Enough With the Talking Toe Nails!!!

 

Warning - this is a gripe session - about television commercials.

First, I'm going to date myself by remembering fondly the commercials of my youth.   There were songs - Oh, I wish I was an Oscar Myer Weiner ...  Or Bologna   or Ho Ho Ho Green Giant

or, Libby, Libby Libby on the table, table, table, 

There were exclamations - Anthony!  Anthony! for Prince Spaghetti.

There was hunkalicous!  And romantic! (okay, yeah, I like Tom Selleck, but he gave good commercial!)

Nowadays, I DESPISE most of what I see.  

I am seriously squicked-out by talking open wounds or toe nails, or walking, talking boxes for mail-in poop samples, haunting, stalking digital stomachs, or any talking face dubbed onto a body part like a hand or finger. It doesn't amuse me - it annoys me. 

Don't even get me started on that stupid Bath Fitter commercial where the mom is taking a bubble bath behind the 'daughter spokesperson' and demands 'FRESH towels' while there is a stand of perfectly and artistically rolled towels next to the tub. ::rolls eyes::  (and no matter how hard I tried, I never could get bubbles that Tall and Thick! ) 

Then there are commercials with actors playing annoying problems like dandruff - I guess people think it's funny but I don't. 

But - give credit where credit is due - not all old commercials were palatable - take Slim Jim for example. That was simply freakish and scary.

This one about IT issues  is a toss up between insulting, annoying and WTH? 

You can change a channel to escape a show you don't like, but those commercials follow you everywhere!!!!

Then there are the commercials that think they're being funny but they insult our intelligence.  I've noticed that they believe they can subliminally pass off a suggestion onto viewers thinking they won't catch the subtle nuance endorsing a dubious societal quirk as normal, when it most definitely should not be and isn't. 

Short of sitting in a chair, watching television with my laptop open in preparation for catching a specific commercial when it airs, I'm writing this as a generality and from memory because I don't want to sit and waste more braincells watching a television show JUST for the commercials. All I'm doing  is sharing my opinions about the drivel commercials are plugging into their dialogue or visuals that endorse stupidity of the masses. What they 'think' of as funny, is actually stupidity, the unfunny kind.  The original Three Stooges was smart stupid-funny - they used clever quips and word puns and there was actually a devious intelligence behind a lot of their skits - Paris-sites, Baron of Gray Matter - funny.  Today's commercials can only dream about being clever funny.  Instead they make us out to be idiots.  

The propensity for flooding the airwaves with drug commercials is the stuff of nightmares.  Not the medicines themselves, but all the listed side-effects.  Seriously, some of them, like 'thoughts of suicide', death, heart problems, seizures, etc,, are oftentimes worse that what they're treating. Thing is, are they inundating us with commercials with the purpose of utilizing the masses as further research subjects?  Talk about cheap options for continued drug trials - get the people to willingly submit themselves as unpaid test subjects. That's how watching those drug commercials makes me feel. 

The most egregious are the commercials for movies.  No longer do I see actual hooks to grab a person's curiosity. No longer am I able to get an idea of what the movie is about.  Hardly ever do I see anything rated G or innocently cute, adorable yet intellectual.  What do I see?  Violence. Extreme violence using explosions, guns, physical aggression, anger, vindictiveness, rage, and more gun violence. That's it. That's practically all they show. It's laughable how high-on-their-horses politicians are about gun violence when Hollywood glamorizes and showcases it in a positive light. Need to solve a problem? Use violence. Retribution equals shooting someone. If you're angry, feel slighted or were wronged? Shoot them after beating the snot out of them.  THAT kind of commercial is a constant barrage on television, every danged day. Violence SELLS - movies, newspapers, news programs and television shows. They think guns are the problem? Where the heck do they think the idea STARTS??? It's fed multiple times a day during commercials.

There's more I can say. Perhaps I'll edit this blog post when I see something while I actually have my PC open. I can then provide more specific examples.

Seriously, though. Enough with the stalkeri-sh behavior of inanimate objects and body parts come to life in order to sell us stuff. It doesn't work for me. It turns me off and makes me want to tune out.

I prefer to listen to audiobooks. No stupid commercials. 

And, there is another reason I wanted to do this post now versus later. I saw that Blogger is not going to offer the option of the widget that alerts people who actually do follow this blog, even as sporadic as it is, to something I've posted so it's at least seen, by someone. Once that widget is shut down, it's over, I'll be posting for myself, I guess.  But then again, when I started blogging, I basically was.  Some things seem to come full circle, don't they? 

 

2017 Resolutions

A new year = new promises to oneself.

This year I am going to keep those goals simple.

