The Lake - 2007


Word of the Day

Girlapse - The act in which a tomboy momentarily displays a feminine characteristic.

HTP has been busy making reservations for our return to The Lake. Who knew that for some odd reason there wouldn't be any hotel/motel rooms left in Omaha on the very night we'd planned to stay there? It's a puzzle. I know that GI Joe plans to run in a marathon that weekend.... but that's in Lincoln. HTP tells me that there is some sort of hockey tournament for young people that weekend but....could that fill all the hotel rooms? Are there LOTS of people getting married on the weekend? Is this one of those perfect convergences of events? Football season isn't until the fall. It's not like Omaha is hosting the Sturgiss Bike Rally this year...is it? I'm pretty sure it couldn't be the Senior Olympic Games. And I can't believe all the snowbirds are returning home on the same weekend. HTP figured that making our reservations a month before we leave should have guaranteed us rooms. Not so. However, not to worry. We did find a motel about eight miles up the road a piece and made our reservations there. We'll just do all our visiting in Omaha with DD Daughter, Ms. En, and GI Joe and then hit the road again. Eight miles further down the road isn't all that far when you're making a cross-country migration of nearly 2000 miles. It just means that we'll avoid Omaha morning traffic the next day and we'll be that much closer to The Lake for our next morning drive. Even so, we'll plan on an additional "just in case we're really worn out" night on the road at the Minnesota/Iowa border area.

While HTP works on our travel itinerary, I continue to whittle away at my Packing List. The guest room bed and the dining room table are beginning to fill up.

Murphyism of the Day

Gilb's Third Law of Unreliability

Undetectable errors are infinite in variety, in contrast to detectable errors, which by definition are limited.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Never regret something that once made you smile.

- Amber Deckers

A Toast to Sis


Word of the Day

Giraffiti - Any graffiti drawn in a very, very high place, such as the famous "Surrender Dorothy" on the Beltway overpass.

It's my sister's birthday today. I sent her a card via snail mail but I'm afraid it probably didn't get there on time. Figures. I'm great at buying cards, I'm not so great on making sure that they get in that blue mailbox that sits outside our local grocery store. However...I did put it in the blue mailbox. I did. Anyway....


Happy


Birthday


Sis!



Old Grey Frog has a sneaking suspicion that she's getting a bit of exercise every time she gives Gypsy her physical therapy. Oh well...Old Grey needs to work off a few of those jelly beans that she's been munching on.

I've started a tentative "ticker" on the top of my blog. HTP and I know tentatively when we'll have to be all packed up to hit the road for The Lake. I've started piling stuff from my Packing List on our dining room table and in our guest room. It's early but if I can get a start on some of this packing, I won't have to worry so much about it later. At this point, I haven't even printed out my lists. I keep my lists on my computer so I won't lose them. Once I print them out, they become vulnerable to that interdimensional thieving monster who inevitably and occasionally slips into our dimension to steal lists of all kinds, really important receipts, car keys, TV remotes, glasses, socks, loose screws and nuts and...whatever you happen to really need at any given time.

Murphyism of the Day

Gilb's Second Law of Unreliability

Any system that depends on human reliability is unreliable.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do doesn't mean it's useless.

- Thomas A. Edison (1847 - 1931)

The Lake - Summer 2007

Word of the Day

Ginormous - Used to describe something so large that it is additively gigantic and enormous.

Gypsy and I are starting to develop a routine when it comes to her therapy sessions. First thing she goes outside and walks on uneven ground to do her thing. Next comes breakfast. Turkey stew. Cetyl-M and daily vitamin. Then we walk the cavaletti course for a couple of minutes before we head out for our morning walk. We only had one tripping incident this morning and the sitting is still sloppy but improving. She gets to rest up at this point while HTP and I have our breakfast. After breakfast, she gets her morning swim therapy. The therapist tells me that the workout she gets from her swim therapy is the equivalent of walking over a mile but without any bad side affects. We go outside after her swim therapy. Drying off in the sun is a lot nicer than drying off in the cool of the house. Then we get to walk around a bit more on uneven ground before calling it quits for a while. Maybe we'll play tug-a-war a few times before our afternoon walk around the block. More tug-a-war before we walk to the mailbox to get the mail. Of course, on Sunday, we'll just walk around the block for a third time...no mail on Sunday. I can already after only three days see a marked improvement in Gypsy's gait. Oh...and I've solved the problem of my getting all wet. I decided that I'll wear a swimsuit.

Murphyism of the Day

Gilb's First Law of Unreliability

Computers are unreliable, but humans are even more unreliable.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want.

- Ben Stein

Summer at The Lake - 2007

Word of the Day

Gimongous - Indescribably large. Really really big.

I'm exhausted! Day 2 of Gypsy's Home Physical Therapy. I was pleased to find that my bathtub is indeed deep enough for Gypsy to do her swim therapy. We had our first session in the tub yesterday after breakfast. It took a long time to fill the tub with enough water to make swimming possible. Lots of water. After looking at all that water, I decided not to drain the water. Seemed like a heck of a waste of water, seeing as how we live in a desert. However, this morning after breakfast, I noted that the water was awfully cold. I added hot water but I've decided that despite the waste, I'll have to drain the tub at least half way in order for me to refill with enough hot water to get the temperature to the required 90°F that the PT guy recommended. I don't have a thermometer but even I could feel that the temperature of the water this morning was too cold. I'm getting better with the swim therapy. We didn't get so much water all over the floor and down all over me this time. I have hopes that I'll do even better tomorrow. I drained the almost completely before giving Gypsy a nice bath. Our daily walks were starting to cause the white portions of my poor baby's feet to turn a kind of silvery grey. Besides, she's been chewing on her ears again. Time for a bath. I'll start with fresh water in the tub for tomorrow's therapy session.

I'm exhausted. Gypsy doesn't look similarly exhausted. We still have to do our tug-a-war session (playing...she loves to play) and then a couple of more walks around the block. She's doing really well "heel"ing. There weren't any tripping incidents this morning. That's where she wanders in front of my feet and I end up doing this little tripping dance so I don't step on her, lose my footing and fall and hurt myself. I think she's getting the idea when it comes to the "sit" command too. Not bad at all for just Day 2. I've got to work on the sloppy angle sitting but that's part of her physical therapy. She sits sloppy and I get to bend down and rearrange her hind legs so she's sitting correctly.

Life here in Arizona goes on. The citrus trees are blossoming profusely. There's lots of citrus blossom perfume out in my backyard right now. As I feared, it smells like someone broke a bottle of the concentrate outside. This morning as I walked by the tangelo tree, I could hear a distinctive droning sound. Bees! Lots of bees! They didn't look at all interested in doing anything but collecting pollen but I decided to exercise a bit of caution. No point in disturbing the little buggers more than necessary. I will have to go back outside and spray the weeds again. We haven't had any rain for a while so the weeds aren't too bad but it's best to keep on top of the situation.

The temperatures outside have been in the upper 80's. It's been so warm outside that I've actually had to close up the house and turn on our AC. We've used the AC a lot more than the furnace. I'm not fond of being cold but one can always put on a sweater. There's only so much clothing one can take off when it starts to get too warm. My fountain filler (frog spitter)doesn't look like it'll be able to keep up with the evaporation factor. Since HTP and I will be heading to The Lake in a month, I'll have to help my spitter out a bit by topping the fountain off with the hose if it looks like it may become necessary. No point in changing the timer for the three weeks that remain before I'll have to drain the thing for the summer.

