A Word To The Wise

A post that I did a while back that was in good fun has gotten quite a few hits and comments.

Good thing I moderate because most of them were not kind. I imagined they were from boys or stupid men that had nothing better to do than porn surf. On my stats recently I saw that 'rubber pink gloves' was what brought said imbeciles to my blog.

So, out of curiosity I googled 'pink rubber gloves'. I have to laugh! I'm on a 'google images' page not too far after naked Tatiane. Very naked Tatiane. Then I looked at my image and the words that went with it...

The lesson? never put 'I get excited' with 'pink rubber gloves' in the same sentence -- or probably anything else for that matter!!

Ahhhh, a good chuckle for the day.

Finger vs. Vegetable Peeler

The peeler won.

I sliced the top of my pinky finger. From the center down about a 1/2". The first shave of the vegetable peeler on a grapefruit. In a flash! Slip! Shit! Ouch! Crap! 

The deepest part of the slice? almost 1/4". Blood. Blood. and more blood.

I could probably use a couple stitches, but I did what my dad taught me many many years ago...no matter how deep the gash, (And my brother had one looooong deeep gash on the underbelly of his forearm) butterfly stitches will do the trick. So that's what I did...after if finally stopped bleeding.

I just sat down to type, forgetting about the finger and ended up with words missing the letter 'a'. This is not going to be fun. I have work to do and a lot of my work involves water cleanup, plus I can be a little OCD on washing my hands. Injuries on a hand is never a good thing. 

Note to self: no more peeling citrus. Well, that probably won't happen -- SO -- get fingers out of the way when peeling citrus. Ahhhhhh, there we go.

Oh Snowy Snowy Night

One of the most beautiful times to go out into the hot tub is when there is a light snow falling, it's midnight and all is quiet. The warmth the hot water gives you right to your bones, makes one sleep like a baby.

This was going to be one of those nights.

Until I got out there only to find that for some reason the water is 95 degrees and not 104 degrees like it's supposed to be! Aaarrgghh.

My toes are cold.

Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

Dear vintage Vitamix,

Oh, how I have adored you. It was a tremendously difficult decision to let you go. I love your look, your all metal construction, the hard work you've done for me over the years, but alas, I must move on, I was seduced by another. More muscular, stronger, faster. I couldn't help myself, I went to see it perform and I was smitten, (plus, it came with an extra pitcher for free and an extra year of warranty)...I could not pass it by. I was going to keep you on the side, as you are far better looking, but I cannot be a mistress of two, I am not capable of such disloyalty.

It breaks my heart, but you must go, another will find you and you will be loved again.

Ahhhh, my new love...

You have proven yourself to me time and time again, even though I've known you for such a short while. You are the best Christmas gift. Your swiftness and abilities have swept me off my feet, and I am better for it. I am glowing from the nectar of your cup. I was not being satisfied fully by 'the other' and you have filled me completely.

I think we will have a long, beautiful life together.

Theatre Going

photo taken from the 'Norwich Bulletin'

Last night a friend invited me to see The Boy In The Bathroom at the Spirit of Broadway Theater, located in Norwich, CT. It is a very small venue, intimate and up close with the actors...all 3 to be exact. It starts as a story of OCD, but builds up to a much bigger picture of life, what it brings to us and how we deal with it. It was funny, touching and moving. It is a musical, as the actors sang their parts, but no dancing was involved. Thought provoking and philosophical. Very enjoyable. If you live in the area, you should see it. 

New Year's Beginnings...

The good, bad and ugly, continued....

Monday morning was started by meeting with a client. I brought them sample boards of a faux finish I will be doing on the walls of their combined dining room/sitting room area. The finish mimics grasscloth. They loved everything about it, the color, the visual texture, they were very excited, which makes me happy.

R. had some tree work to do and thought he'd have assistance from the homeowner he was doing it for, but the guy had to leave. I got the call for help. I act as the groundsman on his jobs sometimes. This one would be pretty easy, I'd have to lower some limbs when he cuts them. It's kind of cool. He is like a monkey in a tree. This is the first time I was really nervous about him being up there. The way the widow makers (tree lingo for branches dangling from a tree) were up there and where they were and how far out on a branch that looked unstable, made my heart jump. I've seen him up in a 70 foot tree, at the top and it swaying after large branches have been dropped...no problem, but when he's precariously perched with only his rope tethering him to another limb...I get a little nervous. But all was well, we packed up and off we went.

