I am writing a quick post to say how happy I am that the Russians didn't have another bad ending. They got help in time and were able to free the submarine and thus able to free the people inside.
I cannot think of a worse way to die. Well, I can, but suffocation has to be up there with the top of my worst choices. I hate MRI's and anything remotely closed in. Submarines would be terrifying to me. I am very thankful all were rescued! A happy out come.
Sunday, August 07, 2005
Friday, August 05, 2005
Pieces of Me
Thanks to Annie Thomas Burke for the format....
I don't take criticism well.
I am terrified of public speaking and even in
front of four people I don't know.
I prefer to be at the party when people arrive.
I am anxious upon entering an ongoing event or party.
Even a family or friend's party.
When I was a bartender, I was fine when people came in and filled
my bar. I was not fine when I took over a shift with a full bar.
I am more comfortable behind a telephone or computer screen.
I don't like being judged by my appearance.
I am blessed with really great friends.
Once a friend, a friend for life.
I keep secrets well.
Once burned, I never forget.
I am forgiving though.
I marvel at nature. Especially trees.
I love fishing, better than most things.
I am a weather nerd.
I love photography.
I cannot draw worth beans.
I love to write and tell stories.
I am funny.
I am moody.
I love country music. I love 70's music.
I don't play an instrument, which makes me sad.
I love to sing, in my own key!
I listen to NPR daily. I love the puzzler on Sunday mornings.
I have very curly hair. I usually let it do
what it does best and rarely dry it straight.
I would have killed for a flat iron in high school.
In high school I perspired horribly. I actually chose
my clothes by what wouldn't show the wetness.
I found Mitchum about twenty and have never had that problem since.
I like single malt scotch. I like Tahiti punch.
I hate people who are racist or intolerant.
I love meeting people from other countries.
Caller ID is an awesome invention. So is
the Do Not Call list.
I love playing detective and do it well.
I like to figure out things myself.
I am pretty insightful to others and do not
always take my own advice. Which I should.
My friends call me for advice. I love that.
I call for advice too.
I can do a mean rant or bitch like nobody's
business. Then I feel better.
I like things done right. I have a problem
with ignorance or indifference.
I am addicted to Tivo. I watch soaps in twenty
minutes or less. I have been watching All My
Children since it began. I was ten. It was black
and white and a half hour long.
I have two and a half brothers. No sisters. I consider
my cousin Ronnie my brother. He coined the cuzbro
phrase. His wife Pam is the sister I never had.
My father was born in Oklahoma. Mother in Iowa.
Both came to California young.
I have lived in California my whole life.
I love rain. We don't get enough, except for
too much last year, but not by my standards.
I have two daughters. They both outwit me in math.
And many other things.
I wear slippers on my feet always when at home.
We have wood floors and I hate crumbs! LOL
I am called Nancy and Nance. I have had several
nicknames over the years and none began with NAN.
My husband is the smartest person I know. He can
speak many languages. And among the kindest men
I have ever known. Did I mention funny too?
We have been married fifteen years.
I turned forty-five last October eighth.
I got the mechanical gene from my father.
I am the fix it person in our family. I can
wire things that most people have nightmares
about. My clocks never blink at 12:00!
I am a water maniac. Have been since being
pregnant at 15. I love seltzer too. No sodium
no nothing. I have two seltzer bottles and buy
co2 cartridges from Zabar's in NY. Cheaper than
most places. Even with shipping.
I rarely drink cola or other beverages. But,
I love iced tea. All my life, yum. No sugar.
I drink coffee every morning. Breakfast rarely.
Bad. I cannot eat or coffee is over!
I take prilosec daily. Have had the curse upon
my father's side since I was kid. One of my kids
is already cursed as well. Only twelve.
I am a great card player. I have been playing since
I was a kid and really have a head for cards and chess
which I abhor. Chess and scrabble have bad memories
from a past relationship.
I am very loving. I care too much sometimes. But, I am not
obsessively affectionate. I give affection and basically
had to learn how to do so. Not when it comes to my family
though, that is very natural.
I have to be in the right mood to tell people I love them.
Not family, but others. It is still uncomfortable to me. But,
when I say it, I mean it with all my heart. Sometimes, I read
that I told somebody I loved them or even signed loved
in a comment. I feel like they may think yuck or something.
But, when it is written by me, it is time felt. And it will
not change after that...Does that make sense? I have made the
connection and felt I could use the word and mean it....
I love my family, my frikends and my life. I am very blessed.
In other words, I don't throw out the word "love" lightly.
But, I do love so many of my blogging friends. I don't know you
personally, but when I feel the urge to tell you, I love you, I
mean it. And I do get to know you all, and I appreciate you letting
me into you world.
And I am humbled that you want to be a part of mine.
I don't take criticism well.
I am terrified of public speaking and even in
front of four people I don't know.
I prefer to be at the party when people arrive.
I am anxious upon entering an ongoing event or party.
Even a family or friend's party.
When I was a bartender, I was fine when people came in and filled
my bar. I was not fine when I took over a shift with a full bar.
I am more comfortable behind a telephone or computer screen.
I don't like being judged by my appearance.
I am blessed with really great friends.
Once a friend, a friend for life.
I keep secrets well.
Once burned, I never forget.
I am forgiving though.
I marvel at nature. Especially trees.
I love fishing, better than most things.
I am a weather nerd.
I love photography.
I cannot draw worth beans.
I love to write and tell stories.
I am funny.
I am moody.
I love country music. I love 70's music.
I don't play an instrument, which makes me sad.
I love to sing, in my own key!
I listen to NPR daily. I love the puzzler on Sunday mornings.
I have very curly hair. I usually let it do
what it does best and rarely dry it straight.
I would have killed for a flat iron in high school.
In high school I perspired horribly. I actually chose
my clothes by what wouldn't show the wetness.
I found Mitchum about twenty and have never had that problem since.
I like single malt scotch. I like Tahiti punch.
I hate people who are racist or intolerant.
I love meeting people from other countries.
Caller ID is an awesome invention. So is
the Do Not Call list.
I love playing detective and do it well.
I like to figure out things myself.
I am pretty insightful to others and do not
always take my own advice. Which I should.
My friends call me for advice. I love that.
I call for advice too.
I can do a mean rant or bitch like nobody's
business. Then I feel better.
I like things done right. I have a problem
with ignorance or indifference.
I am addicted to Tivo. I watch soaps in twenty
minutes or less. I have been watching All My
Children since it began. I was ten. It was black
and white and a half hour long.
I have two and a half brothers. No sisters. I consider
my cousin Ronnie my brother. He coined the cuzbro
phrase. His wife Pam is the sister I never had.
My father was born in Oklahoma. Mother in Iowa.
Both came to California young.
I have lived in California my whole life.
I love rain. We don't get enough, except for
too much last year, but not by my standards.
I have two daughters. They both outwit me in math.
And many other things.
I wear slippers on my feet always when at home.
We have wood floors and I hate crumbs! LOL
I am called Nancy and Nance. I have had several
nicknames over the years and none began with NAN.
My husband is the smartest person I know. He can
speak many languages. And among the kindest men
I have ever known. Did I mention funny too?
We have been married fifteen years.
I turned forty-five last October eighth.
I got the mechanical gene from my father.
I am the fix it person in our family. I can
wire things that most people have nightmares
about. My clocks never blink at 12:00!
I am a water maniac. Have been since being
pregnant at 15. I love seltzer too. No sodium
no nothing. I have two seltzer bottles and buy
co2 cartridges from Zabar's in NY. Cheaper than
most places. Even with shipping.
I rarely drink cola or other beverages. But,
I love iced tea. All my life, yum. No sugar.
I drink coffee every morning. Breakfast rarely.
Bad. I cannot eat or coffee is over!
I take prilosec daily. Have had the curse upon
my father's side since I was kid. One of my kids
is already cursed as well. Only twelve.
I am a great card player. I have been playing since
I was a kid and really have a head for cards and chess
which I abhor. Chess and scrabble have bad memories
from a past relationship.
I am very loving. I care too much sometimes. But, I am not
obsessively affectionate. I give affection and basically
had to learn how to do so. Not when it comes to my family
though, that is very natural.
I have to be in the right mood to tell people I love them.
Not family, but others. It is still uncomfortable to me. But,
when I say it, I mean it with all my heart. Sometimes, I read
that I told somebody I loved them or even signed loved
in a comment. I feel like they may think yuck or something.
But, when it is written by me, it is time felt. And it will
not change after that...Does that make sense? I have made the
connection and felt I could use the word and mean it....
I love my family, my frikends and my life. I am very blessed.
In other words, I don't throw out the word "love" lightly.
But, I do love so many of my blogging friends. I don't know you
personally, but when I feel the urge to tell you, I love you, I
mean it. And I do get to know you all, and I appreciate you letting
me into you world.
And I am humbled that you want to be a part of mine.
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Am I Alone?
It is three thirty in the morning and usually at least Cindy pops up to talk to me! Or Bonn. But, not this morning...Oops, AOL is dancing up and down, it could be Cindy....Yep, it was her. She is up and at'em.
My cousin's daughter is coming back tomorrow. We are borrowing her for another week. She and Zoe had such a great time last month...They are both excited to leave real life and step into Anime heaven...
I am meeting with the woman in charge of girl scouts here in town this morning. Glad the house is clean! I have taken on the job of being in charge of all the troops for the nut sales which are held in the fall. Didn't know girl scouts sold nuts huh? Most people don't and they are harder to sell than cookies. But, we do make money on them and the girls get to go to camp or something out of the sales, so it is worth it. I just get to pump up all the troops this time, not just my daughter's!
I had to give three references...It always amuses me to do that. I would of course give people who know and like me right? Would I ask somebody who thinks I am a ditz to give me a reference? Seems rather moot to me. I got great references though. My friends did a great snow job, cuz the lady thinks I am a great lady! HA...Actually, I am good person and I did fill out the forms that say I am not a child molester or a criminal...Wonder if they will call the FBI on those or take me at my contract signed word? LMAO
I have just folded another load of laundry and put another in. Coffee is set to come on in two hours. I suppose I should go watch some TV and fall back to sleep.
When I saw the doctor about my insomnia, he did say if I was happy with five hours, bifurcated or at one time, then he was too. He did give me some samples of the new Lunista? Something like that. I have not tried them yet, but they are supposed to keep me asleep longer than Ambien did and are non addictive, and I am not supposed to build up a tolerance to them. I got to taking two Ambien and told the doc that I would not go on to three pills, even though he said I could. No, I couldn't.
I think I actually like being up in the middle of the night. It is so peaceful and no phones are ringing, nobody is asking me questions. I can just do what I like. Charlie/Steve is snoring in his crate and Partric is asleep high atop his post. The hub is sleeping soundly, the kids are out cold. I can hear two owls talking to each other. I hear the drips that are getting my new car dirty. Coming from the eucalyptus trees that tower here, in their grove, where all the houses have intruded. Occasionally, the coyotes go off, when they find something to eat. They can be very loud. But, not at this moment. How could I not love this time of night? I am apprehensive about taking something that insists I sleep eight hours. I only need five! Things to think about or not!
Alrighty then, back to sleep until the coffee smell wafts its way to me!
My cousin's daughter is coming back tomorrow. We are borrowing her for another week. She and Zoe had such a great time last month...They are both excited to leave real life and step into Anime heaven...
I am meeting with the woman in charge of girl scouts here in town this morning. Glad the house is clean! I have taken on the job of being in charge of all the troops for the nut sales which are held in the fall. Didn't know girl scouts sold nuts huh? Most people don't and they are harder to sell than cookies. But, we do make money on them and the girls get to go to camp or something out of the sales, so it is worth it. I just get to pump up all the troops this time, not just my daughter's!
I had to give three references...It always amuses me to do that. I would of course give people who know and like me right? Would I ask somebody who thinks I am a ditz to give me a reference? Seems rather moot to me. I got great references though. My friends did a great snow job, cuz the lady thinks I am a great lady! HA...Actually, I am good person and I did fill out the forms that say I am not a child molester or a criminal...Wonder if they will call the FBI on those or take me at my contract signed word? LMAO
I have just folded another load of laundry and put another in. Coffee is set to come on in two hours. I suppose I should go watch some TV and fall back to sleep.