HTP and I bottled the Pomegranate Wine and the Prickly Pear Wine. It really does take two people to get those bottles corked. We bottled all the wine in regular sized 750ML bottles even though I had smaller bottles. I decided that it would be easier to transport the wine in the larger bottles and I figured that Sis and I could always decant and re-bottle into the smaller bottles for gifting purposes. I also bottled the Arancello and the Tancello in the 750ML bottles (I decided tangelocello was too much of a mouthful for the labels). Same reasoning. HTP made all the labels for me. Poor HTP always ends up having to design labels for me on his computer. He's far more artistic than me. The new labels this year were for the Prickly Pear Wine and the Tancello. He did a great job! I've got the wine and liqueurs all labeled and ready to go to The Lake. Oh...I sipped a bit of the new wine and found decided that it was good. I'll have to see if I can get one of my neighbors to donate some prickly pear fruit for next year's vintage. I also sampled a bit of the Tancello and the Arancello to see if there might be a difference in the taste. I think there may be a distinct taste difference but....I'll have to get a second opinion after HTP and I get to The Lake.

Murphyism of the Day

Troutman's Programming Postulates

1. If a test installation functions perfectly, all subsequent systems will malfunction.

2. Not until a program has been in production for at least six months will the most harmful error be discovered.

3. Profanity is the one language all programmers know best.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

The best thing to give to your enemy is forgiveness; to an opponent, tolerance; to a friend, your heart; to your child, a good example; to a father, deference; to your mother, conduct that will make her proud of you; to yourself, respect; to all men, charity.

- Francis Maitland Balfour

Lake Home


Word of the Day

Gihugic - A size descriptor indicating something bigger than huge.

I started working with Gypsy this morning. Physical Therapy....The Home Version. I dragged four boards in from the garage to set up my cavaletti course. Gypsy reluctantly walked back and forth over the boards. I'll have to figure out a way of anchoring the boards so that she doesn't kick them over so often. We'd already filled our quota of walking on an uneven surface. We do that every day. I have desert landscaping and Gypsy has to walk on the gravel (uneven surface) whenever she has to go outside to take care of business. After walking the cavaletti course, (I still think it sounds like some sort of pasta...), Gypsy and I walked briskly around the block. We'll have to take two more such walks today. While we took our walk, we practiced "heel"ing and "sitting". As long as we have to take walks, I might as well throw in a bit of training. One of the exercises is for Gypsy to sit correctly and then stand back up. She has a tendency to slouch her hind legs off to the side when she sits. I'm not supposed to let her do that during our exercise sessions. Next? I'll have to figure out if my bathtub is deep enough for Gypsy to do her swim exercises. That will have to wait until after breakfast. I refuse to deal with a wet dog until after I've had my half a bagel.

Murphyism of the Day

Steinbach's Guideline for Systems Programming

Never test for an error condition you don't know how to handle.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

I'm not concerned about all hell breaking loose, but that a PART of hell will break loose... it'll be much harder to detect.

- George Carlin

One Tired Puppy

Word of the Day

Gidiot - 1. One who is giddy with love. 2. One who is head over heels in love.

I've got one tired puppy. Gypsy is snoozing happily at my feet. Today was our first physical therapy session. The session lasted one hour. The physical therapist was really pleased with her. I have a series of exercises that we'll be doing on a daily basis. The goal is to build up muscle mass in Gypsy's hind quarters. Gypsy even got a ten minute swim session. That's it for today, except for a controlled walk after supper tonight. Every day I'll have to make sure Gypsy gets a workout. I have to set up an obstacle course which will force her to bend her knees. She CAN bend her knees...she chooses not to bend her knees. We get to play tug-a-war. She's supposed to walk on the gravel as much as possible. I'm supposed to encourage her to jump up onto two legs. There will be two to three controlled walks a day. And, once a day she's going to have to go swimming...in my bathtub. This is going to be one very clean dog by the time I bring her back for her next and final PT session. This physical therapist has all kinds of expensive equipment. There's a water tank/treadmill. While I was there, a pitbull was working out in the tank. Hip problems. Gypsy has a bad hip too but the physical therapist doesn't think it's too bad. He says that Gypsy's daily swim sessions will make surgery unnecessary. Now....all I've got to do is bring those 2x4's in from the garage and set up my obstacle course. HTP's gonna love this.

Murphyism of the Day

Leo Beiser's Computer Axiom

When putting it into memory, remember where you put it.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

The modern rule is that every woman should be her own chaperon.

- Amy Vanderbilt

More Snow at The Lake - Perfect Snowball Margarita Weather

Word of the Day

Generiatric - The behaviors and shopping habits of an elderly person who, due to living on a fixed income, can no longer afford to buy name-brand merchandise.

The citrus blossoms have started to burst open giving out just a hint of the perfume to come. After looking at the amount of blossoms on my tangelo tree, I'm thinking that the smell of citrus blossoms will be so strong that it'll become over-powering. I fear a repeat of what happened to me as a child when either I or my sister broke a bottle of toilet water. Or...I remember a few times when I'd drive DD Daughter and her friend to school in the morning. DD Daughter's friend didn't understand the subtle use of perfume. Some people use so much perfume, they walk around with an aura-like haze surrounding them. I don't think I ever actually told my daughter's friend that the stuff was perfume, not marinade...but I was thinking it. Anyway, I'm thinking that there's going to be a similar haze in my backyard....soon. The temperatures have risen to the 80's.

HTP and I taking Gypsy to the vet today. Time for another follow-up visit. Hopefully, everything (her knees) will look good enough so we'll be able to start physical therapy sessions and let up on the enforced inactivity. Gypsy wants to RUN, PLAY, FETCH, and CAVORT! She wants to dance and prance. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Gypsy will receive a clean bill of health today and we can go from there. I'm a bit concerned about Gypsy's right hind leg. Hopefully, the joint is where it's supposed to be. I sure wouldn't mind getting out there and walking. My own health would benefit from this activity. I'll add an update after we get home from the vet's office.

Gypsy Update

Whoohoo! Gypsy starts PT tomorrow! I'll be given a schedule of activities after the physical therapist has a chance to do the initial evaluation. The surgeon told me that she's VERY pleased with Gypsy's progress. Her knees are in line. I'm told that walking around the block would be a bit much at this point but it's all up to what the physical therapist decides when I see him tomorrow.

Murphyism of the Day

McCristy's Computer Axiom

1. Backup files are never complete.

2. Software bugs are correctable only after the software is judged obsolete by the industry.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.

- Anne Bradstreet (1612 - 1672)

Two Generations of Chocolate Easter Bunny Munchers (Please Note that they both started with the ears.)


DD Daughter's Encounter With a Chocolate Easter Bunny


Nat Cat's Encounter With a Chocolate Easter Bunny

After seeing pictures of my granddaughter enjoying her first chocolate Easter bunny, I WANT CHOCOLATE! I didn't buy myself a chocolate Easter bunny. *sigh* I may have to run out to the store and see if anyone has them on the clearance rack this morning. Chocolate!

I've been pretty good when it comes to Easter candy. OK. Aside from the jelly bean thing, I've been fairly in control here. I still have two unstarted bags of jelly beans and a somewhat depleted bag of those little malted milk eggs. I never did see any more Bumpy Nerd jelly beans so that temptation was removed. I may need to go check out the clearance racks for more of those because Easter is the only time of year that you can find them. Whoppers just don't compare to these little Easter malted milk ball confections. I didn't cave into the temptation to buy a chocolate Easter bunny or those little chocolate, foil-wrapped eggs. Actually, those aren't too bad for you because all that foil slows you down. I wonder how many calories you burn while you're unwrapping all that foil? Heaven help you if you forget a bit of that foil and bite into it. There's no forgetting the feel of that foil against a metal filling in one's teeth. Of course, if I hadn't eaten so much candy in the first place, there wouldn't be so many metal fillings...I suppose.

