Rice Paddy

I think I need to change my garden plans. Since Mother Nature is determined to turn the garden into a paddy, I guess I should just give in and plant rice ☻

Just some snowy day pondering

As with any winter storm you get a lot of closings and since our area is living thru a Stormageddan, the TV stations have been posting the lists of hundreds of closings all day long. For me I can't help reading thru these lists scrolling across the bottom of our TV screen. I haven't heard of a lot of these business that are closed today but I'm finding much humor in them.

Some are funny, as in Camptown races won't be singing any songs today because Camptown is CLOSED and don't even think about looking for a Home Away from Home because that's closed too.

And duh, for the Crystal Clean Pressure Washing being closed, who would want their car or house being pressure washed in the middle of an ice storm.

And then there are the 'say what' closings, I mean, not to put down any businesses, but... I have to say. I can't see myself wanting to visit the Grabber Hair Salon, I know their closed today but really, they sound painful. And why would I send somebody to the Inertia School of Dance. I mean really don't they understand that in common usage the term "inertia" may refer to an object's "amount of resistance to change in velocity" or sometimes to its momentum, depending on the context. And I cant figure out what the School of Cleaning Etiquette is but I assume when they reopen after the storm everyone there will be all neat, tidy and very polite.

For the love of Fall, halfway up, and down...... that hill!

I may have been born in Missouri but I grew up in South Florida. The scuba diving was great there, but when you get down to the brass tacks, Florida just does not participate in Fall or hills either. But when I turned 17, I went off to the CIA (Not that CIA, the Colorado Institute of Art in Denver). There I was initiated in the lovely experience of learning to drive a 3speed Vega, (guess I’m showing my advanced age now) Anyhoo, back to the Vega - There I was initiated in the lovely experience of learning to drive a 3 speed Vega up gargantuan hills in downtown Denver traffic. My previous experience with driving up a hill in stop and go traffic revolved around sitting in a vehicle halfway up a bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway waiting for a boat to pass under the bridge. Not to mention that the vehicle was a Datsun (Here I go showing my age again) with a automatic transmission.

  But back to the gargantuan hill and the Vega (are you confused yet?) The two things that I remember most of that experience were, the Chinese fire drills that we had every morning, when stopped at the red light halfway up that hill. I would inevitably pop the clutch and be to petrified to restart the car and get it up the hill without hitting the car in back of me. I will say this, Come on people I had Florida plates, you should have realized no hills and stopped at least 25 car lengths behind me so I could get up that hill ☻.


The second thing I remember about that hill and the reason I’m writing this post. Is the day I drove down that hill and fell in love with Autumn. I’m not kidding, the exact moment I fell in love with fall was a crisp sunny afternoon with a hint of wood smoke in the air. I was driving down a tree lined Denver street in a Vega. The traffic stopped, a slight puff of wind sent these gorgeous red and yellow leaves floating across my windshield. And it hit me, I took a deep breath in, looked at the beauty around me and promptly popped the clutch and hit the car in front of me. But I was Hooked on Fall from then on.

I love this time of year. We’ve had our first fire in the woodstove, the top of my maple tree is beginning to redden, And this weekend were expecting our first frost. Happy Autumn

I Never Mowed A Lawn Until I got Married

And now I think my Husband understands why. First off in my defense, I was trying to hurry so I could beat the afternoon heat. Secondly I have always mowed along the edge of the rock walkway. It's easy, you just put the lawnmower 1/2 on top of the rocks and 1/2 on the grass and off you go. It's easy, who needs a weed eater? Well apparently I do, especially if I keep the mower level set to 2. Because apparently a riding lawnmower blade is not supposed to look like a golf club after it has an accident with a rock. So $40.00's later with new blades and the back yard finished. 

in we go to our living room when my hubby looks over at the front door and spies with his little eyes, the shattered window I apparently sent a rock thru when I mowed the front yard.

I give up ;‹(

For now on I'm waiting til my son gets home and he can mow the lawn!

