wordless wednesday...

Cruisin' on a Sunday afternoon...

 

...really, couldn't get away too soon.

who remembers

the

young rascal's? 

 

my guys

river's up

bridge over troubled water

(whoops, wrong song)

how about some lunch?

what's your sign?

too many arms for one person.

the infamous blue building.

 

busy week coming up

looking for light, grace and peace

hoping

you all find the same.

happy, happy all.

Say good-bye to Murphy...

 you all know Murphy right?  The most obnoxious of all uninvited guests?  The most unappealing, disruptive, expensive, frustratingly hateful, unwanted visitor of all times?
from the wiki:

"Murphy's law or the fourth law of thermodynamics" (actually there were only three last I heard) which states: "If anything can go wrong, it will."<sup>[5]

 Yeah, THAT  Murphy.

He's been hanging out here for a few weeks and I am at the point of total despair and must, must, insist that he leave.  I am not sending him your way and can only hope that he will meet some disdainful end on his way to where ever he is headed next.

Just a few of his shenanigans here this week:
found out about my stress fracture and all that goes with mending a broken in half foot.
went to pick up the kneely scooter and when the hubs came back to the car the battery was dead.
good Samaritan offered to help with the car, thank you. 
good Samaritan uses jumper cables incorrectly and 'blew out' all the lights on the dashboard...and the radio, heater and air.
downloaded 88 pictures of my sweet punky last night and moments later the computer flashed several times and then died.  I can only assume all my photos went poof too.
Well no, I didn't back up my files.  And yes, I know how stupid that was.


So to reiterate.
Dear Murphy, take your friends Mayhem and Misery and get out...O.U.T. out.  Do not pass go...do not look back...hit the road Jack...I have officially kicked you to the curb.  b-bye now.
signed:  jojoscott and company</sup>

In search of Spring...

...last weekend, after the snow had melted, I took a little walk around the back yard in search of any signs of Spring.  I have been suffering with Spring fever for several weeks now and hoped I would find a cure, or at least a little bitty hope.

 leaves left in the grass long gone from this world...

 tree branches from the last wind storm...

 the last vestiges of a hydrangea blossom...

 to the moss that has taken over the lawn...

 

to the bud-less branches waiting for the sun...

to the un-raked leaves still laying in the yard..oh, wait...what is that I see...there...that little sprout of green, could it be, could it??  Oh my yes...it's a Daffodil, there next to a weed.   Yeah, there is hope.

The best laid plans...

...=a lesson in futility.  (the leaves are supposed to fall into the buckets!)  Sorry I left the impression that the dog/cat were supposed to use them!

just wastin' time...

A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste...


and I do believe that mine has gone to h.e.double hockey-sticks in a hand-basket. (What in the world does that mean anyway?) So, lets take a little peek inside and you'll see what I mean. It's chaos I tell ya...chaos.

will someone please write a book, as soon as possible, titled "What to expect when the economy collapses for Dummies."

can I hire someone to dust my house and help me put my shoes on?

'P' is for pain.

why won't my mother-in-law fix me a casserole or some brownies when I am sick but if my husband sneezes she is over here with a 5-course meal?

how does the dog know where to "go" when she is up to her knees in leaves? (yes, we already have leaves falling here)

pain is a four-lettered word.

should I sell my car?

can I be considered an interior designer after watching 3845 hours of HGTV?

are my eyes fuzzy or is that dust on the t.v. screen?

just how much is one person supposed to give before it is enough?

I could go on and on but what would be the point...I mean really???


so...how was your weekend??

signed; mama pajama (remember her?)

The old switcheroo...

...remember that from the old "Get Smart" series??  gah, how old am I.  Anywho...

last winter in the midst of the season we call 'rain,' I was feeling a little blue wondering if the weather would ever improve.  This happens every year around February/March when it seems there is no end in sight.  (on a side note: the season of rain did not let up until July).  The hubs and I were in the Home Depot as I walked toward the garden area I spied bulbs.  Wonderful, beautiful, wondrous, easy-to-grow bulbs. 