When I saw the doctor about my insomnia, he did say if I was happy with five hours, bifurcated or at one time, then he was too. He did give me some samples of the new Lunista? Something like that. I have not tried them yet, but they are supposed to keep me asleep longer than Ambien did and are non addictive, and I am not supposed to build up a tolerance to them. I got to taking two Ambien and told the doc that I would not go on to three pills, even though he said I could. No, I couldn't.
I think I actually like being up in the middle of the night. It is so peaceful and no phones are ringing, nobody is asking me questions. I can just do what I like. Charlie/Steve is snoring in his crate and Partric is asleep high atop his post. The hub is sleeping soundly, the kids are out cold. I can hear two owls talking to each other. I hear the drips that are getting my new car dirty. Coming from the eucalyptus trees that tower here, in their grove, where all the houses have intruded. Occasionally, the coyotes go off, when they find something to eat. They can be very loud. But, not at this moment. How could I not love this time of night? I am apprehensive about taking something that insists I sleep eight hours. I only need five! Things to think about or not!
Alrighty then, back to sleep until the coffee smell wafts its way to me!
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
I've been tagged
My Lifetime
Tagged by Bonny, or Bonn to me!
10 Years Ago: I will go out on a limb here and say it was hot. Nothing really sticks out in my head. I had been married for 5 years and had a two and three year old though! Maybe that's why!
5 Years Ago: August 2000 - Again, hmm. I had been married ten years and my kids were seven and eight! We had lived in Laguna since 97. Came from Stepford Irvine. Actually, it could have been the year we went to Italy...That was very nice.
Yesterday: Had a doctor appt. Went to the grocery store with Zoe. Took Katharine to rehearsal, picked her up too. The cleaners cleaned the house. Posted three times, did laundry. Walked thru my still clean garage and loved that!
Today: I am going back to sleep soon. Have been up since before three. Emailed back and forth with Cindy. Will be taking Katharine to rehearsal and picking her up again too. Then the nightly dinner question and the preparing of the food!
Tomorrow: I am meeting with the woman in charge of girl scouts. I am getting all my schedules for being the nut manager for the whole town! FUN? There is a sale at the crack of dawn at Hobie's. Not going. Don't do lines, of any kind!
5 snacks I enjoy: turkey and cheese rolled up, chips and good salsa, fritos, sourdough toast, watermelon.
5 bands that I know the lyrics of MOST of their songs:Dixie Chicks, Lonestar, George Strait, Shania Twain, Gretchen Wilson. Those are only some of the country, but I do like many other kinds of music too.
6 things I would do with $100,000,000: One hundred million dollars? I would buy a home in Huahine, A home on a lake, buy things for people when I felt like it, just becasue I care and not because they expect it, and probably a big fishing boat! I would give money to charity too. And a staff to cook and clean and a trainer and masseuse. BTW, I changed it to six things! LOL
5 bad habits I have: Smoking, eating the wrong foods, not exercising enough, bad language, procrastination.
5 things I like doing: Watching movies, TV, fishing, computer, being home with my family.
5 things I would never wear: A thong, anything with words across the ass, horizontal stripes, high heels (left ankle broken twice), tube tops.
6 TV shows I like: House (HE ROCKS), Deadwood, Six Feet Under, Queer Eye, 24, L-word, Queer as Folk...(I know there are 7!)
5 movies I like: Primary Colors, Finding Neverland, Being Julia, Almost Famous, Coneheads
5 famous people I'd like to meet: Maya Angelou, Elton John, Kieffer Sutherland, Kathy Bates, Merle Haggard. And a shitload of dead people!
5 biggest joys at the moment: Family, friends, blogging and otherwise, where we live, watching my daughters laugh, laughing and bantering with my hubby.
I tag Heidi!
Tagged by Bonny, or Bonn to me!
10 Years Ago: I will go out on a limb here and say it was hot. Nothing really sticks out in my head. I had been married for 5 years and had a two and three year old though! Maybe that's why!
5 Years Ago: August 2000 - Again, hmm. I had been married ten years and my kids were seven and eight! We had lived in Laguna since 97. Came from Stepford Irvine. Actually, it could have been the year we went to Italy...That was very nice.
Yesterday: Had a doctor appt. Went to the grocery store with Zoe. Took Katharine to rehearsal, picked her up too. The cleaners cleaned the house. Posted three times, did laundry. Walked thru my still clean garage and loved that!
Today: I am going back to sleep soon. Have been up since before three. Emailed back and forth with Cindy. Will be taking Katharine to rehearsal and picking her up again too. Then the nightly dinner question and the preparing of the food!
Tomorrow: I am meeting with the woman in charge of girl scouts. I am getting all my schedules for being the nut manager for the whole town! FUN? There is a sale at the crack of dawn at Hobie's. Not going. Don't do lines, of any kind!
5 snacks I enjoy: turkey and cheese rolled up, chips and good salsa, fritos, sourdough toast, watermelon.
5 bands that I know the lyrics of MOST of their songs:Dixie Chicks, Lonestar, George Strait, Shania Twain, Gretchen Wilson. Those are only some of the country, but I do like many other kinds of music too.
6 things I would do with $100,000,000: One hundred million dollars? I would buy a home in Huahine, A home on a lake, buy things for people when I felt like it, just becasue I care and not because they expect it, and probably a big fishing boat! I would give money to charity too. And a staff to cook and clean and a trainer and masseuse. BTW, I changed it to six things! LOL
5 bad habits I have: Smoking, eating the wrong foods, not exercising enough, bad language, procrastination.
5 things I like doing: Watching movies, TV, fishing, computer, being home with my family.
5 things I would never wear: A thong, anything with words across the ass, horizontal stripes, high heels (left ankle broken twice), tube tops.
6 TV shows I like: House (HE ROCKS), Deadwood, Six Feet Under, Queer Eye, 24, L-word, Queer as Folk...(I know there are 7!)
5 movies I like: Primary Colors, Finding Neverland, Being Julia, Almost Famous, Coneheads
5 famous people I'd like to meet: Maya Angelou, Elton John, Kieffer Sutherland, Kathy Bates, Merle Haggard. And a shitload of dead people!
5 biggest joys at the moment: Family, friends, blogging and otherwise, where we live, watching my daughters laugh, laughing and bantering with my hubby.
I tag Heidi!
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Photos
This is my third post for today...Guess I don't have enough to do! LIAR....Anyhow, click on the links for full size photos!
The first photo was taken this foggy drippy morning. This is an orchid that has come back for year four. I think it is very pretty.
orchid
This photo was taken this morning as well. The spider has gotten it's prey. I can't wait to see, what it has tomorrow...And this spider spins a new fabulous web nightly. Right Phoebe??? She was here and saw it, and photographed it with her killer digital camera. Mine is a Dimage 5mp and hers is an 8mp Canon, I believe!
spider in drippy web
This is Charlie/Steve having dinner with Zoe and me last night!
He had his own seat at the table and was a good boy. Just sat there. He was rewarded for his table manners!
Charlie/Steve at the dinner table
The first photo was taken this foggy drippy morning. This is an orchid that has come back for year four. I think it is very pretty.
orchidThis photo was taken this morning as well. The spider has gotten it's prey. I can't wait to see, what it has tomorrow...And this spider spins a new fabulous web nightly. Right Phoebe??? She was here and saw it, and photographed it with her killer digital camera. Mine is a Dimage 5mp and hers is an 8mp Canon, I believe!
spider in drippy webThis is Charlie/Steve having dinner with Zoe and me last night!
He had his own seat at the table and was a good boy. Just sat there. He was rewarded for his table manners!
Charlie/Steve at the dinner table
Funnies
I got these through emails from my sister in law Phoebe....She has a head for jokes, not big, just full!
>>A guy walks into the local welfare office, marches
straight up to the
>>counter and says, "Hi... You know, I just HATE
drawing welfare. I'd
>>really much rather have an honest job."
>>
>>The social worker behind the counter says, "Your
timing is excellent.
>>We just got a job opening from a very wealthy old
man who wants a
>>chauffeur
>>and bodyguard for his nymphomaniac daughter. You'll
have to drive around
>>in his Mercedes, but he'll supply all of your
clothes. Because of the
>>long
>>hours, meals will be provided. You'll be expected
to escort her on her
>>overseas holiday trips. You will have to satisfy
her sexual urges.
>>You'll
>>have a two-bedroom apartment above the garage. The
starting salary is
>>$200,000 a year".
>>
>>The guy says, "You're bullshittin' me!"
>>
>>The social worker says, "Yeah, well... you started
it."
From the Mind of Stephen Wright:
~I planted bird seed. A bird came up. Now I don't know what to feed it.
~I had amnesia once -- maybe twice.
~I went to San Francisco. I found someone's heart.
~Photons have mass? I didn't even know they were Catholic.
~All I ask is a chance to prove money can't make me happy.
~I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous.
~If the world was a logical place, men would ride horses sidesaddle.
~What is a "free" gift? Aren't all gifts free?
~They told me I was gullible..... and I believed them.
~Teach a child to be polite and courteous in the home and, when he grows
up, he'll never be able to edge his car onto a freeway.
~Two can live as cheaply as one, for half as long.
~Experience is the thing you have left when everything else is gone.
~What if there were no hypothetical questions?
~One nice thing about egotists... they don't talk about other people.
~A flashlight is a case for holding dead batteries.
~What was the greatest thing before sliced bread?
~I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure.
~The cost of living hasn't affected its popularity.
~Is there another word for synonym?
~The speed of time is one second per second.
~Is it possible to be totally partial?
~What's another word for thesaurus?
~Is Marx's tomb a communist plot?
~If swimming is so good for your figure, how do you explain whales?
~Show me a man with both feet firmly on the ground, and I'll show you a
man who can't get his pants off.
~It's not an optical illusion. It just looks like one.
~Is it my imagination, or do buffalo wings taste like chicken ?
>>A guy walks into the local welfare office, marches
straight up to the
>>counter and says, "Hi... You know, I just HATE
drawing welfare. I'd
>>really much rather have an honest job."
>>
>>The social worker behind the counter says, "Your
timing is excellent.
>>We just got a job opening from a very wealthy old
man who wants a
>>chauffeur
>>and bodyguard for his nymphomaniac daughter. You'll
have to drive around
>>in his Mercedes, but he'll supply all of your
clothes. Because of the
>>long
>>hours, meals will be provided. You'll be expected
to escort her on her
>>overseas holiday trips. You will have to satisfy
her sexual urges.
>>You'll
>>have a two-bedroom apartment above the garage. The
starting salary is
>>$200,000 a year".
>>
>>The guy says, "You're bullshittin' me!"
>>
>>The social worker says, "Yeah, well... you started
it."
From the Mind of Stephen Wright:
~I planted bird seed. A bird came up. Now I don't know what to feed it.
~I had amnesia once -- maybe twice.
~I went to San Francisco. I found someone's heart.
~Photons have mass? I didn't even know they were Catholic.
~All I ask is a chance to prove money can't make me happy.
~I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous.
~If the world was a logical place, men would ride horses sidesaddle.
~What is a "free" gift? Aren't all gifts free?
~They told me I was gullible..... and I believed them.
~Teach a child to be polite and courteous in the home and, when he grows
up, he'll never be able to edge his car onto a freeway.
~Two can live as cheaply as one, for half as long.
~Experience is the thing you have left when everything else is gone.
~What if there were no hypothetical questions?
~One nice thing about egotists... they don't talk about other people.
~A flashlight is a case for holding dead batteries.
~What was the greatest thing before sliced bread?
~I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure.
~The cost of living hasn't affected its popularity.
~Is there another word for synonym?
~The speed of time is one second per second.
~Is it possible to be totally partial?
~What's another word for thesaurus?
~Is Marx's tomb a communist plot?
~If swimming is so good for your figure, how do you explain whales?
~Show me a man with both feet firmly on the ground, and I'll show you a
man who can't get his pants off.