I want to bake more. At least twice a month instead of twice every 6 months.

I want to exercise more - not to lose some ridiculous amount of poundage, but to increase lung capacity.

I actually want to share more on my blog because it's the only place that seems to allow freedom of expression without being 'unfriended' for the silliest of things. You know, like having an opinion?

I want to have a garden this year. ( I refuse to consider that we'll have another drought)

Last but not least, I want to love my God more, remember to thank Him more often, and pray more often.

The saddest thing?  The last promise will be the most challenging to keep. It's also the one that means the most. Interesting dichotomy, don't you think?

Anyway, Happy 2017!!

It's Only June

Are you as tired of the political scene as I am?

It's pathetic out there.

The Republicans started off with 16 contenders, a few of them more than worthy of being in the Oval Office.

Now, who are we left with? A woman who knows insider politics inside and out, who is proficient in dealing with the dark underbelly of politics, and a man who is proficient in dealing with the underbelly of the business world. Both are at the top of their game, both have done things that would raise eyebrows on regular folk, and both are not averse to personal attacks on the other.

None of those things qualify them to be president. Not one talks about HOW to do anything, or what they plan on doing with anything specific. She is no better than he. They are well matched on many levels and the fight is going to be dirty.

Thing is, it's been dirty and it's getting worse. It's only June! I'm tired of Warren calling Trump a liar when she calls herself an American Indian. She lives in a thin glass house and that's a pretty big stone she's trying to throw.

I'd have preferred a candidate with the class of Dr. Carson, the patriotism of Cruz, the enthusiasm of Rubio, and the proven track record of DOING something like Kasich (even though he's always directing planes with his hand gestures) and instead, we have ... Trump.

As for a female being president. It's not time for a female because she's female. It would be time for a candidate that is qualified to LEAD and DEFEND us, period. One day there will be a female that embodies those qualities but the Hilz isn't it. She's a player. She's good at it. She learned it hands on with Bill - but is she really going to be what is BEST for this country? What did she learn except to leave the Oval Office crying poor and broke. Remember that? If that's the benefit of Clinton - Round 1, when she wins, it will be Clinton - Round 2 - and the country will spiral into a third world status.

You notice I said when, right? Yeah - I think she'll be the next president by virtue of Mr. Trump spouting such divisive nonsense continually, like diarrhea of the mouth, that he'll turn people away even if they initially supported him. It's already happening. He's a loose cannon.

On the other hand, a loose cannon might make North Korea twitchy, Russia wary and China interested - why? Because they are into business and buying our debt - there might be a sale.

No matter which way November goes - it IS historical, groundbreaking and will be controversial for years to come.

But right now, it's only June. And I much prefer to look forward to SHARKNADO 4 in July!!!!!

Woot!!

A Spider Tale

A week ago I came home from work.  Someone was waiting in the door.

A huge black fuzzy spider as big as a quarter.   I'm not fond of spiders.  At. All.

I realize that it was more scared of me  - not that I could tell for sure, based on my own speeding heart rate - but it was jumping and hopping all over the place to get away from me.  The problem was, it kept jumping and hopping into the door.  It needed to go in the opposite direction!

After much corralling with a very long stick, it made it to the side of the door and crawled up under the siding.  As long as it did not come IN my house with me, I was fine.   Crisis averted.

Cue a week later:

 I'm upstairs getting supper ready and my eldest says, "MOOOM, you might want to come see this." I mosey on over, "What?" He says with a gleeful glint in his eye, "What's the big black thing crawling towards your office?"

I go down a few steps and squint. EYES POP. IT'S A SPIDER!!!!!'

Yep, that huge quarter sized, eight legged, freaky spider made it INTO my house and was making a beeline straight into where I work. No. Way. Not just No, but HELL NO!

I run back into the kitchen to find a clear glass and a stiff card and I'm at that sucker. My youngest 'wants to see' and I practically snarl at him. "Do NOT get close to it, do NOT make it run into my office, STAY AWAY! 

I march over stealthily and Woosh, firmly slam that the glass over the huge arachnid and gently slide the very stiff, thick and hard to bite through card to trap it under the glass. Why glass? To make sure that sucker is IN there! I wanted to make sure I could see my nemesis at all times. No surprises, no sireebob. 

Then, I make the kids open the back doors and I march outside with eyes still firmly watching the enemy as it preens and cleans its fangs. I brought that sucker to a wooded area a good fifteen feet away and then let it Fly! I flung that spider into the brush in the hopes that it will find a NEW home that has nothing to do with MY home. 

I walked with pride back into the house, mission accomplished. My eldest did NOT look happy. 

"What's wrong?" I ask. 

