Word of the Day

Ming - A disdain for the lack of importance and expression in another person's speech. In response to the unword "meh".


Happy


Birthday


Willie!


It's my favorite brother's birthday today! He's my OLDER brother. And...he's my only brother so I don't have to feel guilty when it comes to playing favorites. Happy Birthday Willie!

Tiredness reigns. Gypsy woke me up at 6 AM. This, in itself, isn't all that unusual. She waits patiently in her kennel while I get dressed and pour my first cup of coffee in the morning. She started her "Wake up!" routine (digging at the kennel door and softly vocalizing)at 6 AM but I didn't FEEL like getting up because it was still dark outside. I don't mind getting up with the sun but somehow I'm not too fond of getting up before the sun. Besides, the coffeepot timer is set for 6:15 AM. Oh well...I grabbed a cup of coffee from yesterday's pot and nuked it. The temperature outside was 41°F. By 6:30 AM, Gypsy and I were taking our training walk around the neighborhood. We were alone. Even the gentlemen that normally gather at the end of the block, sitting, sipping on coffee, and socializing, weren't there to wave at us.

We actually got a bit of a thunderstorm yesterday. Not only did we get rain (not enough to measure but enough to get the ground wet), we also got hail. For a while I was concerned about the Gator which sits parked on our driveway, but, the hail never got larger than the size of a pea and it didn't last more than a couple of minutes.


Murphyism of the Day

Handy Office Excuse - Number Two

I didn't know you were in a hurry for it.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

[Abstract art is] a product of the untalented, sold by the unprincipled to the utterly bewildered.

- Al Capp (1909 - 1979)

A Grey Day in Arizona

Word of the Day

Miffage - A measure of how much one can be miffed.

I woke up this morning to a beautiful sunrise. The pink and red splashes and daubs of color looked like something that an overly exuberant artist might have dreamed up in some vivid imaginative dream. Red skies in the morning, sailors take warning? I'm not sure that we'll actually get any rain today....besides, there aren't too many sailboats here in Arizona that actually would need to listen to such a warning. Maybe out on Lake Pleasant? Right now the sky is a dull shade of grey. I'm glad that Gypsy and I at least got the chance to get outside and take our walk this morning under the glow of the pinks and reds before they faded to grey. And? I forgot to bring the camera.

I've lost enough weight that I'm down a couple of pant sizes since getting back here to Arizona. However, I'm not planning on running out to buy new clothes. Having pack rat tendencies, I was able to dig through my drawers and pull out some jeans that I haven't been able to wear for over a year. What is old is new again. Ever the pack rat, I don't plan on donating the jeans that are too big for me now. I'll store them away for right now and hope that I won't be needing them again before the end of the holidays. The diet continues. I've got some size 8 and size 6 jeans I'm hoping will fit before I head back to The Lake next spring.

Murphyism of the Day

Handy Office Excuse - Number One

That's the way we've always done it.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger may come. When in a state of security he does not forget the possibility of ruin. When all is orderly, he does not forget that disorder may come. Thus his person is not endangered, and his States and all their clans are preserved.

- Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC)

Snow at The Lake?

Word of the Day

Mibble - An unwanted piece of lint, crumb, or any small, visible object stuck on anything its not supposed to.

Despite a morning temperature of 43°F, I did not wear my winter jacket, nor did I wear my gloves. I settled for a sweater that I picked up last winter at the thrift store. It was a bargain but decorated as it is with embroidered Fall leaves, it's a definite Fall celebration type sweater that has a limited window of opportunity when one can wear it...the Fall. I wore it over a long-sleeved turtleneck. Added warmth. I'll dig out the sweater that I bought to celebrate Christmas and Winter on December 1st. However, by December 1st, I may be wearing my winter jacket and the full effect of the beads and jingle bells will be muted.

I keep promising myself that I'll take the camera out with me the next time that Gypsy and I take our morning training walk. Gypsy is doing really well during our morning training sessions (aside from the occasional distractions). If I'd remember to bring my camera with me, I could put her on a sit/stay and take a picture of her as she eyes me anxiously at the end of the leash. What? Does she think I'm just going to leave her there? Where's the trust? I'm going to continue with our current training program until Gypsy can hold her position no matter how many fellow walkers happen to chance by in the morning during our morning training walks. I'm not sure if adding anything new like "down" might not just confuse things. Although...

This morning I thought to dig my New Balance exercise shoes out of the closet. My feet have been bothering me during these long exercise/training walks with Gypsy every morning. If Gypsy and I were walking any faster, we wouldn't be walking anymore, we'd be jogging. I left the New Balance shoes that I bought during the summer back in Wisconsin but I remembered that I had a pair here in Arizona (that's why I didn't bring the ones that I bought over the summer back with me when we returned). Anyway, after checking to make sure that no scorpions had taken up residence in the shoes (after finding six scorpions since we've been home...I decided that it would be better to check things out...better part of valor and all), I donned my New Balance shoes and wondered why I haven't been wearing them before this. My regular shoes are quite comfortable but these New Balance go beyond comfort. My toes practically rejoiced at the extra padding. And? So far Gypsy hasn't seemed inclined to attack the shoe-laces or chomp on the nibs. Good dog. I've decided to treat my feet and wear my New Balance for the rest of the day.

HTP woke me up last night to tell me that it was snowing in The Big City where #1 Son is living. Brrrrr!!!! I imagine that it's snowing at The Lake too. I'm sure it's pretty to look at...for a while. I imagine that I'd be building a fire in the fireplace as a regular activity...sipping on hot chocolate laced with creme de menthe....or hot tea with lemon and honey.

Word of the Day

Scott's Law of Business

Never walk down a hallway in an office building without a piece of paper in your hand.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

No one means all he says, and yet very few say all they mean, for words are slippery and thought is viscous.

- Henry Adams (1838 - 1918)

I think it might be snowing at The Lake

Word of the Day

Metabusy - Engaged in activity directed at becoming busy, usually from an inability to complete a primary task given the current situation.

This morning started out as a "Ditto Day". A "Ditto Day" is a day where you begin to wonder if you're trapped a movie like Groundhog's Day. The temperature was 43°F when I woke up. I had to wear my winter jacket and gloves when I took Gypsy for our walk this morning.

I'm not fond of "Ditto Day"s. So, not wanting to repeat yesterday, I made an extra pot of coffee, all be it, accidentally. I pressed the "brew now" button instead of the "delay brew" button. Oops. Two pots of coffee instead of one. I suppose that's what got me started on really shaking things up. Well...at least I decided to do something else. I decided to strip and wash the bedding today. Oh...and I decided to make myself an omelet with kefir-leban this morning instead of my usual cereal. Nothing earth-shattering. But...at least I can claim that today isn't going to be a "Ditto Day". In for a penny? I may even give Gypsy a bath and/or wash my hair.

Murphyism of the Day

Sandiland's Law

Free time that unexpectedly becomes available will be wasted.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

The victory of success is half won when one gains the habit of setting goals and achieving them. Even the most tedious chore will become endurable as you parade through each day convinced that every task, no matter how menial or boring, brings you closer to fulfilling your dreams.

