark collars before anyone starts to complain...other than HTP. Right now I've got the dogs faked out by putting the bark collars on with the old dead batteries. The dogs haven't figured out as yet that they don't work so they won't get zapped when they bark. I thought it was worth a try. Actually, no-one here has complained about my dogs barking. Not in this neighborhood. I figure that if I don't complain about other dogs barking, why should someone complain about my dogs barking? Most people share my philosophy here. I think it may be that I live in a retirement community. No-one here has to get up early in the morning to go to work so they aren't so cranky about late night barking dogs. Actually, there aren't any boredom barkers here. Most dogs here get lots of attention from their owners who treat them like children who will never grow up and leave the nest. Despite this, I prefer not to risk the wrath of some dog-hating neighbor who I haven't met. I know that such people exist. Besides, keeping the dogs from barking will keep HTP happy too.
Murphyism of the Day
Fox on Levelology
What will get you promoted on one level will get you killed on another.
Uggling - Hanging out with friends in a relaxed, carefree manner.
I'm sitting here with the windows open, listening to the fountain as the water falls rather noisily into its basin. I hope the neighbors don't complain. I love it. The sounds here in Arizona are so much different than those at The Lake. I can hear the sounds of numerous cars as they pass by on the busy street a mere block away. Overhead I hear the sound of either helicopters or small planes...sometimes both. I haven't seen any military helicopters as yet but I used to see those last year.
I haven't heard any big trucks! When HTP and I were driving home, we noticed some new signs that may explain the blessed lack of trucks jake-braking as they near the stop sign on the main drag outside our development. No trucks over 5 tons, D.V.M. I imagine that the folks that live in the houses right across the street from us are jumping up and down with joy. I know I am. HTP was always cranking about those trucks.
Yesterday, as HTP was cutting up pruning debris (his choice...I would have done it), and I was sitting here at my computer feeling guilty, he looks up at me from where he's working with a decided cranky expression and asks, "Why aren't you answering the phone?" Blink. The phone wasn't ringing...at least OUR phone wasn't ringing. We have a really tiny backyard. You could spit watermelon seeds from my back door to our back wall. Oh well...less to take care of while we're enjoying the desert heat or lack thereof.
We're really going to have to get used to having CLOSE neighbors again. When you are outside on our patio you can hear everyone's phones ringing, their raised voices and conversations, cupboards slamming, vacuum cleaners running, dogs barking, visiting grandchildren laughing, squealing and crying, and closed windows don't muffle the sounds if someone is yelling at someone else. We're back to the city.
And I'm ordering new batteries for my dogs bark collars before anyone starts to complain...other than HTP. Right now I've got the dogs faked out by putting the bark collars on with the old dead batteries. The dogs haven't figured out as yet that they don't work so they won't get zapped when they bark. I thought it was worth a try. Actually, no-one here has complained about my dogs barking. Not in this neighborhood. I figure that if I don't complain about other dogs barking, why should someone complain about my dogs barking? Most people share my philosophy here. I think it may be that I live in a retirement community. No-one here has to get up early in the morning to go to work so they aren't so cranky about late night barking dogs. Actually, there aren't any boredom barkers here. Most dogs here get lots of attention from their owners who treat them like children who will never grow up and leave the nest. Despite this, I prefer not to risk the wrath of some dog-hating neighbor who I haven't met. I know that such people exist. Besides, keeping the dogs from barking will keep HTP happy too.
Murphyism of the Day
Fox on Levelology
What will get you promoted on one level will get you killed on another.
Friday, October 27, 2006
Word of the Day
Udderdevelopment - Start up process for cloning cows.
We're Home!
And GI Joe is home! He's back from Iraq and the official Welcome Home celebration is going to be tomorrow. I hope that his folks take lots of pictures. DD Daughter can't get off on time to greet him as he steps off the plane but I think she did get some leave so she'll be able to fly out to spend some time with him next week....and for the rest of their lives. I'm sure they'll have their own personal and private celebration as they drive together back to DD Daughter's base in California.
We got back home in Arizona at around 7 PM last night. After resting up (cough, cough, snicker) in Vegas for a few days, we continued on our way across the Dam and through the high desert to our retirement villa in beautiful Arizona. The house was pretty warm when we got here so I ran the air for a bit to cool things down. With an outside temperature of 60°F last night, the air is now off and the windows stayed open until things heated up to a balmy 72°F this afternoon. (I need to put new batteries in my thermometer...adding it to the list.) I'll start tackling the chore of unpacking the boxes today and maybe some laundry. HTP got all our computers up and running along with the TV. We bought groceries and as soon as HTP gets back from the post office with our mail, we'll be good to go...right?
Right now I'm exhausted just thinking about everything that I have to do. I unpacked the suitcases last night. Laundry is moving right up to the top of the To Do list but my pruning finger got itchy. I looked at a jungle out in the backyard which isn't half as bad as it could have been because I have a wonderful neighbor who kept things weeded for me. However, my trees have decided to become bushes. HTP killed two black widow spiders out in the front last night and that was just while we unloaded the car. The backyard has visible Halloweeny webs crisscossing the patio. Thankfully, I was able to get all the trees pruned back without anything more than a few bloody pokes and scratches from one of the palm trees by our fountain. However, on the plus side, I now can see that I have pomegranates on my tree. I don't have as many as my Mom has on her tree and they are as big as hers (fertilizer?) but I had only two that split...so maybe I'll have enough to make a batch of wine.
Then...I stepped on the plumbing for our fountain while pruning one of the trees. HTP wasn't thrilled that he's going to have to add that to his list of things to fix. While he's at it, he's going to have to fix the irrigation system. Our neighbor had to turn off the water yesterday because both her and our yards were flooding. HTP and I went outside to find out where the leak was and....we found it. Unfortunately, it might not be an easy fix. We can't be sure at this point because we have to wait until things dry up again. We suspect that our main water line that feeds the irrigation system is broken. HTP's Honey Do List is getting longer and longer.
Arizona Daughter called to say that she and her hubby are going to Rocky Point for the weekend and though I warned her that they'd need their birth certificates...they patted me on my head, verbally, and told me that they'd only need a driver's license. I pray that they're right. I'm afraid that I'm right. I'm really going to be pissed if I'm right and have to go rescue them.
Murphyism of the Day
Conway's Law
In any organization there will always be one person who knows what is going on. This person must be fired.
Udderdevelopment - Start up process for cloning cows.
We're Home!
And GI Joe is home! He's back from Iraq and the official Welcome Home celebration is going to be tomorrow. I hope that his folks take lots of pictures. DD Daughter can't get off on time to greet him as he steps off the plane but I think she did get some leave so she'll be able to fly out to spend some time with him next week....and for the rest of their lives. I'm sure they'll have their own personal and private celebration as they drive together back to DD Daughter's base in California.
We got back home in Arizona at around 7 PM last night. After resting up (cough, cough, snicker) in Vegas for a few days, we continued on our way across the Dam and through the high desert to our retirement villa in beautiful Arizona. The house was pretty warm when we got here so I ran the air for a bit to cool things down. With an outside temperature of 60°F last night, the air is now off and the windows stayed open until things heated up to a balmy 72°F this afternoon. (I need to put new batteries in my thermometer...adding it to the list.) I'll start tackling the chore of unpacking the boxes today and maybe some laundry. HTP got all our computers up and running along with the TV. We bought groceries and as soon as HTP gets back from the post office with our mail, we'll be good to go...right?
Right now I'm exhausted just thinking about everything that I have to do. I unpacked the suitcases last night. Laundry is moving right up to the top of the To Do list but my pruning finger got itchy. I looked at a jungle out in the backyard which isn't half as bad as it could have been because I have a wonderful neighbor who kept things weeded for me. However, my trees have decided to become bushes. HTP killed two black widow spiders out in the front last night and that was just while we unloaded the car. The backyard has visible Halloweeny webs crisscossing the patio. Thankfully, I was able to get all the trees pruned back without anything more than a few bloody pokes and scratches from one of the palm trees by our fountain. However, on the plus side, I now can see that I have pomegranates on my tree. I don't have as many as my Mom has on her tree and they are as big as hers (fertilizer?) but I had only two that split...so maybe I'll have enough to make a batch of wine.
Then...I stepped on the plumbing for our fountain while pruning one of the trees. HTP wasn't thrilled that he's going to have to add that to his list of things to fix. While he's at it, he's going to have to fix the irrigation system. Our neighbor had to turn off the water yesterday because both her and our yards were flooding. HTP and I went outside to find out where the leak was and....we found it. Unfortunately, it might not be an easy fix. We can't be sure at this point because we have to wait until things dry up again. We suspect that our main water line that feeds the irrigation system is broken. HTP's Honey Do List is getting longer and longer.
Arizona Daughter called to say that she and her hubby are going to Rocky Point for the weekend and though I warned her that they'd need their birth certificates...they patted me on my head, verbally, and told me that they'd only need a driver's license. I pray that they're right. I'm afraid that I'm right. I'm really going to be pissed if I'm right and have to go rescue them.
Murphyism of the Day
Conway's Law
In any organization there will always be one person who knows what is going on. This person must be fired.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Word of the Day
Twingled - Twisted.