I HATE My Car

This is my dream car, not because it's old and worth a fortune, but because I can safely assume that it has no COMPUTER under it's hood!
First off let me say since I started the Change I've become a forgetful Ditz who never apparently looks at the back of her car. Or more importantly at my car's license plates. At least that's the impression I got from the nice Police Officer who stopped me and politely informed me that my licence plates had expired in February. Gulp, with a $75.00 ticket in my hand I proceeded to try and rectify this.
Over the years I have driven some old heaps for cars. In the early years of our marriage I can remember a few trips to junk yards for engine parts and a few cars held together with duck tape and twine. But those years have not been around for awhile. Now I have nice cars with computers. Unfortunately computers and myself have problems getting along together. My car works purrfectly except that occasionally the computer goes haywire and kicks the engine light on. Nothings wrong with it and it goes off after a few months. The mechanics say I could put a new computer in it, but that is very expensive and since everything works, I just drive it and ignore the red engine light. This truce between me and my car's computer has been pretty amicable for the past year. Except apparently you can't pass the Missouri Emissions Test and re-license your car when the engine light is on in your car. You see during the inspection when they hook up their computer to my computer in the car, my computer apparently tells it "This women is a ditz and I won't work for her, I'm on strike!" Our mechanic reset the computer which turned off the engine light and apparently the 5 monitors that the Emissions computer needs to hook up with to pass the test. They sent me home last Friday telling me I need to drive my car about 100 to 200 miles to get the monitors to restart, but be sure I don't drive to much so the engine light won't come back on again. Baffled I obediently drove the car 200 miles over the weekend, trying to avoid anymore polite Police Officers, hoping if I met another my storey would make some sense and I wouldn't get another ticket. Long story short, back to the shop today. Only half of the monitors have turned on so I'm back to driving again, trying to figure when it's enough to kick in the other monitors but not enough to kick on the engine light.
As I said before --- I HATE COMPUTERS, I want a Model T

I so have to make this rug

When I first saw this rug on Meet Me At Mikes Blog I just had to check it out. Can you imagine crocheting this by hand and without a hook. It was designed and made by Jean Lee. Her website, Ladies and Gentlemen states "Jean's obsession with vintage doilies grew to epic proportions when she created these full size area rugs using cotton rope. PURCHASE HERE The Mega Doily rug will be featured in Meg Mateo Illasco's upcoming book, "Crafting a Meaningful Home" (STC Craft/Melanie Falick Books, Fall 2010)"
Something tells me I'm not going to be able to wait for the book to be published. My brain's already ticking away with how I should start this project. I wonder if Cotton Piping Cord
would work? Is it obsessive when you start thinking things like - that rope looks about as thick as her third toe, if I measure my toe I could get almost the exact thickness of rope that she used for her rug? I better end this post, I think I need to take a Prozac. Well I'll take it after I get a quick look at all my old doily patterns. I defiantly will need an oval pattern for a rug under my dining room table ☻

Wedding Roses all crocheted and ARMY Afghan reposted on my website

Well with all this rain (24 days of rain out of the last 30) I haven't been able to get the garden finished planting yet, but I did get all those Damn Wedding Roses crocheted for my nephew's wedding. Which is this Saturday, but boy did I cut that one close, they went in the mail today. I don't know what I was thinking when I designed that pattern.
I did get My ARMY Afghan pattern re-posted to my website. It's kind of an abbreviated pattern, enough to crochet the afghan, but I still have to re-post a more detailed pattern this fall when I get more time. Right now, if this rain ever stops, I have to much to around here on the homestead and in the garden. Add all that with a sick grandchild, my Master Gardner class on Wednesday, my granddaughter graduating kindergarten on Thursday and a family reunion on Saturday and I think I have mush brain syndrome.

This really erks my goat!

Well if I had a Goat it would, I guess I should say This really erks my Llama! My Granddaughter is in Kindergarten. Our School District has been going back and forth on deciding if they could afford to have summer school. Now the grade school summer program has always been more of an enrichment program. At first summer school was only going to be for Junior and High School students who had failed a class. No problem there, that makes lots of sense. Heck when I was growing up that was all summer school was. Well they sent out the final decision on summer school, It is now going to be an abbreviated version of summer school for all grades. Hey, great my granddaughter went last year as a pre-kindergartner and loved it, this is great. But here comes the part that really erks my Llama!  Due to the budget problems the school district will only be paying each student that attends the summer school program $50.00? Excuse me, since when has the world changed so drastically that people think it's proper to pay a child who's 6  years old $50.00 to attend summer school? This just seems so wrong in so many ways. Maybe if they used the money they intend to pay the students they could have the full, not abbreviated, summer program. What has happened to the idea of kids learning to excel because a summer school program reached them in a way that is fun and educational, and not because they are paid to go. Where's the accomplishment in that?

My Dryer Is Doing It Again.