- Og Mandino (1923 - 1996)

Brazilian Pink Peppercorns

Word of the Day

Menuspect - To look at what other people have ordered in a restaurant while being taken to one's seat by the host or hostess.

My blood has thinned out. 43°F felt darn cold this morning when Gypsy and I took our walk around the neighborhood this morning. It felt cold enough that I wore my gloves and winter jacket. The sky is blue. The sun is shining. I wasn't the only one wearing gloves and a winter jacket.

One of my Brazilian Pepper trees is LOADED with little tiny berries. I've got three Brazilian Pepper trees but only the one has berries. I surmise that the two trees with no berries are male trees. I think, once the berries ripen to a nice red, I can pick and dry them to use as a spice. I e-mailed Sis. She's got a huge library of cookbooks. I don't think I need to do anything special with these berries other than laying them out to dry. They call these little berries, pink peppercorns. They're not related to black pepper but they're supposed to have a kind of fruity/peppery taste.

Murphyism of the Day

Tillis's Organizational Principle

If you file it, you'll know where it is but never need it. If you don't file it, you'll need it but never know where it is.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

It's all right to have butterflies in your stomach. Just get them to fly in formation.

- Dr. Rob Gilbert

The Awesome Ms. En

Word of the Day

Mentoree - One having a mentor; the beneficiary of a mentorship.

I would be remiss if I didn't mark in my blog a historical event. Yesterday was Election Day. The majority of people in the USA decided that Barack Obama should be elected President Barack Obama for the next four years. He made a lot of promises. Politicians always make promises. It will be interesting to see in the next four years if he actually can fulfill these promises. There will be many people who will be more than just disappointed if the one that they voted for falls from the elevated pedestal where they've placed him. I'm not praying for this eventuality. I'm praying for just the reverse. If I sound pessimistic, it's because I tend to be cynical when it comes to government and politicians.

****

Kefir Madness. Before HTP and I left The Lake, Sis gave me some kefir grains. I've been enjoying the kefir milk that I've been making. It tastes like buttermilk. I do love a nice cold glass of buttermilk. Actually, I've decided that I like my kefir milk even more than store-bought buttermilk.

During the month that I've been back here in Arizona, my kefir grains have multiplied. I think I have three times as many grains as when I started. Sooo....? I now can experiment with some of the other uses for kefir....recipes that call for more kefir milk. Cheese recipes.

I'm just dipping my toe into this new kefir madness. Sis tells me that I can use the kefir milk in any recipe that calls for buttermilk. However, you lose the benefits of kefir when you cook it so I haven't used my kefir milk for things like pancakes or muffins. Besides, things like pancakes and muffins aren't on my diet. However, the salad dressing recipes that I'm seeing that use kefir milk sound wonderful and I plan to try them.

My first "toe dip" into finding other uses for my kefir milk took place a couple of days ago. I made something called Kefir-Leban. Kefir-Leban is made when you pour your kefir milk into a cotton bag (tight weave)and let the whey drip and seperate out for 24 hours. What you end up with is Kefir-Leban which has the same consistancy and (in my humble opinion)the same taste as cream cheese. I can use my Kefir-Leban in any recipe that calls for cream cheese. I've got a second batch of Kefir-Leban started. HTP and I don't use too much cream cheese but since I've been using skim milk? I may make a nice no-bake cheesecake using a sugarfree sweetener. I've also got company coming for Thanksgiving and I'll serve a couple cream cheese dips with crackers. I'm also thinking of making something called Congetella (a fresh mozzarella using kefir milk). If all my "toe dip" experiments work out well, I may even try making Kefeddar (a formed cheddar-like cheese).

My wine doesn't need much attention right now. I need to rack the new wines before Thanksgiving but then it'll be on its own again until just before Christmas. My citrus hasn't ripened enough to make Arancello or Limoncello. Right now is the perfect time to experiment with kefir. Kefir Madness.

Murphyism of the Day

Johnson's Law

The number of minor illnesses among the employees is inversely proportional to the health of the organization.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

A certain amount of opposition is a great help to a man; it is what he wants and must have to be good for anything. Hardship and opposition are the native soil of manhood and self-reliance.

- John Neal

Word of the Day

Memolandum - The miscellaneous note or letter you keep putting back in your in-box because you don't know what else to do with it.


It's


Election


Day!



Finally! I'm looking forward to being able to pick up my phone again without first checking the Caller-ID. Thank goodness for Caller-ID. HTP and I registered so that we shouldn't be getting advertising calls (the occasional advertiser still ends up calling but the number of these calls has gone way down) but, we're still getting political calls and charity solicitations. I didn't really need Caller-ID at The Lake but there were times that I wished I had it there. Come to think of it, hopefully, I remembered to turn off the answering machine at The Lake. This task was and is on my To Do List for closing things up at The Lake but.... Anyway, my hope is that tomorrow will bring a bit of sanity back to our lives. Knock on wood.

I woke up with a log in my eye. OK. You know that I'm exaggerating...right? It just feels like I've got something in my eye and I can't seem to get rid of it. Allergies. I hate them. Yes, I used eye drops. The drops helped for about a minute and then the log came back. Oh well...all I'm planning to do today is get the laundry done, maybe indulge Gypsy with another game of Frisbee if she can tease me into it, and read.

Murphyism of the Day

Quile's Consultation Law

The job that pays the most will be offered when there is no time to deliver the services.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

The strongest possible piece of advice I would give any young woman is: Don't screw around, and don't smoke.

- Edwina Currie

Gypsy LOVES walking off-leash at The Lake but she also loves our morning walks here in Arizona....despite the Arizona leash law.

Word of the Day

Memnants - Any chipped or broken m&m's at the bottom of the bag.

I've done everything that I normally do in the morning but...I haven't eaten breakfast. I would dearly love a bagel and cream cheese. Thankfully, I don't have anything like that stocked in my cupboard or I'd be noshing on said bagel and cream cheese as I write this blog. I've been dieting since the beginning of September. Serious dieting. Bagels and cream cheese aren't on the diet. Heck! The t-bone steak that I grilled up for supper wasn't on the diet either but I only ate about a third of it so the MY diet wasn't blown. One whole t-bone steak has a heck of a lot of calories....almost an entire day of calories. I didn't cook up any carbs to go with the protein but calories are calories. I'll think about whether to have a peanut butter and jam sandwich or a bowl of cereal (1 cup w/ 1/2 cup skim milk = 200 calories) for breakfast. Neither sound appetizing at the moment.

Gypsy is doing pretty well on her training. When we start out in the mornings, she tends to want to walk a bit ahead of me rather than at my side but soon settles back to the ideal heel position with the occasional tug at the leash when she forgets. Not bad. She's not walking me. We're walking together. The perfect companion walk. However, she still has the occasional problems with insecurities and distractions. Insecurities? She really doesn't like to stay sitting in one location while I walk away and stand for long periods of time several feet away...even if I'm within sight and standing there tethered to the other end of her leash. Mostly, she remains sitting but then there's the occasional time that she scoots forward, belly to the ground, looking like someone has been beating her. Poor baby. We're working on it. Distractions? She really loves people! Never mind that she's supposed to be walking at heel, if a person walks by, she wants to run over and greet them. And then there's the occasional slip if that person has a dog with them. She really hasn't figured out that an Akita may decide that a Gypsy might make a nice pre-breakfast snack. After witnessing a couple of Akitas kill one schnauzer and seriously maim another...I've decided to give Akitas a wide berth. We're working on these occasional overly friendly advances. She's doing better at remaining at my side then staying put on a sit/stay.