I woke up this morning at 5 AM. My dogs wanted to go outside. No way! We had a time change yesterday as we were leaving Nebraska. The dogs' mental clock doesn't seem to want to reset itself. I took them out at 6 AM MDT. Snow. We got snow last night as we slept. The dogs weren't too fond of it. They took care of business as fast as they could. Their paw prints sure looked cute in the snow. HTP will be glad of the scraper that he purchased from that gas station in Denver. We haven't had much use for things like that. Our old scraper used to be stored in the garage in Wisconsin, gathering dust. Before #1 son headed back to college, we gave him our old scraper so he could use it in The Big City this winter. We didn't even think about the possibility that we might need it ourselves.
Having listened to the local channels from Denver this morning, it was interesting to have it confirmed that we were lucky to get through the pass yesterday. They are requiring chains this morning for both the east and westbound lanes. Lovely. We'll still be driving in the snow and ice today but so far no mention of chains for our proposed route. I know that once we get to Eagle, we'll be good to go. The "boys" are going to be driving this morning. Fine by me. White knuckle driving isn't my thang.
******
Driving was a bit iffy today until we got past the Vail Pass. Things had cleared up by Glenwood Springs. After stopping to fill our tanks and wash the road slime off our windshields, we all decided that a visit to a car wash was a must. Thankfully, the car wash was attached to the gas station so we didn't have to go very far. It was one of those coin-op carwashes. Worked great. We ended up with two nice and shiny cars that didn't look like they'd done battle with the mountains of Colorado.
We arrived in St. George at around 6:30 PM. Everyone was pretty much worn out from long days of driving. We'd gone from temperatures that went as low as 16° F to a temperature of 76°F here in St. George.
We plan to continue our cross-country caravan trip tomorrow morning after breakfast. Although we'll be hitting the road yet again, we should arrive at our destination in two short hours. My folks will be glad to have reached their winter home. HTP and I will be glad to spend a few days in Vegas before we continue on to our winter home in Arizona.
I'm going to warn you all right now that I probably won't take the time to blog again until HTP and I arrive back in Arizona. Dial-up speed at the casino makes blogging a bit difficult. It can be done and it might be done but if I don't promise to blog, I won't feel too guilty when I fail to blog.
Murphyism of the Day
Bachman's Inevitability Theorem
The greater the cost of putting a plan into operation, the less chance there is of abandoning the plan--even if it subsequently becomes irrelevant.
Corollary
The higher the level of prestige accorded the people behind the plan, the less, less chance there is of abandoning it.
Twingled - Twisted.
I woke up this morning at 5 AM. My dogs wanted to go outside. No way! We had a time change yesterday as we were leaving Nebraska. The dogs' mental clock doesn't seem to want to reset itself. I took them out at 6 AM MDT. Snow. We got snow last night as we slept. The dogs weren't too fond of it. They took care of business as fast as they could. Their paw prints sure looked cute in the snow. HTP will be glad of the scraper that he purchased from that gas station in Denver. We haven't had much use for things like that. Our old scraper used to be stored in the garage in Wisconsin, gathering dust. Before #1 son headed back to college, we gave him our old scraper so he could use it in The Big City this winter. We didn't even think about the possibility that we might need it ourselves.
Having listened to the local channels from Denver this morning, it was interesting to have it confirmed that we were lucky to get through the pass yesterday. They are requiring chains this morning for both the east and westbound lanes. Lovely. We'll still be driving in the snow and ice today but so far no mention of chains for our proposed route. I know that once we get to Eagle, we'll be good to go. The "boys" are going to be driving this morning. Fine by me. White knuckle driving isn't my thang.
******
Driving was a bit iffy today until we got past the Vail Pass. Things had cleared up by Glenwood Springs. After stopping to fill our tanks and wash the road slime off our windshields, we all decided that a visit to a car wash was a must. Thankfully, the car wash was attached to the gas station so we didn't have to go very far. It was one of those coin-op carwashes. Worked great. We ended up with two nice and shiny cars that didn't look like they'd done battle with the mountains of Colorado.
We arrived in St. George at around 6:30 PM. Everyone was pretty much worn out from long days of driving. We'd gone from temperatures that went as low as 16° F to a temperature of 76°F here in St. George.
We plan to continue our cross-country caravan trip tomorrow morning after breakfast. Although we'll be hitting the road yet again, we should arrive at our destination in two short hours. My folks will be glad to have reached their winter home. HTP and I will be glad to spend a few days in Vegas before we continue on to our winter home in Arizona.
I'm going to warn you all right now that I probably won't take the time to blog again until HTP and I arrive back in Arizona. Dial-up speed at the casino makes blogging a bit difficult. It can be done and it might be done but if I don't promise to blog, I won't feel too guilty when I fail to blog.
Murphyism of the Day
Bachman's Inevitability Theorem
The greater the cost of putting a plan into operation, the less chance there is of abandoning the plan--even if it subsequently becomes irrelevant.
Corollary
The higher the level of prestige accorded the people behind the plan, the less, less chance there is of abandoning it.
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Word of the Day
Twigology - The study of Twiggy
This has been one long day but despite all obstacles we completed our mission for the day. We arrived at our hotel in Dillon, Colorado at around 6:30 PM MDT. We started our journey at 8 AM...Nebraska time. If we'd known that the traffic on a Saturday in October would be so incredibly awful, we may have left a bit earlier in the day. No sooner than we left the parking lot of the hotel, heading for the freeway, it became apparent that something was horribly wrong on the freeway, the very freeway that we had planned to use, that exits Omaha heading for Lincoln. We decided to take a slight detour instead of entering the freeway to join the other poor souls stuck on what looked like the biggest parking lot in Nebraska. I had visions of a horrific accident. Blood and gore everywhere. Turns out when The Huskers are playing in Nebraska, everyone in Nebraska decides to go to the game at the same time. All this traffic for a football game? When traffic finally cleared up beyond Lincoln, when we finally stopped seeing big red N flags and people wearing red, we decided that we'd better check the Husker's football schedule next fall when we make plans for our return to Arizona. On top of all this, it was raining and snowing. Yuck!
As we drove along...suddenly....we saw a UFO in the sky. It was bright. It was shiny. You couldn't even look at it without hurting your eyes. Someone call Art Bell! Oh....nevermind...it was the sun. The roads dried out but the temperatures remained cold...really cold. I'm not sure what the windchill was but my dogs didn't want to leave the relative warmth of their kennel to take their walks. I think Muggsy would have bitten me if she actually had enough teeth to do any damage. She gummed me. I persisted. No dog of mine is going to get away with gumming me. I didn't want to go out for a walk either. We went for a walk.
The weather wasn't actually too bad today until we got to the mountains of Colorado. Snow! Blowing snow! Mess up your windshield snow! I'm glad I wasn't driving at that point. HTP would have been a nervous wreck. We saw a couple of Big Horn sheep stumbling along by the side of the road. How do they walk with those big huge racks on their heads? Amazing! Even more amazing? My Mom and Dad, traveling in their minivan behind us, didn't notice them. Mom told me that they were watching the road. I imagine she meant that she was watching the gathering snow and ice in growing horror. Thankfully, just then, a sanding truck pulled out in front of all of us attempting to travel the Loveland Pass. We decided that despite the fact that the sanding truck was moving at a rather slow pace, we'd follow him. We weren't the only ones that decided that we really didn't need to test the road in front of that truck. Speed was not an issue at this point.
We here. Time for bed. Tomorrow is another day. We hope to finally encounter warmer weather tomorrow after we exit the freezing temps of the Colorado mountains. Brrrr!!!!! Oh...my dogs really hate the snow. However, Muggsy has decided that gumming my hand won't keep me from taking her out in the snow. Hah!
Murphyism of the Day
Gates's Law
The only important information in a hierarchy is who knows what.
Twigology - The study of Twiggy
This has been one long day but despite all obstacles we completed our mission for the day. We arrived at our hotel in Dillon, Colorado at around 6:30 PM MDT. We started our journey at 8 AM...Nebraska time. If we'd known that the traffic on a Saturday in October would be so incredibly awful, we may have left a bit earlier in the day. No sooner than we left the parking lot of the hotel, heading for the freeway, it became apparent that something was horribly wrong on the freeway, the very freeway that we had planned to use, that exits Omaha heading for Lincoln. We decided to take a slight detour instead of entering the freeway to join the other poor souls stuck on what looked like the biggest parking lot in Nebraska. I had visions of a horrific accident. Blood and gore everywhere. Turns out when The Huskers are playing in Nebraska, everyone in Nebraska decides to go to the game at the same time. All this traffic for a football game? When traffic finally cleared up beyond Lincoln, when we finally stopped seeing big red N flags and people wearing red, we decided that we'd better check the Husker's football schedule next fall when we make plans for our return to Arizona. On top of all this, it was raining and snowing. Yuck!
As we drove along...suddenly....we saw a UFO in the sky. It was bright. It was shiny. You couldn't even look at it without hurting your eyes. Someone call Art Bell! Oh....nevermind...it was the sun. The roads dried out but the temperatures remained cold...really cold. I'm not sure what the windchill was but my dogs didn't want to leave the relative warmth of their kennel to take their walks. I think Muggsy would have bitten me if she actually had enough teeth to do any damage. She gummed me. I persisted. No dog of mine is going to get away with gumming me. I didn't want to go out for a walk either. We went for a walk.
