The Ice is Almost Gone - March 31, 2010

Looking out at the lake today, what remaining ice made me think about plate tectonics from my geology classes. It was like watching continents slide by each other, collide (one sliding beneath the other forcing mountains to grow) or just splitting apart. Only the continents in the case are large areas of ice moving on top of the liquid lake and the mountains formed are mounds of broken ice. Kinda cool...pardon the pun. With temperatures reaching 78 degrees today, it's doubtful that the ice will be sticking around much longer. Our lake is actually starting to look more like a lake again rather than a skating rink. Only one month until the opening of fishing season. It won't be long before HTP and I can roll the dock in and launch the boat.

Word of the Day

Squoze - To have squeezed something previously. The past tense of squeeze.

I took a quart of tangelo juice and a quart of grapefruit juice that I squoze and froze before we left Arizona so they would thaw out for Easter dinner at Sis' place. LOL. I just had to use the Word of the Day in a sentence. We're going to celebrate Easter dinner on Saturday with Sis and her hubby and my folks. I'm bringing the juice. I'm also bringing some German potato salad and some green beans for green bean casserole and some hard-boiled eggs. I'm thinking about making a dessert too but...we'll see. We're going to be celebrating Easter dinner in The Big City on Sunday.

The last of the winter snow has melted. Poor Kylee! Our last snow mountain, the one by our garage, disappeared sometime between last night and this morning. How she loved racing to the top of the mountain, sliding down from the summit. However, don't feel too bad, I noted that she discovered the huge pile of leaves where I'd hauled them off behind our propane tank. She took a flying leap right into the heart of leaf pile....and sank. She looked a bit startled about the sinking thing but it didn't stop her from repeating the exercise the next time we went outside for our walk. She may not be able to climb on top of a mountain of leaves, but she can still enjoy jumping into the mountain and scattering it about a bit....which is why she remained inside while HTP and I were raking and hauling leaves on Monday. Now that we've got the leaves all hauled off to the woods, Kylee's more than welcome to leap into the leaf piles.

Random Thought of the Day

How come toy hippos are always blue, or purple, when real hippos are brownish?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Nothing contributes so much to tranquilizing the mind as a steady purpose - a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye.

- Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797 - 1851)

Word of the Day

Squibbly - Tiny; small; minute; a small piece of something.

It's Sis' birthday today!


Happy


Birthday


Sis!



I KNOW I missed blogging yesterday! HTP and I were busy. We raked all the leaves from the front gardens and dragged all the leaves off to the woods. I don't have your typical two foot wide perimeter flower gardens. My front flower beds take up the majority of my whole front yard. It takes time to rake off all the leaves that the surrounding forest deposits on my flower beds. Then...after a bit of recuperation, HTP and I raked and sucked up the leaves from my raspberry batch by the side of the garage and from Blueberry Hill. Thank goodness for electric leaf-blower/sucker/mulchers. However, needless to say, we were both exhausted by the time we decided to call it quits. We still have more work to do but...maybe next week. It's best to allow the back muscles time to recover before major damage sets in.

However, if the weather hadn't been so windy today...I may have continued with my spring yard clean-up. The ground is still frozen so it makes leaf removal a bit easier. Unfortunately, it has been majorly windy today so even the beds that HTP and I worked on yesterday are collecting leaves from the surrounding woods. *sigh* There's not much more frustrating than fighting the wind while raking leaves. We're also supposed to be getting some rain so... Maybe we'll continue our yard work next week...weather and sore muscles permitting.

Random Thought of the Day

Why don't woodpeckers get headaches when they slam their head on a tree all day?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.

- Leo Tolstoy (1828 - 1910)

Kylee is Three Months Old

Word of the Day

Squeats - A need to use the restroom that does not out-weigh the importance of something they are doing at present, causing them to squirm in their seat.

The weather is improving. Kylee and I spent a lot of time enjoying the sunshine out on the swing in the backyard. Poor Kylee seems a bit puzzled by a missing pile of snow that she enjoyed munching on in the yard. Where did it go?

