Ramblin' Ro

Soooooooooo much nicer...

2012-02-11T10:44:00.000-08:00

...Orthopod! Actually treated PB like a hurting human being instead of an annoyance. What a novel idea! And it turns out that the "SLAP tear" diagnosis is probably wrong, and her Physical Therapy may have been doing more harm than good for the past several weeks. OY! He thinks she has an "encapsulated shoulder", which is the precursor to "frozen shoulder". It can be precipitated by a traumatic injury (like her fall) and needs an entirely different treatment regimen than what she's been on. He gave her another cortisone injection...this time directly into the shoulder joint and changed her work release to "left hand work ONLY". This should be interesting...PB is SO right handed... Work said they would make every effort to find something for her to do...we'll see what they come up with before Monday.

Jen is fighting yet another bout of Shingles...she's miserable! The (supposed) immunization she got not only gave her cellulitis in the injected arm, it didn't WORK! And my poor baby girl has entered into that weird and wonderful phase of her life called Peri-Menopause...on top of all her other issues. All I can do is sympathize...mine started in my early 40s, and lasted till I was about 51. There's no quick or easy way to get through it...you just have to keep going till it's over...

As for me...Meh...I'm just plodding along day to day and trying not to get into trouble... Haven't been very 'creative', not much enthusiasm for crafting or much of anything for that matter. Maybe the dark Winter weather is to blame, or maybe I'm just lazy...or both... I find all these cool things on Pinterest and go "Oh, wow...", and then pin it and move on, LOL.

PB goes back to this new Doc in 4 weeks (unless it gets worse, he said to call if it did!) and we'll see what happens then. She has at least been able to sleep a little better since the injection, instead of getting up and wandering around off and on all night! And being in constant pain makes you so depressed and crabby...not to mention frustrated. So we hope for the best, and just keep on keepin' on.

Have a good weekend, wherever you are...

Me too, Kitteh, me too...

2012-02-01T21:32:00.000-08:00

Dong Quai for me...

2012-02-01T20:10:00.000-08:00

...Argentina... See, it's pronounced "Don Kwy"...never mind, it really wasn't that amusing in the first place...and my name's not Evita... But I have been taking Dong Quai for about a month in hopes that it would help my plaque psoriasis...so far, not really. But I'm gonna hang in there for a while longer, because it can take a while for a change to be really apparent. I do know that some of the inflammation on my leg has subsided. We'll see what happens in the next month or so...

Argggghhh...there's still over a month and a half until Spring. I truly believe I have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)...now that I don't actually HAVE to get up and go out into the big wide, scary world to work every day it's gotten harder and harder to force myself to leave the house in the Winter. Even a trip to the grocery store is put off until we're completely OUT of something (milk, bread, TP...) and then it's a chore. Oh well...I know Spring WILL be here eventually...but I'm truly tired of cold, dark & dreary rainy days that inspire nothing much more than a NAP!

And poor PB! Her fall at work last November has turned out to be a lot more serious than we expected. She saw an Orthopedist, who diagnosed a SLAP tear in her shoulder. So a cortisone injection was given, a note for a week off work, and she was sent to Physical Therapy. Work moved her from the kitchen to out front working one of the cash registers when she went back, but even that seems to be still too much for it. Her PT tech recommended a second opinion because he doesn't think it's healing. So she has a call in now to try and get an appt. with someone else...she can't sleep most nights due to pain, and has had to leave work early several times because she just couldn't complete the day...too much pain. I feel so bad for her, but there's really nothing I can do...other than rub her with Biofreeze every night and not let her pick up/carry anything over a couple of pounds. Even driving hurts.

We've actually had a pretty mild Winter here...only one night/day of snow which didn't stay long. Mostly it's been rain and high winds...lots of flooding in the usual places and a few 'unusual' ones as well. The coast had some gusts over 100 mph a couple of weeks ago, but the valley only got 50 to 60 mph gusts. We were lucky, we haven't even lost power once (so far). All our utilities are underground, but if a sub-station or a feeder goes...yeah well...so far so good! Most of the wild weather went north of us this year, and Seattle got it... But we're not "out of the woods" yet...there's still Winter left, and I've seen 8" of snow here in the first week of March...seriously hope it doesn't happen though.

I did buy the special extended DVD editions of The Lord of The Rings (9.95 each!) a couple of weeks ago and they are freakin' AWESOME. SO much more of the story plus the very interesting 'extras' included. LOL, I was up till 2:30AM the first night and 3:30AM the second... Gotta love the little store called Stuff just up the street from home.

So...we're all still alive...just Sleepy, Dopey and Grumpy (not necessarily in that order...and No, I don't know where the rest of the dwarves are...). Monster is monster-ous, Turdle is a turd...nothing new there. Turdle yells at us every time she goes outside and the weather's crappy...I guess we're supposed to be in charge of it, or something.

Here's to Spring...I hope it's an 'early' one this year!

Happy Freakin' Holidays...

2011-12-01T19:19:00.000-08:00

...and all that crap. I'm still trying to figure out how it got to be December of 2011...wasn't it just Pi Day (3/14)...gigglesnort...?
So here we all are, hip deep in seasonal advertising...and someone 'threw up' Xmas in the neighbors yard. I swear to you, there is SO much blow-up/animated crap that you can't even really tell what it all IS!


WTF?!

Yeah, just reinforces everything I hate about the Holidays...at least she's not running the 'musical' one 12 hrs. a day (so far) this year. That just about makes me homicidal...tinny carols that repeat over and over and over and over...you get the idea.

Other than that...I have a sinus infection that won't die, Jen is sick with a cold...and PB fell at work last month and burned her arm pretty bad (don't try to stop your fall on the steam kettle!) and now is off work for a week for the back injury she got at the same time! It just kinda got 'lost' in the shuffle over the burn...but now 3 Dr. office visits and 1 E.R. visit later we find she may have torn a muscle in her back. She's tried to work with it, but it just got worse...the Doc she saw today said no work for a week, and gave her a shot of Toradal...that seems to have helped the most so far.

I made a pot of White Chicken Chili for dinner...it was REALLY good. Lots of cumin and cilantro, NOMNOMNOM! Shredded Monterey Jack cheese in the bowl first, then the chili, then a nice big glob of sour cream stirred in...good winter dinner.

OK, off to play some Sims 3...have a good Friday and an excellent weekend!

Well, this sucks...

2011-11-17T16:04:00.000-08:00

...Big Time! Jen just heard from the Immunologist, and according to him, all of her labs are "within normal range. LOW, but still within 'normal'. We see this in patients with depression." So he can't do anything for her.
Talk about DEPRESSING!!
Unfortunately, she was pretty much counting on them finding a reason to start IVIG therapy, and this really hit her hard. She's cried herself out for now, and has gone to try to take a nap for a while. I'm sitting here with a horrific headache and trying not to cry myself. It all comes back to that old "Mom's supposed to be able to FIX it" mindset, I guess.
I can't...and it frustrates the HELL out of me!

Cross your fingers...

2011-11-11T14:44:00.000-08:00

...and toes, too if you're that flexible! Jen FINALLY got an appointment with an Immunologist and saw him this last Tuesday. He ordered a bunch of labs, and now we wait and see if there's any chance that she might be a candidate for IVIG therapy. We're seriously hoping that she will be!
She's been sick for so long, and she can't really go out anywhere because even a cold will knock her down for literally WEEKS at a time. A trip to the grocery store is a minefield of germs to her, and even her PCP tells her, when she sees him for a regular appt., "Now go HOME before you catch something!"
It takes about 7 to 10 days for the lab results to come back, so it'll be sometime next week before we know anything...and even then it may be a while before she can see him again, he's only at his OHSU clinic 2 days a week...his primary practice is outside the medical school.So now we wait...
In other news, I finally finished the photo frame for Kate that I was working on...it's not as ornate as the one I made for Sam, but there wasn't enough "real estate" on the frame to get too fancy. She said she likes it, though...and she didn't have any photos from the wedding so she was glad to get at least one.


This one's 4X6, Sam's was 5X7

And everyone should know...the Monsterpotamus is just FINE, Thank You Very Much! He's recovered from his butt bite quite nicely, and is back to his usual obnoxious self...


Mid-yawn...in my desk chair


Nice pink scar, fur starting to grow back.

Haven't started on the little birdhouse pendants yet...I've been playing with some 'paint chip' strips that I liberated from various home improvement stores and paint departments, LOL...

Bookmarks!

So, that's what's going on here...not much of anything! The change back to Standard Time has thrown us all off a bit, it's getting dark so EARLY now, LOL. But we'll get used to it eventually...
I've got a huge crockpot full of Split Pea Soup with Ham Hocks going for dinner tonight and will make some Honey Cornbread to go with it later...then probably just 'lump' for the rest of the evening.
Oh! I did sign up for Netflix on the internet, so that's kinda cool...we don't have an HD TV or any kind of player, so we can just watch on the PC or laptop, but that's OK...we're still in our 'free' month so we'll see if it's worth $7.99 a month to keep it.
Alright, that's it for me this time... Have a great weekend...

Oh My...where to begin...