I finished reading both of the Heather Graham books that I mentioned in my yesterday's blog. I'll have to rummage around in my bookshelves to see what might want to be re-read today.

Murphyism of the Day

Murphy's Law of Punctuality

Being punctual means only that your mistake will be made on time.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

You can't choose the ways in which you'll be tested.

- Robert J. Sawyer

Ms. En - October 2008


Word of the Day

Melty - Of a melted consistency; being partially melted.

I woke up, got dressed, actually put make-up on because I would be going to church, fed Gypsy, prepped a pot of coffee for tomorrow morning...or later today should it become necessary before tomorrow morning, worked my morning sudoku puzzle, took Gypsy for a long training walk, ate a peanut butter and jam sandwich so my stomach wouldn't make any embarrassing loud music that might not be on key, and then headed off to church. I got to church at 9:30 AM and the music director ran through the music with me and the flautist. We played for the third service. It was nice to make a joyful noise in front of the most forgiving of audiences.

After the service, I went shopping. $4.77/lb. for t-bone steaks. $1.77/lb for boneless, skinless chicken breasts. $1.88/gallon for milk. I've been using up a lot of milk what with cereal in the morning and kefir production. I picked up the latest Heather Graham book. It's been a month since I read the first of her new series. I changed out of my church clothes, made lunch, ate lunch, decided NOT to watch the news, decided not to answer the robo-calls for the election coming up on Tuesday. Since there is little that I can do at this point about the ebb and flow of politics and polls, I've decided to NOT listen to the news or talk radio. There really no point in it since my absentee ballot has probably already been counted.

What I have decided to do is make steak for supper tonight...on the grill...and maybe watch The Simpson's latest Halloween episode. I already started to read the latest Heather Graham book but then set it aside so I can re-read the first in this series so I can follow the threads of the story into this second book. I wonder if I'll have to re-read them all again when the third and final book of the series comes out in December. After that, I'm looking forward to Nora Robert's final Pagan Stone series. It's a good thing that I kept the first two of the series because I know I'll want to enjoy them again before starting on the last of the series. I do LOVE to read, and reading a favorite author's books again and again is not a problem where I am concerned.

Murphyism of the Day

Hampton's Homily

The trouble with doing something right the first time is that nobody appreciates how difficult it was.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

The universe is not hostile, nor yet is it friendly. It is simply indifferent.

- J. H. Holmes

Playing Frisbee with Gypsy

Word of the Day

Melonfarmer - A much less profane version of its profane counterpart, m'er-f'er.

I'll have to close the windows pretty soon. HTP and I are trying avoid running the AC on a constant basis like some of our neighbors. I'm not going to complain about the heat.

HTP and I celebrated Halloween by devouring an entire Little Caesar's pepperoni pizza. Yummmmm!!!! Of course, I'll pay for my gluttony. I'm sure that I probably gained at least 5 pounds...even though I didn't eat 5 pounds of food. I'll never understood why I always seem to gain more weight than the weight of the food that I eat. Oh well...I'm staying away from the bathroom scale for at least a week or so. I don't want to know. I paid for my gluttony around 1 AM this morning because my body isn't used to eating greasy food anymore. Thank goodness for Tums! However, the price I paid and will pay?....That pizza sure did taste good. Well worth the cost.

HTP and I will continue on with our diet today and every day until we go to Las Vegas. Then we'll diet again when we get back until Thanksgiving. Then, it'll be dieting again until Christmas...diet again until New Year's....diet again until my birthday....diet again until Easter.... Can you see a pattern here? Endless dieting so we can take the occasional break and cheat a bit. Two steps forward, three steps back. *argh* OK. Actually, I've lost 16 pounds so it's more like two steps forward and the occasional BIG step back. However, at the rate that I'm losing weight, I'll have to go clothes shopping soon. My pants are getting pretty lose. Thankfully, I like to do my clothes shopping at thrift stores.

Tonight most of the rest of the nation will be busily resetting their clocks so they won't be late for church tomorrow. At least, I think they'll be switching their clocks back an hour. HTP and I don't do that here in Arizona. All we have to do is remember that my folks will be an hour earlier than us when we go see them in a couple of weeks and HTP's folks will be an hour later than us when we call them or they call us. I don't have to be at church tomorrow until 9:30 AM. Plenty of time to take my normal morning walk with Gypsy.

Murphyism of the Day

Jeff's Law of Procrastination

Hard work has a future payoff. Laziness pays off now.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.

- Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001)

Gypsy - October 31, 2008

Word of the Day

Meh - A multi-purpose response, primarily used to imply a degree of indifference. Tone of voice and circumstance often implies a meaning. Can be used when you don't want to answer an awkward or embarrassing question, or if you just plain have nothing else to say, and you want the other person to interpret the "meh" however he/she chooses. As in: Q: "What do you think of my new dress?" A: "Meh." or Q: "What do you want to do tonight?" A: "Meh."



Happy


Halloween


Everyone!


I didn't buy any candy. Yesterday I went out grocery shopping. Big mistake. I should have suspected something when I had a hard time finding a parking spot. Then, if that weren't enough of a clue, I had a really hard time finding a shopping cart. The grocery store was having a special Pre-Halloween Moonlight Madness party. The store was teeming with children in costumes. The aisles were clogged with tables that were set up for children to paint and carve pumpkins, decorate cookies, etc. etc. If that weren't enough, there were all kinds of people handing out samples of food. Again, LOTS OF CHILDREN!!!!! I only needed some plastic storage bags, some bread, some buns, some eggs, and some cleaning products. A really short shopping list with few coupons. I should have turned around before I even pulled into the parking lot. I'm amazed that I wasn't jibbering by the time I finally got through the checkout line. I didn't pick up any candy...even though it was REALLY on sale. And I've decided that free samples of food don't have any calories. However, I did buy some Doritos because the display was right there by the checkout aisle. I should have resisted but I couldn't resist the price. They tasted really good with the hamburgers that I made for supper last night. 11 chips = 140 calories.

I didn't buy any bags of candy...even though they were practically giving it away. I know that I could have tucked the bags in the freezer. It keeps. But, HTP and I are on a diet. There won't be any trick-o-treaters in our neighborhood. There really is no excuse to buy the stuff, no matter how much I love chocolate.

Murphyism of the Day

Doane's Laws of Procrastination

1. The more proficient one is at procrastination, the less proficient one need be at all else.

2. The slower one works, the fewer mistakes one makes.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Either this man is dead or my watch has stopped.

- Groucho Marx (1890 - 1977)

Happy Anniversary MC Daughter and D Buddy!


Word of the Day

Megapixures - Pictures taken with a digital camera or prints made from digital files.



Happy


Anniversary


MC Daughter


and


D Buddy!