I finally got around to filtering and bottling my Arancello yesterday. I've got ten bottles of the stuff. After supper I started filtering the Tangelocello (I really need to figure out a better name for that stuff), but I ran out of steam. Hey! I'd been up since 4:05 AM! Anyway, I finished filtering the "Tarancello"? this morning after I fed Gypsy and as I sipped on my first cup of coffee. I've only got four bottles of the Tarancello. Tarancello? I think it rolls off the tongue a bit better than Tangellocello. However, Tarancello kinda sounds a bit like a spider but.... Anyway, I still have to bottle wine. Today? Maybe. We'll see. In the meantime, I need to get HTP busy designing and printing out labels for me.

Murphyism of the Day

Sutin's Law

The most useless computer tasks are the most fun to do.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Real glory springs from the silent conquest of ourselves.

-Joseph P. Thompson

In Their Easter Bonnets (DD Daughter and MC Daughter)

Word of the Day

Geekify - To turn someone to the geek side of the force - most often turning someone else into a geek through mentorship.

Happy


Easter


Everyone!


I overslept! After setting my alarm clock for 4 AM, I didn't even hear it go off. However, my inner alarm clock nudged me at 4:05 AM so I was able to compensate for those five lost minutes and I still got to church on time. On time for me means that I was a bit more than five minutes early for the rest of the world. We had plenty of time to go over all the music before the service began. I was back in my car, driving home, before 7 AM. I even stopped at the grocery store to pick up some last minute breakfast items.

Hungry! I was hungry! Although I KNOW that you should never go grocery shopping when you're hungry, I was too hungry to care. I bought Hot-crossed buns. They looked good and I'd never had one before. I also bought bagels and cream cheese. I haven't had a bagel in ages. I love Everything bagels. I also bought some blueberry pie filling...just in case HTP wanted blueberry pancakes for breakfast. He didn't.

I ate one bagel while I was waiting for the pot of coffee to brew. HTP wanted eggs for breakfast. I made peppered bacon and eggs with toast for him. Me? As long as I was making bacon, I figured that I'd make some for myself. I do love bacon. However, I decided that I'd skip the eggs and toast and instead I ate a couple of hot-crossed buns. I doubt that I'll buy them again. They're OK but I think I prefer stollen. However, please note, I did have to eat two of the things before making this decision. Oh...and mimosas. What would a Sunday brunch be without mimosas?

We're having prime rib for dinner tonight. I was going to make a ham because HTP really loves ham. However, it's time to start using up stuff that I've got in the freezer. How did I end up with two prime rib roasts in my freezer? I've also got a turkey in the freezer. It's way past time to start using these things up. Normally, I save this sort of thing for holiday meals but I've run out of "official" holiday meals. HTP and I are going to have to start inventing holidays between now and the end of April. Since I'll still end up buying a ham for HTP, this means that I need to come up with at least three invented holidays. Let's see....I've got to bottle the arancello and the tangelocello, and then there's all that wine that needs bottling. Bottling the Brew Holiday! I need to play at the church one more time before HTP and I depart for The Lake. How about....The Last Toot Holiday? I was thinking about a Bon Voyage Holiday but these holiday meals always end up generating at least a week's worth of leftovers which will need to be enjoyed. I'll have to think on it a bit more.

Murphyism of the Day

Sullivan's Lemma

Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build a bridge even where there is no river.

- Nikita Khrushchev

The Family - Easter 196? (Willie, Dad, Sis, Mom, and Me)

The Family - Summer 2007 (Me, Dad, Mom, Willie, and Sis)

Word of the Day

Geekening - The process of becoming or likening to a geek.

I'm going to take it easy today. Since I have to get up so early tomorrow morning in order to arrive at church before the sun comes up, I'll need all the rest I can get so I'll actually hear my clock radio go off at 4 AM. I really shouldn't complain. The music director at the church just brought me the music that I'll be playing. The way I figure it, she's going to have to get up LOTS earlier than me. Afterall, her husband is the Pastor. I only have to show up, play for one service and leave. She'll have to be there REALLY early to help set up for the sunrise service, she'll be playing with me for the sunrise service, and then she'll be playing and staying for three more services. I think there's even a pancake breakfast at the church tomorrow morning. Will they have an Easter egg hunt? Probably. Who knows when she'll actually be able to finally kick back and relax for the rest of the day. Me? I'll be going home after the sunrise service. I can make my own pancakes if I want them. So...I'm not complaining.

Murphyism of the Day

Law of E-mail

Typos are not noticed until after the "send" button has been hit.

Old Grey's Corollary

Spell checker can only make sure any given word in a paragraph or sentence is spelled correctly. It cannot devine the writer's intent.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Just because you love someone doesn't mean you have to be involved with them. Love is not a bandage to cover wounds.

- Hugh Elliott

The Family Easter Picture - 1960's (Dad and Mom, Willie, Sis, and Me)




DD Daughter and MC Daughter - Easter 1982


Word of the Day

Garfu - Stuff accidentally walked through that sticks to one's shoe.

It's a beautiful day here in Arizona. My citrus trees still haven't burst out into bloom but I expect with the warmer weather I should be smelling that sweet perfume of citrus blossoms any day. Next week? The temperature outside right now is 72°F. It's supposed to get into the upper 80's by this afternoon. Shorts and sandal weather....furshur.

As if I needed a reminder that Easter is this Sunday, HTP's brother called yesterday to ask for #1 Son's phone number and MC Daughter's phone number. He wanted to call to invite them for an Easter buffet at their Grandparents' retirement home. I also got confirmation that I'll be playing my clarinet at our church's sunrise service. I may gripe a bit, mainly about the early hour I'll have to get up that day, I really do enjoy the sunrise service.

Easter is the earliest as it can be this year. I hear that they're getting snow in Chicago today. Snow on the ground for Easter? Actually, I do remember times that there was snow on the ground on Easter. Every Easter my parents would make sure that we were all dressed in our Easter best and we'd all troop out to the front yard of our home for our annual family Easter picture. I'm not sure what my Dad did about those pictures when there was snow on the ground. Did he take those pictures inside? I don't recall. I do recall standing outside, shivering in the cold, for those pictures. Sometimes there would be a small patch of lingering winter snow sitting in a shady spot of the front yard. That patch of snow wasn't in the picture but it sure was hard to keep a smile on my face when you're standing in a short-sleeved dress in REALLY cold weather. Brrrrr! "Say Cheese!" My Dad would press that cable timer button on the camera which was firmly attached to a tripod and then race to fill his spot in The Family Picture. I can't recall a single flattering photograph of me in any of those family pictures. I don't look my best in the pastel Easter colors of pretty Easter dresses. Come to think of it....in those days, I never looked good in ANY dresses. I was at my happiest in a pair of jeans. I'll be wearing a green pantsuit on Sunday but not pastel green. I'm still a bit phobic about pastel colored clothing.

Murphyism of the Day

Knowles's Laws

1. The number of bogus selections returned on a search increases exponentially with the urgency of your search.

2. Proper use of language declines as technology advances.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

If you are a terror to many, then beware of many.

- Ausonius

DD Daughter's First Chocolate Easter Bunny - 1979

Word of the Day

Garbpaction - The process of pushing garbage deeper down into a garbage can with one's foot. The force exhumed on the garbage is not enough to permanently compact it.