2011-10-23T22:50:00.000-07:00

...it's been so long since I posted! My reasoning's sound, I assure you! One should probably NOT write blog posts while under the influence of depression...at least I shouldn't...too much opportunity for whining and other unpleasant behaviors. So I waited it out...mostly...
So here we are, almost at the end of October...pumpkins all over the place, stores full of Xmas crap...I've already decided to boycott Xmas again this year. I DO celebrate Yule, the turn of the year, in my own fashion - but this other insanity has just gone too far for me!
Life pretty much goes on as usual here...the weather's turned colder, the forecast La Nina seems to be shaping up pretty much the same as last years. So...wet, windy, cold, wet, cold, windy...oh, and wet is pretty much what we're expecting...yup.
So...a couple of weeks ago I stepped outside onto the back porch to have a cig, and was startled by a weird chirpy/growly noise... So I yelped, jumped back in the house and hollered for PB and Jen because I wasn't sure what I had seen. Momma raccoon and her 3 kits were on the porch cleaning up the kibble that was left from when we fed the feral kitty earlier that day. They all scurried down off the porch when I came back in and closed the door, but 2 of the kits came back up after we all went out to look...Jen got a couple of pretty blurry pics...

Yes, they spilled the kibble when they dashed off the porch.

My, what interesting fuzzy pink feet!


Uh-Oh! Mom's calling us...better git!

Then Tuesday, we realized Monster wasn't feeling very well. And then a huge abcess on his right flank opened up and drained...YUCK! We took him to the Vet, and it turned out he had 2 bites on his backside...the only thing we can figure out is that he may have gotten between Mama raccoon and the babies when they came around again looking for more kibble. He's OK, but has to have an antibiotic tablet once a day for 2 weeks.

What...?


'Potamus has a Boo-boo!

The Vet says that's how you tell the 'fighters' from the 'runners'...the fighters get wounds on their heads, the runners get wounds on their butts! Thankfully, he's very easy to pill, and doesn't fight having it cleaned. He has a follow-up appt. next Tuesday evening, but it's healing nicely, so I don't think there'll be any problem.

The only other thing going on is that I FINALLY got the "good" wedding photos from Sam and was able to get one printed up for the frame I altered for her. I gave it to her tonight, and she said she loves it!

Wood frame and sheet music found at Goodwill. I decoupaged it and prettified it!

I'm happy with the way it turned out.

I'm making a smaller one (4X6) for her Mom...but it's not done yet.
Then I have another project that I want to get to after that. It's little birdhouse pendants for necklaces...

These are just so cool and awesome! I bought a 'kit' of 6 blanks on etsy...the gal who makes them is just up the road from me in Olympia, WA. I'm excited to get started on them, and will try to post a couple of photos when I get some put together.

So that's it for now...I'll try to be better about posting, but sometimes it's a matter of deciding what NOT to talk about rather than t'other way round, ya know? Have a great week, all!

Summer, salad...

2011-09-06T22:25:00.000-07:00

...and STEAK! OMNOMNOMNOM!!
I am truly sorry, but I didn't manage to take any pictures of our dinner tonight before we demolished it. It was beautiful to behold, but we snarfed it up the minute it was ready...so you'll have to settle for the description and use your imagination...
At least once per summer we have a giant bowl of this amazing salad with hot off the grill thin sliced steak on top. I don't know if it has a name, but it has a place in my heart (& stomach) forever!
Start with a good piece of beef steak (we had a London Broil this time, but a nice Flatiron steak works just as well), and grill it to rare/medium rare. Let it rest off the grill for 5 minutes or so. While it's resting, mix up (in a giant bowl) an 18 oz. bag of Spring Mix salad greens and a 6 oz. bag of Baby Spinach (we use Fresh Express, because that's what our grocery carries). Open and drain 2 cans of mandarin orange segments (juice or light syrup packed, it doesn't matter) then sprinkle the segments over the greens, add about a cup (or more, your choice) of either blue or gorgonzola cheese crumbles and toss it all together gently, then sprinkle the whole business liberally with either candied walnuts or candied pecans (chopped if they're really big pieces) and toss gently one more time. Slice the steak into very thin strips (against the grain) and then find your bottle of either Raspberry Walnut (Ken's Steak House or Newman's Own) or Raspberry Hazelnut (Wish-Bone) Vinaigrette and either dress the whole salad or allow each person to dress their own. As soon as you have as much dressing as you want, lay thin sliced strips of steak over your salad and then dive in headfirst! OMG...soooooooooooo good! I even forgot that I had a bottle of wine chilling to go with dinner, LOL! We just ate it up "as is" and didn't even think about the wine until afterward. That's OK...we'll have the wine another time...like maybe tomorrow, LOL...
Again, sorry no photos...but seriously it all comes together so fast at the finish, and I just plain forgot to take any, even though I had planned to. My recommendation would be to make this for yourself, then you can REALLY see it! It's well worth it, I assure you.
We've finally gotten into some HOT (for here) weather...now that it's September, LOL. Temps in the 90's and pretty high humidity for here too, like up into the 80% range...UCK! Me no likey! They're forecasting 98 here for this coming Saturday, so you can bet that any errands that need to be done will be EARLY in the day so I can come home and hide out in our air-conditioned house! I just can't handle heat/humidity...it truly makes me ill. I guess having had heat-stroke a couple of times in the past has made me significantly less tolerant...I sure feel it now, that's all I know!
So have a great rest of the week, and try the salad...really!

A day on the mountain...

2011-08-29T11:16:00.000-07:00

...Mt. Hood, that is. We made our annual pilgrimage to Wildwood in the Mt. Hood National Forest yesterday (Sunday) and a great time was had by all. PB and I, Jen and Kate, Sam and her 'new' hubby, her brother Nate, my niece's oldest son Kris and Kate's Chocolate Lab, J.D. We did the whole picnic thing, fried chicken, potato salad, baked beans, deviled eggs, veggies, chips, sodas and watermelon. YUM! For some odd reason, ALL of those things taste better when eaten at a picnic table out in the fresh air.
Here's a few shots of the day:


Paved paths, with picnic sites on both sides

Our picnic site, looking toward the path

Our site, view toward the river

J.D., Kate, Sam, Nate and Kris in the water-Dietrich on a rock

Jen, J.D. in his life jacket, kids in the river

Viewpoint sign over the water

J.D. resting, and babysitting the watermelon

Salmon River, SO cold...snow melt from higher up the mountain

View down the path

View of river from the path

Moss 'beards' on the trees

Nathan, wearing J.D.s life jacket...don't ask...

We were ALL exhausted by the time we got home...especially J.D., LOL! He is seriously a "water dog" and swam himself silly chasing sticks, leaves and whatever else he could find...and we had to DRAG him out when the time came! He really didn't want to leave even though he was worn out.

Wildwood is probably my favorite place in all of Oregon...the coast/beach does nothing for me, and I really don't care for snow...don't ski, don't like the cold...but running water/waterfalls will make me happy any time. My kids already know that the Salmon River in Wildwood is where I want my ashes to go when the time comes... Their Dad and Grandfather both went into Fogarty Creek at the coast, but I'd rather be up on the mountain...

So, we all had a good time...and got worn out...and J.D. got his first 'family outing' with all of us, and had a VERY good time...he's such a sweetheart. Today is just gonna be a 'rest' day...my legs and hips are sore from walking all over...Jen's still worn out, and PB has to go back to work tomorrow, the new school year at Univ. of Portland has started and they have their biggest freshman class EVER.
Something like 2,000 mouths to feed at every meal there this year...

Have a great week...

I have a "black" thumb...

2011-08-12T13:07:00.000-07:00

...meaning that if I try to grow something, I usually manage to kill it in short order! And I do love flowers...consequently, I have to resort to devious methods to be able to enjoy them, LOL!
A couple of springs ago, I bought a package of Stargazer Lily bulbs and gave them to our neighbor (the owner of a seriously GREEN thumb) to plant in HER garden so that I could see them, LOL. Only 2 of the 5 or 6 bulbs ever came up, and they didn't do very well last year, but THIS year they are beautiful!

One stalk, one bloom...

One stalk, 4 blooms!

The pond and fountain in the neighbors yard, across from our back porch. Our carport is to the left.

So I can stand on the back porch and enjoy the lovely lilies every day...I really do appreciate the fact that she's willing to plant and care for them...they're retired too, and spend lots of time gardening. It's nice to have the sound of the water bubbling and such a pretty perspective right outside the back door!

I know I haven't blogged much lately, but it's been rather (OK, very) depressed in here...my psoriasis is probably the worst it's ever been (so far) and we're all suffering from 'cabin fever' since we don't have the $$$ to even spend on the gas to go for a drive or take a day trip. And PB has her hours cut back during the summer, and so we operate on less then usual. I've started taking Vit. D3, and added Turmeric this week...and I've started taking St. John's Wort, so hopefully that will eventually help with the depression...but it's a slow process. "T3"...Things Take Time.

OK, enough of that...today I plan to start working on an 'altered' picture frame for the newlyweds, to put one of their wedding pictures in...I'll try to remember to put a photo of it up when I'm done...it's taken me a while to get all the 'stuff' I need to make it. PB found some sheet music at Goodwill the other day, so now I can start decoupaging and go from there.

Happy Friday to all...have a good weekend!

Awesome...

2011-08-06T22:01:00.000-07:00

Perspective...

2011-07-24T22:48:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I forget...THESE are "the good old days"...

Grab some coffee...

2011-06-29T00:40:00.000-07:00

...this is a BIG one, LOL!
The kids are home from their honeymoon at Doe Bay on Orcas Island in the San Juans, and Sam got the discs from the photographer on Monday. It didn't take me long to 'borrow' one, so I could get started on scrapping! Here are some of my favorites from the set:

Oaks Pioneer Church in Portland

I LOVE this one!

They're so cute together...

Sam & her bridesmaids

Dietrich & his groomsmen (and woman)

Soooooooooo much food (it was potluck)!

No comment required...

Ditto...