Five years ago today, MC Daughter and D Buddy were married in Paris. Paris, Las Vegas. It was a beautiful wedding. A toast to MC Daughter and D Buddy! Well...it's a bit early in the day for that toast. I'll lift my glass in celebration tonight out on the back patio. Happy Anniversary!

Murphyism of the Day

Sixth Law of Procrastination

It may eliminate the job if the need passes before the job can be done.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Today's scientists have substituted mathematics for experiments, and they wander off through equation after equation, and eventually build a structure which has no relation to reality.

- Nikola Tesla (1857 - 1943)

Gypsy and Her "Frisbee"

Word of the Day

Meetnik - A person who enjoys meetings and other administrative events and tries to attend as many of them as possible.

The music director at our church stopped by last night to drop off some music for me. I'm playing at the church on Sunday. Some of this stuff I've played before but some of it? Looks like I need to do some practicing. LOTS of sharps. LOTS!!!!! Oh well...time to get the out. I'm not so good that I can look at an D-sharp and automatically my fingers reach for the E-flat. I haven't looked too closely but I suspect that I'll see a couple of double sharps. This stuff used to easier.

Gypsy and I have worn each other out already and we've only just finished breakfast. We took another training walk around the neighborhood. This usually takes about a half an hour but after we got back we played Frisbee out in the backyard. She doesn't actually catch the Frisbee (which isn't really a Frisbee) but she loves to fetch it after I've thrown it and sometimes play a bit of tug-a-war in between tosses and fetches. Oh...and she took all her toys out of her toy box...again..., chose one and insisted on playing fetch while I worked on my morning Sudoku.

Murphyism of the Day

Fifth Law of Procrastination

Procrastination avoids boredom; one never has the feeling that there is nothing important to do.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

An idea isn't worth that much. It's the execution of the idea that has value. If you can't convince one other person that this is something to devote your life to, then it's not worth it.

- Joel Spolsky

Word of the Day

Meese - A group of moose.

Some of you may be wondering why I haven't posted any pictures on my last two blogs...and this one. I haven't posted any pictures because I haven't taken any new pictures. Every time I think about grabbing the camera and taking some pictures, something comes up to distract me. So...no new pictures. I actually had posted some older pictures but Sis told me that these pictures confused her. She told me that Gypsy looked the same as always after her operation. Actually, the pictures that I posted of Gypsy made her look exactly like when I took those photos, back in the Spring and also during the summer. She doesn't quite look like that now. She doesn't look much different but the hair on her right back leg was shaved so they could remove the hardware from her knee and they shaved spots on her front legs (think poodle cut) for the IV and the blood pressure cuff. It'll grow back in approximately six months...about the time I'll be heading back to The Lake.

Today Gypsy and I went back to the vet to have her stitches removed. Such a forgiving dog. She always wags her tail off, happy to greet the vet and all the techs. Today, she piddled on the floor, she was so excited (not scared....thrilled beyond measure to meet and greet). *sigh* I wish she'd outgrow this little idiosyncrasy. "NO! DON'T PET HER! SHE'LL.....DARN IT! Too late." *sigh*

HTP was confused that it took us less than an hour to go to and come back from the vet...on top of this I stopped to fill the gas tank on the car. I imagine that he thought I'd stop to do some shopping. It's too warm outside to leave Gypsy in the car while I go shopping. So...we're back...and today is laundry day. I get to wash all the towels that Gypsy barfed on the other day. Lucky me.

Murphyism of the Day

Fourth Law of Procrastination

Avoidance of interruptions including the assignment of other duties can usually be achieved so that the obviously stressed worker can concentrate on the single effort.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

One can survive everything, nowadays, except death, and live down everything except a good reputation.

- Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900)

Word of the Day

Mediacracy - Government, usually indirectly, by the popular media; often a result of democracy going awry. A system in which politicians stop thinking and begin listening exclusively to the media regarding what the important issues are and what they should do about them.

Eating dust. It's really windy here this morning. On top of that, this morning's temperature when I woke up was 74°F. No need for sweater or jacket. I quickly closed up the house but it was probably a bit too little and too late. I normally wait to close the windows until the inside temperature and the outdoor temperatures are even. At 6 AM, it was already three degrees warmer outside that inside. It's obvious that we'll have to use the AC today. The current temperature of 85°F is making me consider changing out of jeans and into shorts. I took Gypsy out for our morning walk and got blasted by dust and grit blowing in from the empty fields near our home. Actually, the fields aren't really empty. They're full of desert dirt and weeds. I'm pretty sure that there are tumbleweeds blowing across the main road. The sky had that ominous look of brown, a color brown that had nothing to do with man-made pollution...smog. Oh well, at least I wasn't wearing my contacts. My glasses protected my eyes.

Murphyism of the Day

Third Law of Procrastination

Status is gained in the eyes of others, and in one's own eyes, because it is assumed that the importance of the work justifies the stress.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Thou shouldst eat to live; not live to eat.

- Socrates (469 BC - 399 BC)

Word of the Day

Mayonize - To apply mayonnaise to an item to be used in the making of a sandwich or other such food.

I decided to hold off on Gypsy's morning walk until after breakfast. I'm not finding our morning walks in the frigid morning air very entertaining. Too cold. So, this morning, we waited until things had warmed up to a more pleasant 62°F. I also decided to start the "stay" part of our obedience training. I figure she'll have it down in a week or so. *knock on wood* Considering the fact that there were a lot of distractions this morning (people walking and riding bikes), she did pretty good.

I bought a new hair-dryer yesterday and a few new books. It was good to get out of the house for a while. I sat outside and read one of my new books. Gypsy at my side. Unfortunately, Gypsy decided to get into something, I have no idea what she got into, but whatever she got into made her sick for the rest of the night. Poor Gypsy but....Yuck! I hate cleaning up dog vomit. Thankfully, she's feeling lots better this morning or we'd already be on our way to the vet. There are no toads here in Arizona....well...I suppose there are some but none in my backyard. I'll have to keep a closer eye on Gypsy when we're outdoors. For all I know, she may have eaten a dead bug that was poisoned by the Orkin guy. I wasn't keeping a close eye on her activities. I was reading a book.

Today? I plan to wash my hair and give my new hair-dryer a workout. After that? I need to wash the kitchen floor but I think I'd rather read a book. I grilled up an entire package of chicken breast last night. I may make some chicken salad sandwiches for lunch today. Chicken burritos for supper. Chicken casserole for dinner tomorrow night. Chicken stir fry. Chicken Chow Mien? There's lots of things to do with grilled chicken breasts. I may even make green chicken chili. Yummmm!!!!!

Murphyism of the Day

Second Law of Procrastination

Procrastination reduces anxiety by reducing the expected quality of the project from the best of all possible efforts to the best than can be expected given the limited time.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

It's asking a great deal that things should appeal to your reason as well as your sense of the aesthetic.

- W. Somerset Maugham (1874 - 1965)

Word of the Day

McFinch - A small bird whose natural habitat is in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant, and does not seem to exist in any other part of the world.