~It's not an optical illusion. It just looks like one.
~Is it my imagination, or do buffalo wings taste like chicken ?
Chirping Won't Go Away
It is one in the morning and there is something chirping in the house. I thought it was a cricket. It is not. I am glad I was not being recorded as I went from area to area listening to this damn chirp to find out where it is coming from. I would move in the direction of the sound and listen, move again, listen, move again, listen and what the hell, it sounds like it is coming from across the room again! I give up.
I am outside on the deck, it is dark, foggy, cold, quiet and I can still hear the chirping. It sounds like a smoke detector needs a new battery. But it is not a smoke detector. It is not the copier, not the phones, not the microwave, not the dishwashers, it is not the computers, it is not the cell phones or camera batteries that are plugged in. It is not the washer or dryer....I think somebody is trying to gaslight me and it is placed it some where out of reach to annoy me. I can hear it out here. Goes off about every fifteen seconds. How frustrating.
I am not giving up though. I am going to find out what is making that sound and stomp it into the ground. Or maybe replace a battery. All I know at this point is that I cannot go back to sleep until I find it, if even then. But, I will keep you updated as I am sure you are all waiting on the edge of your seats wondering what it is! LOL
UPDATE.....I found it, finally. It was an old battery operated weather station inside a cabinet under a bunch of stuff. I did not stomp it into the ground. I did remove the batteries though. Silence is golden. I am going back to sleep.
I am outside on the deck, it is dark, foggy, cold, quiet and I can still hear the chirping. It sounds like a smoke detector needs a new battery. But it is not a smoke detector. It is not the copier, not the phones, not the microwave, not the dishwashers, it is not the computers, it is not the cell phones or camera batteries that are plugged in. It is not the washer or dryer....I think somebody is trying to gaslight me and it is placed it some where out of reach to annoy me. I can hear it out here. Goes off about every fifteen seconds. How frustrating.
I am not giving up though. I am going to find out what is making that sound and stomp it into the ground. Or maybe replace a battery. All I know at this point is that I cannot go back to sleep until I find it, if even then. But, I will keep you updated as I am sure you are all waiting on the edge of your seats wondering what it is! LOL
UPDATE.....I found it, finally. It was an old battery operated weather station inside a cabinet under a bunch of stuff. I did not stomp it into the ground. I did remove the batteries though. Silence is golden. I am going back to sleep.
Monday, August 01, 2005
?Question?
Can anybody explain to me how some days I get a plethora of hits within one or more hours? Some days I get 40 hits. Other days I get twice that many. I cannot figure out the pattern.
I know that blogger has the last ten updated posts, but with hundreds being posted every minute, I don't understand that either. I have never seen my blog on there, and never expect to with so many postings. Does it show up at some point during the day and then people click my link, resulting in all the hits from people I have never heard of? This is the only explanation I can come up with.
I know there are those of you who are very knowledgeable in this kind of thing and I would be very happy if you would let me know what you think! Thank you!
Off topic.
I picked up my new car yesterday and I love it. It will take some getting used to. Like the summer I went blonde and jumped each and every time I went by a mirror. I had been a blonde baby, but that was it. I have brownish red hair and it will remain that way. Although, my hair dresser prefers to make my hair lighter these days, as I am getting to be an old bat. She says when one gets older, they should go lighter with the hair color. I happened to like my dark hair with my blue eyes. And she is the same age as me and she has black hair...She is a friend and I will be bringing up this topic soon. Maybe she doesn't have any gray like I do. And I do have a lot these days. But, I miss my dark brown hair. I don't miss my black car, it will just take getting used to seeing it in the driveway and finding it in a parking lot!
Last night we went to Lagunatics. It is a spoof on the community and very funny. This year's theme was Senior Prom. In one scene they had everybody with their backs to the audience. When they turned around, the guys were wearing the dresses and the ladies were wearing tuxedos...Our police chief is leaving, retiring to Oregon. He sang a song about leaving and missing his job. Afterward much applause and more applause and he was wiping tears from his eyes. It was very poignant. He has done Lagunatics for years.
Then the fire alarm went off and nobody moved. The microphone was not working and there was a professional comedian on stage. Lynn Epstein, no relation, but she performs locally every week. Anyhow, the alarm is going off, she is filling in time while those behind the curtain got ready. She was great. One thing she said that stuck in my head was, "Why is it when you have a black car, the dust is white and when you have a white car the dust is black?" Very good question, don't you think? Then Bree who runs the show, beautifully, always, said the Gods were smiling on us. "Nobody freaked when the fire alarm went off, we have the fire chief here, the police chief, the city council, all here, and a professional comedian on stage to keep you all busy while we got ready." she said.
A lot of the spoofs were about not enough parking in town, police with radar guns, making the parking meters into "Vegas like" one arm bandits. You put your quarter in and my win an extra fifteen minutes. There were songs about the tourists leaving and as much as we love them, it is always nice to have our town back. One other thing Lynn Epstein said was, "Forget about telling us how fast a car can get from zero to sixty, how fast does it slow down to zero," which is what happens on our congested freeways. When the entire cast came out for their applause, each got a rose, then one by one they loaded them into the arms of the police chief. It was so sweet. Last night was the close of the four scheduled shows.
It was a terrific show and much money was made for the new Senior Center. All in all, a good night.
One more thing I want to say. I want to say thanks to Jaded for some very sound and honest advice. She thought I might be mad at her honesty, when in fact, it is exactly what I wanted to hear from her. So thank you Jaded! I truly appreciate it. You're the best!
Happy Monday and see some of you on the chat tonight!
I know that blogger has the last ten updated posts, but with hundreds being posted every minute, I don't understand that either. I have never seen my blog on there, and never expect to with so many postings. Does it show up at some point during the day and then people click my link, resulting in all the hits from people I have never heard of? This is the only explanation I can come up with.
I know there are those of you who are very knowledgeable in this kind of thing and I would be very happy if you would let me know what you think! Thank you!
Off topic.
I picked up my new car yesterday and I love it. It will take some getting used to. Like the summer I went blonde and jumped each and every time I went by a mirror. I had been a blonde baby, but that was it. I have brownish red hair and it will remain that way. Although, my hair dresser prefers to make my hair lighter these days, as I am getting to be an old bat. She says when one gets older, they should go lighter with the hair color. I happened to like my dark hair with my blue eyes. And she is the same age as me and she has black hair...She is a friend and I will be bringing up this topic soon. Maybe she doesn't have any gray like I do. And I do have a lot these days. But, I miss my dark brown hair. I don't miss my black car, it will just take getting used to seeing it in the driveway and finding it in a parking lot!
Last night we went to Lagunatics. It is a spoof on the community and very funny. This year's theme was Senior Prom. In one scene they had everybody with their backs to the audience. When they turned around, the guys were wearing the dresses and the ladies were wearing tuxedos...Our police chief is leaving, retiring to Oregon. He sang a song about leaving and missing his job. Afterward much applause and more applause and he was wiping tears from his eyes. It was very poignant. He has done Lagunatics for years.
Then the fire alarm went off and nobody moved. The microphone was not working and there was a professional comedian on stage. Lynn Epstein, no relation, but she performs locally every week. Anyhow, the alarm is going off, she is filling in time while those behind the curtain got ready. She was great. One thing she said that stuck in my head was, "Why is it when you have a black car, the dust is white and when you have a white car the dust is black?" Very good question, don't you think? Then Bree who runs the show, beautifully, always, said the Gods were smiling on us. "Nobody freaked when the fire alarm went off, we have the fire chief here, the police chief, the city council, all here, and a professional comedian on stage to keep you all busy while we got ready." she said.
A lot of the spoofs were about not enough parking in town, police with radar guns, making the parking meters into "Vegas like" one arm bandits. You put your quarter in and my win an extra fifteen minutes. There were songs about the tourists leaving and as much as we love them, it is always nice to have our town back. One other thing Lynn Epstein said was, "Forget about telling us how fast a car can get from zero to sixty, how fast does it slow down to zero," which is what happens on our congested freeways. When the entire cast came out for their applause, each got a rose, then one by one they loaded them into the arms of the police chief. It was so sweet. Last night was the close of the four scheduled shows.
It was a terrific show and much money was made for the new Senior Center. All in all, a good night.
One more thing I want to say. I want to say thanks to Jaded for some very sound and honest advice. She thought I might be mad at her honesty, when in fact, it is exactly what I wanted to hear from her. So thank you Jaded! I truly appreciate it. You're the best!
Happy Monday and see some of you on the chat tonight!
Sunday, July 31, 2005
Time
Time. Sometimes too much. Other times not enough. Short in the scope of life. Long on sleepless nights.
Tonight has been very long. We spent the late afternoon and whole evening at a car dealership. I hate the whole process of buying a new car. I know I am not alone in this. I am buying the same model car for the third time. Actually, leasing. Not black this time though. French Silk. Who makes up these colors? And why would French silk be the color of an pearl? Why would it not be all colors...It is silk. Getting a new car, takes a lot of time.
I believe there is more paperwork to do in buying a car than a house. I know there is. It is insane. I tried to do an online credit application today. Of course it said I would have an answer within the hour. Not. Too many credit apps going through right now since they came up with the clever gimmick of selling cars at employees costs. Great idea, saves a bundle and they sell cars like hot cakes. I waited all morning for the application to be approved and then take it the dealership...To save TIME. Not.
We haggled a bit about pricing, discounts, but not too much. I liked the saleswoman. We had an instant connection, wit wise. I was driving on the freeway and asked, "Can I get off here?" She says, "That's up to you!" I laughed. Instant like. We have to go back in the morning with proof of insurance. It is sitting right here. I didn't think to take it. More time at the dealership. Papers are all signed, just an exchange of cars. From black to French silk! The saleswoman wants to have dinner with me. She thinks we have a lot in common. I told her she would have to come south...I don't like leaving town at night. She said she used to live south of us, she will come. We will see. More time.
My husband was great. He put up with all the joking, even added his own. He played games on his phone and said he just wanted to know the monthly payment. It was higher than we liked. He said he wanted me to be happy and we got the car. How wonderful is he? Very. I am very lucky. Not just the car, but him. He is funny, loving, caring, hard working and a great father too. Not enough time in the day for him. He works very hard. He would like to spend more time with the kids, me, the dog. Time.
The girls were great too. Katharine had a friend along. They watched TV and raided the vending machines. Zoe sat with us and listened. Learned. Took it all in. She has grown up so fast. Toward the end of the transaction, all the girls, David and I were in the saleswoman's office. The general manager was working up the paperwork and taking too much time. I told the girls to go stand in front of his office and stare. One did, came back laughing at his reaction. We all cracked up. He didn't take too much more time to come in with the final paperwork!
I am sitting out here on the deck. There are beautiful flashes of lightening off in the distance. Summer storms in the desert. The dog was munching on a rawhide bone, but it crashed down to the deck below. His bedtime anyhow! The crickets are loud. The frogs are croaking. The talking has stopped. The laughter and giggles have ceased, at least for tonight. All is quiet, soothing. This is my time.
Tonight has been very long. We spent the late afternoon and whole evening at a car dealership. I hate the whole process of buying a new car. I know I am not alone in this. I am buying the same model car for the third time. Actually, leasing. Not black this time though. French Silk. Who makes up these colors? And why would French silk be the color of an pearl? Why would it not be all colors...It is silk. Getting a new car, takes a lot of time.
I believe there is more paperwork to do in buying a car than a house. I know there is. It is insane. I tried to do an online credit application today. Of course it said I would have an answer within the hour. Not. Too many credit apps going through right now since they came up with the clever gimmick of selling cars at employees costs. Great idea, saves a bundle and they sell cars like hot cakes. I waited all morning for the application to be approved and then take it the dealership...To save TIME. Not.
We haggled a bit about pricing, discounts, but not too much. I liked the saleswoman. We had an instant connection, wit wise. I was driving on the freeway and asked, "Can I get off here?" She says, "That's up to you!" I laughed. Instant like. We have to go back in the morning with proof of insurance. It is sitting right here. I didn't think to take it. More time at the dealership. Papers are all signed, just an exchange of cars. From black to French silk! The saleswoman wants to have dinner with me. She thinks we have a lot in common. I told her she would have to come south...I don't like leaving town at night. She said she used to live south of us, she will come. We will see. More time.