Silliness

The last week has been really odd...kind of a letdown after all the preparation and scurrying around frantically...suddenly it's over and we're all sort of "what now?"
But life goes on...Jen spent most of this last Sunday night in the E.R. again...she now has some kind of 'new & improved' migraine that the meds she had didn't touch. She woke up with it Sunday morning, but it wasn't until one side of her face started tingling that evening that we decided to go in. So from about 7:30PM till 3AM we sat in one of the Acute rooms waiting for someone to decide what to do with her. It wasn't till shift change and one of the docs she used to work with came on that things finally started to happen...unfortunately, migraines are one of those things determined by 'exclusion' more than anything. After telling them "her dad lost his vision due to glaucoma, and her grandfather died of an undiagnosed brain tumor" they decided a CT might not be a bad idea after all! All normal, so change the migraine med back to what worked before...and Son of a Gun, whaddaya know...some Zomig, a few hours sleep and no more migraine! That's why they call it "practicing medicine"...OY!
Other than that, there's really not much going on here...we've had some sunny days (finally!) but we've got rain again tonight and for the next day or so. But the holiday weekend is supposed to be nice. Maybe I'll even grill something! I finally talked PB into getting a gas grill, so we've got one on the deck now...I did rib-eye steaks with grilled red peppers, zucchini and onions a few days back...YUM! Maybe I'll try just burgers next...I'm new to this, so it's trial and error, LOL. So far, so good...
OK...it's late, and I'm losing my train of thought...so I think I'll head for bed. I want to start scrapping some of those photos tomorrow and I'll try to remember to post what I do. Have a great rest of the week, wherever you are!

May I introduce...

2011-06-18T12:39:00.000-07:00

...Samantha & Dietrich F.!

Sam & Dietrich, and Nathan (my grandson, Sam's brother, the Best Man)

Cake from JaCiva's !


Samantha Rae...my beautiful Boo

I wish I had more to share, but I have a lot of shots of the backs of bald heads and other assorted body parts in MY photos! We got 9 out of 10 of the disposable cameras back (we're pretty sure we know who took one, LOL) and they all seem to be full! When I have them put on CD, I'll try to get a couple more photos up...but in the meantime, THIS is what all the work and fuss was for!
Everyone was exhausted by the time we got home last night, and basically just crashed into bed. The newlyweds are spending the weekend and Father's Day with Dietrich's dad, who came back from Peru (I guess he's a bush pilot) for his son's wedding. Then they're going someplace called Doe Bay up in the San Juan Islands for their honeymoon.
So...everyone had a great time, there was SO much food we all ended up bringing some home...the weather was PERFECT, about 74 and beautiful (as opposed to today, it's raining again, LOL!) and poor Jen has to drive the cousins back to Newport today, UGH.
And Yes, her tattoo does say 'Baby'...and the paw print is of the Russian Blue kitty she grew up with. The vet sent them a paw print in plaster with his name on it after he died, and she had it copied for her tat. She also has a treble clef on the back of her right shoulder since she was in both choir and band in school. Some of the girls she was in a cappella with were her bridesmaids, they're all still good friends.
All right, time for more tea...and possibly a nap later, LOL...all that excitement is hard on an old lady!
Have a great weekend all!

I finished up...

2011-05-28T12:45:00.000-07:00

...the rest of my contribution to the upcoming wedding, Yay! This didn't take me anywhere near as long as the Guest Book project, though...it was fairly easy, thanks to PhotoShop Elements and paper punches.
I bought a package of 10 disposable cameras from Wal-Mart, then made up little cards for them to go on the tables at the wedding reception.

Hopefully the kids will have LOTS of photos for their wedding album, and lots of neat memories for years to come. They're planning on doing "The Time Warp" from Rocky Horror, ROFL, so I personally plan on taking lots of photos of THAT!
Have a good Memorial Day...we're expecting more rain here all weekend and most of next week as well. But then again, it's Rose Festival! It almost ALWAYS rains during Rose Festival...it wouldn't seem right if it was dry and sunny, LOL!

Basic dignity...

2011-05-25T10:44:00.000-07:00

...a seemingly lost concept these days. Just read this GREAT blog post on the "human connection", and thought it was worth sharing.

http://www.ordinarycourage.com/my-blog/2009/6/16/this-i-believe-about-basic-dignity.html

OW...I may have sprained something...

2011-05-23T12:38:00.000-07:00

...attempting to pat myself on the back, LOL! Seriously though, I am pretty pleased with myself! A couple of months ago, PB brought home a Guest Book from one of those outlet/clearance stores, with the idea of using it for Boo's wedding. However, it was bright red vinyl, with red & black dots on the inside...and Boo's colors are lilac and cream. Um...yeah...not quite right. But she said "Well, we can re-cover it, right?" So we went to the fabric outlet store and found some great stuff for the outside, then we found some 'inside' papers at Joann's that looked good with the fabric...I made some flowers and sparkled them up...and TA-DA!
Here's what the inside paper looked like (I forgot to take a 'before' picture of the whole book)-


Bleh!

And here's what it looks like now-

I'm very happy with how it turned out, and I hope Boo will be too! And yes, that is (or at least used to be) the dining room table, LOL! It's completely covered in papercrafty stuffs...we eat in the living room in front of the TV...doesn't everyone?! ROFL!
So now I'm completely fired up and ready to start another project! I just need to decide what it's going to be. I've got some stuff to make a "mini album", and a couple of plain wood boxes I want to alter...plus a wall hanging plaque or two (you can see one on the right in the last photo) that I'm already working on. So I'd best get busy and see what else I can do while I seem to have the inclination!

GROW THE F**K UP...

2011-05-17T22:40:00.000-07:00

...or step away from the keyboard until you can at least behave in a socially acceptable manner! Wow, it never ceases to amaze me how petty and immature people can be online. These are alleged ADULTS...and astonishingly (to ME anyway) is that when you take them to task for it, their almost uniform response is "It's just the internet!"
I've said before that my daughter spends a great deal of time in internet chat rooms...that's her connection to the outside world. She has two auto-immune diseases, so her body isn't really able to deal with the germs that most of us come into contact with regularly...a cold can put her down for over a month! So she doesn't go out much...it's a giant Petri Dish out there as far as she's concerned.
Some of these "alleged adults" in the chat rooms are the most belligerent, hostile, selfish, rude and just plain nasty people I've ever seen or heard! And their justification...? "It's just the internet!" Holy Shit! That makes it O.K.?! Having internet access is NOT a license to be an asshole!
And I know it's not just chat rooms...a friend blogged recently about a friend of HERS that has started a fight on Facebook.
What is wrong with these people?! Don't they realize that there is a PERSON in front of the screen at the other end of their vitriol? Would they say the same things if they were face-to-face with the other person? Yes, I know, in some cases they would...but the other individual would at least have the satisfaction of being able to respond accordingly...be it to walk away, or to punch them in the throat!
This is not Trolling...an Internet Troll can be ignored, and will usually go away if no one responds. This is often a vicious personal attack from the safety of their home/space, secure in the knowledge that the other person CAN'T reach through and punch them in the throat! I wish we could petition the ISPs of these morons to have them put in a "Time Out" when they abuse the internet! And it IS abuse...there's no other way to put it.
Jen is a Moderator in the chat room she hangs out in, and she's gotten very good at NOT allowing people there to be contentious or abusive there...and if they are, she DOES have the means to put them in "Time Out"! And she uses it. I'm very proud of her, and I guess what I want to say is: We, as parents and internet users, have a responsibility to teach our children and any others who might learn from us that interaction and conversation on the internet should be just as civilized and polite as it would be in our own living room.
That's pretty much how our kids first learn to interact...is by watching and listening to us converse with others. Maybe there needs to be a course in 'Internet Communication' starting in Middle School, that teaches common internet courtesy and respect for others. Yeah, I know...it's pretty much up to US...
OK, I'm getting down from my soapbox now...I've ranted long enough...but DAMN, I do wish those people would grow up!

Local news and weather...

2011-05-11T18:12:00.000-07:00

"Portland's rainfall so far in 2011 has measured just over 47 inches. That's 10 inches over the entire yearly average." (Courtesy of KGW.com)
Yeah...it's been a wet year so far...and there's more on the way...sigh... It's hard to be upbeat and cheerful when it's unremittingly cloudy, gray and dark... Good thing I have bloggy friends and interwebby stuffs to make me smile!
I laughed my ass off at 'Stine, she's taken to Pinterest like a duck to water! I think it's possible that she spent an entire DAY pinning! Kind of like me, when she turned me on to StumbleUpon...
So yeah, it's cold, wet and rainy here...but PB's car is fixed and running very well (it WAS the timing belt), so she's happy. I have a touch of some kind of bug...VERY achy muscles and just tired all over. Got to the store, but didn't get my Chicken Spaghetti made...that'll be dinner later this week.
I'm just gonna be a lump, I think...maybe Stumble some and maybe Pin some...have a great rest of the week.

It's not my fault...