What is old is new again. Bucket brigade. I wanted to take a bath last night and discovered that I couldn't get any hot water out of the tap in my bathtub. The regulator/mixer isn't working. I can get cold water but that which allows the hot water to come out of the faucet must be stuck. Not being in the mood for a cold bath, I ended up having to haul buckets of hot water from the kitchen sink to fill the tub. Oh well...at least I didn't have to heat the buckets of water up over a fireplace. Why do things like this happen on a Friday, after business hours are over? Hopefully, HTP will be able to fix it. I suppose, if all else fails, we can always call Joe the Plumber....next week, during business hours. This isn't an actual plumbing emergency.

I've been trying to think of something to do today. I know all the stuff that I should be doing but.... Actually, I'm in one of those whiny "Mommy I'm bored" moods. That singular mood where you find yourself telling your Mom that you're bored and then she tells you all the things that you should be doing, things that you don't want to do, stuff like cleaning your room. *sigh* I don't want to clean my room. I don't want to wash the floor in the kitchen...even though it really needs it. *sigh* Maybe I'll go out shopping. I need a new hair-dryer and I can't wash my hair until I buy one. Maybe I'll feel more like washing the floor tomorrow. Maybe I'll just toss the Frisbee for Gypsy some more and brew another pot of coffee.

Murphyism of the Day

First Law of Procrastination

Procrastination shortens the job and places the responsibility for its termination on someone else (the authority who imposed the deadline).

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

To do just the opposite is also a form of imitation.

- Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742 - 1799)

The Freedom of Walking Off Leash at The Lake - Summer 2008

Word of the Day

Mattricide - The act of removing the "do not remove" tag on a mattress, thus somehow rendering the mattress invalid.

It sure is starting to get cold in the mornings. This morning's temperature when I woke up was 45°F. Although I wore a warm sweater on my walk with Gypsy this morning, I wished I had worn a winter jacket and some gloves. Gypsy and I encountered a woman who was not only wearing a winter jacket and gloves, she was wearing ear muffs. I'm not sure I would go that far but since my long hair tends to keep my ears covered, maybe I'd change my mind if I had short hair. My hands are still freezing. If it's this cold tomorrow morning, I may wear my winter jacket and gloves. I imagine I'd be a bit more comfortable wearing long pants and some socks and shoes instead of capris and sandals. Oh well...this is the transitional period when I really should be wearing warmer clothes in the mornings and then changing into cooler clothing for the afternoon. I'm just lazy and don't want to have to do all that much laundry.

I was going to wait a bit before taking Gypsy out for a walk but she's becoming rather insistent when it comes to our morning rituals. She kept racing over to the front door and then back to me and than back to the front door. Only a vocalized demand would have made her point a bit clearer and I knew that would have been next. She wanted her morning walk. I imagine she'll want to play a rousing game of fetch next. Blog first, than fetch.

Gypsy and I are getting back onto a training regimen. Having spent the entire summer off leash at The Lake, she'd forgotten all about how to walk, politely, on leash. We're working on it during our morning walks. I did finally break down and bought a training collar (choke chain). My folks gave me one that they had but it was too big. Gypsy isn't all that big. At 11.5 lbs., she weighs less than either of my chihuahuas. They weren't teacup chihuahuas but they weren't all that big. Gypsy may bulk up a bit more as she gets older but it's doubtful that she'll ever weigh as much as her Dad (18#) or her Mom (15#). As far as training goes, she's doing pretty good on heeling but tends to forget when greeted with distractions like other dogs or friendly people. She's doing well with sitting on command...with just a gentle reminder on occasion.

Actually, the weather has cooled to the point where the highs of the day are only in the 80's. HTP and I have been able to avoid using the AC for the last few days. By the time I've cleaned up the kitchen, after supper dishes are all loaded into the dishwasher, I can open up the windows for the night. By morning the house has cooled off to last the entire day without AC.

Murphyism of the Day

Shapiro's Law of Reward

The one who does the least work will get the most credit.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

The most important scientific revolutions all include, as their only common feature, the dethronement of human arrogance from one pedestal after another of previous convictions about our centrality in the cosmos.

- Stephen Jay Gould (1941 - 2002)

Racking Wine in Wisconsin - 2007 (OK. I'm in Arizona and my kitchen here is smaller but the process is pretty much the same.)


Word of the Day

Mathemagician - Someone who plays tricks with numbers.

Wining. It's been a week since I added the yeast to my buckets of wine. After breakfast, I hauled the buckets into the kitchen and starting racking the wines into fermentation vessels. A couple of years ago, I invested in a couple of 3 gallon water jugs from Water & Ice. They came in handy today. I wish I'd invested in the 5 gallon jugs. Oh well.... HTP helped my "drill" holes in the caps of the jugs this morning so that I could fit them with airlocks. One of my recipes of Pomegranate Wine (the one with white grape juice) yielded ~ 3 1/2 gallons of wine. I fit what fit into one of the 3 gallon water jugs and put the rest into a 1 gallon glass wine jug. The other batch of Pomegranate Wine (the one with the barley water) fit into the 3 gallon water jug. I used my 5 gallon fermentation bucket (the only one that I have here) for the Prickly Pear Wine. All of my wine is air-locked and ready to brew for the next month. It smells like wine in here. PHEWWW!!!!!!!

Murphyism of the Day

Brintnall's Law

If you are given two contradictory orders, obey them both.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

No man is justified in doing evil on the ground of expediency.

- Theodore Roosevelt (1858 - 1919)

DD Daughter, GI Joe, and Ms. En are in the Progress of Moving into this House

Word of the Day

Margraine - 1. The blinding pain one suffers from drinking margarita slush too quickly. 2. The intense headache that follows a person's attempt at chugging a litre of pure melted margarine, all in one sitting; often the cause of obesity or extreme jealousy depending on the person's ability to hide such large amounts of fat.

Orkin is coming today. I vacuumed the entire house last night, including the window sills and runners. I swept the back patio...again. The Orkin Man can come and, hopefully, spread the right kind of poisons that will get rid of any and all bugs, spiders, and scorpions. However, I can't help but think that I'd better keep shaking my shoes out before I put them on. I noticed that HTP decided to put his shoes up on his nightstand. I guess he thinks that maybe scorpions won't get into them if they're up on his nightstand. I rank that thought right up with the one that a bear will back off if you spray him in the face with pepper spray. I'm putting my faith in Orkin. However, though I trust, I plan to verify by remaining ever vigilant and cautious.

My poor houseplants. My poor neighbor did the best that she could this summer but my houseplants didn't fair well. It wasn't my neighbor's fault. HTP and I keep our thermostat set at 85°F. I don't think my plants like to be that warm. My ivy died. It just curled up and died. Crisp. My pothos looked like it was heading toward it's last gasps. I spent quite some time yesterday doing whatever I could to resurrect my pothos and my prayer plant that looked like it was sending up its last prayers. I transplanted. I took cuttings. In the end, I ended up with more plants than when I started. My dwarf sansaveria needed to be divided into four. I cut back my pothos....drastically. I planted one pot with some of the cuttings that looked like they root in potting soil. I stuck the rest of the clippings in a vase with water. If these root, I'll end up with even more pothos. One into many. I cut back my prayer plant. I transplanted the one that still looked like it maintained some viable roots. I stuck the rest into a glass with some water...to root. One of my amaryllis bulbs that I'd stored in the crisper drawer for the summer rotted but the other bulb was just fine. I planted that bulb and have hopes that I'll get some beautiful blooms by Christmas. I still need to take some cuttings from my rubber tree that I've got planted out in my entryway garden. Last year that poor tree died back to the ground but I now have a multi-trunked tree that has come back and is taller than I am. I'm going to take a couple cuttings from some branches that are growing too low to the ground since I'll have to remove them anyway.