My husband was great. He put up with all the joking, even added his own. He played games on his phone and said he just wanted to know the monthly payment. It was higher than we liked. He said he wanted me to be happy and we got the car. How wonderful is he? Very. I am very lucky. Not just the car, but him. He is funny, loving, caring, hard working and a great father too. Not enough time in the day for him. He works very hard. He would like to spend more time with the kids, me, the dog. Time.
The girls were great too. Katharine had a friend along. They watched TV and raided the vending machines. Zoe sat with us and listened. Learned. Took it all in. She has grown up so fast. Toward the end of the transaction, all the girls, David and I were in the saleswoman's office. The general manager was working up the paperwork and taking too much time. I told the girls to go stand in front of his office and stare. One did, came back laughing at his reaction. We all cracked up. He didn't take too much more time to come in with the final paperwork!
I am sitting out here on the deck. There are beautiful flashes of lightening off in the distance. Summer storms in the desert. The dog was munching on a rawhide bone, but it crashed down to the deck below. His bedtime anyhow! The crickets are loud. The frogs are croaking. The talking has stopped. The laughter and giggles have ceased, at least for tonight. All is quiet, soothing. This is my time.
Saturday, July 30, 2005
Petco and the Psychic Clerk
This is Patric on his new cat post...
Pat on his new post
Zoe and I went to Petco yesterday to get Patric (no K) a large cat post. It is larger than six feet and he jumped onto it while we were carrying it into my room. He loves it... I have been feeling guilty since Phoebe was here and would say that Patric was sad. See, Patric has been rather banished to the downstairs since we got Charlie the dog in December...Or Steve.
Anyhow, we have a gate at the bottom of the stairs to keep him out. He will eat socks, etc. I suppose he and Patric would become friendly if Charlie would calm down...He is very hyper though. He is a rat terrier and only ten months old.
So, Phoebe who owns a Wild Bird Center in NJ, has a cat now...Nicholas. He is beautiful, but I never pictured her with a cat and at her store no less! He has his own column in her newsletter! So, for the benefit of Phoebe who feels bad for Patric and for Patric who used to have free rein of the top out back deck, he is now a downstairs, in the bedrooms, cat. He sleeps in my bathroom sink and is very loved. He has become much more affectionate since he moved downstairs. Charlie sleeps in a crate at night and Patric comes up and explores. Poor thing used to have two cat posts out here on the deck, but Charlie peed on them and even used one to climb in when he was young. They have long since been dumped. What cat in its right mind would want to use them after that? Like using somebody else's undies...YUCK.
So, Patric has taken to the top of the cat post. He is so high I can barely pet him. He can see the street below and watch the birds from the feeder on the upper deck. His tail wags. He is happy.
While checking out, the clerk says to Zoe, "You are very artistic aren't you?" Zoe just stared at her. I said, "She does sing and draw Anime characters." The clerk says, " I thought so. I can feel that you are artistic and you should follow that. I feel you don't think you are very good. But keep with it, because your are." Zoe said, "Okay..." We get outside and Zoe tells me that was weird. "Why did she do that?" I said, "Obviously, she had another job before clerk at Petco. She thinks she is obviously psychic" Zoe says, "Well, I am more of a poet than an artist." Yes, she is definitely that!
I do believe that some people have premonitions, maybe see things, can predict things. But as I am always skeptical, I question your average clerk/psychic. I have had two dreams that actually happened. One was our windshield being shot out and another was going down a gang street and getting shot at. It was like a riot. I asked my friend if we had ever been in one or did I just dream it...Within a week, both things happened! I also believe we can talk to the dead. When my father died, I know he spoke to me the night before my mother's funeral to tell me to take care of everyone and my mother. I awoke and told David I had just seen my father. He told me it was a dream. But, I saw him, felt his hug, smelled him, woke up crying from our talk...So, please keep the "I believe in psychic shit," to a minimum...I do believe in some things. No stones please.
One day we were selling girl scout cookies and a mother introduced me to her psychic. I said, "Nice to meet you," and when she left, I asked the mother, "Did she tell you how many cookies we are going to sell today?" One of my very best friends goes to a psychic once a year...Whatever floats your boat....It's all good....
But, the clerk was just out there. Last thing I expected when I went into Petco was to have a chat with a clerk/psychic...
And Charlie/Steve, our very smart Rat Terrier....Below
Charlie
Pat on his new postZoe and I went to Petco yesterday to get Patric (no K) a large cat post. It is larger than six feet and he jumped onto it while we were carrying it into my room. He loves it... I have been feeling guilty since Phoebe was here and would say that Patric was sad. See, Patric has been rather banished to the downstairs since we got Charlie the dog in December...Or Steve.
Anyhow, we have a gate at the bottom of the stairs to keep him out. He will eat socks, etc. I suppose he and Patric would become friendly if Charlie would calm down...He is very hyper though. He is a rat terrier and only ten months old.
So, Phoebe who owns a Wild Bird Center in NJ, has a cat now...Nicholas. He is beautiful, but I never pictured her with a cat and at her store no less! He has his own column in her newsletter! So, for the benefit of Phoebe who feels bad for Patric and for Patric who used to have free rein of the top out back deck, he is now a downstairs, in the bedrooms, cat. He sleeps in my bathroom sink and is very loved. He has become much more affectionate since he moved downstairs. Charlie sleeps in a crate at night and Patric comes up and explores. Poor thing used to have two cat posts out here on the deck, but Charlie peed on them and even used one to climb in when he was young. They have long since been dumped. What cat in its right mind would want to use them after that? Like using somebody else's undies...YUCK.
So, Patric has taken to the top of the cat post. He is so high I can barely pet him. He can see the street below and watch the birds from the feeder on the upper deck. His tail wags. He is happy.
While checking out, the clerk says to Zoe, "You are very artistic aren't you?" Zoe just stared at her. I said, "She does sing and draw Anime characters." The clerk says, " I thought so. I can feel that you are artistic and you should follow that. I feel you don't think you are very good. But keep with it, because your are." Zoe said, "Okay..." We get outside and Zoe tells me that was weird. "Why did she do that?" I said, "Obviously, she had another job before clerk at Petco. She thinks she is obviously psychic" Zoe says, "Well, I am more of a poet than an artist." Yes, she is definitely that!
I do believe that some people have premonitions, maybe see things, can predict things. But as I am always skeptical, I question your average clerk/psychic. I have had two dreams that actually happened. One was our windshield being shot out and another was going down a gang street and getting shot at. It was like a riot. I asked my friend if we had ever been in one or did I just dream it...Within a week, both things happened! I also believe we can talk to the dead. When my father died, I know he spoke to me the night before my mother's funeral to tell me to take care of everyone and my mother. I awoke and told David I had just seen my father. He told me it was a dream. But, I saw him, felt his hug, smelled him, woke up crying from our talk...So, please keep the "I believe in psychic shit," to a minimum...I do believe in some things. No stones please.
One day we were selling girl scout cookies and a mother introduced me to her psychic. I said, "Nice to meet you," and when she left, I asked the mother, "Did she tell you how many cookies we are going to sell today?" One of my very best friends goes to a psychic once a year...Whatever floats your boat....It's all good....
But, the clerk was just out there. Last thing I expected when I went into Petco was to have a chat with a clerk/psychic...
And Charlie/Steve, our very smart Rat Terrier....Below
Charlie
Friday, July 29, 2005
Sleep Eludes Me
It is 3:30 in the morning...No coffee yet, I might be able to get more sleep in...And believe me, I will try. Some mornings I would just turn on the coffee and forget it. Today, I think I may continue on for a couple of hours of dreamland.
Good thing I didn't turn on the pot of coffee yesterday. I thought it was four in the morning and it was a half hour before I realized it was 1:30. For somebody who has to get up and go to work, this would be a windfall. For somebody like me, who wonders if I will be able to go back to sleep, it is decision time..Coffee and forget it, or no coffee and try again...I hate lying there trying to go back to sleep...Too many things start popping in my head....Things to do, things not done, worrying.
Yesterday was one of those days when all I wanted was an hour nap...I took my daughter and her friend to get cake mix. I waited in the car so my daughter's friend could buy what she needed to make her mother a cake. Over thirty minutes in the car. She started telling me what the rags had to say about so and so...I told her I didn't want to hear about that and I knew the cake isle was nowhere near the rags! My daughter said, She has a short attention span...This I know. But some manners are in order here. I would never let my girls do that to somebody's mother. Then back to our house for cake pans...Back to her house so the girls could make FOUR boxes of cake. She couldn't get the concept of splitting the box into two pans for layer cake....
I called at 12:30 on my way to pick up my other daughter from rehearsal...She puts me on hold and then asks if she can call me back. I said, "NO, you may not call me back. Is she ready or not? They go back and forth...5:00, no 3:00. They decided on 3:30.
On the way home from rehearsal we see my hubby outside his office. He starts talking to us, I could not hear and was able to turn into the parking structure thru the clusterfuck of traffic! He asked if there was anything to eat up at the house...I dunno...He says, I am coming up for a fruit salad....
I rant to my daughter and her friend about my other daughter's friend. Both sat quietly and said nothing. I realized they didn't want to hear it. I thought they needed to hear what rude really is! My daughter says, "I would never ask my friend's mother to do that, let alone for that long, then go back to the house for pans." Well then, I have done my job!
Hubby comes up for lunch. Meanwhile, my daughter was trying to get in touch with her friend who had invited her over. No luck...Could happen at any moment though. Hubster goes back to the office, I tell my daughter, I am taking a NAP! Tell your sister, I will be there at 4:00. The phone rings four times in the hour I was trying to nap! "How do we make frosting?"
When I picked up my daughter, she got an earful....About waiting on her friend, waiting for them to call me for a ride, when they felt like it, then calling when they knew in the morning how much I needed a quick nap, I finally get one and they keep calling anyhow...
I think yesterday was the day of Nancy's Rant...Almost like a PMS day.
Then contending with tourists who want to stop at crosswalks, with nobody in them, nor a stop sign. Or stopping at a yield sign...Gotta merge people, get moving....Last day of workshop and rehearsal in the canyon, next to the Sawdust festival, today! Only down to the high school. Out of tourist traffic, before town, starting next week. In the theatre where Suessical will be held, opening on the sixth...Then to Leisure World the next weekend...Only two days of fighting traffic to get there. UGH...All in the name of love!
Okay, enough of that crap....I am going back to sleep. I hope. Today is going to be a great day...I am thinking positive thoughts now...Can you hear me???
Good thing I didn't turn on the pot of coffee yesterday. I thought it was four in the morning and it was a half hour before I realized it was 1:30. For somebody who has to get up and go to work, this would be a windfall. For somebody like me, who wonders if I will be able to go back to sleep, it is decision time..Coffee and forget it, or no coffee and try again...I hate lying there trying to go back to sleep...Too many things start popping in my head....Things to do, things not done, worrying.
Yesterday was one of those days when all I wanted was an hour nap...I took my daughter and her friend to get cake mix. I waited in the car so my daughter's friend could buy what she needed to make her mother a cake. Over thirty minutes in the car. She started telling me what the rags had to say about so and so...I told her I didn't want to hear about that and I knew the cake isle was nowhere near the rags! My daughter said, She has a short attention span...This I know. But some manners are in order here. I would never let my girls do that to somebody's mother. Then back to our house for cake pans...Back to her house so the girls could make FOUR boxes of cake. She couldn't get the concept of splitting the box into two pans for layer cake....
I called at 12:30 on my way to pick up my other daughter from rehearsal...She puts me on hold and then asks if she can call me back. I said, "NO, you may not call me back. Is she ready or not? They go back and forth...5:00, no 3:00. They decided on 3:30.
On the way home from rehearsal we see my hubby outside his office. He starts talking to us, I could not hear and was able to turn into the parking structure thru the clusterfuck of traffic! He asked if there was anything to eat up at the house...I dunno...He says, I am coming up for a fruit salad....