2011-05-10T00:44:00.000-07:00

...it's Kristine's fault! Seriously! I've seen references to StumbleUpon around forever, but had never bothered to go check it out until 'Stine recommended it. Holy Crap! I've been all OVER the interwebs for the past week or so, and it's eating up HUGE portions of the day just sitting here clicking away, ROFL! And then I had to go and join Pinterest, so you know, there's another chunk of hours gone...OY! I think I may have an addiction problem. BUT...I now know how to make my own liquid hand soap from bar soap, and I'm having my neighbor make me one of these, and I've got loads of new recipes to try and...well, you get the picture. Plus there was a sale at Michael's, and a trip to Craft Warehouse in there as well...and some crafty playing too.
I did manage to go get Boo's wedding napkins (lilac with their names & the date in black) ordered, so that's done. Then I think I going to order these to put on the tables at their reception. The wedding date is creeping up on us at a ferocious rate!
Sunday my poor sis's car broke down on her on the way home from work (graduation weekend at Univ. of Portland) and she had to walk about a mile or so home...because her new cell phone was dead and she couldn't call anyone to come pick her up! I beat her and made her find the car charger cord and put it in her purse! LOL! It does NO good to have the damn thing if it isn't charged...ACK! We had the car towed (Yay, AAA!) to Kate's...her boyfriend/thing is a mechanic, and he's pretty sure it's the timing belt and will fix it over the next couple of days. PB had Monday off, but works Tuesday then has the rest of the week off. She's driving Jen's van to work Tuesday, so that leaves my car here for a grocery run. We need milk, plus I want to make Pioneer Woman's Chicken Spaghetti and I need a couple of things for that...nomnomnom!
So, have a good week...and I'll try to force myself to break away from StumbleUpon and Pinterest long enough to post here again soon.
And here's a LOL for ya'...

Everyone needs to smile...

2011-04-27T23:30:00.000-07:00

...and here's a good reason to:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/confessions/

Be sure to click on the link in the post, too.

If you've ever been owned by a cat...

2011-04-23T20:16:00.000-07:00

...you'll appreciate the clear and elegant depiction of Solange by Brooke McEldowney. He creates one of the funniest and most thought provoking cartoons around...9 Chickweed Lane. It can be found on the web here:
http://comics.com/9_chickweed_lane/ I highly recommend it.
In the meantime...here are some of his "Hallmarks of Felinity" from over the years:
http://www.student.ipfw.edu/~osbodr01/hallmarks/hallmark00.html
Enjoy!

In case you haven't caught it yet...

2011-04-23T00:02:00.000-07:00

There's a new Simon's Cat video...

And I've been challenged! 'Stine, over at Kristine's Place wants me to do the list of Four Things. I think I'm up to it, LOL.

Four Places I Go:

1. Craft Warehouse - Papercraft junkie that I am...
2. Michael's - Ditto
3. Powell's City of Books - Dangerous! Too many choices, not enough $$$!
4. Dollar Tree - Cheap kitchen/bath stuff and the occasional good deal.

Four Smells That I Love:

1. Sandalwood & Amber - The shop where I used to have my own personalized scent made is still there, I just drove by it the other day!
2. Bread baking - I should start making bread again!
3. Lemons & Oranges - Limes too, actually...that sharp citrus tang just smells 'happy' to me.
4. Wildwood Recreation Area - On the slopes of Mt. Hood...when you walk down to the Salmon River amongst all the trees and natural undergrowth, there's a clean, clear, green scent that is so fresh and inviting.

Four Favorite TV Shows:

1. Warehouse 13 - Between seasons now :(
2. Haven - Ditto
3. Ghost Hunters - Love Jason and Grant!
4. Dirty Jobs - Mike Rowe, need I say more?

Four Favorite Movies:

1. The Fisher King - Jeff Bridges & Robin Williams...I can't explain why.
2. Boondock Saints - Um, yeah...
3. Boondock Saints II - Same reason...
4. Iron Man/Iron Man II/Sherlock Holmes - Yeah, I'm ALL about Robert Downey, Jr....even if he could be one of my kids...sigh...

Four Recommendations:

1. I Can Has Cheezburger - At least one smile a day, if not more.
2. Pioneer Woman - Because she ROCKS!
3. National Geographic - Amazing photos and so much more.
4. Pandora Radio - Kinda like StumbleUpon for tunes...

Four People...Seriously, I don't know that many people to 'tag' with this. If you feel like it, go for it!

That's it for me...have a great weekend, all! And Hoppy Easter!

It ALWAYS makes me laugh...

2011-04-19T22:10:00.000-07:00

...every single time...

I swear, I just blinked...

2011-04-18T21:00:00.000-07:00

...and this happened!


Boo at about a year....


...her engagement ring, that she designed...


...her wedding dress fitting...

My Boo-Boo, my first grandchild and ONLY granddaughter will be 21 on Tuesday (4/19)! This can't possibly be right...it seems like only a little while ago that she would come to my place for sleepovers and we'd take the bus into downtown and spend all day window shopping and having lunch at Newberry's or Woolworth's counter. We would spend an entire day just hangin' out together and having a great time. We were BFFs...
Now she's all grown up and getting married in 2 months. I'm happy and excited for her, yet I'm sitting here typing this with tears in my eyes...I miss you, little girl...

Nor did it work...

2011-04-12T12:04:00.000-07:00

...at least not on the cat...

I'm really kickin' myself now...

2011-04-11T21:41:00.000-07:00

over what could have been a HUGE money-making opportunity! Or possibly not...
See this? They're selling it in Germany at 4,95 Euros per bottle...
"Anti-Monster-Spray unter das Bett, auf das Kopfkissen und in dunkle Ecken sprühen."
(Anti-monster spray under the bed, spray on the pillow and into dark corners.)

When Booger was about 3, he was having terrible nightmares and night terrors. He complained of monsters in his room and under his bed, in his closet, etc. So on my way to Jen's one afternoon I stopped at Dollar Tree and picked up an empty spray bottle from the cleaning supplies section and a small bottle of Plumeria after-bath body spray.
When I got there, he told me about how scared he was at night. I told him I had JUST the thing! Umma's Magic Monster-Stay-Away Spray! I mixed about half the (small) bottle of body spray in the larger spray bottle, filled about halfway with tap water, and shook it up thoroughly. I told him that monsters could NOT stand the smell and that they wouldn't come anywhere near where it had been sprayed...
Needless to say, he led, and we covered ALL the bedrooms and closets, cubbys and corners where there could POSSIBLY ever be a monster lurking! And it WORKED! Another 'spritz' now and then when the scent faded...but no more monsters. They used it in the new place when they moved, too, and it worked just as well there.
So why didn't I think of putting it in cute little bottles with a cutesy label and selling it at 5 bucks a pop?!?!?! Really, it's a rhetorical question...I have no idea why. But I don't think it ever occurred to me that anyone might actually BUY something like that...I can't help but wonder what their sales are like. Are there more monsters under German beds?
I missed out on the Pet Rock thing too...sigh...

Yes...yes it does...Happy Friday!

2011-04-08T11:29:00.000-07:00

No Crocodiles were injured...

2011-04-02T17:18:00.000-07:00

...ever, in the making of 'Alicious Crocodile...promise!
When my daughter Jen was pregnant with her twins, she had lots of issues that involved sudden trips to the E.R. and sometimes overnight stays to get them resolved. When that happened, I would watch her oldest for the duration. Quite often, I would leave work and head to the hospital, pick up Booger Bear and take him back home to their place, make him dinner, keep him entertained and then get him to bed before Jen & her (ex, now) hubby got back home. He was about 2 and a half when he renamed this particular dish...Jen had some chicken thawing for dinner before she had to leave, so I just decided to make Coffee Chicken, somewhat of a standby in our family for years.
So I made dinner, and we sat down to eat...and a few minutes into it, Booger announced "Umma, this is 'alicious!" (he couldn't pronounce Grandma, so I've been Umma since he learned to talk) and a little later, while gnawing on a chicken leg, he said "We're eating croco-DILE!" and had this HUGE smile on his face. So...therefore...it's been "'Alicious Crocodile" ever since.

So here's the recipe for it, also known as Coffee Chicken...it sounds odd, but believe me, it's GOOD! It's also one of those things you can easily adjust for the number of people you're feeding...just add more chicken and potatoes as needed.

You need pieces of cut-up chicken, we like legs and thighs at our house (we buy the family packs and freeze them in bags of 4 to 6)...you need potatoes, however many it takes to fill up YOUR particular bunch...we use LOTS! And you need a pot of coffee...freshly made is best, but this morning's leftovers are fine too. Just DON'T use flavored coffee!! Oh, and Nature's Seasons too...can't cook without it, LOL. That's it.

Brown the chicken thoroughly...you want a nice color on it, as the last bit of cooking it'll get is actually steaming. We just brown it in a bit of Pam and season it with Natures's. Peel and quarter however many potatoes you need and throw them in a large pot...we use the all-purpose Dutch Oven. Pour brewed coffee over the potatoes to the point where some corners of them are sticking up ABOVE the liquid level, and season liberally with Nature's. You want your chicken to rest on top of them and not be submerged in the coffee, if possible. Place the browned chicken pieces on top of the potatoes in the pot, clap the lid on, bring to a boil...reduce the heat and cook till the potatoes are done, and there you have it.

We usually have some green beans (with bacon grease and onion, of course) alongside this, but spinach is good too...we love canned spinach, LOL. This is one our favorite ways to have chicken, and if you don't tell them, guests will never figure out what that yummy broth is that the potatoes cooked in.
Try it, you'll like it!

Where I go when I'm discombobulated...

2011-03-31T14:30:00.000-07:00

Cooking by the seat of your pants...

2011-03-29T01:43:00.000-07:00

...as blogged by a dear ifriend (http://jodianncates.com/weblog/) is one of those things that has saved my sorry ass many times over the years. Even if my girls did sometimes poke what was on their plate with a fork and ask "What was this when it was alive?!" Working full time and having 2 growing kids and a diabetic husband to feed called for some creative cookery...and not a whole lot of time to get it done sometimes.

I learned to cook from my Mom, and she grew up on a farm in Minnesota...so there were a lot of plain "meat and potatoes" meals, but I also remember that she went to county extension service classes and brought home recipes for Pennsylvania Dutch cookery among many others. She also went to the county fair every year and picked up every recipe she could from all the "associations" represented there.