"Mom, you're a bummer. I was waiting for you to go all panicky, you know, screaming, and freak out and do girly panic stuff and you just .... I don't know...just handled it. You're no fun!" And he proceeds to walk off in a huff. 

Huh. Go me. 

The Freak Snow Storm of New England

The snow storm that cancelled Halloween was the worst thing I've yet to live through.

On 10/28 - was the Halloween party for my church that I organized. We had about 200 people which was actually really good! There were a lot of parties going on that night.  Who knew that our party would be the ONLY Halloween celebration our parish children would have.  The next day the snow started falling at 12:45 and never stopped.  Our trees were still fully loaded with fall colored leaves but instead of leaf peeping on that weekend, people struggled with no power and, if you were a person like me with a well -- no water. And, since we "bundled" our cable service

because it was SUCH a good deal, we lost phones too. We lost everything.

Add to that the fact that my cell phone chose that weekend to not hold a charge.  I'd made one phone call and it went from three bars of power to one.  Also, I could not even access 911. My husband went to see if he could reach the center of town, to get information on shelter, water and power.  It takes 10 minutes to reach the center under normal conditions.  Three HOURS later, he still wasn't home.  And, the sun was setting - how do you look for someone caught under a tree or off the road, in need of help, with no lights? No power? and NO way to call for help?? Because that is when I realized just how vulnerable I was - when I couldn't even get through to  911.   A neighbor was driving by as we attempted to walk down the street towards an acquaintance's home - despite the fact that there was a huge tree suspended above us on the electrical wires - I still wanted to reach someone with a working cell phone.   The neighbor rolled down his window and when I explained my worries, he gave me his charger that sticks into the outlet in cars.  It's used for items that plug into wall outlets- like laptops and phone re-chargers.  He was going to bring it to his father-in-law who was without power for his phone but let me have it first.  That was really awesome of him!!

Forty five minutes later, my husband drives up - wondering why our kids are crying, why I'm so upset. Hello! -- a ten minute drive and he's gone for Four HOURS?
oh. well - um... I drove around then decided to see how your parents were faring so I went to see them.
WHAT?
God love him for thinking of them but he in no way ever told me he "might" do that.   Going to the center of town to get information is NOT driving over a mountain passing through 5 towns, crossing a river and getting on a highway. Not to mention dodging all the downed trees and LIVE power lines.  No wonder he was gone four hours but HE SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME!  He knew my phone wasnt' working. He knew we had no means of communication. Did that stop him?  NoooOOooo - he can "handle" himself, there was no reason to worry.
Worry my ass- try frantic.  Try wanting, needing to call 911 because I didn't know what else to do because trees were still dropping and the scope of the damage was just being realized.  Add then finding out that I couldn't even reach  911!!
Oh, yeah, it'll be a long time before I forget this storm.

I mean,  we've had tornadoes, an earthquake, Hurricane Irene, hail storms and now this freak October snow storm. And 2011 isn't over yet!

Ok then - back to the fun.

I buried my freezer contents in containers in snow.  Faithfully I piled more snow on them every day. The temperature was rising and in the fifties so there was melting.  Today, seven days later, I unbury them, even had to chip them out, and  75% of my food defrosted. I had to throw them all out.  Oh, I kept the ground turkey...because there were still ice crystals in the packaging so that means I can cook them all up and refreeze as cooked meat. But the fish? gone. the cheeses? gone. the lamb? gone. the yogurts? gone. the clams? gone.

Opened up the refrigerator to see if anything survived.   My kids almost puked. My dh's eyes watered and they left ME to clean it all out.  Took me 2 1/2 hours to deodorize the whole thing. Something did more than get warm in there - it re-died. Thing is, I had tried to clean out and save what I could but left things I thought would be "safe".  There is no such thing when it comes to 7 days without electricity.

Our wood stove pipe leaked smoke.  I have asthma. We think the chimney cleaners either didn't put the pipe all the way back into the back of our wood stove OR, they never cleaned that part.  I ended up sleeping in what amounts to a cellar, on a futon that has no mattress in temperatures that started out in the 50's but steadily dropped into the upper 40's - in Fahrenheit.  Not fun. But, because the room was on a  lower floor, the smoke didn't reach it so I could breathe.  You kind of need to do that, you know?

Oh, and I got a second job. Yay! - I was supposed to start on Halloween but the trick of it was- no power- no phone, roads blocked, no way to shower - Ha - I wasn't going anywhere.  So, no work.  Gee, I hope they understood.