I rant to my daughter and her friend about my other daughter's friend. Both sat quietly and said nothing. I realized they didn't want to hear it. I thought they needed to hear what rude really is! My daughter says, "I would never ask my friend's mother to do that, let alone for that long, then go back to the house for pans." Well then, I have done my job!
Hubby comes up for lunch. Meanwhile, my daughter was trying to get in touch with her friend who had invited her over. No luck...Could happen at any moment though. Hubster goes back to the office, I tell my daughter, I am taking a NAP! Tell your sister, I will be there at 4:00. The phone rings four times in the hour I was trying to nap! "How do we make frosting?"
When I picked up my daughter, she got an earful....About waiting on her friend, waiting for them to call me for a ride, when they felt like it, then calling when they knew in the morning how much I needed a quick nap, I finally get one and they keep calling anyhow...
I think yesterday was the day of Nancy's Rant...Almost like a PMS day.
Then contending with tourists who want to stop at crosswalks, with nobody in them, nor a stop sign. Or stopping at a yield sign...Gotta merge people, get moving....Last day of workshop and rehearsal in the canyon, next to the Sawdust festival, today! Only down to the high school. Out of tourist traffic, before town, starting next week. In the theatre where Suessical will be held, opening on the sixth...Then to Leisure World the next weekend...Only two days of fighting traffic to get there. UGH...All in the name of love!
Okay, enough of that crap....I am going back to sleep. I hope. Today is going to be a great day...I am thinking positive thoughts now...Can you hear me???
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Woulda Coulda Shoulda, Sell on eBay?
I have been emailing with Cindy, who does eBay. I have bought on eBay, but never sold. I just mentioned to Cindy that a friend's husband sold a broken TV for $25 on eBay. He said it was broken and that the buyer would have to pick it up. It sold very quickly and was gone! Probably something my father would have bought. He could fix anything. Thank God eBay wasn't popular when he was alive, or at least he was not on the internet! It would have been like a garage sale of all garage sales to him and my mother who actually had a bumper sticker that said, "I brake for garage sales."
I am the worst at taking things back to the store. I am horrible at mailing things. I have several things in my clean garage that I could sell. They are taking up space for no reason at all. I wonder if I could actually sell them???? I think I may try it out and see if that can become a new hobby! Hell, I could use the money and it could be fun...
Just a quick thought on things to sell. A pair of Lucky Brand black pants, girls size 10. Brand new, daughter hates them!
Four pair of size 9 1/2 shoes, that I don't like....Too late to return.
Boxes of yarn that my mother bought and never used!
Several clothing items, never worn, brand new, too late to return.
Fake gold plated flatware, I have never used, but have owned for 15 years!
Several bins of Barbie paraphernalia. Barbies are naked, but hundreds of outfits to choose from! Hotels, Airplanes, Cars,
kitchens with everything they need, hair salons and much more.
Two dolls that have their own insides. They talk, they crawl, they cry, they cry when wet, when hungry...Batteries removed shortly after my daughter got them because, well, they kept her up!
LP's. Cassettes. No eight tracks though.
Lots of kids clothes and coats that have been outgrown. Some never used.
I wonder if I can sell all those Happy Meal toys???
Books, books and more books! Kids books, Nora Roberts books, Patricia Cornewll books....I pleaded with my step daughter, her hubby and my sister in law to go thru David's thousands of books to see if there were any they wanted. Got rid of about 15! Hubby had veto power, only used it once...Good Hubby!
Cassette tapes to learn Russian, Spanish, maybe others.
Two tall kitchen size bags with unmatched socks...Think somebody would find the matches at their house? Hmm.
Video tapes. All for sale, except Disney...Feel the need to keep those. Don't know why!
Bicycles. Girls bikes are like new and too small for them. One pink one purple, both Trek.
A iBook battery that was not needed. Got a new computer at the time.
A few cameras, digital and others that don't work!
Printers, two Mac computers, a Mac version palm pilot. Never used. I sight, never used....
Man, the list is endless! I should take a serious approach to this and get rid of all this stuff. I still do a double take when I walk into my clean garage and see my pool table! I suppose I will get over that, but it sure feels good!
Yes, I think eBay may be my next project. Don't be afraid to speak up if any of the above items strike your fancy! I do accept PayPal! LMAO
I am the worst at taking things back to the store. I am horrible at mailing things. I have several things in my clean garage that I could sell. They are taking up space for no reason at all. I wonder if I could actually sell them???? I think I may try it out and see if that can become a new hobby! Hell, I could use the money and it could be fun...
Just a quick thought on things to sell. A pair of Lucky Brand black pants, girls size 10. Brand new, daughter hates them!
Four pair of size 9 1/2 shoes, that I don't like....Too late to return.
Boxes of yarn that my mother bought and never used!
Several clothing items, never worn, brand new, too late to return.
Fake gold plated flatware, I have never used, but have owned for 15 years!
Several bins of Barbie paraphernalia. Barbies are naked, but hundreds of outfits to choose from! Hotels, Airplanes, Cars,
kitchens with everything they need, hair salons and much more.
Two dolls that have their own insides. They talk, they crawl, they cry, they cry when wet, when hungry...Batteries removed shortly after my daughter got them because, well, they kept her up!
LP's. Cassettes. No eight tracks though.
Lots of kids clothes and coats that have been outgrown. Some never used.
I wonder if I can sell all those Happy Meal toys???
Books, books and more books! Kids books, Nora Roberts books, Patricia Cornewll books....I pleaded with my step daughter, her hubby and my sister in law to go thru David's thousands of books to see if there were any they wanted. Got rid of about 15! Hubby had veto power, only used it once...Good Hubby!
Cassette tapes to learn Russian, Spanish, maybe others.
Two tall kitchen size bags with unmatched socks...Think somebody would find the matches at their house? Hmm.
Video tapes. All for sale, except Disney...Feel the need to keep those. Don't know why!
Bicycles. Girls bikes are like new and too small for them. One pink one purple, both Trek.
A iBook battery that was not needed. Got a new computer at the time.
A few cameras, digital and others that don't work!
Printers, two Mac computers, a Mac version palm pilot. Never used. I sight, never used....
Man, the list is endless! I should take a serious approach to this and get rid of all this stuff. I still do a double take when I walk into my clean garage and see my pool table! I suppose I will get over that, but it sure feels good!
Yes, I think eBay may be my next project. Don't be afraid to speak up if any of the above items strike your fancy! I do accept PayPal! LMAO
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Hodgepodge
I have taken to calling my dog Steve. His name is Charlie...But, it is funny when I call him Steve. It confuses everybody. My daughters went with the flow and decided he could be Charlie Steve...
My step daughter knows of a pretentious little Pomeranian, clothed of course, named Steve. I thought that was funny so I thought I would try it. Not the clothes though.
My sister in law, Phoebe, and I cracked up every time we said it...Steve, get down. Dammit Steve why did you pee on the door again, it was open!!! Ah, Steve, you are such a good boy. Hey Steve, want a rawhide bone? Steve, knock it off, I want flowers on that plant! Sit Steve, stay Steve. Get your ball Steve. It's just a funny name for a dog!
My husband comes home and the kids tell him, Mommy changed Charlie's name to Steve...He looks at me and says, Why did you do that? Because it is funny. He doesn't agree. He calls him Carlos Enrique...I say, Carlos Estebon! Steve says, call me whatever the hell you like, just not late to dinner!
Phoebe and I have had the giggles a good part of the day. Not a sip of an alcoholic beverage either. Just silly giggles. She tells me a joke and I crack up. She tells me she doesn't know why it is so funny to her, but it is. I insist she tell the joke at dinner. It is all she can do to get it out, we were laughing so hard that tears were streaming down our faces. The girls and David didn't get it. We weren't drunk with alcohol, just happiness and fun. Finally she tells her joke and David laughs with us. The girls are not amused!
Her joke...A duck and a drake walk into a very nice hotel. They get to their room and realize they do not have protection and call down to the bellhop to bring up a condom...The bellhop says, Shall I put that on your bill? Badumpump.
Anyhow, it was funny and later we were blog surfing and again laughing. David was reading and I called Steve for something and David looks up thirty seconds later and asked why I was calling him Steve. Again, I laugh and tell him, because it's funny. He told me I was really starting to bother him! I still laughed.
So, Phoebe went home to NY yesterday and I have been trying to get back on schedule. Bills, cooking, cleaning all that crap. Oh and of course being a taxi service.
But, that is all for now. Gotta make dinner....Hope all are well. And lightfeather, I am thinking of you often! You take care and stay strong! I know this has to be very hard for you and I am happy you are taking your life back! You deserve to be happy. Nuff said!
My step daughter knows of a pretentious little Pomeranian, clothed of course, named Steve. I thought that was funny so I thought I would try it. Not the clothes though.
My sister in law, Phoebe, and I cracked up every time we said it...Steve, get down. Dammit Steve why did you pee on the door again, it was open!!! Ah, Steve, you are such a good boy. Hey Steve, want a rawhide bone? Steve, knock it off, I want flowers on that plant! Sit Steve, stay Steve. Get your ball Steve. It's just a funny name for a dog!
My husband comes home and the kids tell him, Mommy changed Charlie's name to Steve...He looks at me and says, Why did you do that? Because it is funny. He doesn't agree. He calls him Carlos Enrique...I say, Carlos Estebon! Steve says, call me whatever the hell you like, just not late to dinner!
Phoebe and I have had the giggles a good part of the day. Not a sip of an alcoholic beverage either. Just silly giggles. She tells me a joke and I crack up. She tells me she doesn't know why it is so funny to her, but it is. I insist she tell the joke at dinner. It is all she can do to get it out, we were laughing so hard that tears were streaming down our faces. The girls and David didn't get it. We weren't drunk with alcohol, just happiness and fun. Finally she tells her joke and David laughs with us. The girls are not amused!
Her joke...A duck and a drake walk into a very nice hotel. They get to their room and realize they do not have protection and call down to the bellhop to bring up a condom...The bellhop says, Shall I put that on your bill? Badumpump.
Anyhow, it was funny and later we were blog surfing and again laughing. David was reading and I called Steve for something and David looks up thirty seconds later and asked why I was calling him Steve. Again, I laugh and tell him, because it's funny. He told me I was really starting to bother him! I still laughed.
So, Phoebe went home to NY yesterday and I have been trying to get back on schedule. Bills, cooking, cleaning all that crap. Oh and of course being a taxi service.
But, that is all for now. Gotta make dinner....Hope all are well. And lightfeather, I am thinking of you often! You take care and stay strong! I know this has to be very hard for you and I am happy you are taking your life back! You deserve to be happy. Nuff said!
Monday, July 25, 2005
The Wonderful Teen Years
I talked to my brother last night and he is getting back together with his ex-wife. I think this if the fourth time. They have hurt each other so much in the past that it concerns me that they are going to do it again.
They have been seeing each other since he broke up with his long time girlfriend, whom we all love. We felt that she did the right thing in breaking up with him. He was being an asshole to her, among other things.
He got an apartment not too far from his ex and his son. I asked him at one point if he was dating and he finally fessed up that he was seeing his ex. He had not told me because he expected me to give him my usual schpeel (SP?). I didn't, at least not much. He said they were getting a house in a better neighborhood for his son's sake. They want him in a better school district for high school. I can see that. I understand that and I held my tongue, somewhat. It is not my life and I wished him the best.
I asked how my nephew felt about this. My brother said, "He is thirteen and we get no answers from him." This set me off a bit and made me wonder about the teen years. I get answers from my teenager. I get some of the attitude that comes with being a teen who doesn't feel like using more than monosyllables. But, I am waiting for the other shoe to drop. Should I be waiting for that?
When my girls were little, I would hear, "Oh, just wait until they are two." Nothing happened at two. They were not terrible. They were wonderful and fun. Three was a rough year in our household. Not that they were bad, but they were challenging and curious and testing the waters.