I rarely buy bulbs other than Daffodils or Tulips but this year I decided to try Dahlias.  I l.o.v.e. Dahlias, and I had visions of beautiful, huge, plate-sized flowers adorning the garden outside my dining room window.  I bought two packages of five each, for $25.  Yeah, $25.  I have never spent money like that on bulbs before but the 'vision' I had was driving me forth to do so.

When all danger of frost had passed it was time to plant them I followed all the important directions, even checking my zone...I do believe we are zone 8.  The bulbs were planted on their sides, sprinkled with magic dust, and covered with warmish soil...now all there was to do was wait until July/August?/September to see all the lovely blooms.

I anxiously waited and waited and waited and what did grow looked less and less and less of a Dahlia.  There were no leaves, just reedy looking stems...no leaves, no buds, no flowers that resembled my beautiful Dahlias.

Here's what I did get:

Now, all you wonderful people out there. please tell me what this is.  I assume it is a Lily of some sort, it is quite delicate and the stems break very easily.  They have a soft, sweet scent.  Lily??

Now obviously the bags were mislabeled and I paid waaaay too much for these Lilly's, nevertheless, I rather enjoy them.  But, to ease my troubled mind I will be taking a trip at the end of the month to the Dahlia festival.  And if I get my way I will purchase some 'real' bulbs and get my fix next spring.

flowers and lightning...

...a few weeks ago I decided to figure out what all the little icons are on my sweet little point and shoot camera.  Not that I have any problem with the pointing~shooting~picture  aspect, in fact, I love that it can be so simple to take a decent picture.  But, and there is always a but, I wanted to take better close-ups and after deciding that it wasn't the user but the equipment, I went on a search.

In all the information I found, the secret to a good close-up seemed to be directly related to the "flower" button.  Hmmm,  I searced high and low and the closest thing I could find was the "landscape" mode.  Really no help at all.  Then low and behold while sitting out on the deck playing with the settings I spied the elusive "flower" button.  Cool. 

Clearly, there is a learning curve!  Now if I can just figure out what the "lightning bolt" is for!

And the other thing...

...I realize that my last post was rather "Seinfeldian," but sometimes I get a little overwhelmed and when I try to get everything in order and down in a sensible manner well...I get all random.  It's just how I roll.

Life has recently handed me (us) a couple of new curveballs and learning to find the new normal has been a rocky climb.  You know life...full of challenges and surprises, moments of sheer joy and unspeakable delight, and in a flash you feel like you are engaged in a battle for your life.  And sometimes you are.

I am fine and we will find a way to embrace the sacred moments of our lives and ask for Grace for this new road.  Thanks for your concern.  Let's move on now shall we?

I am loving the new 'design' feature in blogger and I must admit I have spent more than a few hours playing with the templates!  Problem is that I have issues with indecision and have changed the backroud at least ten times in the last few days.  Gah, pick something and stick with it already.

Today we were fortunate enough to see our first grandbaby's ultrasound.  Sweet.  The little stinker was being shy so we will have to wait another four weeks to find out what name we will be calling him/her.  Ultrasound has come a l-o-n-g way in the last 30years!

and the other thing?  Today my sweet daughter-in-law Lauren kicks off cake season.   Happy Birthday Lauren, may your year be Blessed with much happiness, good health, a beautiful baby, and immeasurable love.  We are so happy that you chose to be part of our family.  Love you sweet girl.

Bulls eye...(you'll get it in the end)

We live in a semi-rural/farming area, about ten minutes out of the nearest town and about 1 1/2 hours from the big city. Being in this type of setting is a little odd for a city girl but odd in an interesting sort of way. We have all kinds of little critters, creatures, etc. around here. We are bordered on the east side by a working Christmas tree farm, which is loads of fun in the off season because there are lots of trails that lead to the river about 1/2 mile away. On the west side we are bordered by an apple tree farm and rhubarb. To my north is a University of Washington test farm which is always growing some sort of interesting tree or grass. And to the south....well to the south, about 30 miles, is a volcano. O.K., not your usual surroundings. Anyway, suffice it to say it's not unusual to see deer, squirrels, rabbits, or the dreaded Opossum wandering up and down the streets/yards. The Opossum certainly has to be one of God's most interesting, if not ridiculously ugly creatures. They love this warm weather and it appears to be baby season because they nightly taunt my dog, Gracie, by walking along the top of our fences. Have you ever seen an Opossum walk??? It's quite strange as they tend to lumber rather than "walk." They are slow movers as well, and basically......well, not too bright. Being scared will actually put them in a temporary coma, which may be a good way of coping, I haven't tried it yet.