Kylee is a smart little girl. She seems to love HTP...and HTP agrees that she's REALLY smart. Every time we come back inside, she scampers over to check up on him in the office. The last time we came back from our walk, HTP fooled her. He was sitting in his recliner watching TV...but...she found him. AND...she figured out how to get up into his lap, much to HTP's chagrin. She used the pile of newspapers sitting by his chair as a step-stool. She leapt on top of the pile of papers and then from there, onto his lap. Too funny. I'm going to have to watch her. HTP isn't used to lap-landers...no matter how smart they are.

Random Thought of the Day

If someone owns a piece of land, do they own it all the way to the center of the earth?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

The sad truth is that excellence makes people nervous.

- Shana Alexander

Word of the Day

Spyawn - 1. To attempt to speak while yawning. 2. Any instance of talking and yawning simultaneously.

There's so many things that I should be doing today but...I didn't. Lazy. Kylee training continues but other than that...nada. I should have at least washed my hair while HTP is gone to The Big City to see his folks. *sigh*

The Lake was very noisy this morning. I could hear and see cracks forming in the ice. Such an eerie sound. It's been VERY windy today. While I didn't see this dead tree fall over, I heard it go. Thankfully, it fell out in the woods between the house and the lake. If I hadn't been there to hear it fall, I'm sure it wouldn't have made any noise at all.

Although it's warmer today than yesterday, the wind chill makes spending any amount of time outside unpleasant. Kylee, with her warm fur undercoat, doesn't seem to notice the cold. Me? I couldn't wait to get back inside. And, of course, Kylee thought it would be great fun to play keep away with her racing out of reach any time I wanted to pick her up so we could go back inside. Such fun...not! She does that again and she's going to be taking her outdoor walks on leash. Little stinker! I'm too old to put up with new tricks.

Random Thought of the Day

If an escalotor breaks down, does it become stairs?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Success only hurts the first time.

- Randy K. Milholland

The Ice is Melting at The Lake...but only near the shore.

Word of the Day

Spurgle - The sputtering and gurgling sound a car might make after the ignition is turned off.

OK, enough about Kylee, already. Nothing new to report.

I spent most of the day transplanting the cucumbers, zucchini, and tomatoes that I planted from seed shortly after HTP and I got here to The Lake. No need to tell me that I planted the cucumber and zucchini seed too early. I figured that out all by myself. If they get too big, I'll have to try and plant those again in a few weeks. I transplanted everything but the tomatoes and pepperoncini into larger pots. I transplanted the tomatoes into the same size pots but deeper so only the secondary and seed leaves are now showing at the top of the soil. The pepperoncini are still too small to transplant. Maybe next time. I've never actually grown my own transplants and thought, since I got here so early, that I'd give it a try. I'm not sure how well this is going to work out but...at least I can say that I tried. If all works out, I should be able to transplant everything one more time before it's warm enough outside to transplant into the garden. So far, so good. My Mom gave me some cuttings from one of her cherry tomato plants from last year which I transplanted into soil yesterday. They sure looked sick yesterday (sticks with green dishrags attached) but seem to be making a comeback today. I may end up with WAY too many tomato plants this summer.

Random Thought of the Day

Why do they call him Donkey Kong if he is not a donkey?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Delusions of grandeur make me feel a lot better about myself.

- Jane Wagner

Kylee Likes Snow

She likes to climb on top of it, she likes to eat it, she likes sliding on it, and she likes to lie down in it.

Word of the Day

Spubbling - The superhuman feat of trying to wash one's hands and manipulate the "water saving" faucets at the same time.