As they approached teendom, I got the same kind of comments. "Oh, wait until their teenagers." One is a teenager and the other almost there. I wonder if there is so much negative crap about teens, that parents let them have free rein to do what they like and get away with being disrespectful, because, they are just being teenagers. That was what I heard from my brother. That is what I have heard from others. And I believe those are the teens I hear about on the news....
My teenager has turned into a wonderful young lady. Once, not happy to help out around the house. Now, almost always wanting to help and happily. She helps cook, clean, empties the dishwasher without being asked. Does things to help her sister when she is sad and has become a great sister too. She has always loved her sister, but was not very affectionate with her. That has changed and while we thought she wasn't paying attention, she was. She knows how to deal with her sister, father and me! She does it beautifully. She really is a terrific person.
I guess I have been waiting for the monster teenager to come out and it hasn't. Same thing happened when they were little. I had been waiting for the bad part of two, now I am waiting for the bad part of the teen years. So, instead of taking all the warnings to heart. I am going to assume that everything will be fine and keep demanding that they be kind, respectful and caring young ladies. Just because they are teenagers, they do NOT have carte blanche to behave nastily, to be rude or be disrespectful, to our family or anybody else.
It bothers me that my brother and others let their teens behave badly and not have repercussions. That they shrug their shoulders and say, "They are just being teenagers." I believe that is a cop out for parenting properly. I think it is even more important than ever to be a presence in their lives and to call them on what is not acceptable behavior. Not a time to back off and give them space. I hope I am right!
They have been seeing each other since he broke up with his long time girlfriend, whom we all love. We felt that she did the right thing in breaking up with him. He was being an asshole to her, among other things.
He got an apartment not too far from his ex and his son. I asked him at one point if he was dating and he finally fessed up that he was seeing his ex. He had not told me because he expected me to give him my usual schpeel (SP?). I didn't, at least not much. He said they were getting a house in a better neighborhood for his son's sake. They want him in a better school district for high school. I can see that. I understand that and I held my tongue, somewhat. It is not my life and I wished him the best.
I asked how my nephew felt about this. My brother said, "He is thirteen and we get no answers from him." This set me off a bit and made me wonder about the teen years. I get answers from my teenager. I get some of the attitude that comes with being a teen who doesn't feel like using more than monosyllables. But, I am waiting for the other shoe to drop. Should I be waiting for that?
When my girls were little, I would hear, "Oh, just wait until they are two." Nothing happened at two. They were not terrible. They were wonderful and fun. Three was a rough year in our household. Not that they were bad, but they were challenging and curious and testing the waters.
As they approached teendom, I got the same kind of comments. "Oh, wait until their teenagers." One is a teenager and the other almost there. I wonder if there is so much negative crap about teens, that parents let them have free rein to do what they like and get away with being disrespectful, because, they are just being teenagers. That was what I heard from my brother. That is what I have heard from others. And I believe those are the teens I hear about on the news....
My teenager has turned into a wonderful young lady. Once, not happy to help out around the house. Now, almost always wanting to help and happily. She helps cook, clean, empties the dishwasher without being asked. Does things to help her sister when she is sad and has become a great sister too. She has always loved her sister, but was not very affectionate with her. That has changed and while we thought she wasn't paying attention, she was. She knows how to deal with her sister, father and me! She does it beautifully. She really is a terrific person.
I guess I have been waiting for the monster teenager to come out and it hasn't. Same thing happened when they were little. I had been waiting for the bad part of two, now I am waiting for the bad part of the teen years. So, instead of taking all the warnings to heart. I am going to assume that everything will be fine and keep demanding that they be kind, respectful and caring young ladies. Just because they are teenagers, they do NOT have carte blanche to behave nastily, to be rude or be disrespectful, to our family or anybody else.
It bothers me that my brother and others let their teens behave badly and not have repercussions. That they shrug their shoulders and say, "They are just being teenagers." I believe that is a cop out for parenting properly. I think it is even more important than ever to be a presence in their lives and to call them on what is not acceptable behavior. Not a time to back off and give them space. I hope I am right!
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Pink Eye and Goodbye, Etc.
Well, David's daughter Daniela and family just left for the airport. Home to Houston. Wonderful to see them.
David and Phoebe are watching Lance capture his seventh Tour de France title. Leaving on top and nice of him to let others have a go at winning next year! I suppose he will be a commentator next year. One woman on NPR has been giving reports and said there are flags from many countries. She said one fan was dressed in bike clothing and wearing a cowboy hat and cowboy boots holding an American flag. Not that the French would think him a crazy American. That would be redundant.
Katharine climbed into bed with David and me last night. She has been sleeping with Zoe and Zoe was watching Anime, which Katharine hates. I felt bad for her. No country to go to. She slept with us and I don't know when she left. But, tonight, she will have her room back and that will be good to be "home" again. She very graciously gave her room to her big sister and brother in law and nephews....
We played Loaded Questions, the game, without the board, last night. Hard not to answer without puns. Fun though. For example, What is your favorite kind of dog? Daniela says, "Hotdog!" That kind of thing...
I had a suspicion I was getting a cold last night. I woke up with pink eye. I looked it up and it seems I have the viral kind...No clue where I got it. Itches and is red and unsightly! Pun intended. I can't remember the last time I had it. I know it is highly contagious though. David said, "We better not eat anything you cook then!" That would be the good side effect! I just remembered Zoe asking me if I was okay last night because my eye was red and she thought I had been crying. I told her I was just tired. Hope nobody else gets it...I should stay in my room and watch movies all day, just in case! LOL
It is going to be cooler again today. Yesterday was perfect weather. Today we have cloud cover and I am wearing a sweater. I think we are in for a few days of beautiful weather. I have a superstition about putting away the fans in October or November. I think if I put them away, the hot weather will stay. So, as silly as it is, I leave them out til I put up Christmas decorations!
So far, we have been fortunate not to have fires. Last year we were surrounded by fires. Not our house, but the areas in all directions. The smoke was thick and mixed with the heat, very ugly. I just heard about the seventy-thousand acre fire in Arizona...I know that fires are part of nature, and necessary, but not the man made kind...The idiots who toss cigarettes out a car window or start a fire while camping or the pyro who wants to see his handiwork, while watching the destruction of people's lives.
There was a fire here in October 1993. We lived in an adjoining city then. Over three hundred homes were destroyed. Santa Ana winds and very high temperatures. I don't think they ever figured out what started the fire. However, very devastating.
Well, they stopped the clock due to the weather in the Tour de France. Just waiting for Lance to cross the finish line. And on that note....I shall bid you adieu.
David and Phoebe are watching Lance capture his seventh Tour de France title. Leaving on top and nice of him to let others have a go at winning next year! I suppose he will be a commentator next year. One woman on NPR has been giving reports and said there are flags from many countries. She said one fan was dressed in bike clothing and wearing a cowboy hat and cowboy boots holding an American flag. Not that the French would think him a crazy American. That would be redundant.
Katharine climbed into bed with David and me last night. She has been sleeping with Zoe and Zoe was watching Anime, which Katharine hates. I felt bad for her. No country to go to. She slept with us and I don't know when she left. But, tonight, she will have her room back and that will be good to be "home" again. She very graciously gave her room to her big sister and brother in law and nephews....
We played Loaded Questions, the game, without the board, last night. Hard not to answer without puns. Fun though. For example, What is your favorite kind of dog? Daniela says, "Hotdog!" That kind of thing...
I had a suspicion I was getting a cold last night. I woke up with pink eye. I looked it up and it seems I have the viral kind...No clue where I got it. Itches and is red and unsightly! Pun intended. I can't remember the last time I had it. I know it is highly contagious though. David said, "We better not eat anything you cook then!" That would be the good side effect! I just remembered Zoe asking me if I was okay last night because my eye was red and she thought I had been crying. I told her I was just tired. Hope nobody else gets it...I should stay in my room and watch movies all day, just in case! LOL
It is going to be cooler again today. Yesterday was perfect weather. Today we have cloud cover and I am wearing a sweater. I think we are in for a few days of beautiful weather. I have a superstition about putting away the fans in October or November. I think if I put them away, the hot weather will stay. So, as silly as it is, I leave them out til I put up Christmas decorations!
So far, we have been fortunate not to have fires. Last year we were surrounded by fires. Not our house, but the areas in all directions. The smoke was thick and mixed with the heat, very ugly. I just heard about the seventy-thousand acre fire in Arizona...I know that fires are part of nature, and necessary, but not the man made kind...The idiots who toss cigarettes out a car window or start a fire while camping or the pyro who wants to see his handiwork, while watching the destruction of people's lives.
There was a fire here in October 1993. We lived in an adjoining city then. Over three hundred homes were destroyed. Santa Ana winds and very high temperatures. I don't think they ever figured out what started the fire. However, very devastating.
Well, they stopped the clock due to the weather in the Tour de France. Just waiting for Lance to cross the finish line. And on that note....I shall bid you adieu.
Saturday, July 23, 2005
Shut Up and Eat It
That is what I made for dinner tonight. Along with two pork tenderloins, fruit salad and fresh bread.
We went to the Farmer's market this morning and loaded up on okra, squash, watermelon, tamales, salsa, fresh chips. We had the tamales for lunch and they were yummy.
Everybody went kayacking and I took a nap! I am beginning to feel like my blog is turning into a family and food blog...That's okay though. It is fun to be different....And, things are good now...at least for me today!
"Shut up and eat it," is a dish that tonight consisted of okra, yellow squash, zucchini, onions, cornmeal and all thrown together and fried! YUMMY...
Daniela and family are leaving early in the morning. Phoebe will be here until Tuesday. Too short their visits...
Earlier night tonight...Off to bed soon...More tomorrow, and possibly something NOT about food!!!
Everybody take very good care of yourselves!
We went to the Farmer's market this morning and loaded up on okra, squash, watermelon, tamales, salsa, fresh chips. We had the tamales for lunch and they were yummy.
Everybody went kayacking and I took a nap! I am beginning to feel like my blog is turning into a family and food blog...That's okay though. It is fun to be different....And, things are good now...at least for me today!
"Shut up and eat it," is a dish that tonight consisted of okra, yellow squash, zucchini, onions, cornmeal and all thrown together and fried! YUMMY...
Daniela and family are leaving early in the morning. Phoebe will be here until Tuesday. Too short their visits...
Earlier night tonight...Off to bed soon...More tomorrow, and possibly something NOT about food!!!
Everybody take very good care of yourselves!
Nine is an Odd Number
We have nine people in the house right now and while fun, it is such an odd number. David was down the hill, out of town actually, and that left eight of us. We were all going to Benihana's for dinner. My car seats seven. So, Daniela used their rental and we ended up at Benihana's in three cars. David said there was no way he was coming back thru the canyon to come home and then go back out!
We had such fun. Benihana's has something for everyone. They cook in front of you and as bored as the chef may be, after doing this in front of thousands of people and for twenty-five years, he still smiles and makes us feel special.
Daniela asked a woman from another table to take out photo. Lens was dirty from sitting by the cooker, I think. But you can see all of us. We took a few other photos as well. Phoebe has a killer 8 pixel camera, mine is only 5. Here we are..........
Katharine, Zoe, Daniela, Phoebe, David, Rex, Nancy, Lee and Julian
We had a lot of fun and laughs. Great dinner. And I got the check!
We hung out for a while and talked, joked around, laughed. We finally inflated the queen size air bed in Katharine's room. So Daniela and family are now all in there. The mattress is quite nice. Will find out this morning how well they slept!
Phoebe took a couch and offered the other to me, since I don't sleep much. Very kind! Everybody went off to their respective sleeping areas. Daniela and I sat up til 1:30 and chatted about anything and everything. Lightening flashing in the distance. Clear sky with big moon over us. It started to get pretty cool and we realized we could no longer see the lights across the canyon. We went to bed. I turned on the TV and watched for a while and woke up at four and watched more. Stayed in our bedroom til 6:00 though!
It is fun with Phoebe here, everybody else too, of course, but Phoebe has her binoculars out upon arrival to look for birds. We have two bird baths, two feeders and a couple of pots with water in them. Always a bird show. She tells us about the birds.