It's really difficult when I go to the grocery stores this time of year to walk up to the checkout stands without at least one bag of Easter candy. Jelly beans. Chocolate. Malted Easter eggs. So far, I've resisted buying any of those marshmallow eggs...a favorite of mine. I KNOW that these things are laden with calories but somehow I convince myself that one or two jelly beans a day won't impact my diet too much. I suppose if I ended up just eating two jelly beans a day there wouldn't be that much of an impact. However, these things are addictive. One or two jelly beans are never enough. Right now I'm nibbling on some Hot Tamale jelly beans. I think this particular cinnamon confection is new this year. I love Hot Tamale candy. The jelly beans are even better. I'm also addicted to those Bumpy Nerds jelly beans. Thank goodness they didn't have any at the store last time I had to go pick up some milk. They are SOOOOO good. I've gone through two bags of those things...so far. The Jolly Rancher jelly beans are pretty good too but the Bumpy Nerds jelly beans are yummy. I have a couple of bags of Jolly Rancher jelly beans stashed in my nightstand. Untouched. Yet. However, as soon as my Hot Tamale jelly beans are gone, which won't be long now, I'll have to break into my stash. I know the Jolly Rancher jelly beans are good because I already polished off one bag of them. Needless to say, my diet is not doing too well. I'm betting I've been running on a sugar high since the Easter candy displays have appeared on the grocery store scene. Caffeine and sugar. The staples that keep my body together.

Any bets as to whether or not I'll be checking out the sale racks at the after Easter 1/2 off candy sales?

Murphyism of the Day

Schaaf's Law of On-Line Research

Any quote found twice on the Internet will have two different wordings, attributions, or both.

Corollary

If the wording and source are consistent in two places, they are both wrong.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one's real and one's declared aims, one turns as it were instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish spurting out ink.

- George Orwell (1903 - 1950)

Fun in the Van - #1 Son

Word of the Day

Gamovation - The tendency to play a game, more frequently involving car racing, and physically move the way the car is moving on the television screen.

HTP and I were discussing our return trip to The Lake this morning. We do a lot of discussing at this time of year. I suppose you could call it pre-planning. Today we were going over the "What If" scenarios. What if we had to take a smaller car to The Lake this year instead of our Gator? I told HTP that taking a smaller car this year was out of the question. We NEED to take the Gator. I started my To Do and Packing List and my Packing List is rather long. I keep telling myself that I'll cut down on the things that I NEED to bring to The Lake but.... Besides, I've got a child rocker that I want to bring to Ms. En. Family heirloom. I'm not sure how we're going to manage getting it packed into the Gator but I don't even want to think about how it'll fit into the Chevy...because...it just won't fit. It's not huge but there's no getting around the fact that it's a piece of furniture with an awkward rocker shape. It is a rocker afterall. They tend to be shaped like rockers.

After that "What If" was discussed and decided upon (We're taking the Gator!), we moved onto more nebulous "What If"s. I've always felt that "What If" discussions were kind of pointless. My brother was famous for his "What If" scenarios. Only, my brother's "What If" scenarios usually started with the words, "Wouldn't it be cool if..." These words usually came out of his mouth on the longer road trips that we used to take with our family when we were growing up. Vacations. Trips to The Lake. We'd be driving a long a winding narrow mountain road and my brother would pipe up with, "Wouldn't it be cool if this huge rock fell and.... " He'd start with that one and my Dad would stop him before my brother could think up anything more dire to "Wouldn't it be cool if..." "Wouldn't it be cool if a bear came into the camp while we're sleeping?" "Wouldn't it be cool if it rained really hard and we had to build a raft because of the floods?" "Wouldn't it be cool if lightning struck the cabin?" "Wouldn't it be cool if...?" I don't recall all the "Wouldn't it be cool if"s. I may be exaggerating a bit as well. Maybe. I do recall a lot of "Wouldn't it be cool if"s coming out of his mouth and my Dad and Mom hushing him up with, "No. That wouldn't be cool and besides, it would never happen." I'm pretty sure that my folks were just about as fond of "What If" scenarios as me.

I don't recall that my own children ever entertained me and HTP with such "Wouldn't it be cool if..." scenarios when we took those long road trips cross country on vacation or to The Lake. We didn't play the Alphabet game too often or Road Bingo like we did when my folks tried to keep us occupied in the car on such trips. My children were of a different generation. My children were a part of the "TV in the car with VCR" generation. There wasn't too much time for them to think up, much less vocalize, "Wouldn't it be cool if..." scenarios. This may not have been all that wonderful. I mean, #1 Son can't remember seeing Old Faithful when we visited Yellowstone Park, but he hasn't forgotten the VCR tapes that he watched in the van on the way to Yellowstone. He doesn't even remember our trip to Disneyland, Washington D.C., the Oregon caves or any of those trips. Even though we showed him the pictures. My daughters still remember the trip to the Red Woods and the centipedes. However, for the most part, I think they'll never forget the "in the van" part of our road trips. I did keep them busy "in the van" and they did seem to enjoy themselves. And

I don't think I ever heard the dreaded, "Are we there yet?" every five to ten minutes like my sister, my brother and me used to entertain my folks with as they drove cross country. I don't think I'll EVER forget driving across South Dakota (or was it North Dakota?) in the middle of summer with the temperature outside hitting 106°F, no air-conditioning in the car and the seats in our station wagon were vinyl. Textured vinyl. I still remember the color of the seats in that car and the pattern that pressed itself into my legs during those long road trips where I had to sit in the middle because I was the youngest and my sister and brother would make me keep my feet on the hump and not on either of "their" sides of the car. I don't think I'll ever forget the time we drove by a sea of brown dry grass and how we all admired a small oasis of lush green in that sea. Well...all of us but my brother. It was hard for him to tell the green from the brown. Poor Willie. My brother is color blind. After that one incident we all tortured him with imaginary green oasis' for the rest of the vacation. Such fun.

Anyway, to get back to where I was before my mind wandered off into a whole other pathway, I refuse to think about "What If" scenarios at this point. I'm a firm believer in "We'll cross that bridge when and if we need to cross it."

Murphyism of the Day

Montgomery's Law of the 404 Error

The more you need a particular Web site, the more likely it no longer exists on the server.

Old Grey's Corollaries

Your computer will continue to stubbornly give you a 404 Error even though you know for a fact that the Web site still exists.

Even though you continually receive a 404 Error, you will continue to try and access the Web site despite a problem with the servers.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Acceptance without proof is the fundamental characteristic of Western religion, rejection without proof is the fundamental characteristic of Western science.

- Gary Zukav

Will You Remember the Exact Date. Will You Remember the Event?

Word of the Day

Fuzzword - A word, usually a buzzword, which has no precise meaning even in context.

First tooth! I hear that Ms. En has cut her first tooth! My first grand-daughter has her first tooth. I don't remember anymore when exactly DD Daughter cut her first tooth. I do know that I recorded the event in her baby book. It's important to record such events immediately because even though you think you won't forget such a momentous event...you do. You'll forget. Although you remember the event, and you can probably figure out the year, the exact time and date won't be remembered. I wonder if someday DD Daughter will find herself writing something similar to what I've just written. Will Ms. En ask her when to expect a first tooth for her own baby someday? Will DD Daughter try to remember and come up with an answer? Will she remember? Probably not. What she'll remember is a drooling, fussy baby. She'll remember the low-grade fever and especially messy diapers. She'll remember the frustration with the doctors, unless she's got a doctor who happens to also be a Mom, because they never will admit the relationship between teething and fever. Moms know these things. Moms remember these things. I can tell you that DD Daughter didn't walk until DD Daughter was sure that she wouldn't fall. DD Daughter was never a toddler. I can't tell you the exact day when DD Daughter walked by herself. I do remember that I had to trick her into her first solo steps. When? The year? Maybe. The time? I have no idea. Not the exact day or time. Baby books are a wonderful thing. I wish I'd been better at recording all the rites of passage for ALL my children. I was so sure I'd remember the dates. I didn't remember. However, though I may not have remembered the date, I'll never forget the events. And don't forget to date and label your photos. HTP and I are still trying to figure that puzzle out.

Murphyism of the Day

Reasner's Law of the Internet

The probability of your browser locking up is directly proportional to how close you are to the information that you've been searching for.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

The best armor is to keep out of range.