And during our waking hours.... House-breaking a dog is no easy task. I know (I hope) that Kylee finally gets the hang of "doing her thing" outside. The sooner the better. In the meantime, she hasn't had a single accident in her kennel. She is a member in good standing of The Clean Den Club...so that works in my favor. She goes out first thing in the morning (6 AM), she goes out right after she's eaten something, she goes out right after she's played inside for a bit, she goes outside anytime after she's been in her kennel for whatever reason, and she goes out right before she goes to bed at night. We spend a great deal of time going outside so she can "do her thing". She doesn't seem to mind spending time in her kennel when I'm too busy to make sure that she doesn't sneak off to "do her thing" inside....as long as she has her rawhide bone and her raccoon...and as long as she knows that HTP or I are close by. However, it will be nice when HTP and I can finally say that she's really and truly, trust-worthy and house-broken.

Random Thought of the Day

Why do they say a football team is the 'world champion' when they don't play anybody outside the US?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

One's destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things.

- Henry Miller (1891 - 1980)

Word of the Day

Sprolic - To frolic and splash in puddles or snow.

Kylee LOVES sprolicking in the snow. We still have a few mounds of snow by our garage and in the yard. She likes to play Queen of the Hill and then slide down. Weird dog! She also likes to eat snow. She'd better enjoy the snow while it's still around. It's disappearing rapidly. While out shopping with Kylee and my folks (yes, I took Kylee with us) we noted that the outdoor temperatures were in the low 60's.

While out shopping, I picked up some Resolve Pet Stain remover. It's not easy keeping a 100% eye on a little dog like Kylee. She moves fast. House-breaking looks like it's going to take a while. *sigh*

Meanwhile, I got all the laundry done, picked up some medicine for Kylee at the vet's place, and went shopping with my folks.

Random Thought of the Day

If you put a chameleon in a room full of mirrors, what color would it turn?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

If all the world's a stage, I want to operate the trap door.

- Paul Beatty

Kylee Likes Playing

Word of the Day

Sprachet - The rubber divider at the supermarket checkout.

Kylee slept through the night again last night. No accidents...until I trusted her too far this morning while I was making breakfast. *sigh* My fault. I should have put her back in her kennel while I was too busy to keep an eye on her 100%. Speaking of which.... OK. She's in her kennel. Poor baby. I'll let her out again as soon as I've blogged.

Random Thought of the Day

What are the handles for corn on the cob called?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life.

- Bible, New Testament, James, Chapter 1, Verse 12

See? Kylee doesn't have a tail.

Word of the Day

Spota - Something that was supposed to happen already, and did not for whatever reason.

Kylee and I heard the ice on the lake breaking up this morning, sharp cracks and low bubbling moans. Spring is here but it doesn't feel much like spring. We woke up to 18 degree temperatures. My flannel-lined jeans feel wonderful. Too bad I can't wear flannel-lined jeans to church.

T-Square and I went to church this morning. Kylee stayed home with HTP...in her kennel. After church, T-Square drove me into town to pick up the Sunday paper and the local free newspaper. I was supposed to pick up the free papers yesterday when I picked up the mail...but...I didn't know that I was supposed to pick up the free papers in town until I got home. Oh well...it's done now.

Kylee is getting used to spending time in her kennel. I can't watch her 24/7. When I can't watch her...at least until she is fully trustworthy when it comes to house-breaking and chewing on stuff (not chewing on stuff)...she needs to be contained. It's working so far. I make up for the periods of containment by taking her for long hikes and playing fetch with her. I toss the toys, she fetches them back to her basket. The rawhide bones are being enjoyed. Eventually, she'll learn not to chew on electric cords, pillows, edges of chairs, shoes, etc. In the meantime, I ordered something online that I can spray on the stuff that she's not supposed to chew on. It's supposed to be very unpleasant. I wonder if my Mom and Dad (T-Square) want to borrow it for their puppy? We'll see. I won't know how well it works until it gets here.

Random Thought of the Day

Why do we press the start button to turn off the computer?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Temptation rarely comes in working hours. It is in their leisure time that men are made or marred.

- W. N. Taylor

I moved the dog basket so Kylee could keep an eye on me while I'm working on my laptop.