Murphyism of the Day

Stano's Law

When all else fails, try the boss's suggestion.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Nothing is so good for an ignorant man as silence; and if he was sensible of this he would not be ignorant.

- Saadi (1184 - 1291)

Scorpion!!!!

Word of the Day

Marcopolodotcomist - A person who is so bored they type random words in the url bar of a browser to find new sites.

Check your shoes! The thought that maybe he should check his shoes for critters flashed through HTP's mind this morning. And then...just as he glanced down to grab his shoes.....SCORPION!!!!!!! A scorpion was crawling on his shoe! Of course, he killed it but.... I've been wearing sandals so the shoe thing hasn't applied to me. Yet. *shudder* It's a good thing Orkin is coming tomorrow. I wish it were today. HTP and I don't need any more surprises, especially this kind of surprise. I wasn't too pleased to hear about the two scorpions that HTP found in the garage when we got home to Arizona. Finding a scorpion INSIDE?! You can be sure that I'm going to be beyond nervous about wandering barefoot around the house from now on. Gypsy was pawing at something last night as I was sitting at my computer. My computer is not even three feet from where HTP's shoes were sitting. I couldn't figure out what the heck she was doing last night. Scorpion? This dog isn't the sharpest crayon in the box, as proven by her total fascination with the toads at The Lake, even though just a lick made her sick. I shudder to think that she might be going after scorpions here in Arizona.

Murphyism of the Day

Bogovich's Law

He who hesitates is probably right.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Feet, why do I need them if I have wings to fly?

- Frida Kahlo (1907 - 1954)

Gypsy - 2008

Word of the Day

Marchicachini - A martini with enjoyed with chocolate chip cookies.

Gypsy and I took a fairly long walk this morning around the neighborhood. We didn't run. We didn't jump. We walked. Gypsy is doing fine. I'm hoping that our walks will wear her out enough so that she doesn't want to run and jump when we're home during the day.

Murphyism of the Day

Theory of Selective Supervision

The one time in the day that you lean back and relax is the one time the boss walks through the office.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Approach each new problem not with a view of finding what you hope will be there, but to get the truth, the realities that must be grappled with. You may not like what you find. In that case you are entitled to try to change it. But do not deceive yourself as to what you do find to be the facts of the situation.

- Bernard M. Baruch (1870 - 1965)

Gypsy Wants to Play

Word of the Day

Mapology - The study of maps. A degree relating to any profession that involves maps.

It's hard keeping one little dog (Gypsy)from running and jumping and leaping about. That is my goal for the next week or so. This is NOT any easy task. She wants to play and run and fetch. I was told that I could take her for short walks. How short? Oh well, nothing seems to be bothering her and she doesn't seem to be chewing on her stitches.

The weather here in Arizona has warmed up again. The high today is supposed to be in the upper 90's. I took Gypsy out for a gentle walk (only to the mailbox and back). It was 62°F. Very nice. Perfect walking weather....in the mornings. In the evening, last night, I was perfectly comfortable sitting out on the back patio while reading my book. I think it was 85°F. Fortunately, once the sun goes down, the temperature follows suit. I'm planning on taking advantage of these pleasant night temperatures while I have them. It won't be long before it gets too cool outside to make it so enjoyable...at least...without a sweater. Hopefully, this winter we won't have to worry about freezing temperatures. I'm not fond of having to run out and cover delicate plants.

Murphyism of the Day

Launegayer's Observation

Asking dumb questions is easier than correcting dumb mistakes.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

There's an old saying that if you come back to the place where you became a man, you will remember all those things you need to be happy... That saying never made sense to me, but I thought it was worth a try.

- Henry Bromel

Gypsy on the Dock - Summer 2008

Word of the Day

Manorexic - Characterizing a male who eats an extremely large amount of food and yet gains no weight.

Poor Gypsy! They shaved her right leg up to her hip and another bit on her front leg where the IV went in, and her tummy too. It looks bizarre and her shaved tummy feels smooth as a baby's butt. I know that it'll grow back....eventually but in the meantime she's going to look weird and that shaved tummy feels weird. They removed the pins and wires from her right knee and I have to keep her quiet for a week or so until things heal up again. No running and jumping. Oh well...at least she doesn't seem to want to do those things...so far. I think the medicine makes her tired. She was in a bit of pain last night and seemed a bit bewildered and groggy. I had to put a baby sock that I cut the toe out of over the incision on her knee this morning so that she wouldn't/couldn't lick it. So far, she's leaving the spay incision alone. I don't want to have to resort to one of those silly lampshade thingies. I'll have to bring her back to the vet in a week or so. Stitch removal. The stitches that he used for the spay will dissolve but the ones on her knee will have to be removed. She has a brand new ID microchip that I have to register online along with a tag that I can put on her collar. I tried to register the chip online this morning but the site was down. I'll have to try again tomorrow. She's not going anywhere. I hope my folks don't mind that I used them as an alternate contact should Gypsy get loose and they can't find HTP or me at either of our homes. I figure that if they can't get a hold of me or HTP, at least my folks will know where we are. The nice thing is that I can change the information that is connected to the chip as needs change. In the meantime, it's really nice to have Gypsy home again, sitting at my feet or by my side.

Murphyism of the Day

Devries's Dilemma

If you hit two keys on the typewriter, the one you don't want hits the paper.

Old Grey Frog's Comment on Devries's Dilemma

Typewriter? Does anyone, besides an avid pack rat or a museum, even own a typewriter anymore?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

The greatest danger to our future is apathy.

- Jane Goodall

Look Out World, She's Walking! - That blur is Ms. En "walking" through her new home. - October 2008

Word of the Day

Manimal - Any person who resembles any such animal, preferably a monkey or gorilla. Officially, a manimal must display the facial features and animal habits of the related creature.

It's seems a bit odd and quiet here this morning. I took Gypsy to the vet's this morning for her spay appointment. They promise to call when she's in recovery to tell me when I can pick her up. That won't be until this afternoon. *sigh* I know she'll be fine but I'm used to having her here at my feet, coaxing me into playing fetch with her or licking my toes.

My three buckets of wine sludge are bubbling away in the living room. You can hear them hissing and fizzing. I used to put my wine-making buckets in the guest room before HTP moved his office into that room. My current guest room isn't just a bit too warm, it's also a bit too small. I wouldn't want guests tripping over wine-making supplies and buckets. I wish I had a basement...here in Arizona. People don't have basements (real basements) here in Arizona. OK. Some have basements but they aren't real basements. And that which they call a basement here, has a tendency for major leaks, cracks and other issues. I think it must have something to do with the soil here in Arizona. Oh well...I've been storing my bottled wine in HTP's office. The brewing wine is sitting on a vinyl tablecloth, hidden behind the couch in the living room. I can always move it if company shows up.