- Italian Proverb

The Family Crest

Word of the Day

Fuzzies - The feeling of being in a dream during the day, as though one's eyes are clouded. Often occurs the day after a party night, or from lack of sleep. May also occur on a bright sun-shiny day in the form of warm fuzzies.

It's St. Patrick's Day! Do I have Irish blood flowing through my veins? Well....I guess....via Scotland. My Father, the family historian, can give you the details but it looks like I can make a claim. Dad will tell you that upon the death of Lady Jane D. in 1620, the family lands passed in to the hands of the Maxwell clan and many of my Scottish ancestors sailed across the Irish Sea to settle in Ulster (Northern Ireland), seeking new lands and opportunity. Does this make me Irish? Works for me. A bit of the green flows through my IBM (Italian By Marriage)and mostly German veins. I'm a true product of America's melting pot way of life as I'm a product of parents whose own blood was blended in that famous melting pot. However, today, I'm Irish! I'm wearing the green.

******

Always remember to forget
The things that made you sad.
But never forget to remember
The things that made you glad.

Always remember to forget
The friends that proved untrue.
But never forget to remember
Those that have stuck by you.

Always remember to forget
The troubles that passed away.
But never forget to remember
The blessings that come each day.

******

I enjoyed a dinner of corned beef and cabbage last night. HTP and I will enjoy the leftovers today and tonight and until the leftovers are gone. Reuben sandwiches for lunch. Corned beef and cabbage again tonight. For some reason leftover corned beef and cabbage always ends up tasting even better the following day. I'm looking forward to having corned beef hash tomorrow morning with eggs. Yummy!

I'll be enjoying some Irish beers with my dinner again tonight. Though...I noted that the Harp beer actually was brewed in Canada? If I'd known.... I've decided that I'm not too fond of Harp beer. Maybe if the Harp beer was imported from Ireland like the Smithwick beer? Sis might describe it as "skunky". Unfortunately, I've found that most really expensive beers have that taste. Remember that old commercial with the "Bitter Beer Face" guy? Smithwick tasted wonderful. I don't drink much beer here in Arizona. Beer is a beverage for The Lake. I can't tell you why this may be. Maybe it's the humidity at The Lake. Summer heat and humidity is to a frosty cold beer as a cold frosty beer is to grilled bratwurst on a bun with sauerkraut and onions. Wait...those are both Lake things. Anyway, beer also goes with corned beef and cabbage. Somehow, a glass of red wine with such a meal just seems wrong.

Murphyism of the Day

McMahon's Rule

No matter what you search for, at least one porn site will match your criteria.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

In Ireland the inevitable never happens and the unexpected constantly occurs.

- Sir John Pentland Mahaffy

MC Daughter at The Lake During Spring Break - 200? Lots of snow on the ground in March 200?

Word of the Day

Futility belt - A belt, like that of a policeman, that has so many things attached to it that he or she can barely sit down.

MC Daughter, D Buddy and #1 Son decided that they weren't going to drive up to The Lake this weekend. Maybe it's the foot of snow that remains on the ground up there. Sis and her hubby warned me about all the snow and I passed along the warning. HTP and I didn't have our 1/2 mile driveway plowed this winter. Chances are that there may be even more than a foot of snow remaining on parts of that driveway. Snow tends to drift. And then...looking at the forecast...I saw that more snow is predicted for tonight and tomorrow. The Lake got LOTS of snow this winter. Actually...The Lake probably got the normal amount of snow that they're supposed to get each winter. The last few winters (summers too) have been pretty dry up there. The Lake region REALLY needed the snow.

Although HTP and I have picked out a departure date for hitting the road and heading back toward the frozen forests of The Lake, I don't plan on starting up a countdown clock as yet. I don't want to jinx things. Besides, I'm notorious about messing up countdown clocks. I'll wait until April to start the clock. I contacted my folks to give them their departure warning so there won't be too much panic when I show up at their doorstep for our cross-country caravan. I warned DD Daughter so she and GI Joe will be prepared to receive weary travelers en route and show off Ms. En. The weary travelers will be staying at a nearby hotel but I'm not sure if said hotel will allow dogs and I don't think a disguise will work. Gypsy may get to spend the night with DD Daughter, GI Joe, and Ms. En. By the beginning of April, HTP will have finalized travel arrangements and ironed out a travel itinerary.

It's cold here this morning. I'm back wearing jeans and sweaters today. The weather guy is forecasting a possibility of rain.

Murphyism of the Day

Pezen's Internet Law

The most promising result form a search engine query will lead to a dead end.

Fetch the Squirrel Gypsy! Go Get'Em!

Word of the Day

furshur - Definitely; for certain.

I'm totally jealous. My sister said she might be going up to The Lake. And now...MC Daughter tells me that she and D Buddy might be going up to The Lake..and maybe #1 Son too. HTP and I still haven't even ironed out a departure date for our return to The Lake this year. We discussed it with calendar in hand this morning over breakfast. I called DD Daughter to discuss it with her but she was on her way out the door and headed for class. "I'll talk to GI Joe and call you back when I get home from class...at around 5 PM." 5 PM is about 3 PM our time. I hadn't really thought about the time thing and Daylight Savings Time because Arizona doesn't do Daylight Savings Time. However, other states aren't quite as progressive as Arizona. So when MC Daughter called me this morning at around 6:30 AM, the clock in her room was reading 8:30 AM. Good thing I'm an early riser. Unfortunately, early calls tend to make my heart stutter a bit. Oh well...gotta love Daylight Savings Time. I'll have to change my Vegas watch. Arizona time and Vegas time are the same during Daylight Savings Time. I'll know more about departure dates after I talk to DD Daughter, and then my folks, and then Sam's Town.

I had a craving for my famous Sugarfree Oatmeal Raisin/Chocolate Chip Cookies this morning. I suppose my recipe isn't technically sugarfree. Raisins are sweet and therefore, like most fruit, have sugar. Well...if people can't figure out that there's sugar in raisins than I'm thinking that it's someone else's problem...not mine.

Sugarfree Oatmeal Raisin/Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup margarine (1600 cal.)
1 1/2 cup Maltitol brown sugar substitute sweetener plus 1/2 cup Maltitol granulated sugar substitute. (832 cal.)
3 egg whites (60 cal.)
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour (788 cal.)
2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (1214 cal.)
1/2 cup Wheatena cereal (200 cal.)
2 cup sugarless chocolate chips (1572 cal.)
1/2 cup chopped pecans (411 cal.)

Heat oven to 350°F. Beat margarine and sugar until creamy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add baking soda and salt. Beat in flour, oats and cereal. Stir in chips and nuts. Drop by rounded teaspoons on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 18 minutes. Cool 1 minute before removing to cooling racks. These cookies are about 112 calories each. You'll have to do the math on carbs yourself. I'm too lazy. However, the recipe makes 5 dozen cookies.

******

Of course, I didn't have any Wheatena or whole wheat flour in my pantry. I didn't stock up with my craving for cookies in mind...even though I went to the grocery store yesterday. My craving was such that I altered the recipe and it still worked out just fine. Yummy cookies! I used 2 1/2 cups rolled oats. I used unbleached white flour. Oh...and I used 2 whole eggs instead of the egg whites. Horrors! Pffft! I ate two of the cookies instead of breakfast this morning. These are not guilt free cookies. However, I don't feel quite as guilty as I might have if I'd used pure processed white sugar.

Murphyism of the Day

Reichart's Internet Law

The link button you want to press is the last one that loads.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Remember that nobody will ever get ahead of you as long as he is kicking you in the seat of the pants.

- Walter Winchell (1897 - 1972)

Baby Snapping Turtles Move Like the Wind

Word of the Day

Furshnoodle - To be messy or out of control.

Normally I try to blog before dinner time but.....