Yep, the town my new job is in had 100% loss of power.  Mine only had about 90%. They understood because they were in the same boat.  The most fascinating thing?  I now work for an insurance adjuster who specializes in weather related claims.  Gee - maybe that's why I was hired?   ::SNORT:: -- after the tornado, and then Irene and the hail storms - they have claims coming out the wazoo - add in this storm and every day is an adventure.   Most months they get between 30-40 claims... when I went in for my first day of work on Wednesday - bad hair and wrinkled clothes and all - they were getting 80 a DAY!!! ---If I can make it through this? You can be sure I can handle this job.  Talk about crash course learning.

And, I'm still loving my other job in the Conservation office.  I  like my boss, I think she's quite the character and I enjoy the very nature of what the office stands for.

And get this... these are the first jobs I've had in decades that I can dress casual! No high heels, no suits -  jeans, sneakers and comfort is the rule.  How'd I get so lucky?  I'm truly blessed.  Even after all we've been though and all the self doubt that started to creep in the longer it took to find a job - I still consider myself blessed.

All the people I care for, friends and family alike, made it though this latest natural disaster unharmed - certainly they were inconvenienced, some in a huge way - but we all made it through to sing , dance and give Thanks and group hugs the day the lights came back on.  

Oh! and my Conservation boss?  I was supposed to work on Tuesday, so I got dressed and got the kids ready. I figured, if the town hall was closed- we'd head to the town's shelter for a warm meal and to recharge their PSPs and my failing phone.  I was just trying to make my wet  hair look passable when there was a hard knocking on my back door.  It was my BOSS-  Hey! Guess what? There's no work today!    --- Wow - have you EVER had a boss do that?   I haven't.  Not until now.

My life is certainly changing. New experiences, new co-workers, new responsibilities and new challenges to meet and overcome.  I'm hoping my kids see by example what it takes to make it in life, and how to deal with adversity.  Of course they did spend 4 days and 3 nights at my parents who had power a half a week earlier than we did. LOL- so, they had 1/2 a lesson. **VBG**

So, today - we got all our electrical life back and spent a small fortune restocking my fridge and freezer with perishables.  Cooked the turkey that was in the freezer - it was big and needed 4 days to defrost anyway.  I think I was out of practice at cooking.  Poor turkey re-died.  I mutated it to sawdust and rubber. But hey! That's what gravy and ketchup are for, right?
lol
Hope you had a MUCH better Halloween than I did!!!

OH!  DID YOU NOTICE THE CAR IN THE TOP PICTURE? Yes, there was a car stuck there. They must have stopped for the fallen tree in front of them and ANOTHER tree fell right behind them- trapping them in the height of the storm! Talk about scary!!!

Tragedy Averted

It's taken me awhile to be able to have the time and presence of mind to blog about this.

Two weeks ago tomorrow, that was 2 Tuesdays ago, my husband suffered a heart attack.

I'm lucky I still have him. The Saturday before we had a bit of a row which was the worst we'd had in our 25 yrs together. From his perspective, it was serious and he claimed I didn't love him.

Fast forward a couple of days and by my actions I proved that I did. I didn't listen to him. I ignored his words. He said, "I'll call the MD once I get to work" and proceeded to shave, fix his tie, brush his teeth and ignore the fact that his left arm was numb, he had shortness of breath and he had a pain in the middle of his chest.

I turned right around and called the MD. Of course they said get him to the E.R. He says, "I don't want to go by ambulance."

So, in a snow storm, I drove him. He says I drove like a bat out of hell and he's awfully proud of that. Me? I'm pissed I couldn't go faster because I ended up behind 3 cars and a truck who were going at a snail's pace down back country roads. No passing anywhere.

Guys? Some advice. Call a frigging ambulance. Don't be stubborn because I tell you, your life IS on the line. When an ambulance responds, they have the gear and the meds to assist immediately to stabilize you. Driving in a car, stuck behind cars whose drivers have NO idea about the medical emergency driving behind them, means that if he went into full out cardiac arrest there would have been nothing I could have done to help him. I'd be an early widow.

God was our co-pilot, our guide and our strength. We made it. The MD flat out said that because I got him there as fast as I did, (and it would have been MUCH faster if I didn't have those frigging cars in my path) is the only reason he survived the heart attack.


He ended up 95% blocked in the artery that caused it all. We later found out that he is 40% in two others. He had one stent put in.

What does that mean for his future? That means a diet low in salt, fats and high in Omega 3s, veggies and other healthy foods is a must. I'd often mention his breakfast regime of sausage, bacon, ham - all those processed Dunkin' Donuts and McDonald's breakfast sandwiches - were bad and doing him harm. Him being a guy, ignored me. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

::face palm:: Unless a man can see inside his body, he shouldn't assume no symptoms means no worries.