Murphyism of the Day

Sixth Law of Office Murphology

The last person who quit or was fired will be held responsible for everything that goes wrong - until the next person quits or is fired.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Genuine beginnings begin within us, even when they are brought to our attention by external opportunities.

- William Bridges

GI Joe, Ms. En, and DD Daughter on the Deck of Their New Home - They just went through closing and got their keys yesterday.

Word of the Day

Mangaphile - A person infatuated with manga. Can also be used as an insult in the case of hentai manga.

How long does it take to clean, peel and boil up 24-pounds of prickly pear fruit? Let's see....I started at around 9 AM and I've finally just managed to clean up the kitchen at 4:30 PM. Despite all my precautions, I've got at least six cactus spines in my hands. However, considering how many cactus fruit that I peeled today, I suppose only having six cactus spines embedded in my fingers is a minor miracle.

I took Gypsy for a morning walk around the neighborhood and chanced upon a huge prickly pear cactus, loaded with fruit. As it happens, the woman who owns the prickly pear cactus, was just exiting her house as I was admiring the fruit. I asked her if she was planning to do anything with her fruit. She told me that she was having someone come out on Saturday to prune and discard the fruit. I asked her if she'd mind if I gathered some of her fruit and she told me that I was welcome to as much as I'd care to gather....but I'd have to do it before Saturday and added that I was welcome to pick whatever fruit I'd like in the future without asking. Woohoo! I found a source of prickly pear fruit and I don't have to plant one of those nasty spine-covered cactus in my own front yard...which is something I was considering.

After breakfast, I grabbed my gloves, a tongs, a large knife and a couple of buckets to hold the fruit. It became apparent that I wouldn't need the knife since the fruit was easily removed from the cactus pads with just the use of the tongs. However, I did end up getting stuck by two rather large cactus spines. Gloves didn't slow them down a bit. Ouch! One actually dug right through the glove, through my fingernail and into my finger. Those large cactus spines are lots sharper than you'd think. Regardless, I managed to pick two buckets of prickly pear fruit. I was considering picking more but, thinking back over the day, I'm glad I only picked what I picked.

When I got back home, I weighed the fruit and discovered that I had 24-pounds of fruit. Stickery fruit. One must be very cautious when dealing with cactus fruit. The spines are tiny. I knew this. I was careful. However, as I stated previously, I still ended up with cactus "hairs" in my fingers. Cactus "hairs" aren't easily removed because they tend to be easier felt than seen and the minute you think you've got them all out another one is felt. I suspect I'll be discovering more than the six before the night is over.

So...anyway, I peeled and chopped the fruit. Since I only have two large pots, I had to split up the fruit into four parts. I peeled six pounds, chopped it up, added 1/2 gallon of water and started that pot up to boil while I peeled and chopped up the next six pounds of fruit. While the first batch was cooling, I added 1/2 gallon of water to the second pot of fruit and started that one up to boil. Meanwhile, I cleaned, peeled, and chopped another six pounds of fruit. By this time the first pot of cooked fruit was cooled enough for me to strain it into a large bucket that I use for wine-making. Having thus freed up my first pot, I added 1/2 gallon of water to the pot along with the six pounds of fruit and started that up to boil. While the second pot of cooked fruit was cooling, I peeled and chopped the last six pounds of fruit. More straining, more cooking, more cooling, more straining, and by this time my clothes were liberally splattered with cactus fruit juice. I also could see that my kitchen counters and floor were liberally splattered with the stuff.

All the juice has been strained into the one wine-making bucket and I now have a batch of Prickly Pear Wine started. I sure hope I like this recipe. It's not the same recipe that I made last year. Last year I'd used a recipe that called for white raisins. It turned out just fine but with so much fruit I figured that I'd like to see how the prickly pear fruit would do standing on it's own...without grapes, grape juice, or white raisins.

My Mom told me that she'll pick and freeze some pyracantha berries from her bushes in Nevada. No, they are not poisonous. I'm thinking of experimenting with a small batch of Pyracantha Wine. Oh well...first my folks need to actually return to Nevada. In the meantime, I've got three buckets of wine starting to do their thing. That's a good start for the winter.

Murphyism of the Day

Fifth Law of Office Murphology

Vital papers will demonstrate their vitality by spontaneously moving from where you left them to where you can't find them.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

When there's snow on the ground, I like to pretend I'm walking on clouds.

- Takayuki Ikkaku, Arisa Hosaka and Toshihiro Kawabata

Sis tells me that my garden at The Lake is done for the year. She and Dad drove over there to pick the last of the beans and dig up a horseradish root.

Word of the Day

Mandals - Open-toe sandals worn by men.

I'm taking a break from cleaning pomegranates to write my blog. I'm going to extend that break to go outside and plant some annuals. I bought some petunias and violas yesterday while I was taking a break from cleaning pomegranates to buy some groceries and take a letter to the blue post box by the grocery store. My hands are all discolored and pruney. However, I do plan to add yeast to two buckets of pomegranate wine by tonight, so I need to get these pomegranates cleaned. Then...I have to finish cooking up barley because I don't want to waste it. I'm supposed to boil barley for five minutes and then strain off that water into and over the sugar and pomegranate seed sacs. Five minutes won't be long enough for that barley to cook. I'll have to add more water to the barley and continue cooking it for another 45 minutes. In the end, I figure that I'll end up with load of cooked barley. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with a pound of cooked barley but I plan to freeze it in portions. I can always use it in soup. It's a good thing I like barley. I'll have to check for online recipes. As a last resort, I can always use some of it in the next batch of Gypsy's stew.

FYI? I don't plan on watching tonight's debate between Obama and McCain. I've already filled out my absentee ballot. Maybe I'll run it out to the blue post box during my next pomegranate cleaning break.

Murphyism of the Day

Fourth Law of Office Murphology

Envelopes and stamps that don't stick when you lick them will stick to other things when you don't want them to.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

You must first have a lot of patience to learn to have patience.

- Stanislaw J. Lec (1909 - 1966)

My Mom tells me that it's beautiful right now at The Lake

Word of the Day

Manabananabulimicchick - A bulimic rooster that likes bananas.

The wine yeast that I ordered online should be coming today. I've started cleaning the pomegranates. Joy! Not! Cleaning pomegranates isn't much fun, but, if I'm going to get this wine started, it must be done. I'm going to try two different recipes for Pomegranate Wine this year. For two years I've made this one recipe that calls for raisins. Unfortunately, you can REALLY taste the raisins in this recipe. Sis found one recipe that calls for barley (barley?) and lemon. I'm going to make a double recipe of this. I found a different recipe online that uses white grape juice. I'm making a half a recipe of this one (a single recipe calls for 5 gallons of water and my fermentation bucket only holds five gallons). Bottom line, I'll be using all my pomegranates for these two recipes and will end up with the same amount of wine that I ended up with last year. As for making Prickly Pear wine, I haven't seen any prickly pear fruit in the store as yet and I'm not sure if I'll take the time to go searching for any. However, I may plant a prickly pear cactus in a hidden corner of my front yard so I can make this wine in the future.