Dad wasn't thrilled about any variation from the regular fare, but us kids (me, 1 brother and 1 sister, plus various foster kids over the years) looked forward to some of the new and interesting offerings. We had chickens and ducks for eggs, plus the occasional stew hen (our ducks ran away from home, to live with someone else, LOL)...and we also raised goats for a while...they cleaned up all the blackberries around the property, then we ate them! I was heartbroken when they slaughtered them...they were my FRIENDS! They were, however, very tasty...sigh...even now I'm conflicted...

I don't think anyone could have been more excited than me when the CrockPot hit the market...what a concept! But Jeez! You had to plan ahead and have things ready to go into it first thing in the morning...and I'm not really a morning person...nor a planner-aheader...(see paragraph one)...but, when I DID plan ahead, we could have some great meals!

We currently have 2...one 6 quart, and one of those oblong ones for bigger roasts and such. I love, love, LOVE them! Soup, stew, beans, cheap cuts of beef or pork, chicken...yup, gotta love what it does. Between them and the microwave, it's SO much easier to put a good meal together...then I can spend all day playing on the interwebs and stuff, LOL!

One of my favorite dinners is a recipe Jen got from one of her friends, and then I "modified" it a couple of times. It's called Iowa Pork Steaks, and is found all over the web in numerous variations, usually baked in the oven.
But here's MY version:
Brown some medium or thick cut boneless pork chops till they're nicely colored all over & set aside.
In the crockpot, mix 2 cans of Cream of Mushroom with Roasted Garlic Soup (I sometimes add about 1/2 a can of water), 1 packet of dry Onion Soup Mix, 2 good 'glugs' of Worcestershire Sauce and a cup or so of sour cream. Mix it all up together.
In the same pan you browned the chops, throw in some butter and a box or 2 of sliced mushrooms and cook them till they smell so good you want to eat them right NOW...pour them into the crockpot with the rest of the sauce and mix them in. Plop the chops into the pot, and try to make sure they're sunk into the 'gravy'. Spoon some over the tops if needed. Clap the lid on and cook for 6 to 7 hours on LOW. Serve up with some mashed potatoes or buttered noodles. OMNOMNOMNOM!!
This recipe also works extremely well with boneless skinless chicken breasts...but I leave out the Worcestershire and add some whole roasted garlic cloves (there's no such thing as too much garlic in our house).

I should probably also tell you that the seasoning of choice here is Morton's Nature's Seasons, I honestly don't know how I ever cooked without it! So...there you go...try it, you'll like it! Tomorrow I'll give you my recipe for 'Alicious Crocodile!

Squish...

2011-03-25T10:05:00.000-07:00

...squish, squish...it's gettin' kinda soggy here... This was posted on one of our local news websites (KATU) : " By the way, if you're counting 23 out of 24 days this month have had rain. At 27 days it will be a new record for most number of rainy days in March." And it appears that we're well on our way to making that record...guess what's in the forecast???
Oh well...Spring in Oregon...one long wet season...I've got pork chops to stick in the crockpot, and I think I'm gonna make a cake. So dinner will be comfort food and SUGAR! LOL...
I decided NOT to go to the Scrapbook Convention...I've got enough stuff for now, and Boo has her money tied up in her wedding, so it's just best all around if we stay away from temptation!
Have a great weekend, try to stay warm and dry wherever you are!

Psyched...

2011-03-23T23:38:00.000-07:00

...no, not Psycho...well, not a LOT, anyway! We just ordered a HealthMaster (Montel Williams) blender/emulsifier thingy!
It'll take about a month to get here, I guess...but I'm already excited about it. We've been thinking about a Vita-Mix for quite a while, but Jeebus, they're SO freakin' expensive! This thing has pretty much the same power and does the same things, but is less than 1/2 the price. Plus they had a web special with free shipping, and that pretty much sealed the deal. So I'm looking forward to lots of smoothies with fresh fruit and yogurt and fresh spinach all whirled together in our new toy. Plus it makes soup, ice cream & sorbet, sauces and lots of other yummy stuffs too. Do any of my (many, LOLOLOL) readers have one? I've read a lot of reviews, and they really run the gamut from absolute "Oh this has changed my life" praise to "don't EVER buy this crap!" so I'm not sure what to believe...guess we'll just have to wait and see for ourselves.
So, not much else going on here in rainy PDX...lots of daffys coming up, and flowering trees starting to bloom (sniff, snort, HONK-excuse me while I wipe my watering eyes)...but Spring is definitely here! I made buckwheat waffles (Bob's Red Mill) and sausage patties for dinner tonight...NOM! Plus PB bought some Red Raspberry Syrup last time we were at the Mill store...and that is DELISH! It'd be really good on some ice cream too.
I can't decide if I'm going to go to the CK Scrapbook Convention this weekend here in town...I've been to a couple of them a few years ago, but I have so much paper and other stuff now and I know I'd just find something more I HAD to have...sigh... Maybe my granddaughter wants to go, LOL...that's a good excuse, right?
Have a happy/soggy/springy Thursday... :)

Happy St. Paddy's Day...

2011-03-16T22:45:00.000-07:00

...it's good to be Irish...even if it's only one day a year, LOL! If I had any Guinness, I'd drink it, but I'm fresh out, as they say. And since I'm the only one who likes it, there's not really any point in buying a 6-pack. I don't like beer-beer (except poured over a pork roast while it's cooking) but I do like stouts and porters. Cream stouts especially...I get Widmer Bros. Drop Top every once in a while, and it's yummy. Plus we have the McMenamin Bros. all over the place, and they brew some AMAZING things, like their seasonal specialties. McMenamins Seasonals And their Ruby Ale, flavored with Oregon raspberries is soooo good, and I like their Terminator Stout and Black Rabbit Porter as well.
And then they have things on their menu like High Pasta: Linguine tossed with fresh spinach, garlic, tomatoes, & roasted hazelnuts in brown butter with Parmesan cheese...OMG, it's good!
So we had our Irish Dinner a night early...and a day later than I'd planned, LOL...but it all worked out in the end!

Roasted chickie with lots of garlic...

and Colcannon

OMNOMNOMNOM!

Have a good Thursday...remember to wear something green!

The "Oven Mitt" Incident...

2011-03-15T22:33:00.000-07:00

...aka the story (OK, one of several) that will outlive me, probably. Sigh...
I've been thinking about kids a lot lately, mine and other peoples...and how they can sometimes drive us to the very BRINK of our sanity and we have to scramble for a toehold or handle or...something. So here's a snapshot of one of the times I was really teetering close to the edge:

First you have to understand that my husband died Dec. 6th of 1978, right before Jen's 8th birthday (and Christmas)...so things were in an upheaval at our house for quite some time...in addition, my boss died suddenly of colon cancer in early 1979 and I was "promoted" to a position I was seriously unprepared to handle, we found out our Great Dane Victor (husband's dog) had congenital heart disease and was allergic to the medication, so we had to put him down...in August of 1979, my Dad finally died of the brain tumor that had gone undiagnosed for 12 years. Yeah, there was some stress. I thought I was handling it pretty well, you know, "keep on keepin' on" sort of stuff...and really, when you have children, you can't just STOP and take time to regroup or whatever. Life Goes ON...and participation is required.

At any rate...I came home from work one evening (probably late-1979) and was in the kitchen making dinner when I heard a huge commotion coming from Jen's bedroom, just down the hall from the kitchen. So I stop what I'm doing and rush in to see what the problem is...and here are both my girls, standing in the middle of the bed...their little girlie fists all bunched up...just dukin' it out!
I lost it...I didn't realize I still had on the pair of oven mitts I'd been using in the kitchen, but I took them off my hands and proceeded to smack both girls with them, yelling "How dare you hit each other?!?!"

The girls stopped, looked at me, back at each other...and then just turned and stared at me...
As I recall, I ran back through the kitchen, dropped the oven mitts on the counter on the way into the living room, dropped into a chair, put my head in my hands and thought "It's finally happened...I've lost my mind!"
I'm not sure what the girls thought, but they were very quiet for the rest of the evening...and gave me a wide berth...

We all survived my little "lapse", and all the other things as well, and just got on with our daily lives...this is what families do. For many years, it was the 3 of us against the world...and we did OK. There were some horrid times, and there were some good times...and we came out the other side stronger, I think, for having been through them. I wouldn't wish it on anyone, but we are who we are because of what we've been through together.

We often laugh (well, some of us more than others) about this now...and have been known to ask "Do I have to get the oven mitts out?" when arguments start, LOL. It's an inside joke, certainly, but it's one of those things that makes us "family".

Maybe next time I'll tell you about "This is Telephone in Rosemary Services."

So...I have this other kid...

2011-03-09T14:54:00.000-08:00

...Kate, the older of my two (by 15 months). And we were having a phone conversation last night about HER daughter, who's planning her wedding for this coming June...

Kate: "...I swear, I love her to death, but sometimes............you're biting your tongue, aren't you?"

Me: "mmmmphthph..."

Gotta love Karma...

OK...I'm all packed and ready to go...