Now? He can't have kielbasa, liverwurst and veal loaf; his favorite comfort foods. No pizza, no ice cream, no butter, no salt -- let's face it -- he can no longer have any of the trappings that society relies on for flavoring food.

And me? I am the one who bears the brunt of providing him a changed nutritional food venue day in and day out. I have to learn to shop differently, prepare the food differently, read labels and organize my time a lot more efficiently.

Why?

Because ALL of the pre-processed foods touted on TV and in magazines that say they will simplify your life by saving you time end up costing you time on this earth. They are NOT healthy. Hello, Trans fats anyone? They are NOT good for you. They are in crackers, cookies and in foods you'd never expect! Now I have to build time into pre-making my own broth because I have to let the fat harden and skim it off before I can even use it.

Do you realize that every flippin' turkey or chicken I tried to buy has been "flavor enhanced"? I simply could NOT find anything fresh or frozen that was untainted or non-manipulated. (if that's a word)

Do you know what that means? They are not doing it to make our food tasty. Oh no. They claim that but what it really does is preserve the food for longer shelf life. For centuries societies have used salt to preserve food. Here, they use so danged much it's ridiculous. We are basically becoming pickled humans.

The only turkey I could find not tampered with was at Whole Foods Market. Do you know what I PAID for the bird? FORTY DOLLARS!!! Just so I could give him lean meat, healthy meat not already loaded with the salt he needs to stay away from.

And the doctors wonder why we have so many cases of high blood pressure in this country. Just go food shopping and read the labels. You'll see.

So, that's my momentous update. I'm on a new food journey and I'm glad for Google because I'm relying on it a lot for guidance, recipes and choices.

Readers - pay attention to your diet choices - it will prolong your quality of life.

Looking Back Before Looking Forward

 On top of Mt. Killington, VT

I was looking at my 2007 posts and I can't believe how busy I was!
I did quizzes, notified readers of contests, discovered a book review site, told jokes and plastered a lot of pictures everywhere.
What happened?
Oh yeah, I was no longer a stay-at-home-mom.  Huge difference.  I went back to work in the fall of that same year and everything went downhill from there.

And it languished. But I can still share pictures!

A quiet moment to reflect

Peeking through Killington's woods

I've been a little more active here than I've been in a year so that's good. I'm trying to make time and it's not easy.  I don't think I showed you some of the pictures we got when we went. It was so nice because at the time we took these pictures, it was like we were the only people on the mountain.  We got there before the crowds -- they were arriving as we were leaving.  So the serenity was undisturbed for us while we were there.  Don't you wish you could take the time to smell the pine? And I'm telling you true. Walking through those woods was like walking through a Forest sachet where the scent of pine was as fresh and sharp as a freshly cut Christmas tree, without the snow and cold. *VBG*

May you find your serenity today.

Where's the Fairy?

Yep, you are probably wondering what happened. Or maybe you're not but I'll tell you about it anyway.

You see, I have this other persona that has become a big part of my life and as that person, I have been itching to comment back but I can't as me,myself.  Stupid BLOGGER will not let me separate identities and for some reason I can't have a separate profile.  For those of you who have been with me almost since 2005, you'll know me as me.  I usually write you off grid anyway in one form or another so this change should not be a big deal.  So, M's isn't going to make much sense with new viewers because the name now starts with an X.

As with my new moniker, its actual representation is that flower.  It's what I am. Well, no not really, not unless I was an alien. *gg*

So, that's that.
In other news, I was Mz. Suzy Homemaker this weekend.  Saturday I made buttermilk blueberry pancakes for breakfast.  Sunday I made French Toast for breakfast.  Later on, I premade for future use a HUGE batch of lasagna and put it in the freezer.  Then I made New England clam chowder - yes from scratch and corn bread, not from scratch.  I love those little Jiffy boxes.  It's another reason why I need September to arrive fast.

Why? Zumba.  After eating all the rich food and having an unnaturally sedentary  lifestyle, I need that commitment to movement. I need to Zumba but working nights prevents my attending.  I work during when the classes are held.  I miss it because I've noticed a massive difference in how I feel about myself and my energy levels.  Although this month, I'd not be going anyway.  Our instructor and owner of the studio has had major surgery.  She'll be back in September.  Guess we'll all be starting fresh.

Oh, I picked my first ripened on the vine tomato and it's exciting. My squash plants are languishng, poor things.  I have ONE cucumber however and my pole beans are doing great.  Speaking of Pole Beans...what possessed me to use poles 12 feet high?   I never gave it a thought that I'd have to GET the beans waaay up there!!   Must have been a blonde moment.

Have a great week and I hope you don't have any blonde moments of your own. ;-)

LIfe is flat

Well, it can be.