Word of the Day

Splitzophrenic - A personality trait that causes a person to consistently behave in an inconsistent manner. Common symptoms include: extreme indecisiveness; frequent shifting between hyper, impulsive & spastic behavior and a more subdued, introspective demeanor; an uncanny ability to identify with all sorts of varying personality types; and an inability to identify oneself as being one or the other. Individuals are known to sway between the following traits: extroverted vs. introverted, practical/realistic vs. imaginative, organized vs. disorganized, intelligent/clearheaded vs. ditsy, stubborn vs. complacent, among others.

Kylee continues to settle in. She saw her first squirrel this morning and stood up like a meerkat to get a better look. I'm trying to get her accustomed to brushing and sitting in a basket. She seems content to remain in a basket as long as she can keep an eye on me...and as long as she has a rawhide bone to chew on. I bought a bag of fresh rawhide bones for her this morning when I went into town to pick up the mail. Gypsy never liked rawhide bones. Kylee turned up nose at the old ones that I had up here. So far house-breaking continues to go well. I only had to take her out once during the night...and I'm not sure if it was entirely necessary. She hadn't complained but I was already awake so...what the heck.

I made three loaves of bread yesterday. Two loaves of German rye bread, and one loaf of whole wheat. It's kind of hard to get things done while Kylee is awake...so I'm learning to do those things I need to do while Kylee is in her kennel...napping. However, I'm not letting her nap too much. I'd rather she did her sleeping at night.

Random Thought of the Day

If a bunch of cats jump on top of each other, is it still called a dog pile?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Say not, when I have leisure I will study; you may not have leisure.

- The Mishnah

Meet Kylee - March 17, 2010


Kylee - March 19, 2010

It's extremely hard to take a picture that shows that Kylee has no tail because she keeps sitting down when I stop to take a picture.


Word of the Day

Splendiferously - Used to describe something that is splendid or wonderful -- often needing excessive punctuation. Origins: From the word, splendiferous, describing something that is splendid.

I have a new puppy. Thankfully, HTP is a very wonderful and understanding husband. My folks and I picked her up at the breeder's on St. Patrick's Day. She's nothing like Gypsy but she's helping to fill the void that was created when Gypsy died. Actually, she's very persistent about the whole thing and makes me laugh at her antics. Because we got her on St. Patrick's Day, I decided to give her an Irish name. Kylee. She's a beautiful red-haired miniature Australian shepherd with hazel eyes that switch from blue to green to grey...which is a bit weird but. She's nine weeks old....which means that she need to be house-broken. She's learning quickly...knock on wood. She also demands a LOT of exercise and play time. She's a five and a half pound bundle of energy. I suspect that we'll be taking plenty of long hikes this summer to wear her out a bit. She's not sleeping through the night yet but...she's young. Thankfully, the weather hasn't been too bad when I've had to take her outside during the after dark hours.

Random Thought of the Day

Do sheep get static cling when they rub against one another?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

When I'm not doing something that comes deeply from me, I get bored. When I get bored I get distracted and when I get distracted, I become depressed. It's a natural resistance, and it insures your integrity.

- Maria Irene Fornes

Gypsy - Rest in Peace

My beloved dog Gypsy died today. One moment she was fine...the next she was gone. HTP and I rushed her to the vet but it was too late. The vet said she probably had a heart attack. I'm in shock and I'm so sad. She would have been three years old in July. She was the sweetest, most gentle dog that I've ever known. Rest in Peace Gypsy. I loved you and I'm going to miss you.

Word of the Day

Spirly - Crazy, insane, a little off.

What does Old Grey Frog do while HTP is off to The Big City aside from playing FarmVille, Farkle, and Fish World?

I baked some really awesome oatmeal chocolate chip cookies...which I've hidden. Too bad I can't hide them from myself. Next, since HTP isn't here, I turned off the heat and opened up some windows to air out the house. Since he's always complaining about how cold he is, there's no way that I could do this if he were here. This is the first opportunity that I've had to air the house out since HTP and I got here. It's a bit crazy to air out a house when the temperatures outside are in the upper 30's but it's not freezing and the rain has stopped. Besides, I turned off the heat. I'll close things down in a bit. The house has been shut down since we left last fall and it was nice to open up for a while. Then, I took the time to color my hair. It's one thing to call myself Old Grey Frog, it's another to actually embrace having grey hair. My friend pointed out a picture that she took of me when I'd decided to go grey. Eventually, I'll go grey...but not yet. So...what next? I think I may give myself a facial and pour myself a glass of wine.