The adventures for the day was to go look at a car an hour away and to bring Lexie to Shelly's. I've been searching for a new car for a few weeks. When I do research, I do it obsessively. If I'm on the computer, which ends up being all the time when researching something, I'm going from website to website looking for the best car for the best deal. Narrowing down which brand and style I want, then finding one that fits certain criteria. I used to just take what I could get but I wanted a white or light blue exterior and a grey interior. The latter being the most important. I don't do well with tan interiors visually, and with dogs....well, need I say more. The only acceptable thing in tan would have been leather.

I wouldn't normally be searching only two years after the last purchase which was this 1997 Subaru Outback,

but that one ended up not being a very good choice. It was a 'I need a car now' type of purchase because it had been a couple months since my car crash and I just needed a vehicle of my own instead of using R's. We've just had to put money into it what feels like every 6 months. Now it has other things going wrong and we made the decision to not continue wasting the money and to buy something else. Something else meant something newer than 10 years old. Totally out of my category of buying cars. Spending more than $5000 on a car is scary shit, but I need reliability and longevity. I finally settled on a Toyota Rav4, 2006-2010. I found a 2006 Sport with sunroof priced $3000+ below market value.

It's very clean inside which is huge for me. It has 55k miles on it, which does not bring it over the national average per year, and I'm comfortable with it. If you've been looking for a car, have you noticed how high mileage is on them and still how much they are priced at??? I soon as I saw this one online, I knew it was the one. The guy selling it was awesome, a little used car place in Williamsburg, MA. All of his vehicles look to be in excellent shape and priced under market value.

So with that decision made, and feeling good about it, we were off. Shelly was expecting me around 2-2:30 and we were running on time. The new dogs that came in have gotten quick interest and one would be leaving, so... I was bringing Lexie there because having an intact male and an in-heat female in my small house does not work. They were crated too much and Rufus was beside himself with desire. Off we went for the hour's drive. I got to meet the rest of the crew that came in and fell in love with Macie.

Her picture does not do her justice. She is petite, cautious and sweeeeet. I wanted to take her with me, but she is in heat, too.

Tandy is Queen B

Lizzy is a cutie pie

and Emmie is still with us and making progress

I had a hard time leaving Lexie, she was so good and so sweet, but maybe it's good so that I don't get too attached. ;-) With that done, we started home -- another hour of driving.

We got a mile away from Shelly's house and the temperature gauge was through the roof hot and the smell of the radiator was coming into the car, plus we had no heat...Yup, the car was over heating, but no steam was coming out from under the hood. We pulled into the Big Y parking lot. We had to wait for the car to cool before opening the radiator cap so we went in and bought some fried chicken parts and anti-freeze and went back out to the car to eat our snack. We were starving from not having any lunch, and truth be told, this was not our smartest choice of foods, it chewed and tasted old and it was way too fried.

When enough time had passed, the radiator was replenished with fluid and off we went, remarking on the good fortune of having just purchased a newer car. Funny how things happen. Although, this car is not dead in the water, it's good to know that the back up will be here in a couple days.

Happy New Year!!!!

OK, I'm a few days late in my well wishes, but I do hope that 2012 is a happy, healthy and productive one for everyone. 

My New Year's beginnings...the good, the bad, the ugly...

Sunday was a beautiful day but I didn't realize that until about 1pm. All morning I felt like I was walking in circles, needing to get things accomplished, but accomplishing nothing. I was waiting for information from two people so that I could schedule my day. Not knowing puts me into a wait and see funk instead of a go with the flow attitude and live on. I was also regretting my decision to not spend the day with R. and his girls, so the waiting and thinking I could have gone with them after all, made me cranky. I basically moved things around, packed some things up, moved things around.

My friend Toni took Rufus for the weekend, to get him away from Lexie. He was crazy boy with Lexie being in heat and really needed some time away from heightened hormone activity. He, apparently, is a very excellent dog. Well behaved, listens, comes when called, and can be off leash on the trails without going out of sight and comes back quickly when called. The down side to the 'off leash on trail' thing? He likes to roll in things. She thought he was rolling in some mud, upon further inspection -- found it to be poop. I got 'THE CALL.' "Help, there's a stream to rinse him in but I need towels." Off I go to save the day.