This morning I woke up chipper and alert. I had my cup of coffee and then my granola cereal. I was putting the finishing touches to my hair and my DH says,

"I hope you're not planning on going anywhere this morning."

Well, yes, yes I was. "Why not?"

"You have a flat tire. A completely flat tire. "

"WHAT?!?" ::cue screech::

I rush out of the house and sure enough - completely without air is my poor, flat as a pancake, tire. The rim is practically touching the dirt it's so flat. ::heaves sigh::

Thank goodness for AAA and their handy dandy tire changing service. SO, instead of taking my kids to see a movie, they get to go to a testosterone laden place to have my tire fixed where grease and oil is the scent du jour.

I suppose it could be worse. It could have been more than one tire, right? ::knocks on wood:: deep breath ::knocks on wood again::
I don't want to jinx myself, you know?

Gee, hope your day is rolling along just fine. Mine will be - and why are those little donut tires so cute?

Highland Games 4th year

Why did it have to be the HOTTEST day ever for the Highland games?

We made it to the opening ceremonies and I tell you, Mr. Zahn gives me goosebumps when he sings our National Anthem. The man can Sing!

Then we have the clan presentations. And no, I don't have a speck of Scot in me that I know of, darn it. Anyway...it was adorable that this little tyke with his dad tried to keep up with the rest of the drummers. He had his own little drum and he had his own beat. Such a cutie.

Oh yeah, this guy with the rather rough attire. Get this, and I think it's going to crush the fantasies of every romance reader who imagines brawny Scotsmen in kilts and sporrans.

What this guy is wearing is ACTUAL high linen fashion from the Highlanders. A Plaid is actually - and there is a Gaelic word for it that I obviously can't possibly know - a BLANKET - Plaid does NOT refer to a pattern of a clan. Neither is a Kilt, those cute little manly skirts. He told me kilt means "pleated" so a Plaid Kilt or Kilted Plaid is basically a Pleated Blanket! No romance in that! And while discussing weapons of the period, only the broadsword and what he's holding, a battle hammer/axe is authentic. There is this one that would be used for the foot soldiers and a shorter one for those on horseback.

And while discussing weaponry, a Scott in full regalia - modern version, tee hee, stepped up and they started tearing apart the movie, Braveheart. ROTGL- ground laughing since I was outside. lol - anyway, another guy showed up with baseball cap and shades so I was surrounded by all these guys in different dress debating history versus Hollywood. Braveheart was 10% history and 90% Hollywood fiction. Even the face paint that Mel Gibson used hadn't been used in hundreds of years- going back to the Picts. The only things that were consistent with history were the fight scenes and the depiction of the king. Wow. It was a lot of fun being in the middle of that. I learned so much more but how long do you want this post to be? ::snicker::

Anyway, the last picture here is the caber toss... did I at least spell that right this year? I couldn't get close pictures like usual because silly and scatterbrained me forgot my camera!! I forgot to unpack it from vacation so I had to rush to CVS to get a one time use camera. At least I got some but sheesh! I was so disappointed in myself. So, that's my current fun. Hope you are having fun this summer too!

Things in general

Views from Quichee Gorge,VT

Not sure what kind of bird that was but it was the only wild life brave enough to hang around despite the many people on the other side of the rock outcroppings. Perhaps it had to do with the teeming fish life in the shallows?
Picturesque, isn't it?

I love the look of filtered sunlight through trees - I couldn't go much farther on the trail - poison ivy was rampant.

In general:

Things in general are alright. The summer schedule means I work nights so no more Zumba during the summer. I miss it terribly. By the time I get out of work and make it back home, Zumba class is over or almost over. For this reason, I'm looking forward to September.

Summer is nice, but what do YOU look forward to at the start of autumn?

Coffee - a morning ritual

So, here I am. In a motel. Drinking substandard coffee. Even two sugars didn't make it palatable. But when you are desperate and it's all you have, then the taste is Nirvana. Is there some unspoken motel law that states that pipes are loud. That people get up at 5AM and shower and we hear EVERYTHING? That all the coffee, filters and fixings come in cellophane wrapping that sounds louder than a bugle and ricochets off the walls until we ALL are up? And that there is nothing on T.V. that is appropriate for kids to watch and we end up watching a John Wayne movie, The Horse Riders, which made absolutely NO sense to me? I still don't understand the POINT of the movie. Some one want to clue me in?? And was 'some one' supposed to be one word? And electrical sockets! How come they are all on the opposite side of the room from a table so I can't even use my computer in comfort? NooOOOoo, I'm on a bed, trying to balance things while trying to ignore Jimmy Neutron and now Fairly Odd Parents. I swear, vacations can make your brain de-evolve. Maybe that is why it's relaxing?? ::SNORT:: I simply MUST visit a book store at some point to reassert my sanity. In the meantime, Happy 4th of July all. Hope your plans provide entertainment while being safe at the same time. And may you still get quality SLEEP. Since I didn't get much last night, it's high on my To-Do list. ;-)

The Sentinal Ant protects his Aphids

What a busy place it is on the tip of a tree branch.