HTP surprised me by taking me out for a movie and then a late lunch. I love surprises like that. I needed to go grocery shopping so that's where I thought we were going when HTP came into the room and said, "OK. Let's go. Take Gypsy outside, close the windows and then let's go." My response was, "You're going shopping with me? Huh?!" And then...as we passed the grocery store and I'm pointing this out as I'm looking over my shoulder, HTP tells me that he's got a different store in mind? Total bewilderment. Maybe I would have changed into jeans and grabbed a sweater if I'd known where we were going but, hey, I'm not complaining. I got to see that Horton movie. Cute! Lots of children there. The theatre was PACKED with children. Spring break? The movie was still fun to see...even with that kid in back of me kicking my chair. And then we ate riblets at Applebees afterwards. Love it. I love riblets. I love nice surprises like this. We did finally get around to doing the grocery shopping too. I needed to get my Irish dinner fixings. I picked up some Irish beer too. Smithwick's and Harp. I'm not too fond of Guinness...don't shoot me. I love dark beers but not quite that dark. However, I'm told that I'd love Guinness if I were sampling in some smokey pub in Ireland. I know I like Smithwick's. Sis' HTP let me sample a bottle of his stash in the at The Lake. I'm not too sure about Harp. I'll have to give it a go.

Murphyism of the Day

Hitch's Internet Law

When connecting to a Web site your request will take the most indirect possible route.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Change your thoughts and you change your world.

- Norman Vincent Peale

Snapping Turtles Don't Scare Me...when they're little and tiny.

Word of the Day

Furp - The first sip of a very hot cup of coffee or other beverage.

I'm totally weirded out. HTP captured a live scorpion that was crawling around on the carpet by our couch in the living room. Not content with capturing the thing, he placed the live scorpion in a Ziploc sandwich bag, labeled it and set it out where I could find it this morning. Ewwwww!!!!!! I shudder to think how many more scorpions I have wondering around our house. I can guarantee that I'll won't be wondering around barefoot after dark for a good long time. I can also guarantee that I'll be shaking out any shoes that I plan to put on before I put them on. I am totally creeped out. If I'd have seen it, it would have ended up as so much mashed pulp. Ewwwww!!!!! Good thing it's garbage day. I took the baggie, complete with live scorpion, out to the big green barrel already standing by our curb. No....I didn't kill it. Ewwwww!!!!! I will be talking to our Orkin guy when he comes this month. HTP and I think the scorpions are waking up and moving about because of all the Spring landscaping that the neighbors are doing. I shudder to think about all the scorpions that HTP and I may have disturbed or just barely missed getting stung by while we were trimming the palm trees yesterday. All I can say is that I'm glad HTP didn't discover the scorpion before we pruned the palm trees. I'm thinking that we're done with yard work for this Spring. I'm not a girly-girl that flees the scene at the least little spider or snake but I'm not overly fond of creatures that can kill you with a single bite or sting. One has to draw the line somewhere.

Murphyism of the Day

The Download Factor

If a file takes an hour to download, someone in your house will pick up the phone in the fifty-ninth minute.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

But seduction isn’t making someone do what they don’t want to do. Seduction is enticing someone into doing what they secretly want to do already.

- Waiter Rant

Deer at The Lake

Word of the Day

Furnidents - The indentations that appear in carpets after a piece of furniture has been removed.

I had no intention of sleeping away an entire afternoon but that's how it ended up. HTP and I pruned the palm trees. They look great. Well...they look a lot better than they used to look. We didn't actually get them totally preened and perfect but they look nice. No more palm fronds drooping into the fountain getting in the way of the frog spitter. I know that when HTP and I return to Arizona after a summer spent at The Lake, the palms will look wild and wooly again but for right now, They look nice. HTP's tells me that his knee hurts from all our pruning. I know that the palms bit him at least once or twice. I wore gloves so I only got nibbled on a bit. No blood for me. I don't know what HTP did with his knee but he joked about having to go see the same surgeon that took care of Gypsy's knees. Me? After lunch I laid down to read a book with Gypsy and then woke up just now to realize that I'd slept away the afternoon. Gypsy didn't seem to mind.

Murphyism of the Day

Holten's Download Principle

The likelihood of receiving an error message during a download increases the closer you come to finishing.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

What others think of us would be of little moment did it not, when known, so deeply tinge what we think of ourselves.

- Paul Valery (1871 - 1945)

Deck Garden

Word of the Day

Furbula - The designated chewing area on a dog's back.

No More Pretty Pink Casts! Whoohoo! HTP and I took Gypsy to the vet this morning for the great unveiling. I was so scared that we'd have to leave her for further surgery. Nope. She's Home! Of course, she's got one REALLY goofy leg right now. "Goofy" is the word the surgeon used. I have to concur. Right now when she walks that leg is circling and waving a bit like a flag. I'm sure that will correct itself. That one leg has been in a cast for a month. It'll take some time to get some muscle use back. The vet told us to keep Gypsy quiet. No running, no jumping, no walking except to go outside to do her thing for the next two weeks. Her knees need to heal some more from the inside now. Physical therapy can start if all looks well at Gypsy's re-check in a couple of weeks. I didn't even know that they had dog physical therapists. Go figure. In the meantime, Gypsy is sitting in her box under my desk...licking her leg. Licking and licking. I suppose I may have to put a stop to that if it gets too much.

Murphyism of the Day

Liz's Law

If you spend hours trying to sign on to a busy server, your connection will be lost as soon as you get on.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

The aging process has you firmly in its grasp if you never get the urge to throw a snowball.

- Doug Larson

My Garden at The Lake - 2007

Word of the Day

Furbling - To walk in a snakelike manner around barricades while waiting in a long line.

My citrus trees aren't blossoming as yet. HTP informs me that the scent of citrus blossoms should be thick in the air right now. I'm not sure if he's right or not but I do know that my citrus trees are only just thinking about blossoming. I can see the beginnings. Tiny green buds on the tangelo tree. Larger wine colored buds on the lemon tree. I haven't seen much indication that the grapefruit or lime trees have started to think about budding out but I imagine they might be. I just haven't looked too closely. If all the buds on the tangelo tree burst out into bloom, my yard will perfume the whole neighborhood. If even an eighth of the blossoms produce fruit, I'll be making gallons of Tangelocello and I'll be enjoying gallons of tangelo juice. One can only hope.

My pomegranate tree which looked dead and gone last week is covered with newly forming leaves. One of my neighbors planted a couple of pomegranate trees last spring and was quizzing me about his "dead" trees. I'm pretty sure that his little trees have new leaves right now. The reason I planted my pomegranate tree in the corner of my yard where I don't have to see it is that it loses all its leaves during the winter when I'm here. I haven't noticed any blossoms forming as yet but I'm sure that will come.

I suppose, if I look back at my past blogs, I could see if our "blossoming" is behind schedule for the year as HTP suggests. I'm not sure what difference it makes at this point other than prove HTP wrong. It's not that big a deal. The citrus will blossom when the citrus is ready to blossom. The pomegranate will blossom when it's ready to blossom. I'll be here to enjoy.

Murphyism of the Day

Perlis's Postulate

The computing field is always in need of new cliches.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.

- Albert Einstein

Lake Home Scenes

Word of the Day

Funner - To be more than fun.

It's Sunday. Tomorrow is Monday. And the next day is Tuesday. Tuesday is when, if all has gone right, Gypsy's cast will come off and maybe she can start getting her leg muscles exercising. Poor baby. I pray this time that the surgery has worked and we don't have to go through all this a third time. She's feeling fine, at least from all the cavorting and running and jumping she seems to want to do I can tell that she's not feeling any pain. There's no way until the unveiling to know if the operation was successful or not.