It's trying to die on me. First last Fall it started humming then it would die on me. My husband said bad motor. No problem before his neck injury, I'd say honey help and he'd fix it. Now I'm Mrs-fix-it. I went online and Googled dryer humming and low and behold up popped Appliance-repair-it.com I Love this site. It confirmed my hubby's diagnosis showed me diagrams of my dryer and I found the part I needed and fixed the dryer all by my self. Next the dryer stopped spinning, back I went to Appliance-repair-it.com where I learned all about idler pulley and belt assembly. Wam bam Thank you very much I fixed that problem too. Now it has stopped heating. This time I get to use an ohmmeter. Apparently its either/or both the heating element or the hi-limit. I don't mind being Mrs-fix-it. But I don't think Mr-Fix-It ever has to worry about making sure the Mrs. feelings aren't ruffled because she can no longer fix the things herself. I know when I do things that my Husband used to do he sometimes feel like I don't need him anymore. Anyway back to the dryer. I'm not in a real big hurry to fix it. With Spring here I'm back to hanging our clothes outside on the line. But with all the rain we have been getting maybe I'll rethink that. Hubby wants to just buy a new dryer but It's not that old. Besides this is getting personal between me and this dryer, and I will WIN!

Check out this Video of Cosy Sheridan

singing

Happiness is Waiting, Hang your laundry on the line

  

It's on her EROS album  

Birthday's, What's Up and a Tutorial for Mod Podge Lanterns

Well my husband earned the first quarter of the year for spotting the first lightening bug. Things have been really hectic around here, Yesterday was the Grand Daughters 6th birthday and today is our Son's birthday. I've been sewing like crazy for my DGD's summer wardrobe for her Birthday present. Will post pictures soon. Tonight it's out to dinner to celebrate the birthdays. Last night was my first Master Gardner Class and boy do I feel out of my league, but that's another post. My Nephew is getting married next month and I'm crocheting my Birdseed Wedding Roses like a mad women.

I did want to post the links for this fantastic tutorial that I found over at Gingerbread Snowflakes. With some Outdoor Mod Podge, Food Coloring and some old bottles she'll show you how to make some beautiful hanging outdoor lanterns.

Click here for the How To

and here for her Tutorial for hanging your Mod Podge Lanterns

Our House

Our house is over a hundred years old. Living in it has many interesting aspects. This photo is of the original Linoleum floor that we found at the bottom of other layers of Linoleum and Vinyl floors when we tiled the kitchen floor. I really like that square of Linoleum, I have it framed and hanging in my Kitchen. It would be neat to have that Linoleum on the floor now, well without the cracks and stains and a bit more shinny. Very Retro, not what I usually choose I tend to go more neutral, but deep down I would love it.
For the first few years that we lived here a lovely old man and his family would stop by every summer to visit our house. He was born in this house and would tell us all about it's history. Things like the beautiful rock wall was built by his brother when he was punished for something or other. Our back porch was added on when his father had TB and he lived for a year there. The porch was built in the 30's out of supplies stolen scavenged from the rail yard, which explains the floor joists being made from railroad ties. I miss that old man. Over the years I think of many things I should of asked him about our house's history. But every time we find a square nail or a piece of the rail yard here, I smile and hope he knows that we love it too.

I've been Un- Hermited

I think my parents think I've turned into a hermit. And my Mom has decided to un-hermit me. Since I've taken a sabbatical from working and my husbands disability retirement we've been staying close to home. Well Mom figured out a way to un-hermit me, Mom and I were talking about the garden when she mentioned a neighbor who had taken a lot of gardening classes, I had mentioned that the University of Missouri had a Master Gardener Certification program starting in mid April, thinking her friend might be interested. Guess what I start April 14th? Thank you again Mom and Dad. I'm actually very excited. The course is a 30 hour classroom Core Course training. Covering, Insects and pesticides, Lawn Care, Rain Gardens, Worm Farming, Weed Control, Plant growth and Anatomy, Trees and Shrubs, Plant Disease, Landscaping, Vegetable Gardening, Flowering Plants, Soil Anatomy, Tree Identification, and Bee Keeping.

After the training we are then required to give 30 hours of volunteer service back to the community in approved activities such as extension hot lines or answer services, workshops, speaker’s bureaus, garden show booths, demonstration projects, assisting with grounds maintenance at local Garden Preserves, volunteering at Missouri State Parks, etc... OK I guess I can now say I've been officially un-hermited.

Get Together in the Dark, 2010 Earth Hour

Earth Hour is here again and time to show our efforts in helping planet Earth save on energy!