So, as I said, Gracie and the Opossum population are not the BFF's. She'll chase them up a tree and bark incessantly until I literally drag her into the house. Imagine my surprise when, sitting on my back porch, in the lovely sunshine, minding my own business, she came around from the side yard with a huge Opossum in her mouth. Did I mention they are nocturnal and this was the middle of the day? Well, hell she scared the crap out of me (no I didn't go into a coma) and she seemed a little surprised herself! She dropped said Opossum at my feet and me being a girl and all screamed that little scared girl scream. (You know what I'm talking about, don't deny it.) Apparently in my oh crap, screamy girl mode I could think of nothing better to do than throw a bucket over the thing and wait for my husband to get home from work.

Fast forward: about 4 hours later and remember the Opossum is trapped under a bucket and has been "cooking" in the afternoon sun for quite some time. Baseball nut arrives home and I tell him there's something on the back porch waiting for him, under the bucket, and it'll be quite smelly and such. He went out and lifted the bucket only to come face to face with a wide-awake, screaming, snarling, hissing, large Opossum. (I honestly thought the thing was dead when I threw the bucket over it). I have never seen someone simultaneously move so fast, yell out several "colorful" words, scoop up the Opossum in the bucket, and toss it over the fence into a nearby ditch, with such ease and fluidity as I did then. I guess that is where the term " playing Opossum" comes from.

And just for fun, a little known fact for all you ladies out there~~~
Female Opossums have thirteen nipples, twelve of them are in a circle and one is in the middle, kinda like a bulls-eye. And no, I didn't check, I read it somewhere.


Linking up with Java follow Friday...check it out!

Curious...

...as I make my way around blog-land I have noticed a recurring theme and I am curious as how you handle it.  KD from Fresh Fixins alluded to it last week and now it seems to be my turn.

When I visit my favorite blogs, or even a new blog, I often leave a comment.  I can truthfully say that I do not always leave a comment.  Perhaps the subject is not of interest to me or I don't feel that I have anything useful to say...I really am quite shy, but, more often than not I do comment.  I try to leave a little note of cheer or encouragement and sometimes I may even share a particular memory that their post may have evoked.

There are a few blogs that I visit that rarely leave a comment on my blog.  I know they have come by and I can't help wondering why they never say a word.  I am not referring to lurkers but to specific bloggers who don't take a moment to comment,  I will not name names!

Do you comment in like to every comment you recieve?  Do you comment every time you read a post?  Or do you read and leave...wondering and waiting...signed, Curious.

A peek into my insanity...

this morning when I came out to the kitchen, this is what I saw...

my most beautiful, pink, Amaryllis had broken off at the stem...even though it had been staked...

and the blossom was already wilted and crying for help.  Sadly, it could not be saved.

I really didn't feel well enough to go out today even though the sun was shining and it was quite warm  (sorry, rest of the country!).  The trees are budding and the bulbs are up and ready to pop with color~~~it's so confusing.

We have had many a snow storm in mid to late February so I am cautiously awaiting an early spring.

As I said, I really didn't want to go out but had to run to the grocery store for some more fever reducing, cold, cough, headache so you can rest  medication. Greeting me at the door were these little lovelies~~just calling my name and begging to come home with me. (I'm pathetic).

notice the pinecone, that is not part of the boquet but a left over Christmas decoration.  Really, it's time to put it all away.

and that bowl? Not a cereal bowl but a 'tulip' bowl.  I've never really figured out how to use it although it is quite pretty.  I'll have to show you one of these White Wednesdays.

I spent the rest of the day recuperating and even slept through the Super Bowl (I'll get over it). 