2011-03-08T23:31:00.000-08:00

...on a Guilt Trip.
Not really, but I've taken my share over the years...and I finally decided they weren't worth the time and effort involved!
My daughter Jen and I had a conversation a couple of nights ago that made me start thinking about this... She spends a lot of time in internet Chat Rooms, and had said something which another person got all "verklempt" over. It wasn't anything bad, just a passing comment, but the other individual decided it was directed at them, and was all hurt and hostile over it. It wasn't even about them, but they took it that way. Jen said she felt bad now, and hadn't meant to cause any hurt feelings or drama. I told her she had nothing to feel bad about and that she should just ignore the other person's attempts to make her feel guilty...
a) It's not all about you, and b) really, it's NOT all about you!
"Look what you made me do!", or "See how bad you made me feel!" Nope, sorry...can't lay that blame on my doorstep. Time to stop manipulating and step up and take responsibility for yourself and how you feel. I don't need anyone to make me feel guilty about things I've said or done, I manage to do it quite well on my own, thanks! Many times I've packed up my own luggage and gone on a long and arduous guilt trip without any prompting...I just try real hard not to do it anymore. I don't always succeed, there are things that I still wish I could un-do and un-say...but I can't. So I move on...hopefully a better person for knowing that I screwed up, and having learned from it.
As for Jen, that particular person has managed to really tick her off now, LOL...by continuing to try to stir up drama where there really wasn't any. So she's not feeling guilty now, just PISSED! LOL, I love my Mouse!

Cow Something...it's what's for dinner...

2011-03-04T21:02:00.000-08:00

Asbestos Gelos...

2011-03-04T12:05:00.000-08:00

...is a survival tool that every one of us should keep in our arsenal. I present the following as an example...

“My Cretan connection began the summer I was wandering around Europe alone while waiting for my wife to finish her medical residency. No particular agenda just doing what came next. I went to Crete to see the famous archaeological digs at Knossos and to look in on a graduate school program at the Orthodox Academy of Crete. When I was ready to step off the paths beaten down by tourists, I went to a small village at the western end of thee island- a fishing village at the end of the road: Kolymbari.
      I found a room for the night and rose before the sun the next morning to go running. The day was already hot, so I dressed only in black running briefs and shoes. (It’s relevant to the story to note there that my hair and beard were white even then.) My route took me past the main kofeneion (coffeehouse) of the village where men sat outside socializing. They ignored me. I was surprised. They seemed surly, hostile, and unwelcoming.
      Later, when I mentioned this to my landlord, he said, Oh no, Cretans are very welcoming to strangers- it is an old tradition – philoxenia. But in your case the men at the kofeneion did not know what to make of you. For one thing, your hair and beard make you look like a priest, but they have never seen a half-naked priest running through the village in what looks like his underwear at that hour of the morning.”
       “Oh.”
     “No problem. Smile, wave, say good morning in Greek: Kalimera- kah-lee-mare-ha. You will find them friendly.”
     “Right.”
(Pause)
       See this from the point of view of the men at the Kofeneion. They have been gathering here at dawn for years without disturbance or distraction. Suddenly, without warning, a white-bearded, half-naked priest flashes by.
       “What the hell was that, Yorgos?”
      “Darned if I know.”
      “Tourists get weirder every year.”
      The next morning I set off running with goodwill toward men in my heart. Ready to greet the villagers. The men at the Kofeneion see me.
       ” Yorgos, Look, here he comes again.”
       Hold that moment. As I said, my appearance was a bit of a surprise in the first place. Then there is the fact of my miserable language skills. During the night, my brain changed Kalimera (good morning) to calamari, which means “squid.”
     And then there was the problem of waving. I did not know that Cretans wave with a gentle gesture of an upheld, closed-fingered hand, backside out, palm in. I didn’t know that the All-American hearty wave- arm extended, fingers open- is equivalent to giving Cretans the finger- ”Up yours!” in other words.
      To continue: Here I come. Running by the Kofeneion, I shouted, “Calamari, Calamari, Calamari,” and gave my most enthusiastic open-handed wave to all.
     The Cretans heard, “Squid, Squid, Squid” and saw “Up yours!” from the priest in the underpants.
     Well, They fell out of their chairs laughing. And shouted “Calamari, Calamari, Calamari” and enthusiastically waved “Up yours!” back at me. More than pleased, I ran on- thinking that these are truly friendly people after all- my kind of guys.
       The men in the kofeneion could hardly believe what had happened. “What planet did he fall off of?” they wondered. And of course they did what you and I would do next. During the day they told their friends about the bizarre stranger’s dawn appearance. And when their friends didn’t believe them, they said, “It’s true. come see. Have coffee in the morning.

      And sure enough, here I come again. I did notice that there were quite a few more men having coffee than yesterday.
       “Look Demetri. I told you. Here he comes. Shout “squid” at him and give him the finger and see what he does.” So they did and I did and so on. Funny, rowdy laughter all around.
      As I ran on by, I turned and gave them the All- American sign for “OK” thumb and forefinger forming a circle. They laughed even harder and gave me the “OK” sign back.
      Wonderful!
      Word gets around.
      “You’re kidding. No, come see.” The next morning even women and children were there to greet me.
     But that same morning, just after I passed the coffee house, a middle-school English teacher stopped me in the street. Serious young man, visibly upset. “Excuse me,” mister, you are making a jackass of yourself, and those idiots at the kofeneion are helping you. You should all be ashamed. You are setting a bad example. What will the children think?”
     “What’s wrong? What have I done?”
      “In the first place, he said, no self-respecting Cretan man would ever go out of his house and into the village dressed as you are. Immodest.” He went on to distinguish between calamari and Kalimera, and explained the fine points of correct waving.
      Finally, he wanted me to know that the sign for “OK” in America was the sign Cretans use for telling someone to stick their head up their own rear end. The road-rage gesture in Crete. A serious provocation that could lead to shots being fired. He conceded that good friends might use it as a perverse joke. But strangers? Never!
     I felt bad. I glanced back at the men at the kofeneion. Sheepish grins. Now they knew I knew. And I knew they knew. And so, now what? I walked away puzzled: Should I leave the village, find another running route, apologize, what?
     But I couldn’t ignore one unambiguous fact: the laughter.
     What had happened was funny. The laughter was real.
    Actually my best American friends and I would have reacted in the same way. These Cretans still seemed like my kind of guys.
      During the night my brain sorted out the problem.
      At first light I was clear in my mind what to do.
      I donned my running shorts and added to my costume a T-shirt with the blue and white Greek flag on it. Here I come.
      Solemnly, the coffee drinkers watched me approach. No gestures. As impassive as the first morning.
      “Look, here he is again, Yorgos. What do you think he will do now?”
       "Is he angry with us?”
      “Who knows?"

      To prepare for this occasion, I had asked my landlord how to insult Cretan men in a way that’s permissible only among good friends- the grossest thing- trusting you know you are kidding…..
    "Call them malackos….it is shall I say, a suggestion of masculine inadequacy….”
      As I got to the kofeneion, I slowed down.
      I stopped. Faced them.
      A tense moment. Friend or Foe?
      I smiled. “Calamari.” Then I waved, American style: “Up yours!” and growled malackos at them, while slapping my palm against my wrist…. and stood there grinning, but with heart pounding- afraid I just might get the hell beat out of me.
     The kofeneion erupted with laughter and applause. A chair was provided. “Come, come. Sit.” Coffee, brandy, and a cigarette were offered. And with their minimal English and my feeble Greek we retold and reenacted the joke we had made together- from their point of view as well as mine. Above all, they thought my way of handling the situation- the in-your-face-with-humor- had Cretan style. Arrogant. Only a true friend would be so audacious.
      I was, after all, their kind of guy- and they were mine.
      It seems there was an opening for the Village Idiot, and I filled it.
    That was the beginning.
     For a long time they knew little about me except that I was a fool and a laugher who understood something about the humor and social courage of Cretan men. To me they became friends with names like Yorgos, Manolis, Kostas, Nikos, Demetri, and Ioannis. To them I became the Americanos, Kyrios Calamari- the American, the honorable Mr. Squid.
      As I say, I have been going back for more than twenty years. They have included me in the life of the village- feasts, weddings, gossip, baptisms, wine-making, and olive harvest. My clumsy Greek amuses them still.
      I return each year in part because I expect laughter- from their timeless jokes and stories that are often raw and reckless and wicked. Jokes about old age, and sex and war and stupidity, jokes that mask fear and failure and foolishness. Their laughter is not cautious. Without this laughter the Cretans would hot have survived their travails and tragedies across the centuries. Cretan laughter is fierce, defiant laughter, an “Up yours!” to the forces of death and mystery and evil.
     They have a word for this laughter: Asbestos Gelos. (As-bes-tos yay-lohs)
     A term used by Homer actually.
     It literally means “Fireproof laughter.”
     Unquenchable laughter. Invincible laughter.
     And the Cretans say that he who laughs, lasts.
    And they have been around for a long, long time.

This is one of the stories from Robert Fulghum's book "What on Earth Have I Done?", and 'borrowed' from the blog Heart to Heart . I know that many people find Fulghum's writing "simplistic", but there are many occasions when the "simple" view is the truest view. So many times over the years I have read something of his that absolutely jumps up and smacks me in the head and makes me THINK. And sadly, sometimes I need to be reminded...but if it wasn't for Asbestos Gelos, I couldn't have gotten this far through life! I just didn't know it had a name...

It's probably too late...

2011-02-27T23:12:00.000-08:00

...but this is who I'd really like to be when I grow up...

http://www.robertfulghum.com/

...or if that's not an option, I'd like to be one of his friends.

Yay...

2011-02-25T13:25:00.000-08:00

...once again, we managed to avoid the 'snowpocalypse'! All the precipitation we had yesterday melted off before the end of the day...and the clouds disappeared. So it's clear, sunny, windy...and friggin' COLD here, but no snow! The low last night was about 28 and is supposed to be in the teens tonight...today's high is about 32 but the gusty winds are making it seem a LOT colder. I'm just thankful I don't live someplace that has these kinds of temperatures on a regular basis!
They're forecasting that we'll be back to our regular rain and mid 40s by Sunday or Monday...that works for me! As a born Oregonian, I know I won't melt in the rain...and my undercarriage has already rusted out, LOL!
Have a good weekend, stay as warm and dry as you can...