In other news, a guy came to the door to introduce himself to us. He just bought the house next door. His name is Carlton. I said, "like the doorman?" Yes, like the doorman. He is very nice. Married. No kids. They bought this tiny little house next door, I didn't know it was on the market yet. He apparently got it thru somebody who knew the owners, our previous neighbors. They were staying there while remodeling their other home.
I told Carlton, I knew that his house is the cheapest in Laguna Beach. He asked how I knew that. I told him I know about the real estate in our town. Then I asked if he minded me asking how much he paid. He said, "That's pretty personal." I said, "That's okay, I will see it in the paper." Or to myself, I thought, I will ask my Realtor friend. I did say, you probably paid more than $600,000, he said, well, yes I did. Hmm, I think to myself, David and Susan got it for $500,000. This house is about 800 sq feet. Needs a ton of work, but he said he is not tearing it down and building a bigger house. I was happy to hear that. I love all the eucalyptus trees and don't want to see them go. It is an historical grove. So, this is good news. We didn't want the lowest selling house in Laguna to be right next door, but for that price, the comps won't be affected too badly, not that we are selling. But, it was nice of him to introduce himself to us....
So, this morning is the Farmer's Market and from there, who knows....
I hope you are all having a wonderful Saturday!
We had such fun. Benihana's has something for everyone. They cook in front of you and as bored as the chef may be, after doing this in front of thousands of people and for twenty-five years, he still smiles and makes us feel special.
Daniela asked a woman from another table to take out photo. Lens was dirty from sitting by the cooker, I think. But you can see all of us. We took a few other photos as well. Phoebe has a killer 8 pixel camera, mine is only 5. Here we are..........
Katharine, Zoe, Daniela, Phoebe, David, Rex, Nancy, Lee and Julian
We had a lot of fun and laughs. Great dinner. And I got the check!
We hung out for a while and talked, joked around, laughed. We finally inflated the queen size air bed in Katharine's room. So Daniela and family are now all in there. The mattress is quite nice. Will find out this morning how well they slept!
Phoebe took a couch and offered the other to me, since I don't sleep much. Very kind! Everybody went off to their respective sleeping areas. Daniela and I sat up til 1:30 and chatted about anything and everything. Lightening flashing in the distance. Clear sky with big moon over us. It started to get pretty cool and we realized we could no longer see the lights across the canyon. We went to bed. I turned on the TV and watched for a while and woke up at four and watched more. Stayed in our bedroom til 6:00 though!
It is fun with Phoebe here, everybody else too, of course, but Phoebe has her binoculars out upon arrival to look for birds. We have two bird baths, two feeders and a couple of pots with water in them. Always a bird show. She tells us about the birds.
In other news, a guy came to the door to introduce himself to us. He just bought the house next door. His name is Carlton. I said, "like the doorman?" Yes, like the doorman. He is very nice. Married. No kids. They bought this tiny little house next door, I didn't know it was on the market yet. He apparently got it thru somebody who knew the owners, our previous neighbors. They were staying there while remodeling their other home.
I told Carlton, I knew that his house is the cheapest in Laguna Beach. He asked how I knew that. I told him I know about the real estate in our town. Then I asked if he minded me asking how much he paid. He said, "That's pretty personal." I said, "That's okay, I will see it in the paper." Or to myself, I thought, I will ask my Realtor friend. I did say, you probably paid more than $600,000, he said, well, yes I did. Hmm, I think to myself, David and Susan got it for $500,000. This house is about 800 sq feet. Needs a ton of work, but he said he is not tearing it down and building a bigger house. I was happy to hear that. I love all the eucalyptus trees and don't want to see them go. It is an historical grove. So, this is good news. We didn't want the lowest selling house in Laguna to be right next door, but for that price, the comps won't be affected too badly, not that we are selling. But, it was nice of him to introduce himself to us....
So, this morning is the Farmer's Market and from there, who knows....
I hope you are all having a wonderful Saturday!
Friday, July 22, 2005
This and That
Well, they say fish and guests stink after three days...Maybe the fish do, but the guests are great.
And we pick up two more at the airport today. David's sister and son-in-law. One from NY and one from Houston, respectively.
I am convinced that Daniela (David's wonderful daughter) brought the monsoonal weather with her. We have been having a nice mellow summer, although, I knew it would not last. Their first full day here, we hit 95 with humidity to match. I know you have all been roasting this summer and have absolutely no sympathy for me, but we jumped 25 degrees! Then yesterday it was a mere and tolerable 85 with low humidity...Not good in fire country. And it looks like the monsoonal flow will be back for another five days or so! Crap! Might be time to get a room with a/c.
We have gotten to know the boys better. Daniela and her hubby have done a great job with them. They are very smart, very handsome and funny as can be. The youngest was watching a movie and Tivo was about to record, so I got out the DVD and asked him if he wanted me to start from the beginning or from where he left off. He says, "Ohhh, I don't know. I hate making decisions!" I took care of it and started it from the beginning. They have been playing pool too. Which is why we cleaned the garage! The boys decided to call their pockets, so there were no slop shots...The older one calls the younger one on his shot. You didn't call that. Oh, no, but I did want the ball to jump that other ball and go around and hit that ball into the pocket! At which time I interjected the rule, unless there is no doubt where the ball is going, you must call it. Then I left.
Zoe and David both read Harry Potter in a day. Daniela and the boys showed up with a Harry Potter book with four bookmarks in it. I believe Katharine finished it last night. At least she had less than a hundred pages left when they went off to the Angel game. Anaheim Angels, LA Anaheim Angels, whatever they are called these days! For the record, Anaheim is in Orange County, home of the Angels, Mighty Ducks and Disneyland...They seem to be doing okay without the name Los Angeles in their title. But, I digress. I believe with three Harry Potter books in the house, everybody will get thru it quickly.
I opted to stay home and catch up with a couple of friends via telephone. Then turned on the TV, fell asleep and have been up since 2:00. So, I got some cold water and my computer and came out here on the deck. It is quiet, cool and very peaceful.
Anyhow, the visit is going so well and we love having them all here. We just needed one more place for David's sister to sleep. She was going to get a hotel room, but David and Daniela got an air mattress instead. It inflates and deflates in about a minute. I expected him to get a twin size mattress, but he got a queen. I asked why he would do that and he said because he knew we had queen size sheets...Well, yes, and Katharine has twin bunk beds and we have a California King. Zoe inherited our queen bed. I guess I am lucky we didn't get a king size mattress. But the mattress will go on Katharine's floor and be used by Daniela and her husband. Phoebe will have a couch for a couple of nights. Then she can take one of Kate's bunks or the queen blow up mattress.
Even though we have a cat, I don't think he will go near the mattress. The dog on the other hand will look at it as lunch, so it is better on the floor in Katharine's room downstairs, instead of the living room upstairs. So, everybody will fit into our three bedroom home. Katharine is sleeping in Zoe's room. The boys are sleeping in Katharine's very very pepto pink room. The boys have not said a bad word about it though!
Before I headed to bed, I emptied the newer ice into a bowl and flipped the ice maker over in the sink and ran hot water on it to get out all the old clumped together ice. We needed new ice for these hot days. I took part of the ice sculpture out to the dog and another part to the cat, who sleeps in my bathroom sink. Both animals seemed happy to have ice to lick and crunch. The ice container is in the door of the freezer and lifts out easily.
And one more thing before I go...What the hell happened to CNN's Headline News? I guess it has been a while since I had seen it. Have they turned it into a chatfest? WTF? I liked getting a quick infusion of news. Now we get two people who sit and act like they are our friends and sitting in our living rooms chatting with us? I don't like it. I don't like the format, the anchors, if that is what they are still called, nothing about it. I will never go back to watch it again. When I first turned it on, a guy was giving tips on how to add mousse to your hair...Never in the hand he says. Shake and put it straight onto the head in three of four places and then dry....Who knew? And frankly, I could have gotten that information for my queer eye buds!
And we pick up two more at the airport today. David's sister and son-in-law. One from NY and one from Houston, respectively.
I am convinced that Daniela (David's wonderful daughter) brought the monsoonal weather with her. We have been having a nice mellow summer, although, I knew it would not last. Their first full day here, we hit 95 with humidity to match. I know you have all been roasting this summer and have absolutely no sympathy for me, but we jumped 25 degrees! Then yesterday it was a mere and tolerable 85 with low humidity...Not good in fire country. And it looks like the monsoonal flow will be back for another five days or so! Crap! Might be time to get a room with a/c.
We have gotten to know the boys better. Daniela and her hubby have done a great job with them. They are very smart, very handsome and funny as can be. The youngest was watching a movie and Tivo was about to record, so I got out the DVD and asked him if he wanted me to start from the beginning or from where he left off. He says, "Ohhh, I don't know. I hate making decisions!" I took care of it and started it from the beginning. They have been playing pool too. Which is why we cleaned the garage! The boys decided to call their pockets, so there were no slop shots...The older one calls the younger one on his shot. You didn't call that. Oh, no, but I did want the ball to jump that other ball and go around and hit that ball into the pocket! At which time I interjected the rule, unless there is no doubt where the ball is going, you must call it. Then I left.
Zoe and David both read Harry Potter in a day. Daniela and the boys showed up with a Harry Potter book with four bookmarks in it. I believe Katharine finished it last night. At least she had less than a hundred pages left when they went off to the Angel game. Anaheim Angels, LA Anaheim Angels, whatever they are called these days! For the record, Anaheim is in Orange County, home of the Angels, Mighty Ducks and Disneyland...They seem to be doing okay without the name Los Angeles in their title. But, I digress. I believe with three Harry Potter books in the house, everybody will get thru it quickly.
I opted to stay home and catch up with a couple of friends via telephone. Then turned on the TV, fell asleep and have been up since 2:00. So, I got some cold water and my computer and came out here on the deck. It is quiet, cool and very peaceful.
Anyhow, the visit is going so well and we love having them all here. We just needed one more place for David's sister to sleep. She was going to get a hotel room, but David and Daniela got an air mattress instead. It inflates and deflates in about a minute. I expected him to get a twin size mattress, but he got a queen. I asked why he would do that and he said because he knew we had queen size sheets...Well, yes, and Katharine has twin bunk beds and we have a California King. Zoe inherited our queen bed. I guess I am lucky we didn't get a king size mattress. But the mattress will go on Katharine's floor and be used by Daniela and her husband. Phoebe will have a couch for a couple of nights. Then she can take one of Kate's bunks or the queen blow up mattress.
Even though we have a cat, I don't think he will go near the mattress. The dog on the other hand will look at it as lunch, so it is better on the floor in Katharine's room downstairs, instead of the living room upstairs. So, everybody will fit into our three bedroom home. Katharine is sleeping in Zoe's room. The boys are sleeping in Katharine's very very pepto pink room. The boys have not said a bad word about it though!
Before I headed to bed, I emptied the newer ice into a bowl and flipped the ice maker over in the sink and ran hot water on it to get out all the old clumped together ice. We needed new ice for these hot days. I took part of the ice sculpture out to the dog and another part to the cat, who sleeps in my bathroom sink. Both animals seemed happy to have ice to lick and crunch. The ice container is in the door of the freezer and lifts out easily.
And one more thing before I go...What the hell happened to CNN's Headline News? I guess it has been a while since I had seen it. Have they turned it into a chatfest? WTF? I liked getting a quick infusion of news. Now we get two people who sit and act like they are our friends and sitting in our living rooms chatting with us? I don't like it. I don't like the format, the anchors, if that is what they are still called, nothing about it. I will never go back to watch it again. When I first turned it on, a guy was giving tips on how to add mousse to your hair...Never in the hand he says. Shake and put it straight onto the head in three of four places and then dry....Who knew? And frankly, I could have gotten that information for my queer eye buds!
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Comfort Food and Memorabilia
I love to fish. I have always loved to fish. I don't fish very often anymore. I miss it....
When we were kids we would take the boat out and catch baskets of fish. Without a fish finder, mind you. I would catch the most fish, always. And with all brothers, dad, male cousins and uncles, it rocked. I would drop my line in the water and catch fish so fast that everybody would start getting closer and closer to me. I would leave and go to a unoccupied area of the boat. I would do it again. They would follow!