 I still haven't had a chance to put my kitchen back together since painting it two weeks ago but I'm starting to get used to it this way.  It's like being in a constant state of chaos and right now that feels like home.

Aim high, that's what I always say and you can interpret that any way you like!  Good Monday to you...

Iris...

Since Iris is the Greek goddess for the Messenger of Love, her sacred
flower is considered the symbol of communication and messages.
Greek men would often plant an iris on the graves of their beloved
women as a tribute to the goddess Iris, whose duty it was to
take the souls of women to the Elysian fields.
- Hana No Monogatari: The Stories of Flowers

Dog day afternoon...

The post that has no title because I'm too darn cranky to think of one...

My. laptop. is. still. not. working....somebody. rescue. me....Dell?? Dell??? Wherefore. art. thou. Dell???

Dear Winter,

I had composed a long letter listing the many reasons I feel you should depart as soon as possible. I decided that you have encroached far too long on my precious time to waste any of it in long diatribes. The four of us only have so much time in a year, three months to be exact. With that said I will be short and sweet with my request: Winter you MUST leave now.

thankyouverymuch,

Spring

p.s. the snow this morning...ha, not so funny.

Saturday slice of life...

Thank you all for making my 200th post so much fun. I really enjoyed your comments. There is much wringing of the hands as the judge reviews the entries and decides a winner. I will post the winner and a picture of the fabulous prize tomorrow as I cannot get my photos uploaded at this time. Laura-Peach- was the first one to answer ‘square root day’ so she will be getting a prize too. Congratulations Laura. Nobody answered the surprise question which would have garnered another prize. The answer was “Anticipation” by Carly Simon…name that song.

My ‘forever’ age would be 37. I was happy, healthy, two-legged, employed, and just plain fun lovin’. I had a job that I l.o.v.e.d. and was so happy to go to everyday. And…they were happy to have me there. I felt wanted and appreciated…I miss it so. I was relatively healthy and we, as a family, enjoyed many outdoor activities together. We were involved in/with our extended families lives and spent a lot of time with them, bbq’s, picnics,
Birthdays and holidays…I miss it so. We had a beautiful home and our marriage was solid…still is. I just look back and it seems so perfect…I miss it so.

The power has been out for about two hours. I always find it strange that we can lose power on a beautiful, sunny, semi-warm day. People are probably in shock from the sunshine and drove into a post or something. I also am surprised at how quickly the house gets cold. It seems that a ten year old house should retain more heat than it does. We’ve checked the amount of insulation and all the windows, doors, but I still can’t figure out where the heat goes. Maybe the skylights?

I opened up a new package of baking mix this morning and discovered something resembling pepper in it. I quickly realized that the ‘pepper’ was moving. ACK…gah…Do you think the little critters were in the package when I brought it home from the store. This has never happened to me before….I wonder if I need to fumigate my kitchen or at the very least throw away all my ‘baking’ supplies. Seriously…I am really freaked by this.

I am considering changing ‘Hearfelt Fridays’ to something else, something more appealing or interesting or…? I haven’t decided yet, but, Fridays are the day I get the least amount of comments so I think you all are bored. After 200 posts I’m still not sure which direction I want to take this blog. I prefer not to get into politic or religion, I am confident in my feelings about both and would rather not get into that battle. With that said...how do you come up with your blog material?

This is how I see it...

she's got 'em...I want 'em...*sigh*

There seems to be a lot of controversy over the fact that the Mrs. has gorgeous arms and doesn't mind showing them. Do you feel it inappropriate?

When you wish upon a star...

It's been a rough couple of weeks medically at our place. Of all the things that are going on, all the things I could complain about or wish for (and there are many, not only for myself) right now I would just like for the "sinus fairy" to come by and make my day a little easier. Thank you and good nite.

One Shining Moment

At the Presidential Inauguration, a couple of weeks ago, there were over two million people who watched it live. Two million plus people were gathered in one place, in the blowing, biting, bitter cold for hours waiting to watch history. Whether or not you are in favor of his politics you must admit that is amazing. Even more so is the fact that not one person was arrested. Not. one. single. person. What does this say about our people?