Um...yeah...

2011-02-24T20:41:00.000-08:00

Snow snow snow...

2011-02-24T15:51:00.000-08:00

...looks like Winter finally arrived in Portland! We dodged the bullet a couple of weeks ago when they forecast snow for lower elevations here...and it didn't happen...but not this time. We had about an inch on the ground this morning, but that all had melted off by Noon. It started coming down again about 1:30PM, and is now snowing heavily with a forecast of lows in the 20s overnight tonight, and in the 'teens' tomorrow night...I think this might stick around for a few days.
Oy, glad we have lots of foodage in the house already...I'm NOT going out in it! I hate snow!
It's kind of weird, sometimes it seems we have our worst winter weather in February and March, it's worse when we've had a stretch of warmish temps, because then all the spring plants get started then frozen when it goes really cold again. And all the wild birds have been acting like it was spring, LOL...singing their territorial songs and "Look at me!" songs, and now they're huddled in the hedges wondering what the hell happened!
I'll try to remember to get a photo or two tomorrow to post...LOL, in the meantime, I think I'll have another cuppa tea and enjoy my nice warm snuggy home!

I hate to admit it...

2011-02-21T20:52:00.000-08:00

...but I'm a "serial hobbyist". There have been so many things over the years that have caught my interest and that I absolutely KNEW I wanted to do...and I DID them...for a while. A few years ago it was miniatures...little houses, teeny tiny furniture and household items...trips to Miniature Shows and hobby shops for new and exciting finds...toys of all different sorts! We still have a back bedroom full of ALL kinds of weird and wonderful sh...um, stuff for mini roomboxes, vignettes and assorted whatnot.
I mean how can you resist wanting to play when you see things like these at the Seattle show:
(miniatures.about.com/od/miniaturescommunity/ig/Miniature-Roombox-Gallery)

Jewelry shop in a set of old books-1" scale

French Patisserie roombox-kitchen and shop-1" scale

Garden shop in a set of gardening books-1" scale


Picnic in a teacup-1/4" scale

However, it soon becomes very clear that this is a time-consuming and expensive hobby! Unless you know how to MAKE a lot of the stuff yourself, you pay a premium for the labor-intensive tiny accessories that you want. And rightfully so, I should add!
Can you imagine the work involved in not only this room but in all the tiny food?!

Bakery by Fern R. (www.fernr2000.com)

close-up of bakery case


Close-up of bread rack

And the artistic talent of these people is remarkable! The foods are all Fimo or Sculpey, painstakingly formed and painted. It makes me feel very inadequate, LOL!
At any rate, we have moved on from miniatures, PB found beading, and I gravitated over to digital scrapbooking, with a side trip into some papercrafting, LOL...I think there may be a giant garage sale in our future, involving lots of mini stuffs! Maybe sometime this summer, since I'm home all the time now and can try and get it sorted out! Plus it would be really nice to have that other bedroom available again...

Well, it's official...

2011-02-16T14:09:00.000-08:00

...I'm no longer merely unemployed, I'm RETIRED! I got my first Soc. Security benefit payment today...
I think it may take me a while to get used to the reality, LOL...I pretty much always assumed that I would just keel over at my desk someday, but I certainly hadn't counted on the "reduction in force" that swept through the institution where I worked! And finding a new job here in Oregon (at my age) turned out to be a joke... So when the unemployment ran out, there really weren't many options left. So I decided to just go ahead and do it.
Between my retirement from work and Soc. Sec., I'm just over the "poverty level" guidelines for the U.S.! Yippee! Thankfully, my sis and I live together and share expenses...otherwise neither one of us would make it. Plus my youngest is here with us, and she contributes too...so we're all good.
So now I have an excuse to spend all day on the internet, ROFLMAO! Like I really needed one anyway...
OK, off to the grocery store...they're forecasting some snow for the Portland metro area over the next couple of days, so I want to make sure I don't have to go out for anything if it does!

St. Valentine's Day...

2011-02-14T01:30:00.000-08:00

Seriously...

Truly!

I found the sink...

2011-02-11T23:08:00.000-08:00

...it was hiding under every cereal bowl, spoon and cup we own, LOL! Three sick people in one household makes for a LOT of dirty dishes, and no one with enough energy to clean up after everyone... But I did get to it today, and even made pork chops and stuffing for dinner, with some buttered peas and (instant) roasted garlic baby red potatos (I Love Idahoan!)...and I owe Jen a birthday cake (um, from December) so I told her I would try to make that tomorrow. We'll see how I feel then...
PB & I did run out to K-Mart yesterday afternoon, we got a new cordless phone/answering machine and one of those laundry caddy thingys. It fits nicely in between the washer and dryer, I just wish it was longer...it doesn't really hold much. But it does keep the things we use most handy without having them on the top of the dryer.
PB went back to work today, but she was exhausted by the time she got home...I guess there was one day this week that they had 10 people out sick, so they were VERY glad to have her back! It takes a lot of bodies to feed over a thousand students 3 meals a day...plus the priests, staff/faculty and all the catering they do.
The whole crew here seems to be back on the road to recovery...but we 'staggered' coming down with it...first PB, then me, then Jen...so Jen's still feeling pretty crappy, but we did manage showers and a bedding change today too, so maybe that will help. I just hope PB didn't go back to work too soon, she looked awful when she got home. But she went to bed right at 8...she gets up at 4:30 to be at work by 6AM, so hopefully a good nights sleep will see her through tomorrow. She has Sundays & Mondays off, so that will give her a couple of days to regroup.
Thanks again for all the healthy healing wishes sent our way (towards the barn, LOL!), I do believe they helped, and they are certainly appreciated! Have a spiffy weekend all...

Graham crackers...

2011-02-09T22:22:00.000-08:00

...and a tub of vanilla frosting...cinnamon toast and tea with lots of milk and sugar...hot cocoa and buttered toast. All variations of the "comfort food" we've been eating here this week, LOL. It's funny how sometimes you just need that little something that Mom used to fix for you when you were small and sickly. It can make you feel like you're being cared for, even though you have to make it for yourself.
I had to run out for milk last night, so stopped at Subway and got us all sandwiches...$5 footlongs, you know. Jen and PB each had the Spicy Italian, and I had a BLT. Pretty good, PB said she could even almost TASTE hers, LOL!
This crud has hit her the worst, she has no voice, or only a croak...runny nose, cough, sore throat, earaches, chest congestion...the works! And she works in Food Service, so she REALLY shouldn't be there as long as she's still germy. She hardly ever calls out, so they know it's pretty bad when she does...she's worked in the kitchen at University of Portland for over 30 years and they know she doesn't abuse her sick time! The rest of us (Jen & me) have just been generally puny, achy, and sinus-y (I know that's not a real word, but...) with sore throats and earaches and lots of snot.
It's just been lots of naps, tea, and more naps for the last week...oh yeah, and a couple of loads of laundry, LOL. Our old dryer expired a couple of weeks ago, and we got a new one delivered last Saturday. It's pretty spiffy...and it dries things REALLY quickly too, LOL! And today the answering machine part of the cordless phone went south and started just making odd noises continuously...so we had to turn it off to make it stop. So looks like a trip to K-Mart or somewhere is is order...we also want to get a "laundry caddy" to put between the washer and dryer to store the detergent, spray-on stain stuff, etc...like this, maybe:

So, maybe we'll both feel up to going out tomorrow...I hope so...
Many thanks to all who've sent good wishes for our speedy recovery...it's appreciated.

Cough, snort...

2011-02-07T23:35:00.000-08:00

I don't remember...

2011-02-07T16:13:00.000-08:00

...renewing our subscription to the "Virus of the Month" club, but apparently I did...we're all sick here. Lots of coughing, sneezing, headache, achy muscles...and lots and LOTS of SNOT! Bleh!
Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup for dinner tonight, yupyupyup...followed by a hot spiced cider with some "medicine" in it, LOL.

Interesting website...

2011-02-06T00:13:00.000-08:00

I think I'll be spending some time here...

http://tinybuddha.com/

Well...???

2011-02-05T13:17:00.000-08:00

Firefox has encountered an unexpected problem with windows...

2011-02-04T21:46:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, I can't find a non-YouTube version for Canada...sorry...

An explanation...sort of...

2011-02-03T21:24:00.000-08:00

...you see...there's actually a story behind both our cats' names. We always wait to name any animal we get (unless they come already named) 'cause we believe they "grow" their own name. And they always do...
In the case of Turdle, she was a tiny kitten I got one summer from the proverbial "kid with a box in front of the grocery store". She was the last one left, and the kid was in tears...I didn't have permission to bring one home (I had recently moved back in with my Mom & Sis, also another story) but I stuffed her in my jacket and off we went.
Mom grumbled quite a bit, but PB (my sis) and I convinced her to let her stay. She was a tiny little thing, only about 10 or 12 weeks old, but she was a holy terror...into everything, and that game they love..."let's see how far we can get through the entire house without ever actually touching the floor!" Yeah, that one... Mom would sit in her recliner in the living room and kick her house slippers off and nap. On this particular day, she was in the house napping, PB & I were out front in the yard doing some weeding, edging, etc. The front door was open and suddenly we hear Mom yell "You little TURD!" The kitten had climbed into her slipper and peed...um, yeah...Mom wasn't happy...and we wouldn't stop laughing.
But it was a sort of natural progression...Tortie/Turtle/Turdle...it makes more sense if you have a warped mind, LOL.
In the case of Monster, again, nothing but a small handful of fluffy furball when he came to live with us...we got him from a friend whose cat had littered and had pretty much picked him as the one we wanted. We jokingly called him "our little porkchop". Turdle was an adult cat by that point, and had NO use whatsoever for this little extremely annoying bundle of energy! We found ourselves yelling elebenty times a day "Leave her alone, you little monster!" So that's how THAT happened...the 'Potamus part came about after he topped about 15 lbs. and just kept getting bigger! He's neutered, so he weighs more than he might otherwise...but that breed is very large, and some males can get up to 30 lbs. If you're interested, Wikipedia has pretty good info on them, plus some pretty cool photos:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_Forest_Cat
I've always had a love of black and white tuxedo kitties...and he certainly is MY kitty...ask him, he'll tell you!
And this has always been my favorite photo of him.