We used to catch so many fish it was insane. But, we ate the fish too. We didn't have a lot of money so fish was a good way to feed our family. We would set up an assembly line at the fish cleaning site and get them cleaned in record time. We would feed the whole bunch of us at the lake and we would always freeze fish when we had too many.
One great thing about fishing is it gets hot fast, once the sun comes up and it is okay to start drinking beer. As long as I wasn't driving! I can't think of anything more relaxing to me than fishing!
I also love okra. Not nuke and slide down you throat okra. Gross. But the kind placed in corn meal and fried. Yes, fried.
We would buy ten pounds at a roadside vegetable and fruit stand. My parents, brothers and I would again set up an assembly line and clean, cut and put the okra into bags with cornmeal. We froze it and had it all the time.
When David and I got married, he knew how much I loved okra. I had a broken ankle and he was doing the cooking.
He told me we were having okra for dinner. YUM. Well, he gave me a bowl of nuked okra. WTF? This is not how you cook okra! I took one bite just to try it and my way was better. I suppose I should have realized he was cooking it
differently, since there was no smell lingering in the air, making my mouth water!
My dad's cousin, the one we went to see in Oklahoma every summer, always had okra when we came. His wife Jeri made the best food ever. A few years back, we went back and they had something for dinner called Shut up and eat it. I asked what it was and got the story. Bob, the biggest heart in the world, would give you the shirt off his back. When he goes looking for a tractor or another farmer's item, he would have to call around to find out who borrowed it. Anyhow, one night Jeri had dinner ready and Bob was being annoyed by a man who just wouldn't leave. He finally invited him in to eat with his family. When this man asked what it was, Bob said, Just shut up and eat it! This delicious dish is made with okra, in cornmeal, with tomatoes, onions and zucchini. All fried up together. Jeri never wasted food. Always came up with dishes like this, and it rocked!
When we were young, we always made our own ice cream too. The old crank kind with block ice that had to be chipped with an ice pick. We would sit in the front yard and take turns cranking the handle on the ice cream maker. I was sitting on the grass one day and found a four leaf clover. I still have it. We got peaches off the tree in the backyard and added them to the ice cream and it was the best of summer.
I learned how to cook primarily from my father. Mother was at work and if my father could get me to cook, it would be great for him. I learned how to make, chicken fried steak, gravy of every kind, pot roast, round steak, fried chicken, burgers, chicken with homemade noodles, stew, cream dried beef w/ scrambled eggs, potatoes of every kind, the best bacon and eggs around, pots of beans. We would get a ham, eat it for a couple of days and then make pinto beans with the bone and leftover ham. Then after a couple of days of pintos and fried potatoes, we would make chili. I would crunch a bunch of crackers into my chili, as I still do to this day and my brother still laughs. I learned how to make biscuits too. Listen to this recipe. I would put self rising flour into a bowl, make a hole in the middle, pour in one can of milk and some water and mix. The use the biscuit cutter and put them into a Pyrex dish that had a whole cube of melted butter. I would put the biscuits in and then turn them over coating both sides. Best damn biscuits...We used bacon grease from the fridge to make the potatoes. When I married Daivd, the potatoes stopped except a few times a year. He taught me to eat pinto beans and rice.
The of course there was the ice tea we had every day of our lives. I made it after school every day and we had it every night. Never saved it, always fresh, with a lot of ice.
Yesterday, while cleaning out the garage, I found my mother's lasagna recipe. I thought it was the best ever. Pre jar sauces, and full of mushrooms of all things. I am going to make it soon, and see if is as good as I remember!
I also found autograph books, with names like Dottie Lamour, Jimmy Durante, Cecil B Demille, Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, Gary Cooper, Greta Garbo, William Benedict, Danny Kaye, Van Johnson, Mel Blanc and many others! My mother grew up in LA, after leaving Iowa at a young age. She and a friend used to go to different haunts of the stars and wait outside CBS and NBC studios. I also found all our childhood photos and her childhood photos and many other memorabilia.
Cleaning out the garage was worth it. Thinking of all the above comfort foods just came along with the memories.
When we were kids we would take the boat out and catch baskets of fish. Without a fish finder, mind you. I would catch the most fish, always. And with all brothers, dad, male cousins and uncles, it rocked. I would drop my line in the water and catch fish so fast that everybody would start getting closer and closer to me. I would leave and go to a unoccupied area of the boat. I would do it again. They would follow!
We used to catch so many fish it was insane. But, we ate the fish too. We didn't have a lot of money so fish was a good way to feed our family. We would set up an assembly line at the fish cleaning site and get them cleaned in record time. We would feed the whole bunch of us at the lake and we would always freeze fish when we had too many.
One great thing about fishing is it gets hot fast, once the sun comes up and it is okay to start drinking beer. As long as I wasn't driving! I can't think of anything more relaxing to me than fishing!
I also love okra. Not nuke and slide down you throat okra. Gross. But the kind placed in corn meal and fried. Yes, fried.
We would buy ten pounds at a roadside vegetable and fruit stand. My parents, brothers and I would again set up an assembly line and clean, cut and put the okra into bags with cornmeal. We froze it and had it all the time.
When David and I got married, he knew how much I loved okra. I had a broken ankle and he was doing the cooking.
He told me we were having okra for dinner. YUM. Well, he gave me a bowl of nuked okra. WTF? This is not how you cook okra! I took one bite just to try it and my way was better. I suppose I should have realized he was cooking it
differently, since there was no smell lingering in the air, making my mouth water!
My dad's cousin, the one we went to see in Oklahoma every summer, always had okra when we came. His wife Jeri made the best food ever. A few years back, we went back and they had something for dinner called Shut up and eat it. I asked what it was and got the story. Bob, the biggest heart in the world, would give you the shirt off his back. When he goes looking for a tractor or another farmer's item, he would have to call around to find out who borrowed it. Anyhow, one night Jeri had dinner ready and Bob was being annoyed by a man who just wouldn't leave. He finally invited him in to eat with his family. When this man asked what it was, Bob said, Just shut up and eat it! This delicious dish is made with okra, in cornmeal, with tomatoes, onions and zucchini. All fried up together. Jeri never wasted food. Always came up with dishes like this, and it rocked!
When we were young, we always made our own ice cream too. The old crank kind with block ice that had to be chipped with an ice pick. We would sit in the front yard and take turns cranking the handle on the ice cream maker. I was sitting on the grass one day and found a four leaf clover. I still have it. We got peaches off the tree in the backyard and added them to the ice cream and it was the best of summer.
I learned how to cook primarily from my father. Mother was at work and if my father could get me to cook, it would be great for him. I learned how to make, chicken fried steak, gravy of every kind, pot roast, round steak, fried chicken, burgers, chicken with homemade noodles, stew, cream dried beef w/ scrambled eggs, potatoes of every kind, the best bacon and eggs around, pots of beans. We would get a ham, eat it for a couple of days and then make pinto beans with the bone and leftover ham. Then after a couple of days of pintos and fried potatoes, we would make chili. I would crunch a bunch of crackers into my chili, as I still do to this day and my brother still laughs. I learned how to make biscuits too. Listen to this recipe. I would put self rising flour into a bowl, make a hole in the middle, pour in one can of milk and some water and mix. The use the biscuit cutter and put them into a Pyrex dish that had a whole cube of melted butter. I would put the biscuits in and then turn them over coating both sides. Best damn biscuits...We used bacon grease from the fridge to make the potatoes. When I married Daivd, the potatoes stopped except a few times a year. He taught me to eat pinto beans and rice.
The of course there was the ice tea we had every day of our lives. I made it after school every day and we had it every night. Never saved it, always fresh, with a lot of ice.
Yesterday, while cleaning out the garage, I found my mother's lasagna recipe. I thought it was the best ever. Pre jar sauces, and full of mushrooms of all things. I am going to make it soon, and see if is as good as I remember!
I also found autograph books, with names like Dottie Lamour, Jimmy Durante, Cecil B Demille, Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, Gary Cooper, Greta Garbo, William Benedict, Danny Kaye, Van Johnson, Mel Blanc and many others! My mother grew up in LA, after leaving Iowa at a young age. She and a friend used to go to different haunts of the stars and wait outside CBS and NBC studios. I also found all our childhood photos and her childhood photos and many other memorabilia.
Cleaning out the garage was worth it. Thinking of all the above comfort foods just came along with the memories.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Lack of Sleep
Yesterday Zoe and I did a ton of work on the garage. Instead of just cleaning off the pool table and cleaning around it, she starts hauling crap out of the corner, that has been there for two years. She says, "We are going to do this right!" And what a job. We worked all afternoon yesterday doing the flylady.net way. We worked for an hour very hard then took a short break.
We got numerous leaf bags out for the trash, the recycling is overflowing as well. We worked til the pizza got here about 6:30 last night. It looks better and certainly more organized, but we have a few hours to go this morning.
I have been awake all night. Literally. I have been watching TV and trying to fall asleep to no avail. I am usually up by around this time, with a few hours of sleep most nights. I am finally yawning though, so maybe I will be able to go to sleep til 6:30 or so. I hate when I am dog tired and cannot sleep.
Zoe also read Harry Potter yesterday, before the garage and during the short breaks. Then she went down to help Katharine clean her room...She is growing up, that one! She says she likes cleaning the garage with me. But David says the same thing and we get to it once a year or so!
Anyhow, the pizza finally arrived and we stopped for the evening. We even forgot to eat before dinner yesterday. I did drink a ton of water though.
I sent out one of those emails I hate. You know, send to eight people and something you have been waiting for will happen. I got three things out of a purse. One was my other reading glasses that are supposed to be in my current purse. So, that was pretty freaky, but don't be checking your emails for any more of those. LOL
I thought we were in for a hot day today, because the moon and stars could be seen. It's been a while for that. But, now I cannot see any lights across the canyon, so the marine layer has reappeared. Good thing since in a few hours I will be back in the garage! The trash man is going to hate me this week!
Oh and as usual, I did my grocery shopping Sunday night for delivery this morning. So that will be good. I don't have to drive down the hill, which will save some time.
I think we have figured out all the sleeping arrangements except for my sister in law. I think we need to borrow an air mattress for her and then we won't have to rent her a hotel room. They are very expensive here, even with local discounts. But it is more fun if she can stay with us anyhow. Unless she gets kidded out and wants a room! LOL
Off to try to sleep. Have a great morning all!
We got numerous leaf bags out for the trash, the recycling is overflowing as well. We worked til the pizza got here about 6:30 last night. It looks better and certainly more organized, but we have a few hours to go this morning.
I have been awake all night. Literally. I have been watching TV and trying to fall asleep to no avail. I am usually up by around this time, with a few hours of sleep most nights. I am finally yawning though, so maybe I will be able to go to sleep til 6:30 or so. I hate when I am dog tired and cannot sleep.
Zoe also read Harry Potter yesterday, before the garage and during the short breaks. Then she went down to help Katharine clean her room...She is growing up, that one! She says she likes cleaning the garage with me. But David says the same thing and we get to it once a year or so!
Anyhow, the pizza finally arrived and we stopped for the evening. We even forgot to eat before dinner yesterday. I did drink a ton of water though.
I sent out one of those emails I hate. You know, send to eight people and something you have been waiting for will happen. I got three things out of a purse. One was my other reading glasses that are supposed to be in my current purse. So, that was pretty freaky, but don't be checking your emails for any more of those. LOL
I thought we were in for a hot day today, because the moon and stars could be seen. It's been a while for that. But, now I cannot see any lights across the canyon, so the marine layer has reappeared. Good thing since in a few hours I will be back in the garage! The trash man is going to hate me this week!
Oh and as usual, I did my grocery shopping Sunday night for delivery this morning. So that will be good. I don't have to drive down the hill, which will save some time.
I think we have figured out all the sleeping arrangements except for my sister in law. I think we need to borrow an air mattress for her and then we won't have to rent her a hotel room. They are very expensive here, even with local discounts. But it is more fun if she can stay with us anyhow. Unless she gets kidded out and wants a room! LOL
Off to try to sleep. Have a great morning all!
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