The weather wasn't actually too bad today until we got to the mountains of Colorado. Snow! Blowing snow! Mess up your windshield snow! I'm glad I wasn't driving at that point. HTP would have been a nervous wreck. We saw a couple of Big Horn sheep stumbling along by the side of the road. How do they walk with those big huge racks on their heads? Amazing! Even more amazing? My Mom and Dad, traveling in their minivan behind us, didn't notice them. Mom told me that they were watching the road. I imagine she meant that she was watching the gathering snow and ice in growing horror. Thankfully, just then, a sanding truck pulled out in front of all of us attempting to travel the Loveland Pass. We decided that despite the fact that the sanding truck was moving at a rather slow pace, we'd follow him. We weren't the only ones that decided that we really didn't need to test the road in front of that truck. Speed was not an issue at this point.
We here. Time for bed. Tomorrow is another day. We hope to finally encounter warmer weather tomorrow after we exit the freezing temps of the Colorado mountains. Brrrr!!!!! Oh...my dogs really hate the snow. However, Muggsy has decided that gumming my hand won't keep me from taking her out in the snow. Hah!
Murphyism of the Day
Gates's Law
The only important information in a hierarchy is who knows what.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Word of the Day
Twerpazoid - Someone who looks so dorky that you have to bring back the word twerp to describe them.
Wake UP!
We're off! Maybe I'll blog more tonight. My Murphyism Book is packed so that'll have to wait too.
******
We started our journey with a dusting of snow. As we ate breakfast in town, I couldn't remember if I'd packed my "appliance" or not. I was positive sure that I'd left it on the counter in our bathroom. So...after breakfast HTP and returned to The Lake to retrieve my "appliance". I didn't leave it at The Lake. I'd packed it in my suitcase by mistake. Sigh. Oh well. Anyway, because of this unscheduled stop, we were 15 minutes late in getting to our rendezvous spot where we planned to meet my folks. We were forgiven.
The trip today was uneventful. The skies were fairly clear and we enjoyed the relative warmth of 56' F which felt a heck of a lot better than the 30'F temps that we had left behind. We arrived in Omaha, Nebraska where we're spending tonight at around 6 PM. At this point, it was decided that we should eat supper before checking into our hotel for the night. We had a wonderful meal at Valentino's. This Italian Buffet is absolutely wonderful. DD Daughter and her husband GI Joe introduced us to this restaurant last summer. Fabulous!
Our accomodations for the night are pretty good. Unfortunately, the kids in the neighboring room to ours are a bit rowdy. That's diplomatic speak. It sounds like a thundering herd of bison are jumping around in there. Actually, a thundering herd of bison might be a bit quieter. The bed in our room is shaking.
Murphyism of the Day
Rogers's Rule
Authorization for a project will be granted only when none of the authorizers can be blamed if the project fails but when all the authorizers can claim credit if it succeeds.
Twerpazoid - Someone who looks so dorky that you have to bring back the word twerp to describe them.
Wake UP!
We're off! Maybe I'll blog more tonight. My Murphyism Book is packed so that'll have to wait too.
******
We started our journey with a dusting of snow. As we ate breakfast in town, I couldn't remember if I'd packed my "appliance" or not. I was positive sure that I'd left it on the counter in our bathroom. So...after breakfast HTP and returned to The Lake to retrieve my "appliance". I didn't leave it at The Lake. I'd packed it in my suitcase by mistake. Sigh. Oh well. Anyway, because of this unscheduled stop, we were 15 minutes late in getting to our rendezvous spot where we planned to meet my folks. We were forgiven.
The trip today was uneventful. The skies were fairly clear and we enjoyed the relative warmth of 56' F which felt a heck of a lot better than the 30'F temps that we had left behind. We arrived in Omaha, Nebraska where we're spending tonight at around 6 PM. At this point, it was decided that we should eat supper before checking into our hotel for the night. We had a wonderful meal at Valentino's. This Italian Buffet is absolutely wonderful. DD Daughter and her husband GI Joe introduced us to this restaurant last summer. Fabulous!
Our accomodations for the night are pretty good. Unfortunately, the kids in the neighboring room to ours are a bit rowdy. That's diplomatic speak. It sounds like a thundering herd of bison are jumping around in there. Actually, a thundering herd of bison might be a bit quieter. The bed in our room is shaking.
Murphyism of the Day
Rogers's Rule
Authorization for a project will be granted only when none of the authorizers can be blamed if the project fails but when all the authorizers can claim credit if it succeeds.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Word of the Day
Twangled - To be twisted and tangled.
1 Day and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road
This is it guys. HTP still hasn't packed but I'm sure he'll start that project today. He'll be breaking down the computers any time now. I thought I'd better blog while the blogging is good. Besides, I need to get my Murphyism book packed up so I don't forget it. Then I'll be making one last breakfast here at The Lake. Two eggs left, a couple of pieces of bread and some milk and cereal. I'm good to go. We'll eat out tomorrow morning. Donuts? Since we're hitting the open road early tomorrow, we'll be loading all of our stuff tonight into one large SUV that isn't all that large when I look at all the stuff we need to bring back to Arizona. This is kind of like moving, only we do it twice a year.
I'm not at all sure when I'll be able to post my next blog entry. Although we should have internet each night, blogging won't be high on the priority list. We'll see. Maybe I'll be able to blog, maybe not. If not? Well....it's not like you all will be missing all that much but I'll try and catch you up when we get to Vegas. Or failing that, after we get back to Arizona.
It really is time to go back to Arizona. We got snow mixed with rain yesterday. The weather is starting to remind me and HTP of the four years we lived in Oregon. I have nothing against Oregon. It's a beautiful state.....a beautiful state that has more ways of describing rain and cloudiness and generally crappy, dreary weather than any other that I know of. Rain, drizzle, occasional cloud breaks, cloudy with occasional sunbreaks? Yup. It's time for HTP and me to go find some sun again. I think even the bald eagles have headed on south.
Murphyism of the Day
Harrison's Postulate
For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism.
Twangled - To be twisted and tangled.
1 Day and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road
This is it guys. HTP still hasn't packed but I'm sure he'll start that project today. He'll be breaking down the computers any time now. I thought I'd better blog while the blogging is good. Besides, I need to get my Murphyism book packed up so I don't forget it. Then I'll be making one last breakfast here at The Lake. Two eggs left, a couple of pieces of bread and some milk and cereal. I'm good to go. We'll eat out tomorrow morning. Donuts? Since we're hitting the open road early tomorrow, we'll be loading all of our stuff tonight into one large SUV that isn't all that large when I look at all the stuff we need to bring back to Arizona. This is kind of like moving, only we do it twice a year.
I'm not at all sure when I'll be able to post my next blog entry. Although we should have internet each night, blogging won't be high on the priority list. We'll see. Maybe I'll be able to blog, maybe not. If not? Well....it's not like you all will be missing all that much but I'll try and catch you up when we get to Vegas. Or failing that, after we get back to Arizona.
It really is time to go back to Arizona. We got snow mixed with rain yesterday. The weather is starting to remind me and HTP of the four years we lived in Oregon. I have nothing against Oregon. It's a beautiful state.....a beautiful state that has more ways of describing rain and cloudiness and generally crappy, dreary weather than any other that I know of. Rain, drizzle, occasional cloud breaks, cloudy with occasional sunbreaks? Yup. It's time for HTP and me to go find some sun again. I think even the bald eagles have headed on south.
Murphyism of the Day
Harrison's Postulate
For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Word of the Day
Tump - Cross between tip and dump.
2 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road
Packing. Laundry. Clear all the perishables from the fridge and then scrub and dry. Take care of the lawn guy and arrange for him to plow our 1/2 mile drive-way while we're gone. Run off to the dentist for my final "appliance" fitting. And then? Well...we found out that #1 son must have borrowed HTP's small black suitcase because it isn't here. So? Off to the store to buy another suitcase for HTP so he can finally get packing. Sigh. Now...why in the world would it cost less to buy a set of four suitcases than buying on small carry-on suitcase? We bought the set of four. I have no idea what we'll do with all the luggage but I guess we'll figure it out. Tetris here we come. Tomorrow.
Murphyism of the Day
Perkins's Postulate
The bigger they are, the harder they hit.
Tump - Cross between tip and dump.
2 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road
Packing. Laundry. Clear all the perishables from the fridge and then scrub and dry. Take care of the lawn guy and arrange for him to plow our 1/2 mile drive-way while we're gone. Run off to the dentist for my final "appliance" fitting. And then? Well...we found out that #1 son must have borrowed HTP's small black suitcase because it isn't here. So? Off to the store to buy another suitcase for HTP so he can finally get packing. Sigh. Now...why in the world would it cost less to buy a set of four suitcases than buying on small carry-on suitcase? We bought the set of four. I have no idea what we'll do with all the luggage but I guess we'll figure it out. Tetris here we come. Tomorrow.
Murphyism of the Day
Perkins's Postulate
The bigger they are, the harder they hit.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Word of the Day
Tsarcasm - Royal wisecracking.
3 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road
I'm still packing. Actually, I packed both of my suitcases, just to make sure that everything would fit in them. Now...I'm having to unpack stuff because I still need it. The same thing happened last night when I made my famous spaghetti sauce. No recipe. I'd packed my recipes. On a side note, I really need to spend time copying my recipes onto the computer so I don't have to lug recipe files cross-country twice a year. Anyway, I had to dig out my recipe from the box where it was packed. And this morning? I had to put it back so I wouldn't forget it here in Wisconsin when I'll need it back in Arizona. HTP always gives me heck for packing way too early. The only thing is that I hate to wait until the last minute to do things and then run around in panic mode and forget things that I forgot to put on The List.