I was a Mountain Lion in my previous life!

My second favorite is this one...


So furry handsome!

Both of these photos are several years old, he's 9 yrs. old now...and still my big baby...
Turdle is 14 and starting to get grey in spots...plus it's obvious her joints ache, and she can't jump up on things like she used to, some days she has trouble getting on the couch...
So there you have it...the story of how our kitties got their names.
TL;DR?

By request...

2011-02-03T15:06:00.000-08:00

Someone...we won't mention any names...said I needed to put up photos of our two kitty-butts on here. Be careful what you ask for, LOL...

This is Turdle (aka Turd)


And this would be Monster (aka 'Potamus)

Both very comfy on the couch on a cold, windy day...

Turdle is a cranky old Tortoiseshell lady, and the Monsterpotamus is a domestic long-hair with a LOT of Norwegian Forest Cat somewhere in his genes! He's nearly 25 lbs. of the biggest, neediest, paranoid baby you've ever seen!

THIS is actually a much more realistic photo of his sleeping habits...


basket case

...upside down, belly showing...out cold with his eyes open!

Poor underfed, unloved puddy-tat, BWAHAHAHAHA...

This is freakin' AWESOME...

2011-02-02T12:05:00.000-08:00

The Skin Gun!

Caution: Graphic images

This actually made me cry...imagine how many people can benefit from this treatment! Now we just need to get a skin gun into every hospital burn unit...imagine how amazing it would be to be able to see this kind of recovery in less than a week!

Grateful...

2011-02-01T13:23:00.000-08:00

...is what I am! That I don't live anywhere in the path of the enormous winter storm that's going on right now. That we have power, and heat, and lots of food in the house. There's lots of folks out there right now who don't! Stay warm and safe, please.

It's cold and very windy here, but a clear beautiful day otherwise. It's very deceiving, you don't even realize how cold it is until you actually go outside...my Mom used to call this kind of wind "lazy wind", that is, it's too lazy to go around you and instead just goes straight through you! We're very fortunate to live in a place with a fairly moderate climate...but there are always exceptions, LOL. We've had the occasional snow and/or ice storm that brings the city to a complete standstill. And it doesn't take very much for that to happen,LOL! We're really not prepared for weather extremes, and the people here (unless they're from someplace where it DOES snow) don't know how to drive in any kind of snow or ice conditions. I certainly don't! The winter of 2008 was one of those exceptions...we had a week of snow and blizzard conditions that turned the streets into skating rinks, and caused school and business closures for several days.
This was our front porch Christmas week 2008:

And the back deck:

It may not seem like much to other folks, but we just aren't prepared for this kind of thing in the metro area, LOL! Just a few miles north, on the slopes of Mt. Hood, they are...but it happens there every year. Down on the "valley floor", not so much.

So to all of you dealing with wind, snow, ice, power outages and suchlike...you have my best wishes and good thoughts today. Hang in there...tomorrow (2/2) is Imbolc, we're halfway through Winter and on the way to Spring!

Happy Monday...

2011-01-31T09:48:00.000-08:00

The GOOD news is...

2011-01-29T17:03:00.000-08:00

I didn't publicly go Postal and commit a felony...the bad news is: I REALLY WANTED TO! I didn't even open my sarcastic mouth and embarrass my sis and myself in Goodwill last night! It would appear that my tolerance for stupid/ignorant people is getting lower as I get older...or something. But when I'm out in public, I really don't think I should have to listen when group of 3 adults spread all over the store decides to start shouting back and forth to one another: "Where's (kid #1)? Is she with you?" "Yeah, she's right here!" "Hey, (kid #2) do you hafta PEE?! C'mon, let's go PEE!" "(Kid #3) I gotsa PEE too!" "(Kid #1) But I don't gotta PEE!" Mind you, one group is in the checkout line, one group in middle of the store, and the 3rd somewhere in the back!

I kept my mouth shut...honest...but I think my ears were steaming by the time we finally got out of there. The one woman in the checkout line in front of us kept looking at me like she wasn't sure she was going to get out before I blew, LOL. Seriously, how many of your bodily functions am I required to participate in?!
Is it wrong of me to expect other people to be somewhat discreet about these things, or at least as much I as am? Is there some new level of 'open communication' that I missed after my kids grew up? I hope not!
OK, I'm done now...I feel better...thanks for listening...

The high note of the evening was that I found a Bill Bryson book I haven't read! "The Lost Continent-Travels in Small-Town America". If you haven't read any of his books...DO! He is funny, irreverent, and has a sharp eye for human nature. I personally recommend "In A Sunburned Country" and "A Walk in The Woods". The first is about his trip to Australia, the second his adventures on The Appalachian Trail. Both well worth the time!

Waffle waffle waffle...

2011-01-27T19:32:00.000-08:00

Waffle is a funny word...but they sure are good! We bought a waffle iron this month, and we also have the good fortune to live only a few miles from Bob's Red Mill (http://www.bobsredmill.com/) so we can visit their little store anytime. Most local grocers carry their products as well. I made some of their 10 Grain Pancake & Waffle mix up tonight, and we had waffles and thin-cut smoked pork chops for dinner. NOMNOMNOM!
Now I need to go back and find Jodiann's recipe for Sour Milk Chocolate waffles to try next.

I have so much admiration and love for Jodiann and her family! They make room in their home and hearts for animals that need help. She's doing something we can't do...not because we wouldn't like to, but because we don't have the means...but if I had $$$ to spare, I would certainly send them to her. Living in a manufactured home park has a great many restrictions, and the management company has VERY strict regulations regarding pets! I understand them, but I don't particularly LIKE them. We have our 2 indoor kitties, and they have 1800+sq. ft. to live and play in, so they're fine. They do go outside once in a while, but not often, they're not supposed to be out at all...but we bend the rules a little from time to time. Back when we lived in a house, we always ended up with stray kitties coming to live with us...my girls used to say I had a sign on my forehead that only cats could see...it said "Sucker"! I think the most we ever had was 5 adults plus at least one litter of kittens.

So I'm off to find the Choccy Waffle recipe and print it off...then probably load up Sims 3 and play that for a while...it's my newest addiction, LOL. I love building and remodeling the little houses and furnishing them with loads of stuff for the Simmies...I'm easily amused...meh, it keeps me out of the Bingo parlor, LOL!

Such a warm welcome...

2011-01-25T21:02:00.000-08:00

...was unexpected, but certainly appreciated! Especially from 2 experienced bloggers that I respect and admire so much. Thanks ladies, it was a very pleasant surprise. There really are nice people on the interwebs, it just seems that the NOT so nice ones make the news and cause consternation and frustration for so many.

The internet is such an amazing thing to me...on the days when I don't take it completely for granted, that is. When my sis and I bought our first computer, we had hopes of getting our elderly housebound mother on it to try and expand her horizons by using it for exploration and possibly communication with her family in Minnesota. Much to our dismay however, she absolutely refused to have anything to do with it...she insisted she was "too old & too stupid" to try! And nothing we did or said could change her mind. She died in 2000, a few months short of her 84th birthday, without ever having even looked at a monitor or touching a keyboard...it still makes me sad sometimes. There is so much out there that would have fascinated her and given her something to do besides watch TV while PB (my baby sister) and I were at work all day.

The two of us have never looked back since that first clunky PC...we only had the one for a long time, but finally broke down and each got our own, LOL. No more fighting over it! Now we each have a desktop, I have a laptop, and my youngest daughter, J (who lives with us) has her own "desktop replacement" laptop (it's huge!). One household, 4 PCs...but only one cellphone (J's) and no Ipods, Ipads, or other tech gadgets. Unless you count my 1.5T EHD...to back up my 1T PC to...yeah, lots of digi-scrapping kits and photos and such...

I'm thankful every day for this "window" to the world...it can make me laugh, cry, and examine my beliefs and convictions...as well as allowing me to interact with amazing, talented, funny and friendly people!

Everybody has to start somewhere, I guess...

2011-01-24T01:00:00.000-08:00

So this is my first foray into the wild world of blogging! Hello Internet, how the heck are ya'? You seem fine to me, and I spend an inordinate amount of time wandering around in here most days.
I've been thinking about blogging for quite a while now...but never worked up the nerve to actually do it. But a friend seems to think I might have "something to say", so here I am. I talk to myself all the time anyway...this way maybe it'll jog my memory when I get sidetracked (which is often!)
There are already so many articulate and erudite bloggers that it's impossible to keep up with them all...but I can't stop trying. So much information and education available...FREE! All you have to do is open your browser and your mind. I never knew just how much I didn't know until I discovered the internet...but I'm doing my best to get caught up! It may take me a while though...
So...first post...we'll see how good I am about keeping it up. Hopefully, it can become a routine...and I kinda need some of that in my life right now.