I can't start a countdown clock on going to The Lake as yet. HTP and I haven't settled on a definite date for departure. We still cogitating. In the meantime, I continue editing my To Do and Packing List. And...I think I'll keep posting pictures from The Lake. I'm not eager to rush up there right now....not while I know for a fact that the temperatures are incredibly FREEZING! As far as I know, the plumber probably can't even get down our road to hook up the water yet. I imagine the temperatures at the beginning of May will be REALLY cold but I'm hoping they won't be FREEZING. I can handle the cold part. Snow is a pretty thing to see but I'm not into FREEZING. I'm not sure how Gypsy will deal with the cold but, then again, I'm not sure how she'll react to traveling cross country for several days before finding herself at The Lake with all kinds of new smells and new experiences. Grass! Dry leaves! Chipmunks and squirrels. Deer. Porcupines. Skunks. Rabbits. A lake. Woods full of creatures. Toads and Frogs and Bears...Oh my! I hope she doesn't like to eat Junebugs. That's REALLY gross!

It's still pretty cold here in Arizona. Sweater weather. I know that if I stand out in the sun I could probably ditch the sweater later this afternoon but I don't tend to stand out in the sun too often. Maybe, if I can get HTP outside to trim the palm trees, I'll spend some time outside today.

Murphyism of the Day

Schyer's Law of Relativity for Programmers

If the code and the comments disagree, then both are probably wrong.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothes. But the half-wit remains a half-wit, and the emperor remains an emperor.

- Neil Gaiman

The Lake

Word of the Day

Funkafy - To make something funky. To add more spice, life, color, or zing!

Live in tech support is a wonderful thing. I don't know what other people end up having to do when they need tech support. I'm married to my tech support guy. I KNOW that I can't fix most of the stuff that goes wrong on my computer. This morning it was my Outlook email that decided to quit working. It's not like I get a whole heck of a lot of emails every day but I do get some. Mostly my emails are assorted spam but not all. I like to read my emails. I like the funnies that people send me. I could live without the spam and phishing stuff but I've got time to sort and weed. That's why one has the delete button. The thing was that I was getting error messages with big red exclamation marks on them whenever my Outlook looked for email. It refused to connect to my server...but...I was connected to the Internet. Yahoo was working. Huh? This is where my live in tech support comes in handy. HTP asked me what I'd done last night that may have caused the problem. I'd installed IM for Myspace. Works great, by the way. Thankfully, HTP was about to check that one out and dismissed it as a problem. I hate to hear all the grumbling and lectures when HTP has to uninstall something that I've installed on my computer.

Thank you HTP! He figured it out. He kicked me out of the room because I was hovering so while I was working on my morning Sudoku with Gypsy, HTP (my live in tech support guy) figured out how to fix my computer. It's running fine now. He told me what he did but the explanation floated like an big fat red helium filled balloon over my head and settled into the ether world somewhere. Something about a clash between Norton's Security and Microsoft Updates. Apparently, I'm not the only poor soul out in internetland that has encountered this particular email problem. HTP managed to fix the problem and my email is working fine....at least...I didn't have any emails but I'm sure that's because it's a Saturday and I don't get too many emails on Saturdays.

Murphyism of the Day

Principle of Operating Systems

Computers are an intelligence sink; there is no level of genius that cannot find its match in system design.

The Microsoft Corollary

It takes hundreds of geniuses to make a complex thing simple.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Sanity calms, but madness is more interesting.

- John Russell

The Lake

Word of the Day

Fundage - Money; Funds.

I'm feeling a bit grumpy today. It's cold outside. I know this is rather whiney and I should go look for a hunk of cheese right now because there's nothing like a piece of cheese with whine. Lunchtime. I know I live in Arizona and 65°F isn't exactly cold compared to temperatures where DD Daughter, GI Joe and Ms. En live, or where MC Daughter and D Buddy live, or where #1 Son is going to school, or...well, you get my drift. However, I am so ready for it to warm up! Stupid global warming whiners. I'm beginning to think that some global whining psycho has fiddled with the global thermostat. 65°F feels COLD here in Arizona for this time of year. My citrus trees should be blossoming and they're not. It's been too cold. I realize that once the temperatures get up to the 80's and even triple digit, I'll be whining about how hot it is but....maybe not. I won't be here. I'll be complaining about how COLD it is in Wisconsin about than. It's one of those can't win can't win situations. I'm just eager to start wearing shorts and sandals again. I did get to wear them for a couple of days but it got cold again. It's back to jeans and sweaters.

Gypsy is feeling put out right now. I had to put her in her kennel while I washed my hair and I think she knows that I'm done with washing my hair and have moved onto my computer. She complaining bitterly. However, my hair isn't done. I still have to dry and style it. I can't do that while making sure she doesn't hop out of the box and run around the house. No running allowed. No hopping either if hopping is related to jumping. Plus, I need to make lunch...soon. While I can make lunch, I can't eat lunch with Gypsy running around lose.

Murphyism of the Day

Eighth Law of Programming

It is easier to change the specification to fit the program than vice versa.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

The reason lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place is that the same place isn't there the second time.

- Willie Tyler

The Lake

Word of the Day

Fujumbled - Describing someone whose mind and thoughts becomes so messed up that they cannot get the correct words out.

No excuses. I wasn't busy. Nothing dire happened. Actually, it's been a very peaceful day. I've been cuddled up reading a book with Gypsy and I've been playing Pogo. Nothing earth-shattering. Bla,bla,bla,bla.....Blog. I'll try to come up with something more interesting tomorrow but don't get your hopes up. Uneventful days can be a good thing. Excitement can be totally over-rated.

Murphyism of the Day

J.T.s Law of Technical Support

The better the customer service, the sooner you get to speak with someone who can't help you.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

History is more or less bunk.

- Henry Ford (1863 - 1947)

MC Daughter, #1 Son, and DD Daughter in The Big Cabin at The Lake

Word of the Day

Fugifry - A French fry that has escaped from the smaller French fry sleeve into the larger takeout bag from a fast food burger restaurant. When the bag contains the components of several individuals' meals, fugifries are considered community property, though they are usually claimed by the person charged with passing out the food.

I read my daughter's blog this morning and my mind has become occupied with The Lake. I'm not sure I would really like to be there right now. Too cold. But, mentally I've transported myself to that ideal time of year and that ideal temperature, sitting on my rocking chair on the deck at The Lake. Or....sitting on dock watching the loons gliding on the still water or the eagles soaring overhead. There are no mosquitoes in my ideal time. No wasps or bugs of any kind. It isn't too hot and it isn't too cold. There aren't any weekenders with motorboats and jet skis ripping up and down the lake. It's just me. Sitting on the deck, rocking in the sunshine which never gets too hot, sipping on a nice cup of coffee or a glass of wine. And all this reminds me that HTP and I will be heading out to The Lake in a bit more than a month. I dug out my packing list and I've started revising. It's the same Packing and To Do List that I use every time that I head up to The Lake. Basic. I just have to edit it a bit for changing needs.

I can't wait to get back up to The Lake. When Ms. En gets older, I'll take her fishing and we'll catch bluegills off the dock. We'll go berry picking and I'll show her how to clean wild raspberries and make homemade jam. Maybe we'll find some giant puff balls. We'll go hiking. I'll show her how to catch toads and chipmunks and snakes and maybe show her some baby snapping turtles. Maybe we'll dig Indian clay and make pots. She's a bit young for all that right now. She'll need to be a bit older. That's OK. This summer I'm sure she'll be content to just sit in her stroller....getting a feel for the place and maybe get her used to a life vest so we can take her out for a boat ride.

Murphyism of the Day

Moore's Law (simplified)

Computer power doubles and prices halve every eighteen months.


Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Today you can go to a gas station and find the cash register open and the toilets locked. They must think toilet paper is worth more than money.