Random Thought of the Day

If K.F.C Stands for Kentucky Fried Chicken, why do they play sweet home Alabama on the commercials?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

A well-informed mind is the best security against the contagion of folly and of vice. The vacant mind is ever on the watch for relief, and ready to plunge into error, to escape from the languor of idleness.

- Ann Radcliffe

Steam Juicing - 2009

Word of the Day

Spife - A combination spoon and knife.

Last night, I spent about a half hour designing a new label for the Arancello I filtered and bottled yesterday only to lose all my work when the program shut down on me, forcing me to start all over from scratch. Apparently, the Avery label maker program doesn't like my Windows 7 operating system.....or the Windows 7 operating system doesn't like the Avery label maker program. Either way, it wasn't working like it used to work when I had XP or Vista. Total frustration! However, I sucked it up and tried again and again and again and again. I began to feel like The Little Engine That Could.

When at first you don't succeed, try, try, again. Learning my lesson, this time I was careful, saving my design every second or so, so when my computer repeated shut the program down, I wouldn't have to start my design again from scratch each time I called up the program. Finally, it got to the point where the program would fail and quit before I could do ANYTHING.

I noticed that the time I had with the program was progressively less every time I pulled it up. 30 minutes, 15 minutes, 7 minutes, 3 minutes, a minute, thirty seconds.... There's really not much you can do in thirty seconds. Anyway, I decided to try something. I shut down my computer. After turning my computer back on and pulling up the Avery program, I was given enough time so I was able to tweak my design and get everything printed out with no further glitches. I'm not sure if this is a sure fix, but I am sure I'll know before this fall. I design and print out lots of labels for everything from jams and jellies at the beginning of the summer to canned tomatoes at the end of the summer...not to mention the summer wines Sis and I bottle in the fall.

Speaking of summer wines, I started a triple batch of Mulligan Berry Wine this morning. Sis and I used our steam-juicers last fall to juice up a huge variety of fruit (dibs and dabs of this and that) that we had in freezers at the end of the summer...and a variety for fruit from my Mom's freezer when her fridge died. Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, rhubarb, and pomegranate seeds. We canned the resultant blend of juices to use this spring...and early start on our summer wines. Needless to say, Mulligan Berry Wine 2010 won't be quite like Mulligan Berry Wine 2009...or Mulligan Berry Wine 2011.

Random Thought of the Day

What type of animal is Snuffaluffagus?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

A good End cannot sanctifie evil Means; nor must we ever do Evil, that Good may come of it.

-William Penn (1644 - 1718)

Looking Up the Drive

Word of the Day

Spendorphine - The substance generated by the brain that improves mood or reduces depression when one self-medicates by going shopping.

It's been a grey day today. It has just started raining again. The snow melt continues. I probably should have put on boots this afternoon when I walked down to the shore to check on the ice. Yup...it's still there. The lake looks like a huge skating rink. I wonder what happened to my old ice skates? I suppose they were sold a long time ago after HTP and I moved to Arizona. There's not really much call for ice skates in Arizona.

Life here at The Lake continues. I racked the Arizona wines yesterday. They should be fine now until I get around to bottling them at the end of April. I've been busily collecting wine bottles. Unfortunately, I'll probably have to buy bottles this year. Today, I'm filtering and bottling the arancello. My whole house smells like oranges.

Random Thought of the Day

If you had a three story house and were in the second floor, isn't it possible that you can be upstairs and downstairs at the same time?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

You don’t get to pick your own nickname. They’ve gotta give you one. It’s like we’re all tryin’ to make pets out of each other and we’re not comfortable unless we get to name ‘em.

- Laura Moncur

The Lake - February 19, 2010
The frozen lake is covered in a thick layer of snow.