I think I could actually finish up my packing today but what would be the point? My Grandmother used to tell me stories about when she little. When she was little, her parents would on occasion treat her and her sister to candy. Now...my Grandmother's sister would eat all her candy as fast as she could put it in her mouth. My Grandmother, on the other hand, would take just a bit of candy and save the rest to enjoy later. This would have been great if my Grandmother didn't have a sister who had already finished her candy asap. I can't tell you how many times my Grandmother told me how she'd end up having to share her remaining candy with her sister. So what was the moral of this story? You'd think I'd have learned it by now. Gobble down your candy as soon as you can or you'll end up losing it!
OK...so I told you that story so I could illustrate a similar tale. I, as I stated previously, like to pack things "too early" because I hate panic mode packing. I hate trying to do too much work in too little time. I am no Hercules tasked with cleaning up the Augean Stables. Unfortunately, HTP likes to leave his packing to the very last minute. It drives HTP nuts to see me sitting around doing nothing. The entire time he's packing he's trying to think up things for me to do....from his list. Did you unplug all the nightlights? Yes. Did you make sure all the fans are off? Yes. Did you pull all the shades? All but this one. Did you switch off the circuits for the dock light? Yes. How about the answering machine? Yes. The list of questions goes on and on because his list duplicates some of the stuff on my list. And the moral of my story? Don't hang around worker bees if you don't want to be swept along in the frenzy?
If you think about it you might be able to see a similarity in my two tales. Maybe not. Maybe I should have told you the tale of the ants and the grasshopper. But you see, HTP isn't a grasshopper. He really does work hard. It's just that he can't stand it that I finish up my work before he does because I started sooner and spread my workload out more. And...I've never seen HTP have to unpack stuff because he packed something he still needs. So? Nope, I just can't change at this point. I'd rather unpack something that I still need than risk forgetting something in a last minute packing panic. I guess this will just have to remain as another one of my "You fish your way and I'll fish my way" moments in life. And I'll suck it up and go down and check to make sure the basement door is locked....again. At least it isn't as bad as finding out the hard way that the toilet seat was left up after you've stumbled half asleep to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Ewwww! I really hate that one.
Murphyism of the Day
The Pitfalls of Genius
No boss will keep an employee who is right all the time.
Tsarcasm - Royal wisecracking.
3 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road
I'm still packing. Actually, I packed both of my suitcases, just to make sure that everything would fit in them. Now...I'm having to unpack stuff because I still need it. The same thing happened last night when I made my famous spaghetti sauce. No recipe. I'd packed my recipes. On a side note, I really need to spend time copying my recipes onto the computer so I don't have to lug recipe files cross-country twice a year. Anyway, I had to dig out my recipe from the box where it was packed. And this morning? I had to put it back so I wouldn't forget it here in Wisconsin when I'll need it back in Arizona. HTP always gives me heck for packing way too early. The only thing is that I hate to wait until the last minute to do things and then run around in panic mode and forget things that I forgot to put on The List.
I think I could actually finish up my packing today but what would be the point? My Grandmother used to tell me stories about when she little. When she was little, her parents would on occasion treat her and her sister to candy. Now...my Grandmother's sister would eat all her candy as fast as she could put it in her mouth. My Grandmother, on the other hand, would take just a bit of candy and save the rest to enjoy later. This would have been great if my Grandmother didn't have a sister who had already finished her candy asap. I can't tell you how many times my Grandmother told me how she'd end up having to share her remaining candy with her sister. So what was the moral of this story? You'd think I'd have learned it by now. Gobble down your candy as soon as you can or you'll end up losing it!
OK...so I told you that story so I could illustrate a similar tale. I, as I stated previously, like to pack things "too early" because I hate panic mode packing. I hate trying to do too much work in too little time. I am no Hercules tasked with cleaning up the Augean Stables. Unfortunately, HTP likes to leave his packing to the very last minute. It drives HTP nuts to see me sitting around doing nothing. The entire time he's packing he's trying to think up things for me to do....from his list. Did you unplug all the nightlights? Yes. Did you make sure all the fans are off? Yes. Did you pull all the shades? All but this one. Did you switch off the circuits for the dock light? Yes. How about the answering machine? Yes. The list of questions goes on and on because his list duplicates some of the stuff on my list. And the moral of my story? Don't hang around worker bees if you don't want to be swept along in the frenzy?
If you think about it you might be able to see a similarity in my two tales. Maybe not. Maybe I should have told you the tale of the ants and the grasshopper. But you see, HTP isn't a grasshopper. He really does work hard. It's just that he can't stand it that I finish up my work before he does because I started sooner and spread my workload out more. And...I've never seen HTP have to unpack stuff because he packed something he still needs. So? Nope, I just can't change at this point. I'd rather unpack something that I still need than risk forgetting something in a last minute packing panic. I guess this will just have to remain as another one of my "You fish your way and I'll fish my way" moments in life. And I'll suck it up and go down and check to make sure the basement door is locked....again. At least it isn't as bad as finding out the hard way that the toilet seat was left up after you've stumbled half asleep to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Ewwww! I really hate that one.
Murphyism of the Day
The Pitfalls of Genius
No boss will keep an employee who is right all the time.
Monday, October 16, 2006
Word of the Day
Trustafarian - A dreadlocked rastafarian with a trust fund.
4 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road
I'm packing! Good thing I've got a list. I think I can, I think I can.....
Murphyism of the Day
Aigner's Axiom
No matter how well you perform your job, a superior will seek to modify the results.
Trustafarian - A dreadlocked rastafarian with a trust fund.
4 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road
I'm packing! Good thing I've got a list. I think I can, I think I can.....
Murphyism of the Day
Aigner's Axiom
No matter how well you perform your job, a superior will seek to modify the results.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Word of the Day
Truction - A combination of truth and fiction.
5 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road
I used to be immortal. A friend of mine sent me some beautiful pictures someone had taken on The Road to Death in Bolivia. It was one of those e-mail forwards that she sends me on occasion. The thing is that....I've been on that road and ones just like it! I don't recall them calling it Road of Death but I might not have been paying too much attention to anything back then but the views. I lived, traveled, and explored in Bolivia for a year. Funny...that road didn't seem so bad back when I was 18 years old. Of course back then I traveled light on those old rickety buses with locals and their chickens or guinea pigs. I was immortal back then. Traveling through the mountains like that with the mists rising from the valley below...gorgeous.
I'm not sure when I started losing my immortality. Was it when I quit smoking? Was it when I decided school was more important that breaking my leg going down some ski slope? Was it when I trundled my children down to the basement during a tornado warning instead of staying to watch from an outside deck as was my desire? Immortality kind of snuck away from me as I got older. I don't even recall because its departure was so silent. When I looked at my son and his young cousin the other day, I could clearly see that they were still immortal. I haven't seen my daughters for a while but somehow I think they're losing bits and pieces of their immortality. Maybe you lose a bit of your immortality when you have to start paying for your own doctor bills. Or maybe it's when you realize the risk isn't worth the cost and you really know what things cost. I'm not sure when I became completely mortal, or even realized that I was. Looking back on it, maybe it was the year that I registered as a Republican.
Murphyism of the Day
Herbert's Law
A bureaucracy is an organization that has raised stupidity to the status of religion.
Truction - A combination of truth and fiction.
5 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road
I used to be immortal. A friend of mine sent me some beautiful pictures someone had taken on The Road to Death in Bolivia. It was one of those e-mail forwards that she sends me on occasion. The thing is that....I've been on that road and ones just like it! I don't recall them calling it Road of Death but I might not have been paying too much attention to anything back then but the views. I lived, traveled, and explored in Bolivia for a year. Funny...that road didn't seem so bad back when I was 18 years old. Of course back then I traveled light on those old rickety buses with locals and their chickens or guinea pigs. I was immortal back then. Traveling through the mountains like that with the mists rising from the valley below...gorgeous.
I'm not sure when I started losing my immortality. Was it when I quit smoking? Was it when I decided school was more important that breaking my leg going down some ski slope? Was it when I trundled my children down to the basement during a tornado warning instead of staying to watch from an outside deck as was my desire? Immortality kind of snuck away from me as I got older. I don't even recall because its departure was so silent. When I looked at my son and his young cousin the other day, I could clearly see that they were still immortal. I haven't seen my daughters for a while but somehow I think they're losing bits and pieces of their immortality. Maybe you lose a bit of your immortality when you have to start paying for your own doctor bills. Or maybe it's when you realize the risk isn't worth the cost and you really know what things cost. I'm not sure when I became completely mortal, or even realized that I was. Looking back on it, maybe it was the year that I registered as a Republican.
Murphyism of the Day
Herbert's Law
A bureaucracy is an organization that has raised stupidity to the status of religion.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Word of the Day
Tritto - When someone says something, and someone else agrees and says 'ditto', and you're just standing there agreeing. Say tritto.
6 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road
With less than a week before HTP and I hit the road along with my folks, there is much to be done. Unfortunately (fortunately?), much of the things on my To Do List are things that have to wait until the night before we head out. I still have things To Do but I'm really going to have things To Do next week. I dread hearing HTP tell me that there is no way that all this is going to fit into the car. He tends to do this bi-annually.
#1 son is here to spend the weekend with us. He got in late last night. He's on my To Do List. We're going to have to take him shopping one last time for whatever he'll need between now and Christmas when we see him next. There are a few houseplants (his houseplants) that he needs to take back to his apartment with him when he leaves on Sunday. There's more...it's on The List. Oh...and I'm going to start that laundry as soon as I'm done blogging. I'll have to do laundry again (HTP's and mine) one more time before we hit the road.