The friend she was hiking with is an avid exerciser so she had some Pantene Shampoo in her bag of tricks along with a towel. They rinsed him in the stream, doing a quick shampoo, and dried him off. When I came into the parking area where they were he was bundled in a pink towel shivering. It was very cute, really. I put him in the car and as I chatted with the girls, he dried off a little more from the sun, and wanted to get out of the crate to run around again. They were telling me of the whole event, dramatic effects and all and mentioned that they inspected the poop and it was diarrhea. Yikes! the way they said it, I looked at them and with caution, asked..."was it human?" "Yes, they thought so." DOUBLE YIKES!! Yes, you can freely gag with that one. He got a full bath when I returned home with him.

While talking with them I realized how beautiful the day was. I'm very good being a homebody, but with that, I sometimes do not take advantage of the beautiful weather because I get busy in the house. With this weather revelation I thought about what I could do outside for the afternoon. Well, it isn't very exciting to the average bear, but I went into the garage and organized it a bit and packed some stuff up for the thrift store. This is where the sewing machines moved to from the kitchen a few weeks ago, neatly lined up by my hero who did the unforgiving task of moving all those machines. It was a reminder to get on the ball and get them moved along.

Last week I picked up on the side of the road 7 boxes of yarn. The boxes were marked 'free yarn' so what's a recycler to do but put them in the car? But then, I put them in the garage. I went through the boxes and kept a few skeins but mostly cleaned up any added miscellaneous debris and boxed them back up, put them back into the car and off to the thrift store they will go today. It's so refreshing to clear a space.

Sunday night , when R. came home I was a bit off and finally admitted to him the disappointment of the day, that I missed not being with them on such a beautiful day, that I felt I didn't ACCOMPLISH anything. It's something I was holding onto for the day and it effected me with him...once I let my story out, I felt so much better and started to have a lighter heart. I told him about Rufus's adventure and my spirits were lifted.

We had some dinner and watched Grey Gardens. I picked it up from the library a few days before. I read about it a few months ago on some of the blogs I follow and knew I wanted to see it, but forgot about it. Interesting story. I'd like to see the original documentary made in 1975. I will have to look for it. R. thought it interesting and disturbing. I liked it.

Funny LOL Auto Corrects

I laughed so hard, out loud, tears streaming down my face...the dogs came running to see what was wrong. Oh my gosh, how hysterical.

http://damnyouautocorrect.com/13603/the-25-funniest-autocorrects-of-dyacs-first-year/

Sofa Disappointments and Cute Poodles

After all that hemming and hawing over which sofa would I think I prefer, not one of the owners got back to me. Craigslist is a funny thing. Now, I ask, are there really that many people in my area looking for a vintage sofa that most likely has to be recovered? Did someone grab them to put in their Rec Room? Does anyone still call it a Rec Room?? Oh my, dating myself? They were between $100 -$250 dollars so they weren't really a 'hey let's get it and if it doesn't last we'll throw it out' kind of thing, or maybe they were. I knew the MCM would probably get scooped up pretty quickly because everyone is looking for that style now and the town it's in is a little more hip and chic and we also get searchers from NY. So, once again, I'm on the hunt.

Onto other delights....

This cute set was given to me by a friend, along with a couple other sets of salt and peppers. She was delighted to know that I had a person in mind for these.

Said person has a little white poodle named Misty. My friend and SPR's secretary/treasurer, Angela. She probably wasn't looking for any little tchotchkes but tough crap, she got them anyway. It was a surprise package and she was very delighted and found a perfect spot for them.

Murmuration

Found this on a friend's Facebook post...I got chills when I watched it. It's very cool.


Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.

Anne Taintor Makes Cocktails

My friend Pam of RetroRenovation is having a giveaway. Anne Taintor has published a cocktail book, Pam interviewed her and is giving a copy away. Anne's captions are cheeky, clever and a lot of fun. I'm sure this book will give smiles whether there is imbibing or not.

I found this big glass at a thrift store -- 25¢ -- SCORE! It held some good ice coffees and a few tasty cocktails, too, this summer at camp.

Skull-A-Day Sunday Simulacra

This past Sunday on the Skull-A-Day blog a photo I sent in was one of 3 photos of Simulacra. I found this 'skull' while in Nantucket on the back of an SUV.

Check out the photo of the wrench that was submitted. Very awesome.

Boats and 9/11

This YouTube video was sent to me and has been sitting unopened in my inbox. I wasn't sure what it was about, I put off opening it. I had a few extra minutes this morning to watch it and I'm glad I did. I didn't watch the programs surrounding the anniversary date this year of 9/11. Although I honor those that were triumphant in the aid they gave and those that sacrificed their lives for others and feel sadness for the many lives lost, I didn't want to feel and relive the sorrow of that day and the days that followed.