The Storm blew this way and that

ALL TOO EASILY, THAT TREE COULD HAVE DECIDED TO LET GO ON OUR DRIVEWAY.

AS IT IS, IT WENT OVER ONTO OUR NEIGHBOR'S. I MADE SUPPER WHILE THE REST OF THE FAMILY HELPED THE LONE WOMAN AND HER TRUSTY CHAIN SAW GET THE JOB DONE. IT WAS GOOD TO SHOW MY KIDLETS WHAT BEING A GOOD NEIGHBOR IS ALL ABOUT. THESE PICS ARE BUT A MEMORY NOW - THE ONLY STUFF LEFT ARE LEAVES, TWIGS AND DEBRIS. BET MOST AREAS COMMUNITIES WISH IT WERE SO EASY TO CLEAN UP THEIR MESSES. MANY AREAS HAD TO CLOSE ALL SCHOOLS DUE TO TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN. I THINK WE WERE VERY VERY LUCK....

WHAT BUG DO THESE EGGS BELONG TO????

I Fired my First Gun Today!

Yes I did and it was awesome!

Today was my class's day at the shooting range.

I got to fire a pistol, an AR-15
, a 12 gauge shotgun AND ...

A GLOCK!
Just like I read about in my favorite romantic suspense novels.

And get this.
Out of our class of 30, 15 showed up for the practice. And of those 15, five were women and all of us had never ever shot a weapon.

AND... ::drum roll please::

I was the ONLY female to get THREE out of four of the steel targets!! ME!!!
I can't believe it! I've never fired a weapon before in my life.
It was fun.
It was exciting.

And...I drew blood. My own.
LOL

You see, with a pistol, you have to hold it just right and keep your thumbs out of range of that slider piece on the top. Well, I sort of forgot and the top of my knuckle got skinned. Bled for three hours. Thank goodness I had a tissue to use to absorb all that red stuff. *g*

I view it as a badge of courage. I mean, I fired a GUN. WOOT!

When I was firing the AR-15, the instructor said, "Wow, don't let me ever get on your bad side." tee hee... there were five rounds to fire and each one went into the neck area. Not the torso, not the bulls eye, oh nooooo, I go for full stoppage.

I did take some pics. I'll have to load them on the other computer so I can post a few here.

Honestly, it was THE most fun I've had in a long long time.

And I just had to write all about it.

<<*VBG*>>

I'm Allergic to What?

That's my question.
I just got those Disney Freeze Dried Fruit thingys for my kids.
You know, thinking it was a good healthy alternative to candy?
I tried the pears.
Youngest HATED them, said they tasted 'yucky'.

So, not one to let things go to waste if I can help it, I ate three.
And lived to regret it.

It came upon me so fast!
Mouth, tongue, gums, back of throat..a burning itch that reached
a screeching crescendo.
Sure, I have an Epi-Pen.
But I didn't get the sensation that I was having a systemic reaction.
I DID get that I was having a reaction that made me want to have a mouth transplant.

I raced downstairs, poured a cup of black coffee and searing my mouth and throat
with its heat, fresh off the burner, I downed half the cup.

I'm better. Throat is a little sore. Not known if it's from the allergic reaction
or the hot coffee.
I don't care.
At least I'm not having the horrid feeling any longer.
So, what I would like to know is.. WHAT AM I ALLERGIC TO IN FRUIT? DRIED PROCESSED FRUIT AT THAT?

You see, most fruit, once processed, doesn't bother me any longer. Fresh apples, pears, peaches, plums; all make my mouth itch. But this itch was exponentially increased. Yikes!

On the book front.
Read the final book in Emma Holly's Fitz Clare trilogy. Oooooh, I do like Graham. At first I thought it was Edmund who was the star. How clever that it's not. Seems throughout, I got to see Graham grow and evolve as a character. The last book finally gave him his HEA.

Emma is very sneaky.

Yep, kids are back in school and a different sort of chaos ensues.
The fight with the school system will continue.