The snow has all melted for the most part. I'm not sure if we'll be getting any more before we close up or not. There are a few patches in the woods that draw the eye against the background of fallen leaves. Leaves? The last of them have fallen except those few stragglers hanging onto the upper branches of the oak trees. No more pretty colors. Only my icicle violas are still blooming along with their Johnny Jump-up equivalent. I'm glad that I planted a those eight little plants a couple of years ago. They've been fruitful and multiplied and cover the garden with a variety of unpredictable color. They keep on blooming despite the freezing temperatures and the snow.
Murphyism of the Day
Nies's Law
The effort expended by a bureaucracy in defending any error is in direct proportion to the size of the error.
Tritto - When someone says something, and someone else agrees and says 'ditto', and you're just standing there agreeing. Say tritto.
6 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road
With less than a week before HTP and I hit the road along with my folks, there is much to be done. Unfortunately (fortunately?), much of the things on my To Do List are things that have to wait until the night before we head out. I still have things To Do but I'm really going to have things To Do next week. I dread hearing HTP tell me that there is no way that all this is going to fit into the car. He tends to do this bi-annually.
#1 son is here to spend the weekend with us. He got in late last night. He's on my To Do List. We're going to have to take him shopping one last time for whatever he'll need between now and Christmas when we see him next. There are a few houseplants (his houseplants) that he needs to take back to his apartment with him when he leaves on Sunday. There's more...it's on The List. Oh...and I'm going to start that laundry as soon as I'm done blogging. I'll have to do laundry again (HTP's and mine) one more time before we hit the road.
The snow has all melted for the most part. I'm not sure if we'll be getting any more before we close up or not. There are a few patches in the woods that draw the eye against the background of fallen leaves. Leaves? The last of them have fallen except those few stragglers hanging onto the upper branches of the oak trees. No more pretty colors. Only my icicle violas are still blooming along with their Johnny Jump-up equivalent. I'm glad that I planted a those eight little plants a couple of years ago. They've been fruitful and multiplied and cover the garden with a variety of unpredictable color. They keep on blooming despite the freezing temperatures and the snow.
Murphyism of the Day
Nies's Law
The effort expended by a bureaucracy in defending any error is in direct proportion to the size of the error.
Friday, October 13, 2006
Word of the Day
Trippish - Someone who sets a time to meet, using "ish" three times.
7 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road
Only one more week and at this point our plans are pretty much written in blood. However, because I'm a native Minnesotan, I'm frantically knocking on wood and I refuse to engrave anything in stone. Stuff happens and I just don't want to jinx things.
Although all the snow melted last night before I headed to bed, I woke up to 2 inches of freshly fallen snow this morning. This is the earliest snowfall that I've ever experienced here at The Lake. I do remember a snowstorm on Halloween that occurred when I was growing up in Minnesota and that was supposed to be early. Global warming? It's 33° F right now.
Murphyism of the Day
Gammon's Law
In a bureaucratic system, increase in expenditure will be matched by fall in production.
Trippish - Someone who sets a time to meet, using "ish" three times.
7 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road
Only one more week and at this point our plans are pretty much written in blood. However, because I'm a native Minnesotan, I'm frantically knocking on wood and I refuse to engrave anything in stone. Stuff happens and I just don't want to jinx things.
Although all the snow melted last night before I headed to bed, I woke up to 2 inches of freshly fallen snow this morning. This is the earliest snowfall that I've ever experienced here at The Lake. I do remember a snowstorm on Halloween that occurred when I was growing up in Minnesota and that was supposed to be early. Global warming? It's 33° F right now.
Murphyism of the Day
Gammon's Law
In a bureaucratic system, increase in expenditure will be matched by fall in production.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Word of the Day
Treeunion - A family and extended family reunion.
8 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road*
It's snowing again. It was 20°F when I got up this morning. We may get as much as 4 inches of the white stuff. I actually bundled up and went outside to took some pictures. This time I made sure that the digital camera had "film" in it. If we get enough snow, I plan to enjoy a Snowball Margarita. I haven't had one of those in years, not since the last time HTP and I were here during a snow-storm. We don't make a habit of it. Our snow of yesterday didn't stick around long enough. I'm not holding out too much hope that it'll stick around too long today either. I suspect that when they (the weather people) say that we'll be getting 4 inches of snow, they really mean that the arrowhead are of Minnesota and the upper peninsula of Michigan are going to be getting that kind of snow. We tend to get lumped into their weather reporting. It's doubtful that the weather people even know where we are other than a speck on the map. And all that is just fine with me...less weekenders to worry about.
It is interesting to note that my dogs aren't any more fond of snow than they are of water.
Murphyism of the Day
Adler's Axiom
Language is all that separates us from the lower animals--and from the bureaucrats.
* 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
Treeunion - A family and extended family reunion.
8 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road*
It's snowing again. It was 20°F when I got up this morning. We may get as much as 4 inches of the white stuff. I actually bundled up and went outside to took some pictures. This time I made sure that the digital camera had "film" in it. If we get enough snow, I plan to enjoy a Snowball Margarita. I haven't had one of those in years, not since the last time HTP and I were here during a snow-storm. We don't make a habit of it. Our snow of yesterday didn't stick around long enough. I'm not holding out too much hope that it'll stick around too long today either. I suspect that when they (the weather people) say that we'll be getting 4 inches of snow, they really mean that the arrowhead are of Minnesota and the upper peninsula of Michigan are going to be getting that kind of snow. We tend to get lumped into their weather reporting. It's doubtful that the weather people even know where we are other than a speck on the map. And all that is just fine with me...less weekenders to worry about.
It is interesting to note that my dogs aren't any more fond of snow than they are of water.
Murphyism of the Day
Adler's Axiom
Language is all that separates us from the lower animals--and from the bureaucrats.
* 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
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Word of the Day
Traumulate - Relating trauma to others.
9 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road*
We're in the single digits now. Any day now I can remover the disclaimer that I post at the bottom of my blog. I'm pretty darn sure that my countdown is accurate at the is point. The blood is drying on the itinerary as I write this. Everyone can start panicking. Not to worry, I'm only kidding. Everything is under control. I've got complete control of the whole "Getting Ready to Leave" situation.
It's snowing! Actually, it's stopped now but we got snow. Not much snow but it was pretty while it lasted. It is really cold outside. Now that the sun has finally broken through, the snow is melting into slush. While it was snowing it looked like we were living in our own personal snowglobe. Alas, I failed to take a picture of this event. I'm starting to make a list of missed Kodak moments. I did go outside to take pictures but the digital camera didn't have any film in it. Someone (HTP) had removed the memory stick so he could download the pictures he'd take yesterday in The Big City. I was busily taking pictures of....nothing.
Murphyism of the Day
McCarthy's Maxim
The only thing that saves us from the bureaucracy is its inefficiency.
* 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.
Traumulate - Relating trauma to others.
9 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road*
We're in the single digits now. Any day now I can remover the disclaimer that I post at the bottom of my blog. I'm pretty darn sure that my countdown is accurate at the is point. The blood is drying on the itinerary as I write this. Everyone can start panicking. Not to worry, I'm only kidding. Everything is under control. I've got complete control of the whole "Getting Ready to Leave" situation.
It's snowing! Actually, it's stopped now but we got snow. Not much snow but it was pretty while it lasted. It is really cold outside. Now that the sun has finally broken through, the snow is melting into slush. While it was snowing it looked like we were living in our own personal snowglobe. Alas, I failed to take a picture of this event. I'm starting to make a list of missed Kodak moments. I did go outside to take pictures but the digital camera didn't have any film in it. Someone (HTP) had removed the memory stick so he could download the pictures he'd take yesterday in The Big City. I was busily taking pictures of....nothing.
Murphyism of the Day
McCarthy's Maxim
The only thing that saves us from the bureaucracy is its inefficiency.
* 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.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Word of the Day
Trashmere - Fake cashmere wool.
10 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road*
You know it's cold outside when the water in the dog dish freezes over. I guess it's time to bring the dogs' water dish inside at night. I don't like to leave water out for them inside the house. Even though they're just tiny little chihuahuas (if you buy small dogs you can have two) they make a bit of a mess with their water. I prefer to keep that kind of mess outside where I don't have to worry about mopping. (At this point my sister is asking herself, "She mops?! Oh sure...pull the other one.) I mop. I just don't make a habit of it.
I'm going to be bottling the rest of the wine today with my sister. We may have to design some new labels for next year's production. Two Sisters Winery. LOL.
HTP has gone off to The Big City for one last visit with his folks before HTP and I head on back to Arizona. I need to continue to whittle down that To Do List so I stayed home. I won't start on my Packing List until next week though I have started packing up some of the canned goods that I plan to bring back with me.
I really love my new froggy keyboard. Only...it's a good thing I don't have to look at the keyboard to type because all the letters that identify the keys are wearing off. Thank goodness for those typing lessons that I took in high school...we didn't have keyboarding back in the dark ages before PC's. Anyone out there know of a remedy? Is there such a thing as letter transfers that you can use? I'm not a hunt and pecker when it comes to typing but sometimes it's nice to look down and see the letters. I can still see the Q, part of the W, the Y, the U, most of the I, part of the O, the P, the J, a fade K, the Z is still there and so is the X, the C is almost gone, the V is fading, the B is unrecognizable, but the M is still there. All the rest of the stuff is still there. So...if anyone has any suggestions?