I have not seen this video until now, maybe you have not either. We've all seen footage at Ground Zero, this is what happened on the edge of the island...it is a tribute to those that took the call no matter the risk and to those who were being rescued themselves, yet helped others along the way.

I think it will touch your heart, too.

Mites and Feeding Raw

Took the kidlings to the vet yesterday. Their ears were bothering them and since it's all 3 I knew it had to be mites. The assumption was correct. I think maybe Little Bug brought the bugs with her. The darling that she is.


Whilst checking on the ears the vet and I talked about feeding raw. She is a huge advocate of it and I told her that I am feeding completely raw now and she gave me a recipe that includes a couple things I didn't. She wants to make sure they are getting some vitamins, minerals and calcium that doesn't come with just meat and veggies. 


The calcium can come from raw bones and I do give the dogs chicken wings and drumsticks but not often enough. 


If you are interested, here is the recipe:


*quite a few years ago (around 20) I started reading and researching raw and bought Dr. Pitcairn's book "Healthy Eating for Dogs and Cats" I have to revisit it. I actually just went to look for it on my bookshelf and can't find...really don't like it when that happens. Found it!! 


I generally don't like to use grains but will add potatoes (preferably sweet) instead. My dogs do need some carbs as they have lost too much weight. Rice is pretty easily digestible and oats are soluble fiber which can be good...I stay away from corn, any wheat or soy, these can be allergens for some dogs and in dry food products, are added as fillers to keep the cost of the product down. If your dog's weight is changing up or down, change the amount of carbs. Basically I use this recipe as a guideline and will also give dinner leftovers, cooked or uncooked, salad makings, ground flax seed, salmon oil, etc. Good stuff. Raw chicken wings and drums are good for teeth cleaning, bleach free bully sticks and trachea are a nice treat, too, and help with keeping teeth clean. 


I add water to the meal as dogs often do not get enough and this helps with hydration but also, and very importantly, with flushing and moving the food along so that crystals or stones do not come into play.


these measurements are based on per day for a 15 pound dog, so adjust accordingly:

1/2 c. meat (beef, turkey, chicken or venison ground or cubed)

1/4 c. ground veggies (carrots, broccoli, kale, squash, etc.)

1/4 c. cooked rice or pasta or oatmeal

1/2 tsp. bone meal

1/2 tsp. nutritional yeast or 3 Brewer's Yeast Tablets (this gives B vitamins)

1 raw egg (for essential fatty acids)

1/8 tsp. cod liver oil or 1" cube of liver (for vitamins A & D)

1/8 scant tsp. kelp powder (for iodine & trace minerals)

1 vitamin E capsule, 100 i.u. or 2 tbls. wheat germ

A Skellie Chicken

Last night at camp as we sat at the picnic table getting ready to eat some local free range chicken that R. grilled, his daughter who takes pictures of everything decided to play with her food...growing up this was highly discouraged by my parents, but I'm not my parents so I cheered her on and then had her send me a picture so I could blog about it, which supports her playing even more. But, hey, after playing, she eats her food. So in a matter of minutes, Skellie was gone.

A Quote To Live By

"When people show you who they really are - believe them - and let them go." 

Julie Chen from 'The Talk' made this statement yesterday as the women talked about what to do when bad people are in your life, whether it be a friend or family member.

Perfect timing, as I was able to relay the quote to a friend that is having a difficult time letting go of a romantic partner that has brought her heartache and pain, is a taker and manipulator.

Yiyyyy

OK, pretty scary, hurricane type weather, thunder, lightening, heavy rain. 

photo courtesy of Irishviews.com

Wow, a lightening bolt just came in my window and almost blinded me! and the clap of thunder scared the bejeesus out of Hanzie. The poor silly boy, he's such a scaredy-cat, but at least he just goes and hides and doesn't pant and whimper endlessly like Weezie used to do when she was younger. Now she can't really hear and apparently see, or feel the vibrations...it's sad because she's so old, but really really good for my nerves. 