- Joey Bishop

Word of the Day

Fuelderment - The confusion at an unfamiliar gas station over how to activate the gas pump.

Gypsy is improving. My main cause of concern at this point is that she's hard to contain. Poor puppy is ending up in the kennel more and more because I can't guarantee containment when I'm involved with other activities. She just pops out of her box/basket willy-nilly when my back is turned. Seven more days of this before we find out whether the surgery this time worked or not.

I can deal with the containment issue but Gypsy has developed a bad habit which I'm pretty sure has resulted from the forced lack of activity that she's been having to deal due to this surgery. No running. No jumping. No really fun strenuous fun activities. She has started chewing on her ears. Yucko! OK. She's not actually chewing on her ears as in the fleshy part of her ears. I imagine that would hurt if she could actually reach that fleshy part of her ears. She's chewing on the long hair that's growing on her ears. If I could give her a bath, I would but since I can't, I'm having to brush her ears twice a day to keep the tangles away. I equate this ear chewing habit to a baby's habit of thumb-sucking. Ewww! Slimy! I've upped Gypsy's bone quota. Something better to chew on. Unfortunately, what my poor puppy really needs is a good run, jump and fetch session. Hopefully this need will be finally filled in another five weeks.

Murphyism of the Day

Murphy's Sixth Computer Law

Software bugs are impossible to detect by anybody except the end user.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Inspiration may be a form of superconsciousness, or perhaps of subconsciousness - I wouldn't know. But I am sure it is the antithesis of self- consciousness.

- Aaron Copland

Word of the Day

FUBAR - F___ed Up Beyond All Recognition. This is generally considered to be a military term. This is the epitome of all things wrong.

It's an odd thing that I never feel the cuts and bruises and blisters on my hands, arms, and legs until hours after the injuries. Bruises can take days before I notice them and wonder where the heck I got the huge bruises that show up on my legs and arms. I tend to forget about bumping into stuff when I'm working around the house or at The Lake. When I was pruning the plants in the backyard yesterday, I really hacked up my hands and arms. Long bloody scratches on my arms and bloody marks on my hands. I never really noticed them much while I was in the process of working in the yard. Well...I did notice the one where I poked my hand with the pruning shears and discovered that the shears did a better job cutting hands then it did cutting branches but it didn't actually hurt much and I wasn't bleeding copiously so I just kept on working. But last night, when I was making dinner, every single scratch made itself known but I ignored it all because I was busy making supper. And then this morning? My hands are really complaining right now about the ill treatment. The thing is that I never can bring myself to wear gloves except, maybe, if I'm working with something with spines. Roses, palm trees, citrus trees, pomegranates, or cacti. Definitely roses, cacti, and palms. I decided to leave the palm tree trimming for HTP because even with industrial strength gloves palm trees bite. Hard. I trimmed the pomegranate tree last fall but didn't wear gloves because...well...just because. Lots of bloody scratches from that episode. I don't trim the citrus because the overhanging branches shade the trunks during the hot summer months. My one and only cactus doesn't need trimming, and I don't own any rose bushes here in Arizona. So...no gloves. I prefer gardening without gloves. I don't like to use thimbles while sewing either. That's just me. I like a real "hands on" experience. However, this "hands on" experience comes with a price. My hands are all chewed up and blistered despite the fact that none of the trees or plants that I was pruning had spines. And, maybe if I'd worn a long sleeved shirt, I might have been able to prevent the scratches on my arms but it was nice outside and I didn't have to deal with mosquitoes so.... I was wearing jeans so my legs came out unscathed. Oh well, a bit of Mycitracin on the worst of the scratches on my arms and hands will take the red out.

Murphyism of the Day

Murphy's Fifth Computer Law

The speed with which components become obsolete is directly proportional to the price of the component.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Beware of the young doctor and the old barber.

- Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790)

Word of the Day

Fryfugee - A French fry found loose in the bottom of a fast food bag.

You may have noted that I haven't posted any recent Poor Puppy photos of Gypsy. I haven't gotten around to taking any. Besides, she looks pretty much the same but the cast on her right leg is bigger and there isn't one on her left leg. Life goes on. Gypsy continues to improve. However, there is no way that I can actually see how well her leg is doing under her cast until the cast is removed and the doctor takes another photo. The best I can do is keep an eye on her during the interim. I'm having to watch her like a hen with one chick...maybe closer. I'm not sure how close hens watch their chicks. I'm amazed at how oblivious Gypsy seems to be about endangering her legs. The only surefire way I can make sure that she stays put (not jumping into or out of her boxes or racing across the room to try and follow me about)is to place her firmly inside her kennel where she HAS to stay put. At least she doesn't seem to show any interest in chewing on her cast.

I should be at church right now. Our jazz group is playing for one of the services. I decided that it would be better for me to stay home and take care of Gypsy. "What?! Am I chopped liver?" OK. I'll make breakfast for HTP too.

I've been continuing with my landscape pruning chores. I filled on garbage can with the trimmings from three oleander bushes. I still have three more to go but while I'm pruning Gypsy has to stay in her kennel where she won't hurt herself. Aside from that, I also have to limit myself to pruning only as much as will fit into the garbage can each week. I've almost reached my clippings quota for this week. You'd think there would be a better way of disposing of composting type materials than filling our landfills with them but, I suppose it's better than filling our landfills with plastic bags.

Murphyism of the Day

Murphy's Fourth Computer Law

All components become obsolete.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

We can only learn to love by loving.

- Iris Murdoch

Word of the Day

Frozation - Coldness. The process of freezing.

Leap Year! I'm going to have to reset my watches. My atomic clocks and my computer wasn't phased by the addition of yesterday, the extra day in February, but my watches don't have that kind of smarts.

Poor Puppy II Update

The surgeon told me that Gypsy's second surgery would be a lot less painful than the first. I'm not too sure about that. Poor Gypsy. She definitely wasn't a happy puppy yesterday when I picked her up at the hospital. No wagging. No puppy kisses. She came home yesterday and couldn't help give out a couple of yips. She's having to really use and put most of her rear end weight on her left hind leg for stabilization and the bigger cast on her right leg doesn't help much. I noticed that she's keeping her right leg slightly elevated...hardly using it at all. Plus, her left leg is still healing from the first operation two weeks ago but it no longer has a cast on it. They shaved all the hair off her hind legs and that poor left leg looks pretty spindly right now. I suppose it's good therapy and forces that leg to develop some strength but my hope is that she doesn't damage it during this healing process. I'm also hoping that the surgery on the right leg doesn't undo itself again.

However, having said all that, I noted that Gypsy is improving. Slower this go round but she is improving. By suppertime last night Gypsy's ears had started to perk up, her eyes were brighter and I saw a bit of tail wagging going on. I felt horribly guilty when I ducked into my room to check my e-mails on the computer and found that Gypsy had dragged herself up out of her box in the kitchen while I wasn't looking so that she could follow me, limping, and sit in her box under my computer desk. I'd set her in the box in the kitchen where I could keep an eye on her while making supper and thought that she'd be happy to remain there for the few minutes that I ducked out of the room. I guess pain didn't figure into the "don't leave me" equation. I'm not letting her walk around except to go outside to do her thing and I didn't count on her sneaking out of her box because she REALLY wants to stay at my side. Gypsy's doing even better this morning. I'm NOT letting her sneak out of her box again but I can see that she was moving better outside. I was greeted with puppy kisses this morning and her tail works great. She's not cavorting about as yet but I expect we'll have to wait a few more days for that sort of thing. Besides, running and jumping are forbidden. I didn't inquire into whether cavorting fits into either of those two categories.

Murphyism of the Day

Murphy's Third Computer Law

If a program has not crashed yet, it is waiting for a critical moment before it crashes.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

If you have knowledge, let others light their candles at it.

- Margaret Fuller (1810 - 1850)