The Lake - March 10, 2010
The lake is still frozen but the blanket of snow is gone.



Word of the Day

Spellilepsy - An event in which the brain omits particular letters from words, intermittently throughout the day, that is mostly caused by staring blankly at objects on a computer screen for too long.

The snow is melting...it's melting, melting, melting. We've been getting rain...all night long...all day long. I was startled to see a herd of deer crossing my backyard, browsing on newly exposed vegetation. We see lots of deer every summer but never this many. Ten deer! Why couldn't they have shown up while Ms. En was here to see them? Why couldn't they have shown up while Sis' hubby was out hunting last fall? They mock us. I'm afraid they have their mouths set to taste my blueberry bushes, or my plum tree, or my azaleas. I don't mind them mowing down the vegetation in the buffer zone between the house and the lake but they can just stay away from my gardens!

Random Thought of the Day

Does a 'Marks-A-Lot' marker, mark any more than a regular marker?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

If you can attain repose and calm, believe that you have seized happiness.

- Julie-Jeanne-Eleonore de Lespinasse

Where's Mr. T?

Word of the Day

Spambarrassed - Feeling ridiculed by an email solicitor about the insufficient size or functionality of one's anatomy.

Bye-Bye Gampaw! DD Daughter, Ms. En, and Mr. T. packed up and are on their way home. They hit the road at a bit past 8 AM this morning.

Aside from doing laundry, I spent the morning packing up the grandkid stuff (I keep finding monkeys tucked here and there so it may take a while) and reversing the baby-proofing process. *sigh* It sure is quiet here without Ms. En and Mr. T.

The snow is slowly but surely thawing. I can hear the melt make its way through the down-spouts and I can finally see the edges of the stairway that climbs Blueberry Hill.

Random Thought of the Day

If you really could dig a hole to China, and you did, and you fell in, would you stop in the middle because of gravity?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.

- Henry Ford (1863 - 1947)

Ms. En, DD Daughter, and Mr. T.

Word of the Day

Spamanoia - An abnormal fear of spam, either through email or as processed canned meat.

Grandma Froggy is making chicken nuggets for Ms. En tonight while DD Daughter, HTP and Grandma Froggy enjoy hot chicken wings. It's Monday munch in front of the TV night. Chuck, Two and a Half Men and Big Bang Theory are on tonight.

DD Daughter is getting things laundered and packed tonight. DD Daughter, Mr. T. and Ms. En are heading back to their home tomorrow. *sigh* Grandma Froggy is going to miss them. It's going to be really quiet here without them.

Random Thought of the Day

What happens when you put a lightsaber in water?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

The trick is not how much pain you feel - but how much joy you feel. Any idiot can feel pain. Life is full of excuses to feel pain, excuses not to live, excuses, excuses, excuses.

- Erica Jong

Ms. En. and Mr. T.

Word of the Day

Spaghetti shirt - A shirt that will not show a stain acquired while eating pasta with red sauce.

Poor Mr. T. is teething. Any day now he'll be getting his first tooth. Unfortunately, in during this very natural process, he's only been able to snatch short periods of rest...which means...DD Daughter has only been able to snatch short periods of rest. At one point, I went down to offer assistance but DD Daughter told me that she could handle things. But, this morning, she was more than happy to let me and HTP take care of Mr. T. and Ms. En while she grabbed a short nap.

I feel rather guilty that DD Daughter and I went off shopping this afternoon, leaving HTP with the grand-children...but not too guilty. Mr. T. and Ms. En were supposed to be down for a nap but... Anyway, DD Daughter will be heading back home on Tuesday and she wanted to pick up some Italian sausage from Louie's Meat Market in Cumberland. I had a few groceries to pick up at the grocery store so I went with her. Also, we needed to buy more baby food for Mr. T and some fruit and juice for Ms. En....AND some baby Tylenol for Mr. T...teething. HTP didn't look too stressed when we got home. He was reading to Ms. En while rocking a fretful Mr. T. in his bouncy chair.