I just came back from nodule aspirations and unintentional thrifting. Came in the front door only to run out the back door to save a WWII trunk that I received on Freecycle, from rain, but I was many raindrops too late. Ugh. I had left it out in the sun to help to get rid of some lingering mothball scent. When I went out there I heard a big crack and loud drop and thought one of my trees came down, it wasn't mine but it was one at the house behind me -- it didn't seem to have hit anything. That was weird. I don't think I've ever heard a tree come down in a storm. Oh, wait a minute, except for the big hurricane in the 1970's...a huge oak tree in our front lawn (oh, it was such a wonderful shade tree) came crashing down between my house and the neighbor's, it clipped the neighbor's roof. I remember sitting on the porch the next day, in my cute dress, I was all about 10 maybe, the sun was shining and a few men were cutting up the tree. I was drawing on a small chalkboard that had a wood frame and a Daddy Long Leg spider crawled up my leg and I FREAKED OUT! I threw my chalkboard and screamed...because it FREAKED ME OUT! Oh memories.

My computer is unplugged, thank goodness for batteries, that's all I'd need is for lightening to strike, electrical currents go awry and zap out my computer...I'd be very sad. 

So, my unintentional thrifting... I didn't mean to do it, really. I was just passing by...but couldn't. I did keep my promise to myself to only buy sewing related things...oops, no I didn't...oh, but the extra things are for the camper, which means they are usable. Whew, saved myself on that one! Will show and tell as soon as these grey skies turn blue.

I hope if it's storming where you are that you are safe and dry. 

Making Headway

You wouldn't want to have the 'before' but here's the after:

This basement picture is a smidgen, a sliver, a peek, into the cleaning out that I've done. I've been diligently working on getting the thrifty goodies out of my house for my annual tag sale, yard sale to some, next weekend. You should have seen my house! ugh. Boxes EVERYWHERE. It took me a few hours to get it pulled together and neatened...it was like a breath of fresh air. It's amazing how when your surroundings get cluttered, your brain gets cluttered. I could feel my brain become clearer with every box hauled out of here. I can actually walk through my garage and more needs to go but it's more of the Craigslist or ebay nature of selling.

Each year I have my tag sale and often see the same people. The location is usually different (depends on what friend loves me enough to endure me commandeering their garage) but the town remains the same. I ran into a woman at a church rummage sale the other day and she did a double take and said, "are you having your tag sale this year?" Made me laugh. I've gotten complimented on them because I have good stuff and I try not to have any junky piddly things. I've also gotten away from selling jewelry or small items because people have pocketed items in the past. Also, in case you want to make a rule for yourself...I only sell things for $1 or more. If something isn't worth a dollar to someone I tell them to pick something out to make it a dollar or more because I'm not dealing with nickel and diming -- well, unless of course, the total makes a dollar.  ;-]

I went through boxes that have been 'saved for when my house is done' and got rid of most of it. My tastes have changed and I know that I'll always be able to find something I like. That's what I like about thrifting, there's always something and usually you don't lay down hunks of money so you don't feel bad getting rid of some things.

I haven't hit the studio yet and I don't think that will be done in time for the sale, but most of what's in there is for "I have an idea for that, fabric, or I might be able to use that someday."

so I plug along.

Have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend.

Carrie Underwood

I don't mind some country music once in awhile, I've been a fan of Carrie Underwood since she won on American Idol (one season I seemed to have watched) She has a beautiful voice. She happens to sing Country music. I do not own any of her music, but I turn up the radio when she is singing certain songs.

I'm not a religious person, I believe in a higher power, but not necessarily an organized religion type God, but this version of the song doesn't have one thinking about the differences.

I read that Carrie crossed all boundaries and that she was compared to Elvis's rendition in that the person thought no one could ever compare to 'The King', but that he thought she's right up there with him.

In case you haven't seen it, heard about, watched it on TV or Youtube... here is Carrie singing "How Great Thou Art" A well deserved standing ovation was given by her peers.



I find it funny that Wynona Judd is panned often...when Carrie first started out and was on her first CMA show after her Idol win, it was written that Wynona made the statement that Carrie was "very vanilla." Think she's eating her words? Carrie has only had continued success since her Idol win. A young girl that has made her dream very real.

I Have a Tip for You...

Now that the warmer weather is here, I love me some ice coffee. A couple days ago I was enjoying some and I try to hold off on putting any ice in it as I did not want to water it down. I got half way through and it was time to cool it off a little more...I went for the ice and found dark cubes waiting for me...I forgot about them and was oh so happy that I had made some coffee cubes.

I put them in my glass, swirled them around and took a big sip....and spit it out fast! MY TIP FOR YOU: When you make flavored ice cubes, remember what they are. Beef bouillon really ruins what was a delicious glass of ice coffee. Ugh.