On Saturday, March 27, 2010, at 8:30 p.m. local time, I am taking part in Earth Hour—an event led by World Wildlife Fund in which millions of people around the world will unite by turning out their lights for one hour to make a bold statement of concern about our planet and climate change.
Here is a link to the Earth Hour Website http://www.myearthhour.org/
Earth Hour started three years ago in Sydney, Australia and is now the largest event of its kind in the world. Nearly one billion people from 4,100 cities in 87 countries on seven continents participated last year and, with your help, Earth Hour 2010 can be even bigger.
During Earth Hour, international landmarks including the Golden Gate Bridge, Empire State Building, Eiffel Tower and Great Pyramids have gone dark alongside the city skylines of Las Vegas, Hong Kong, Tel Aviv and more. To see it for yourself, check out this video: www.myearthhour. org/earth- hour-video.
But Earth Hour isn't just for national landmarks and big cities—anyone can participate, whether it be individuals like you and me or schools, businesses, organizations, and our state and local governments. I hope you will join me for this amazing event and help send a message that the time for action on climate change is now. To sign up and start spreading the word, visit www. EarthHour.org.

Please help me spread the word. Let's switch off our lights and send a powerful message: by working together, each of us can make a positive impact in the fight against climate change.

Daylight Savings

Confucius Says you kicked yourself in your own backside

Confucius Says She who becomes mama bear and goes verbally postal at darling daughter's xboyfriend, who happens to be darling sons best friend and the man who tilled your garden for free each year will become one with a hoe as she hand tills a 1250 square foot garden :(

Family Contest

As I was reading Brenda's post about their family contest on who sees the first robin of spring (Check out her blog Coffee Tea Books and Me) it reminded me of fairy fireflies. Our family contest is the first person that can prove they saw the first Lightning bug of the season gets a quarter. You see my children grew up in South Florida and never saw a lightning bug until we moved to Missouri when our oldest was in kindergarten. Florida's version of lightening bugs are No-see-ums. these tiny biting flies begin swarming together in a huge cloud every evening just before dusk. No pretty little fairy lights twinkling in the dusky sky for us, just keep your mouth shut or you might breathe some in or swallow them as you run for cover! Defiantly not something to catch in a jar and set on your nightstand to light your dreams to fairyland.

.....my gene's getting a little thinner

When I applied for my last job as a psych. nurse, my supervisor was telling me how it takes a special person to work in the Psychiatric field. She stated that "psych. workers were only one gene removed from their patients." I think my gene's getting a little thinner. You see every time I take a shower I have to turn my shampoo and conditioner bottles to the face the back of the shower. Otherwise, for some unknown reason, I get this creepy feeling. It's like someone is watching me. Oh well at least I fit in with my friends now hehehe.

I Come By it Naturally

Every time my mother is feeling ill she calls me up and says "Your a nurse, what's wrong?" and then precedes to tell me her problem. After I answer her with this big long drawn out medical dissertation (come on I have to make it long winded so she'll be sure to know that all the money she spent on my education was so well worth the sacrifice,♥I love you Mom) Anyway after my explanation she always Say's "Oh that not what my problem is.I don't think that's right at all." She then goes to the Doctor who proceeds to tell her the exact thing I told her, in a less long winded way. She'll then call me back and tell me I may have been right after all.Sometimes when she call, I'll tell her I'm not going to answer her question because she never believes me anyway. She'll then state "But I don't do that!"

Well the point to that story is maybe I might occasionally do that to. Like when my husband, who doctored trees all his working life tells me I can't tap into the Maple tree to make syrup because the tree is old and sickly and it might kill it. And I then go on about how he just doesn't want to help me boil sap in the backyard☻ At least I can say I come by it naturally

Super Duper Duper Magnifying Mirrors

Have you ever looked into a super duper duper magnifying mirror? I mean the type that seems like it could be a part out of a microscope. Well I did and it scared me. When most people go on a vacation and bring back souvenirs, you think a tee shirt, maybe a coffee mug with a picture of the Washington Monument or Niagara Falls. Not my mom, she brings back a makeup mirror that could have a legally blind person seeing their face clearly for the first time. Not only is this mirror scary it's addictive too. Once you see your pores looking like moon craters you can't stop looking. You have to move you face back and forth a little in the mirror to get your eyes to focus, but when it's in focus the first thing you yell is "Is that a moustache?" then immediately grab some tweezers. I look in my bathroom magnifying mirror every morning and I have never noticed a moustache or blackheads the size of these on my face, but I'm going to go to my mother's house every day from now on, not to visit, but to look in that scary mirror so I can groan a lot. Gee, I wounder why the hubby ever married me with a face like this☻