Tomorrow is Monday. I'm going to make hot chicken wings for HTP, DD Daughter, and me. I'm making chicken nuggets for Ms. En. Mr. T. gets formula and oatmeal with mixed fruit. We had chicken fajitas tonight. DD Daughter showed how to enjoy really great tequila shots after dinner (only two) and then we finished up with our dessert of brownies ala mode with hot fudge sauce (only one).

Random Thought of the Day

On Gilligan's Island, how did Ginger have so many different outfits when they were only going on a 3 hour tour.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

[S]he refused to be bored chiefly because she wasn’t boring.

- Zelda Fitzgerald, 1922

Mr. T. - March 6, 2010

Word of the Day

Southocity - A measure of how far south something is. Usually used in comparison.

Gypsy has fallen in love with Mr. T. When Mr. T. is downstairs in his crib, Gypsy repeatedly runs over to see if he's magically returned to his empty bouncy chair here upstairs. If Mr. T. is upstairs in his bouncy chair and happens to be upset, she races over to see if she can stop his tears. It seems that Mr. T. is a dog lover. He loves reaching out to grab Gypsy's ears...and Gypsy doesn't seem to mind if he pulls her hair or ears.

Random Thought of the Day

If nobody buys a ticket to a movie do they still show it?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

When you leave college, there are thousands of people out there with the same degree you have; when you get a job, there will be thousands of people doing what you want to do for a living. But you are the only person alive who has sole custody of your life.

- Anna Quindlen (1953 - ),

There's Nothing Quite Like a Good Rocking Chair

Word of the Day

Solanist - A woman who hates men. The opposite of a misogynist.

The grand-kids and DD Daughter are taking a nap. HTP is outside chipping away at some of the huge pile of snow that the snow plow left by the sides of our driveway near our garage. The snow has been starting to melt and I think he's afraid that we'll end up with a HUGE puddle if he doesn't get rid of it before it all melts.

Ms. En and I took a long hike up the driveway to the main road and back. That's one mile! DD Daughter was hoping that the hike would wear Ms. En out a bit before her nap but I suspect that she could have hiked at least another few miles. During our hike, Ms. En started a rock collection, she played with a stick, she jumped in the leaves by the side of the driveway, she enjoyed the crunching noise that the snow made when she walked on it, she listened to the sound that the wind made, she heard the tapping of a woodpecker, she saw a huge logging truck, filled with logs, on the main road and watched another go by that was empty and then she raced after Gypsy when Gypsy ran down the black-topped part of our driveway on the way back to the house. I told you she wasn't tired out. The newly started rock collection is currently residing in a butter tub on my coffee table. I'm sure she can't wait to bring it home with her to show her Daddy (GI Joe).

Random Thought of the Day

How do you tell when you run out of invisible ink?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much.

- Bessie A. Stanley

Fun in the Snow!

Word of the Day

Soapboxiomatic - Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a speaker giving a speech without proof or evidence to back up his/her argument.

DD Daughter dressed Ms. En up in her snowsuit and then Grandma Froggy, DD Daughter and Ms. En all went out to play while HTP watched Mr. T. It was actually quite warm. DD Daughter ended up removing her coat. Me? Grandma Froggy's blood is still a bit thin so she kept her jacket on AND wore her gloves. It was determined that Ms. En and her new gloves just weren't going to mix so Grandma Froggy improvised. A pair of Grandma Froggy's socks worked just fine. After a minor incident with sledding....that sled could MOVE...Ms. En decided she'd rather sit with her Mommy on the swing. "We will, we will rock you!"

Random Thought of the Day

Why people are so scared of mice, which are much smaller than us, when no one seems to be scared of Mickey Mouse, who is bigger than us?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

I can think of nothing more boring for the American people than to have to sit in their living rooms for a whole half hour looking at my face on their television screens.

- Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890 - 1969)

What is Old is New Again - March 2, 2010

Word of the Day

Snormin - To snowstorm; to storm about with snow.