Murphyism of the Day
Law of Corporate Takeovers
In any corporate buyout, the resultant company will provide inferior service and quality.
Corollaries
1. The larger the company that takes over, the less attention is paid to projects ongoing before the takeover.
2. When they say no jobs will be lost, they are lying.
* 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.
Trashmere - Fake cashmere wool.
10 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road*
You know it's cold outside when the water in the dog dish freezes over. I guess it's time to bring the dogs' water dish inside at night. I don't like to leave water out for them inside the house. Even though they're just tiny little chihuahuas (if you buy small dogs you can have two) they make a bit of a mess with their water. I prefer to keep that kind of mess outside where I don't have to worry about mopping. (At this point my sister is asking herself, "She mops?! Oh sure...pull the other one.) I mop. I just don't make a habit of it.
I'm going to be bottling the rest of the wine today with my sister. We may have to design some new labels for next year's production. Two Sisters Winery. LOL.
HTP has gone off to The Big City for one last visit with his folks before HTP and I head on back to Arizona. I need to continue to whittle down that To Do List so I stayed home. I won't start on my Packing List until next week though I have started packing up some of the canned goods that I plan to bring back with me.
I really love my new froggy keyboard. Only...it's a good thing I don't have to look at the keyboard to type because all the letters that identify the keys are wearing off. Thank goodness for those typing lessons that I took in high school...we didn't have keyboarding back in the dark ages before PC's. Anyone out there know of a remedy? Is there such a thing as letter transfers that you can use? I'm not a hunt and pecker when it comes to typing but sometimes it's nice to look down and see the letters. I can still see the Q, part of the W, the Y, the U, most of the I, part of the O, the P, the J, a fade K, the Z is still there and so is the X, the C is almost gone, the V is fading, the B is unrecognizable, but the M is still there. All the rest of the stuff is still there. So...if anyone has any suggestions?
Murphyism of the Day
Law of Corporate Takeovers
In any corporate buyout, the resultant company will provide inferior service and quality.
Corollaries
1. The larger the company that takes over, the less attention is paid to projects ongoing before the takeover.
2. When they say no jobs will be lost, they are lying.
* 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.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Word of the Day
Transvey - To convey a thought between soulmates that transfers every essence of the thought, without saying a word.
11 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road*
Now that there are more leaves on the ground than on the trees, I noticed a weird thing. One of my dogs is the exact color of the majority of the fallen leaves. When she's outside, I have a hard time seeing her unless she's moving. I went outside to call her in this morning and I couldn't find her. She was right there but I couldn't see her. I'm just not sure why this year is the first year that I've noticed this.
I had a partridge in a pear tree this morning. Actually, it was a pheasant in my crab-apple tree but let's not quibble. I ran to get my camera to take a picture but as is the way of things, I was too late. I miss so many really cool pictures. The other day there were three fawns browsing on the island where I have our glider. I missed that shot too. And then there was the time that our dog came nose to nose with a chipmunk. The chipmunk stood up and chattered at my dog and my dog turned tail and ran. I imagine that if I ever saw a Bigfoot or a UFO, I'd miss those shots too.
I bottled the Limoncello this morning. I also cleaned up the deck and stored my Earthboxes in the garage. I still need to bring the windchimes inside but I did manage to store away the birdseed feeders too. My ongoing war with the raccoons will have to wait until next year.
One of the other things I took care of today was arranging for our absentee voting ballots for the coming November elections. There are many who are hoping some of us will just stay home and let others make our decisions for us. My vote may not really make much of a difference but there is no way that I'm going to wake up the day after this election or any election and not be able to say that at least I voted.
Murphyism of the Day
Acheson's Rule of Bureaucracy
A memorandum is written not to inform the reader but to protect the writer.
* 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.
Transvey - To convey a thought between soulmates that transfers every essence of the thought, without saying a word.
11 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road*
Now that there are more leaves on the ground than on the trees, I noticed a weird thing. One of my dogs is the exact color of the majority of the fallen leaves. When she's outside, I have a hard time seeing her unless she's moving. I went outside to call her in this morning and I couldn't find her. She was right there but I couldn't see her. I'm just not sure why this year is the first year that I've noticed this.
I had a partridge in a pear tree this morning. Actually, it was a pheasant in my crab-apple tree but let's not quibble. I ran to get my camera to take a picture but as is the way of things, I was too late. I miss so many really cool pictures. The other day there were three fawns browsing on the island where I have our glider. I missed that shot too. And then there was the time that our dog came nose to nose with a chipmunk. The chipmunk stood up and chattered at my dog and my dog turned tail and ran. I imagine that if I ever saw a Bigfoot or a UFO, I'd miss those shots too.
I bottled the Limoncello this morning. I also cleaned up the deck and stored my Earthboxes in the garage. I still need to bring the windchimes inside but I did manage to store away the birdseed feeders too. My ongoing war with the raccoons will have to wait until next year.
One of the other things I took care of today was arranging for our absentee voting ballots for the coming November elections. There are many who are hoping some of us will just stay home and let others make our decisions for us. My vote may not really make much of a difference but there is no way that I'm going to wake up the day after this election or any election and not be able to say that at least I voted.
Murphyism of the Day
Acheson's Rule of Bureaucracy
A memorandum is written not to inform the reader but to protect the writer.
* 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.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Word of the Day
Transmuters - Commuters who transmit data from laptops while commuting.
12 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road*
Happy Birthday DD Daughter!
It's DD Daughter's birthday today!
Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birthday Dear DD Daughter! Happy Birthday to You!
Transmuters - Commuters who transmit data from laptops while commuting.
12 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road*
Happy Birthday DD Daughter!
It's DD Daughter's birthday today!
Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birthday Dear DD Daughter! Happy Birthday to You!
Murphyism of the Day
Rule of Defactualization
Information deteriorates upward through bureaucracies.
* 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.Saturday, October 07, 2006
Word of the Day
Transhairance - When you pass a hair in your mouth with a kiss.
13 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road*
Moan! Less than two weeks! We pulled the boat out today. It wasn't the best possible day for it. Wind. Lots of wind. What should have been a fairly easy task, turned into a comedy of errors...or a little shop of horrors. Anyway, HTP and I maneuvered the boat around the dock to loosen and raise the legs of the dock off the lake floor so the dock was only resting on its wheels. HTP managed to hang onto the tools as he loosened the bolts, lifted the legs and then re-fastened the bolts. Not an easy task. Many a wrench have ended up on the floor of the lake, many a bolt lost. But, I have to say, HTP has never done either. Close...but so far we've been pretty lucky.
After that the boat was ready to be taken from the lake. HTP headed off to the boat-landing via the lake and I drove the car with the trailer attached to said boat-landing. The trailer was still attached when I got to the boat-landing. Barely. Somewhere between our house and the boat-landing the trailer managed to un-hitch itself. And I couldn't figure out how to re-hitch it because part of the trailer was stuck under the car. As some friendly, helpful people and I stood and puzzled over the situation, HTP attempted a first pass at landing the boat at the dock by the boat-landing. There were white-caps on the lake. The wind was blowing briskly from the south. Landing a boat in such conditions isn't and easy task. HTP ended up looking like we were trying out for a part in a Laurel and Hardy movie. At least this time no-one slipped or fell into the water. I'm racing to grab a rope that HTP is trying to toss to me on the dock. It took several throws before I could finally catch it. Then, I end up having to hold a heavy boat close to the dock with waves washing over the dock-boards soaking my pant-legs. Our boat isn't a light-weight. I'm sure it weighs far more than me. I finally managed to tie off the boat using a clove-hitch. In the meantime, HTP finally managed to get the trailer re-hitched to the car. We still haven't figured out how it came un-hitched. You'd think this was the end of our adventure. Nope.
Backing a boat-trailer down a boat ramp, into the lake, isn't an easy task. At least, we don't seem to have the hang of it as yet. Finally, with me frantically waving my hands and HTP listening to the frantic sound of our backup sensor as it beeped hysterically because it thought HTP was going to run into something (the trailer), the trailer ended up on the right track. Then came the fun part. We had to direct a huge boat onto the right path against the wind and up the trailer. Even with the trailer winch, this wasn't easy. But...we did it. The boat has been pulled. We drove, car with trailer and boat attached, over to where it'll be winterized. And then, after having to back the stupid thing again, (more frantic beeping) we returned to our house. At this point you'd think HTP and I would call it a day. Nope.
It's going to rain tomorrow. Next week we may get snow. The dock needed to be pulled out of the lake. The weather wasn't going to get any better. No time like the present. Actually, I don't think we did too bad. Last year we had #1 son to help us and it took us forever. Of course, last year was the first year we'd actually pulled the dock out all by ourselves. HTP, me and #1 son. This year, after thinking on it, HTP made a few changes in the plan. Although it would have been nice to have #1 son here to help us, HTP and I actually managed to pull the dock out of the water with much pulling, much tugging, a bit of elbow grease, and a huge car jack. HTP still had to get into the water. I had to pull and then tie the dock so it would roll back too far into the water. But, when it comes down to it. We did it.
The dock is sitting firmly on shore where the shifting ice won't tear it apart during the winter. HTP is already making plans to improve our dock-pulling plan for next year. A winch might work a bit better than me running to and fro, tying and untying ropes, so the dock wouldn't roll back each time we made a foot or two of progress. Actually, getting the dock in isn't too bad until it gets to the point where the wheels won't come up over the lip of the shore. That's where the car-jack came into play. I think next year we'll use a combination of the car-jack and a winch.