Murphyism of the Day

Third Law of Office Murphology

Machines that have broken down will work perfectly when the person who repairs them arrives.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him.

- Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)

We're Going Where?!

Word of the Day

Malmonodemsome - Full of bad, single people.

Gypsy has a healthy dog check up at the vet this morning. She's due for some vaccinations. However, I noticed that one of Gypsy's knees has a sore on it. It actually started bleeding at the groomer's yesterday. So...I'll have the vet look at it. Gypsy's surgeon warned me that part of the internal stabilizing staples used to keep her knee in place while it was healing may work themselves to the surface. I wonder if that might be what is happening. She had told me that it was no big deal...that any vet can take care of it. No fuss. We'll see. Aside from Gypsy's vet appointment for today, Gypsy is also scheduled on Friday for spay surgery. They're going to fit her for a ID chip while they're at it. I'm not worried about Gypsy disappearing on me and ending up at some shelter but I've heard of so many dogs that have found their way home due to this ID chip. It doesn't cost much so it seems like a cheap insurance policy.

When I got back to Arizona, I noticed that I had some pomegranates on my tree but it didn't look like there were all that many. Appearances were deceiving. I picked a full laundry basket of pomegranates this morning. In years past, I've been rather disappointed with the size of the pomegranates that I was getting off the tree. I'm not similarly disappointed this year. I've got some that are bigger than the ones that you see in the store. Of course, not all the pomegranates I picked are that big but I'm glad I took the time to fertilize the tree before HTP and I headed for Wisconsin.

Appearances were indeed deceiving. I was sure that my lemon tree (dwarf tree) hadn't produced any fruit this year....yet again. I'm told that dwarf trees will often fail to fruit until they are well and truly established. Five years or more after planting. However, when I was crawling around picking the pomegranates, I noted several green lemons on the neighboring lemon tree. Hiding amid the encroaching pomegranate fronds. I'm not sure if there's enough lemons out there to make Limoncello but....maybe. I didn't actually count them. I was too busy trying to pick pomegranates without coming away with scratched arms and losing too much hair to the branches of the tree which tend to reach out and grab you. The lemons, which are currently hiding, will become more obvious once the weather changes and the fruit ripens to it's yellow picking color. This won't happen until November. Maybe I'll see if I can use a combination of lemon and lime zest. I'd still be able to call the end product Limoncello. Sis tells me that she's running out the limoncello that I made a couple of years ago.

Gypsy Update

Gypsy and I just got back from the vet. She's doing really well. Such a good dog. The vet and the surgeon that operated on Gypsy's knees took a look at the sore on Gypsy's knee and verified my suspicion that some internal hardware had managed to break loose. They tell me that they'll remove the clip and wire when they spay her on Friday. No big deal. Phew! The surgeon made a point to come out and tell me how thrilled she was to see how good Gypsy's knees look. She told me that Gypsy has surpassed all of her expectations. Until Friday, I have to give Gypsy antibiotics twice a day to prevent infection. Again, no big deal. Gypsy likes cheese. She got a bit of antibiotic with her cheese treat. Yummy! She got three shots today. Poor baby. But, she won't have to have two of those shots for another three years. Gotta love that. The third shot is an annual shot so I can bring her to the groomer's. So....on Friday, they plan to spay her, take the wire and clip out of her knee, insert a microchip ID, and do a heartworm blood test to get her started on a heartworm prevention program.

Murphyism of the Day

Second Law of Office Murphology

Office machines that function perfectly during normal business hours will break down when you return to the office at night to use them for personal business.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

The artist doesn't have time to listen to the critics. The ones who want to be writers read the reviews, the ones who want to write don't have the time to read reviews.

- William Faulkner (1897 - 1962)

My Back Patio - Spring 2008 I'd go out and take pictures of how it looks right but I still have lots of pruning to do and I need to get to the store to buy some annual flowers to plant....maybe this week?


Word of the Day

Malbingophobia - The fear among some bingo players that they have incorrectly marked a square, and calling "bingo" could cause them not victory, but public humiliation.

I didn't blog yesterday because I wasn't feeling well enough to sit at the computer long enough to get a blog written. Actually, HTP and I were both sick. We think it might be something that we ate when we were out on Friday night. Anyway, he recovered a sooner than I did and both of us are better today. I was feeling better by lunch time yesterday but I still didn't want to risk eating much. I figured it was best to let my GI system recover before I introduced anything that might upset it again. Needless to say, I didn't get much done yesterday...but I did read a couple of books.

I cooked up a pot of Gypsy's Chicken Stew this morning, divided it into plastic containers and popped those into the freezer...all except the one container that I'll need for this week. She loves her stew. I decided not to mess with success. Besides, chicken is a lot cheaper right now than hamburger....especially here in Arizona. Skinless, boneless chicken breast was $1.77/lb., is about a dollar cheaper than what I can buy hamburger for right now. I guess that it's a lot cheaper to raise chickens than cows.

The weather has turned dramatically cooler here since we arrived. It was only 44°F this morning when I got up and it's still only 55°F right now. I'm not complaining. The AC is off and I've got the windows open. It's too cool to wear shorts today but I'm told that in the coming days it will be warming back up to normal temperatures for this time of year. The Snowbirds who are returning to Arizona to spend the winter months did not pack the cooler temperatures from their home states in the trunks of their cars.

Murphyism of the Day

First Law of Office Murphology

1. Important letters that contain no errors will develop errors in the mail.

Corollary

Corresponding errors will show up in the duplicate while the boss is reading it.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

I improve on misquotation.

- Cary Grant (1904 - 1986)

Time to Take Gypsy to the Groomers

Word of the Day

Mahonkin - Humongous; extremely huge; so big that there is none larger.

The question was what to do with all the brown and ugly limes that had fallen off my lime tree...or those that were getting ready to drop. They were fine on the inside. When I cut into the tough or petrified skin brown skin, I found a juicy pale green interior. I juiced them all this morning...the ugly ones....(after I started the coffee and took care of Gypsy's needs). I ended up with 1 1/2 cups of lime juice. Yesterday, I found a recipe on the Internet for the Ultimate Margarita. Equal parts lime juice, tequila, and orange liqueur. Using my own Arancello in the recipe, I mixed up a pitcher of Ultimate Margaritas and stuck it in the fridge to chill. I probably won't actually get to drink any today. HTP and I are going out to eat tonight with a group of Sam's Town people. I'm limiting my alcohol intake. One drink per day. I'll have to be patient and wait until tomorrow to taste an Ultimate Margarita....just to see how it turned out. There's LOTS of limes on that tree. This may turn out to be a good and tasty way to use them. Though...I think I'll reserve some juice in the future to use for Ceviche.

Murphyism of the Day

Campbell's Maxim

Hell is the place where everything tests perfectly and nothing works.

Everybody believes in something and everybody, by virtue of the fact that they believe in something, use that something to support their own existence.

- Frank Zappa (1940 - 1993)