Oh, the good news. That Zonagram medicine..even though it has the unfortunate side affect of suicidal thoughts, seems to be the ONLY medicine that has any affect at all on my youngest's epilepsy. Depacote, Depakote? ... did nothing.
All that tutoring during the summer I think helped. And in two weeks we'll continue it for a month since the first 2 months of school is usually a recap from the previous year. I think he'll catch up. He's a smart boy. :-)

OOH, and I'm a JAFRA consultant again! Yep, I re-upped. I really missed their products.

Whereas a lot of companies that sell perfumes and skin care and body oils use man-made chemicals to simulate the wonderful smells in nature, JAFRA is botanically based and their products have NEVER EVER caused my asthma to kick in. I've never had that choking sensation, like my breath is trapped in my throat, with any of their scents. So, I'm a big fan because of that. Do you realize they've been around 53 years? Yet loads of women and men have never heard of them!

Oh..and my DH is like,incredibly difficult to find cologne scents for. Most over the counter colognes require him to take a bath in them just for the scent to last most of the day. You can imagine how fast a guy can go through an 8oz. bottle while having to do that.
Not so with JAFRA. Nope. Four quick spritzes and he's good to go. And the bottle lasts for up to three Months, not one. I'm all for better value for the dollar. Especially during these times.

I'm a happy camper.

Oh! Oh! Oh!
And guess what? I was accepted to take part in our town's Citizens Police Academy!
Is that cool or what? I can't wait to start. It's very official and serious but I'm excited too!

So, that's my update. Lots of stuff going on and for a nice change, most of it is pretty darned good.
::knock on wood::

TTYL!

My Day Went FUBAR

Oh yeah, it did, in a big way.
Thank goodness I have a blog. I can VENT.

My day started when I left at 8AM.
Tutor at 8:30 - 10AM
Trumpet 9:30AM
MD appt 11:30
Car repair 1PM

It's that car repair that made everything else go FUBAR. I want to scream.
Ever hear of a domino affect?
Oh yeah, it's real.

Made it with a minute to spare for the 1PM car appt. Seems when we had the tires installed, one of the mechanics was a little too happy with that little automatic screwer-on thing, and stripped one of the lug nuts.
We went to have the car aligned.
The tech had the bolt snap off in his hand.
So, it needs to be tapped out and another replaced.
We were assured it's a 45 minute job.
HA

Today, we waited 2 HOURS for it to actually be brought into the bay.
30 minutes later the guy comes out and says, Gee, we can't do it today.
You have to come back and LEAVE the CAR!
They don't provide loaners.
We were going on a long trip and were going to use the car.
He says...oh, you should be alright to use the car, but the manufacturer did put five lug nuts on there for a reason. You should be safe enough but before you start back..re-tighten all the nuts to make sure they are secure.

Hello! Who wants to go 65-70MPH down a highway with even the thought of a possibility that your tire will pass you on the road???

I work. My DH works. And the guy tells me it will take a Minimum 2 HOURS to even do the job, the whole hub assembly needs to come off to do the repair.
That's not counting the time it takes to get IN the bay!
Who can sit on their ass all day like that?
Who can afford to rent a car to add More of an expense on top of car repair?
Just so you don't have to wait for hours with Two Kids!
Not fair, Not fair, not fair.

Sooo, we have to rent a car. Now we have to cut a day off of our mini vacation. We don't even get to take full weeks anymore. We were going to have 4 days, now it's down to three.
Sucks... big time.

And here's the domino affect. The rental car needs to be returned Monday AM. Then, since we will be leaving my blasted car over vacation at the car repair shop, we have to go and pick up my car at the repair shop for when they open at 8AM. BUT I'm supposed to have Tutor at 8:30AM and Trumpet at 9:30 Am and the thing you need to realize?

The car rental is in one city, the car repair is across the river in another city and the Tutor is in a different town 55 minutes away in the other direction.

::bangs head::

All because of a stripped lug nut! Make sure, any of you, that when someone uses that automatic screw-on thingy, they are not overzealous or YOU will end up having a FUBAR day too.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

An Actor Makes His Own Mark

A couple of years ago, through this very blog, I connected with an up and coming actor, Mr. Nate Golon. He's been busy since then, learning and honing his craft in his chosen career. It's a tough road but he's determined, energetic and always looking for that edge that will propel him towards his goal. I'm proud to announce and share a milestone with you. He's been hard at work and is an integral part of a new Internet series that has its debut this week. Please check out this link: WORKSHOP SERIES If you are a longstanding reader, you may remember Nate from way back when. Let me know if you spotted him because he IS in there...live, in color and with his charming and high-wattage smile totally in view. Have fun!

Find the Happy in Botany

OK...a bit of nature too. LOL....





Some posts just do not need words, since nature tends to express herself so well.
Take some time and marvel.
You'll be glad you did.