And so, we're done. I mean we're really done...in. I'm sipping on a hot cup of tea. HTP is watching the Gopher game on TV. I think I might be able to straighten out my back....eventually. The boat and the dock were the hard part. The rest of the stuff on my To Do list is fairly easy. I'll wait to take down the hummingbird/wasp feeders until tomorrow night. I'm not sure if I'd make it up the ladder at this point.
Murphyism of the Day
Jacobson's Law
The less work an organization produces, the more frequently it reorganizes.
* 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.
Transhairance - When you pass a hair in your mouth with a kiss.
13 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road*
Moan! Less than two weeks! We pulled the boat out today. It wasn't the best possible day for it. Wind. Lots of wind. What should have been a fairly easy task, turned into a comedy of errors...or a little shop of horrors. Anyway, HTP and I maneuvered the boat around the dock to loosen and raise the legs of the dock off the lake floor so the dock was only resting on its wheels. HTP managed to hang onto the tools as he loosened the bolts, lifted the legs and then re-fastened the bolts. Not an easy task. Many a wrench have ended up on the floor of the lake, many a bolt lost. But, I have to say, HTP has never done either. Close...but so far we've been pretty lucky.
After that the boat was ready to be taken from the lake. HTP headed off to the boat-landing via the lake and I drove the car with the trailer attached to said boat-landing. The trailer was still attached when I got to the boat-landing. Barely. Somewhere between our house and the boat-landing the trailer managed to un-hitch itself. And I couldn't figure out how to re-hitch it because part of the trailer was stuck under the car. As some friendly, helpful people and I stood and puzzled over the situation, HTP attempted a first pass at landing the boat at the dock by the boat-landing. There were white-caps on the lake. The wind was blowing briskly from the south. Landing a boat in such conditions isn't and easy task. HTP ended up looking like we were trying out for a part in a Laurel and Hardy movie. At least this time no-one slipped or fell into the water. I'm racing to grab a rope that HTP is trying to toss to me on the dock. It took several throws before I could finally catch it. Then, I end up having to hold a heavy boat close to the dock with waves washing over the dock-boards soaking my pant-legs. Our boat isn't a light-weight. I'm sure it weighs far more than me. I finally managed to tie off the boat using a clove-hitch. In the meantime, HTP finally managed to get the trailer re-hitched to the car. We still haven't figured out how it came un-hitched. You'd think this was the end of our adventure. Nope.
Backing a boat-trailer down a boat ramp, into the lake, isn't an easy task. At least, we don't seem to have the hang of it as yet. Finally, with me frantically waving my hands and HTP listening to the frantic sound of our backup sensor as it beeped hysterically because it thought HTP was going to run into something (the trailer), the trailer ended up on the right track. Then came the fun part. We had to direct a huge boat onto the right path against the wind and up the trailer. Even with the trailer winch, this wasn't easy. But...we did it. The boat has been pulled. We drove, car with trailer and boat attached, over to where it'll be winterized. And then, after having to back the stupid thing again, (more frantic beeping) we returned to our house. At this point you'd think HTP and I would call it a day. Nope.
It's going to rain tomorrow. Next week we may get snow. The dock needed to be pulled out of the lake. The weather wasn't going to get any better. No time like the present. Actually, I don't think we did too bad. Last year we had #1 son to help us and it took us forever. Of course, last year was the first year we'd actually pulled the dock out all by ourselves. HTP, me and #1 son. This year, after thinking on it, HTP made a few changes in the plan. Although it would have been nice to have #1 son here to help us, HTP and I actually managed to pull the dock out of the water with much pulling, much tugging, a bit of elbow grease, and a huge car jack. HTP still had to get into the water. I had to pull and then tie the dock so it would roll back too far into the water. But, when it comes down to it. We did it.
The dock is sitting firmly on shore where the shifting ice won't tear it apart during the winter. HTP is already making plans to improve our dock-pulling plan for next year. A winch might work a bit better than me running to and fro, tying and untying ropes, so the dock wouldn't roll back each time we made a foot or two of progress. Actually, getting the dock in isn't too bad until it gets to the point where the wheels won't come up over the lip of the shore. That's where the car-jack came into play. I think next year we'll use a combination of the car-jack and a winch.
And so, we're done. I mean we're really done...in. I'm sipping on a hot cup of tea. HTP is watching the Gopher game on TV. I think I might be able to straighten out my back....eventually. The boat and the dock were the hard part. The rest of the stuff on my To Do list is fairly easy. I'll wait to take down the hummingbird/wasp feeders until tomorrow night. I'm not sure if I'd make it up the ladder at this point.
Murphyism of the Day
Jacobson's Law
The less work an organization produces, the more frequently it reorganizes.
* 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.
Friday, October 06, 2006
Word of the Day
Traction poles - Toes.
14 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road*
Two Weeks! WE'RE LEAVING IN TWO WEEKS! OK. I'm not going to panic. We can do this. I've got a list. I have more than one list. I have several lists.
You can hardly see our driveway now. It's covered in a thick carpet of leaves that have fallen from the surrounding woods. I'm not one to rake leaves. Not here at The Lake. No-one is around to complain. I will have to finish putting my garden to bed. The guy that mows our lawn will come one last time and that'll take care of the ones that are blanketing the lawn right now. He'll put the clippings on my garden beds for me.
I can see my pine trees in the woods now. The only time I can see them is in the Spring before the leaves bud out and in the Fall when the leaves have fallen. I suppose I would be able to see them all Winter long as well but I'm not here too often during the winter. I checked the weather report this morning. We may see some snow next week. That's a sure sign that it's time to head south for the Winter.
* 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.
Traction poles - Toes.
14 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road*
Two Weeks! WE'RE LEAVING IN TWO WEEKS! OK. I'm not going to panic. We can do this. I've got a list. I have more than one list. I have several lists.
You can hardly see our driveway now. It's covered in a thick carpet of leaves that have fallen from the surrounding woods. I'm not one to rake leaves. Not here at The Lake. No-one is around to complain. I will have to finish putting my garden to bed. The guy that mows our lawn will come one last time and that'll take care of the ones that are blanketing the lawn right now. He'll put the clippings on my garden beds for me.
I can see my pine trees in the woods now. The only time I can see them is in the Spring before the leaves bud out and in the Fall when the leaves have fallen. I suppose I would be able to see them all Winter long as well but I'm not here too often during the winter. I checked the weather report this morning. We may see some snow next week. That's a sure sign that it's time to head south for the Winter.
* 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.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Word of the Day
Toynado - A localized storm that scatters toys all over a kid's room.
15 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road*
Day 1 with an "appliance" wasn't too bad. I was afraid that my jaw would start to cramp up or I'd end up with a headache but so far so good. I have to remember to take it out whenever I run to answer the phone because I sound like I'm totally drunk on my rear end when I try to talk with this thing in my mouth...not that I get drunk on my rear end but I can imagine. It is keeping me from grinding my teeth. Aside from that, it's a pain in the butt. It might actually help the diet thing though.... I can't eat or drink anything with the "appliance" in my mouth. And whenever I do eat anything, I have to brush my teeth before putting it back in. Casual munching is out. Wouldn't it be cool if there was side effect of having this thing?
The Riverside Casino called to offer HTP and I a free airfare and stay at there casino for the beginning of November. We declined. HTP isn't fond of the Riverside, not to mention the fact that we won't be here to take advantage of a free round-trip flight to Laughlin, NV. I imagine we'll be happily getting settled back into our little home in Arizona by then.
Note to self: Don't think of all the cleaning and weeding. Concentrate on the today. Tomorrow will just have to take care of itself tomorrow.
Murphyism of the Day
Collin's Conference Principle
The speaker with the most monotonous voice speak after the big meal.
* 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.
Toynado - A localized storm that scatters toys all over a kid's room.
15 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road*
Day 1 with an "appliance" wasn't too bad. I was afraid that my jaw would start to cramp up or I'd end up with a headache but so far so good. I have to remember to take it out whenever I run to answer the phone because I sound like I'm totally drunk on my rear end when I try to talk with this thing in my mouth...not that I get drunk on my rear end but I can imagine. It is keeping me from grinding my teeth. Aside from that, it's a pain in the butt. It might actually help the diet thing though.... I can't eat or drink anything with the "appliance" in my mouth. And whenever I do eat anything, I have to brush my teeth before putting it back in. Casual munching is out. Wouldn't it be cool if there was side effect of having this thing?
The Riverside Casino called to offer HTP and I a free airfare and stay at there casino for the beginning of November. We declined. HTP isn't fond of the Riverside, not to mention the fact that we won't be here to take advantage of a free round-trip flight to Laughlin, NV. I imagine we'll be happily getting settled back into our little home in Arizona by then.
Note to self: Don't think of all the cleaning and weeding. Concentrate on the today. Tomorrow will just have to take care of itself tomorrow.
Murphyism of the Day
Collin's Conference Principle
The speaker with the most monotonous voice speak after the big meal.
* 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.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Word of the Day
Touron - A not-so-smart tourist.