What is old is new again. Last fall my folks gave me the toy box, full of toys, that they had kept at their cabin to entertain their grandchildren (Sis' children, Bro's children, and my children) when they'd come to visit during the summer. I stumbled across it when HTP and I were cleaning the basement, in preparation for DD Daughter's visit with Ms. En and Mr. T. Yesterday, I brought it upstairs for Ms. En to explore. It was like watching someone open a treasure chest. DD Daughter commented, "Hey! I remember that green plane. It was my favorite." So far, Ms. En likes the monkeys (from the game Barrel of Monkeys), the phone, and a couple of the motorcycles. Mr. T. hasn't shown much interest as yet but...he's only a baby still.

Random Thought of the Day

Why are the numbers on a calculator and a phone reversed?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Dreams are postcards from our subconscious, inner self to outer self, right brain trying to cross that moat to the left. Too often they come back unread: "return to sender, addressee unknown." That's a shame because it's a whole other world out there--or in here depending on your point of view.

- Dennis Koenig and Jordan Budde

Bubbles!

Word of the Day

Snorfing - The little game waitresses love to play of waiting until one's mouth is full before sneaking up and asking, "Is everything okay?"

Bubbles! Ms. En found the bubble machine that her Mommy bought for her last summer. DD Daughter was sure that she emptied the thing out last year but Ms. En proved her wrong. Before anyone could move, we had bubbles floating all over the living room...and then the kitchen. It was a true Kodak moment.

We moved the bubble machine to the kitchen before too much damage could be done. As I mentioned in yesterday's blog, my new steam mop took care of the soap residue left over on the kitchen floor. However, needless to say, the bubble machine disappeared as soon as Ms. En went happily off to bed. Not to worry...the bubble machine will reappear next summer when it can create copious amounts of bubbles...outside.

Random Thought of the Day

Why are plastic bears the only animal you can get honey from? Why can't you get honey from a plastic bee.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Hegel was right when he said that we learn from history that man can never learn anything from history.

George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)

T-Square, Ms. En., Ma, DD Daughter, and Mr. T. - February 28, 2010

Word of the Day

Snigology - Shorter form of snigletology, the study of sniglets.

DD Daughter and drove into the city yesterday to augment my larder with things that a toddler (Ms. En)likes. While we were shopping, HTP looked after Ms. En and Mr. T. Both of them were down for their afternoon nap so we figured that HTP could handle things. He did. Mr. T. woke up a couple of times and Ms. En decided to explore the book shelf in the guest room but HTP managed just fine.

My folks came over for supper last night. This was their first opportunity to meet Mr. T. since he was born. I made spaghetti with meatballs, and Italian sausage for supper. Ms. En didn't like the tossed salad that I made but she LOVED the meatballs. She ended up eating seven of them! Wow! They were fairly small but...seven? We ended the evening with everyone sitting down while DD Daughter read Ms. En from a Mother Goose book. Since all of us were familiar with the poems, we all ended up reciting in unison. Even Ms. En chirped up with the parts that she knew.

Today? FedEx brought my new Shark steam mop! Woohoo! My kitchen floor is spotless! The biggest challenge was the area where Ms. En was playing with her bubble machine last night. I was ending up with suds...so...I still have to mop the bathrooms because the mop pads (both sides of two pads) ended up getting sudsy and I didn't order any extra mop pads. This Shark steam mop is different than the one I have back in Arizona. It has pocket pads and three different mop heads, so, I don't think I will order any more pads. I still had one more mop head with a double-sided pad that I could have used so I suppose I could have mopped the bathrooms but...I ran out of steam. The mop didn't run out of steam...I did. I'll wait to mop the rest of the house after I get all the mop pads laundered tomorrow. Rome wasn't built in a day.

Random Thought of the Day

When your photo is taken for your driver's license, why do they tell you to smile? If you are stopped by the police and asked for your license, are you going to be smiling?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Mach-S, the speed at which stress can't keep up, is simply forward motion. But it has to be self- propelled. Note that people in cars are still stressed.

- Jef Mallett