16 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road*
I thought that my dental appointment this morning would be quick and easy. I thought that this would be my very last dental appointment for this year. I figured, how long can it take to go in and pick up a mouth guard? Good grief! They fitted it , they fiddled with it, they fitted it again, they fiddled some more. Bite down. Bite harder. Grind your teeth to the right. Grind your teeth forward. Grind your teeth to the left. Where is it hitting harder? And it went on and on and on. They'd work on the "appliance" some more. That horrible sound of the drill but I know it's not a drill but it sounds like one. This thing is no longer called a mouth guard. It's an "appliance". They fitted my "appliance" in and out of my mouth. And they expected me to converse with them with the "appliance" in my mouth. Believe you me, my diction is going to be perfect after wearing this "appliance" and having to make myself understood. I felt like I was trying out for a role in My Fair Lady. "The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain." Lisp, slurp, lisp. And it doesn't end with this visit. I have to go back and have them fiddle and fit some more in a couple of weeks. All this so I don't grind my teeth at night? Oh...and can I please wear it during the day? Only if it's convenient. I won't even go into how I'm supposed to keep this thing clean and non-stinky. Oh well...at least I won't be swallowing any marbles as I lisp merrily into song...."The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain, The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain....The plain, the plain....In Spain, in Spain..."
Murphyism of the Day
Morris's Law of Conferences
The most interesting paper will be scheduled simultaneously with the second most interesting paper.
* 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.
Touron - A not-so-smart tourist.
16 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road*
I thought that my dental appointment this morning would be quick and easy. I thought that this would be my very last dental appointment for this year. I figured, how long can it take to go in and pick up a mouth guard? Good grief! They fitted it , they fiddled with it, they fitted it again, they fiddled some more. Bite down. Bite harder. Grind your teeth to the right. Grind your teeth forward. Grind your teeth to the left. Where is it hitting harder? And it went on and on and on. They'd work on the "appliance" some more. That horrible sound of the drill but I know it's not a drill but it sounds like one. This thing is no longer called a mouth guard. It's an "appliance". They fitted my "appliance" in and out of my mouth. And they expected me to converse with them with the "appliance" in my mouth. Believe you me, my diction is going to be perfect after wearing this "appliance" and having to make myself understood. I felt like I was trying out for a role in My Fair Lady. "The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain." Lisp, slurp, lisp. And it doesn't end with this visit. I have to go back and have them fiddle and fit some more in a couple of weeks. All this so I don't grind my teeth at night? Oh...and can I please wear it during the day? Only if it's convenient. I won't even go into how I'm supposed to keep this thing clean and non-stinky. Oh well...at least I won't be swallowing any marbles as I lisp merrily into song...."The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain, The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain....The plain, the plain....In Spain, in Spain..."
Murphyism of the Day
Morris's Law of Conferences
The most interesting paper will be scheduled simultaneously with the second most interesting paper.
* 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.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Word of the Day
Toocutechy-cutechy-you - An expression used when you see a baby that is just too cute!
17 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road*
Yesterday was long. I think we actually managed to fit a week's worth of errands and activities into one really long day in The Big City and we celebrated HTP's Mom's birthday too. I did get to spend time with #1 son so I'm not going to complain about my back anymore even though it still kinda hurts.
So, this morning I started the laundry, made breakfast, and then went over to my folks' place to pick up the dogs. My folks have been really nice about taking care of the dogs for us when we have to go to The Big City. Anyway, while I was over at their place my Mom noticed some puff balls growing in front of their cabin. Puff balls! I have puff balls. I'm going to clean them up and cook them with butter, garlic, and just a bit of salt and pepper. Yummy!
So, after harvesting the puff balls, I climb into my car and....EWWWWW!!!!!! STINKY DOGS!!!!!! I thought I was going to gag. I opened all the windows but EWWWWW!!!!!!! STINKY DOGS!!!!! There was no getting around it or putting it off and no amount of Febreze would take care of the stench. It was doggy bath time. When the dogs smell so bad that they make me gag, it's time to tackle the very unpleasant task of bathing the dogs.
My dogs absolutely hate baths. They will not willingly swim in a lake or any other body of water...ever. If it happens to be raining outside, they'd rather stay inside until it stops. Water is for drinking. Water is not for bathing. If my dogs had long hair, I'd bring them to a groomer rather than face all their complaints and fussing. Actually, bathing the first dog isn't too hard. The first one never suspects that I'd actually bath her until it's too late and she's already plunked down into the sink and all avenues of escape have been eliminated. Too late. The second one isn't stupid. She sees, hears and smells what happened to the first one and then I have to chase the second dog all over the house and dump her out of the kennel in order to get her bathed. Geez! Anyway, they smell a lot better now. I even scrubbed down their kennel and laundered their bedding. I was hoping to postpone this task until closer to our departure date but.... Anyway, let's hope that the dogs don't find anything nasty to roll in between now and our departure date. I'd hate to have to do this all again.
Murphyism of the Day
Sweeney's Law
The length of a progress report is inversely proportional to the amount of the progress.
* 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.
Toocutechy-cutechy-you - An expression used when you see a baby that is just too cute!
17 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road*
Yesterday was long. I think we actually managed to fit a week's worth of errands and activities into one really long day in The Big City and we celebrated HTP's Mom's birthday too. I did get to spend time with #1 son so I'm not going to complain about my back anymore even though it still kinda hurts.
So, this morning I started the laundry, made breakfast, and then went over to my folks' place to pick up the dogs. My folks have been really nice about taking care of the dogs for us when we have to go to The Big City. Anyway, while I was over at their place my Mom noticed some puff balls growing in front of their cabin. Puff balls! I have puff balls. I'm going to clean them up and cook them with butter, garlic, and just a bit of salt and pepper. Yummy!
So, after harvesting the puff balls, I climb into my car and....EWWWWW!!!!!! STINKY DOGS!!!!!! I thought I was going to gag. I opened all the windows but EWWWWW!!!!!!! STINKY DOGS!!!!! There was no getting around it or putting it off and no amount of Febreze would take care of the stench. It was doggy bath time. When the dogs smell so bad that they make me gag, it's time to tackle the very unpleasant task of bathing the dogs.
My dogs absolutely hate baths. They will not willingly swim in a lake or any other body of water...ever. If it happens to be raining outside, they'd rather stay inside until it stops. Water is for drinking. Water is not for bathing. If my dogs had long hair, I'd bring them to a groomer rather than face all their complaints and fussing. Actually, bathing the first dog isn't too hard. The first one never suspects that I'd actually bath her until it's too late and she's already plunked down into the sink and all avenues of escape have been eliminated. Too late. The second one isn't stupid. She sees, hears and smells what happened to the first one and then I have to chase the second dog all over the house and dump her out of the kennel in order to get her bathed. Geez! Anyway, they smell a lot better now. I even scrubbed down their kennel and laundered their bedding. I was hoping to postpone this task until closer to our departure date but.... Anyway, let's hope that the dogs don't find anything nasty to roll in between now and our departure date. I'd hate to have to do this all again.
Murphyism of the Day
Sweeney's Law
The length of a progress report is inversely proportional to the amount of the progress.
* 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.
Monday, October 02, 2006
Word of the Day
Toe-booger - The things in between your toes after you take your socks off.
18 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road*
It's going to be a long day today. I'm not sure what time we'll get back here to The Lake tonight. We're driving to The Big City this morning to spend the day with HTP's folks and his side of the family and #1 son. It's going to be HTP's Mom's birthday later this week and tonight is the night everyone has decided to get together to celebrate.
Murphyism of the Day
Cohn's Law
In any bureaucracy, paperwork increases as you spend more and more time reporting on the less and less you are doing. Stability is achieved when you spend all of your time reporting on the nothing that you're doing.
* 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.
Toe-booger - The things in between your toes after you take your socks off.
18 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road*
It's going to be a long day today. I'm not sure what time we'll get back here to The Lake tonight. We're driving to The Big City this morning to spend the day with HTP's folks and his side of the family and #1 son. It's going to be HTP's Mom's birthday later this week and tonight is the night everyone has decided to get together to celebrate.
Murphyism of the Day
Cohn's Law
In any bureaucracy, paperwork increases as you spend more and more time reporting on the less and less you are doing. Stability is achieved when you spend all of your time reporting on the nothing that you're doing.
* 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.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Word of the Day
Tinselitis - A throat condition approaching Christmas.
19 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road*
It's official. Fall has truly arrived. The ladybugs got here today. They are crawling all over the outside of my house. I expect to see the usual invasion. They are magical creatures. One moment you'll see them crawling on the outside of a window and then...presto change-o...they're crawling on the inside of the window. Cue the Twilight Zone music.
Murphyism of the Day
Things that Can Be Counted on in a Crisis
Marketing says yes.
Finance says no.
Legal has to review it.
Personnel is concerned.
Planning is frantic.
Engineering is above it all.
Manufacturing wants more floor space.
Top management wants someone responsible.
* 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.
Tinselitis - A throat condition approaching Christmas.
19 Days and a Wake Up And We Hit the Road*
It's official. Fall has truly arrived. The ladybugs got here today. They are crawling all over the outside of my house. I expect to see the usual invasion. They are magical creatures. One moment you'll see them crawling on the outside of a window and then...presto change-o...they're crawling on the inside of the window. Cue the Twilight Zone music.
Murphyism of the Day
Things that Can Be Counted on in a Crisis
Marketing says yes.
Finance says no.
Legal has to review it.
Personnel is concerned.
Planning is frantic.
Engineering is above it all.
Manufacturing wants more floor space.
Top management wants someone responsible.
* 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.