Memorial Day 2010

I feel it is inappropriate to say 'Happy' Memorial Day. So I will say God Bless you all.

I remember as a child, looking forward to the Memorial Day parade. As a toddler, a Brownie, a Girl Scout...We had the fire trucks, the high school band, Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, a float or two, our home town veterans proud and stalwart. The color guard. My grandmother riding in the Gold Star Mother's car...others marching to the cemetery for the reading of the roster of our veterans who so gallantly gave their lives. My family members. My friends.Then the sound of taps and the 21 gun salute. I'm not so sure it was 21 shots...I just know that I was proud to be a part of this ceremony and to this day it makes me so sad.

My cousin Susan and I would walk to the cemetery a lot in the summertime. We would go to the cemetery's cemetery for sad and decaying flowers, pilfer through them and put the best of the best on old, old graves sites that no one ever visited. Our grandfather, uncle and Sue's baby sister were right next to the water...Messalonskee Lake...and for lack of a better way to describe it...it was a peaceful setting. I always thought they had such a beautiful view. It made sense to me...as a child.

I still don't care for geraniums. They are the epitome of cemetery flowers.

I grew up in a great house. It was a Bungalow. Want to hear something funny? I didn't know that was actually the style of the house. I just thought a bungalow was, oh I don't know, just a word. Know what I mean?? My grandmother was a flower and plant freak. She loved African Violets, gardenias, Christmas cactus. She had a green hand...not just a green thumb! There was an orange tree in the living room. It never bore an orange...but the leaves tasted bitter like one (I chewed them a few times...just curiousl!) Did you ever see that movie Good Morning Miss Dove? She tells her students that ants taste like dill pickles. They do. I know....

I had to mow the grass when I got old enough to push the 'push mower'. I dreaded it...especially when I let it go too long because I was lazy. It's a bitch to push a push mower! And if it was too long...I had to rake it...bitch 2.  But now...today...this minute...I would give all I have and then some to go home and push that mower.

We had a swing chair in the yard. Someday I'll have another one. It was magic to sit and sway back and forth in the cool of a summer evening. We a closed in front porch. On that Bungalow. My grandmother read the paper and drank coffee in the evening out there. It was eerie when there was a thunderstorm. The lightning just surrounded you on that porch, flashing in through the screens...pitch black. It smelled great. Fresh.

The garden outside was memorable. Starting in the earliest of spring, something was always blooming. Against the house itself...the crocus were first. How they could break through the crusty ice and drink in the sun...is a miracle. But that was the truest sign of spring. We could have a heavy spring snow storm with 3 foot icicles forming during the night and the next day when the sun would melt them so fast that the water streamed into each bloom, and they would flatten out under the weight of the water, only to straighten up pushing towards the sun when the flood was over! 

I can close my eyes and see each and every flower there. I'll tell you about them another day.

Ciao...b

Lots of stuff on my mind...

By stuff, I mean a variety of things...some very important all the way down to insignificant. Depends on if you are me...or not. Some require an enormous amount of concentration and some...I can just sit here. I have spent the last couple of days on the very important stuff, and and am mentally drained. Unfortunately, there will be follow up stuff and I don't relish having to follow up. It will be OK. I have had to do too much research to make sure I am correct in what I am doing, and it tires me out. I don't feel really great. I know the heat has been bothering me a lot lately.

We did have quite a rain shower today...Some hefty thunder and lightning. Thank God it settled the dust around here! We had storms like this when we first moved here 5 years ago. Every afternoon we would gave a gully washer...and this went on for a few weeks! It hasn't done that since! At least we were done working today before the rains hit.  And it was not as bad today as we thought it was going to be...only because quite a few of the 'rooms' didn't show up! Good for us...bad for business!

This internet service has been sporadic again, Maybe it's the weather, too.

And of course this is 'every war movie ever made is on this weekend' weekend. As long as Husband is awake...he is watching one. I think Band of Brothers comes on Monday evening. I like that series. Earlier we watched The Best Years of Our Lives. That is such a classic. I'm not really the Midway; Where Eagles Dare or Longest Day type of a person.

Wow! Dennis Hopper died today. I really liked him. And Gary Coleman! What is going on with these head injuries!!

Tom says Howdy...

Can you believe it's almost June!! Crazy...Well, I have a few things to look up before I lie myself down....Hope to be back tomorrow!! Nite!

b

Sweating like a WHAT! in church!!

I had yesterday off and worked harder than if I cleaned all the rooms here...twice...myself. I cleaned everything in my room! Well...pretty much. I still have a few things on the 'to do' list, but I made a severe dent in it!! You wouldn't think such a small space could get so dirty! Well it does.  I got enough cat hair out from under the bed that I could have made TWO cats! I dust mopped and wet mopped and dust mopped and wet mopped again. I cleaned window sills, washed curtains, washed all the bedding including the pillows and when I went to plug in my cell phone last night to charge it, I must have forgotten to plug something in..cuz I had no power on my side of the bed. Tough shit. I was too tired to get up. I never even turned on my computer yesterday. I was a busy, busy bee!!

Remember when I was eating stuff out of the fridge so I didn't have to throw it out so I could defrost it?? I didn't find much more interesting stuff. Not interesting enough to eat, anyway. I found a Banquet TV dinner encased in ice. And a package of mystery meat. And it's amazing how small a head of lettuce gets when it's all dried up!! I found one. I know. The freshest thing in there now is a container of cottage cheese.

I though it was going to rain tonight. It still looks like it. I got a couple of things done outside today. Hung up 2 more bird seed feeders and planted 3 plants I got yesterday morning (before I became Nellie the Neat Freak) I can't remember what they are. Asters?? That sounds right. They are pretty. That's all I care about. And that is the extent of my gardening. I had great planting plans earlier is spring, remember?? I need some herbs, Herb.

From Here to Eternity is on. Seen it a million times. Now, a million and one. I hope to stay awake tonight to watch The Hangover. It's on at 11 pm. We'll see! Now I'm thinking about cottage cheese. I don't care if you are going...oh puke! I wouldn't eat that crap! I'll eat it. I like it. And I have those raisin grapes (only a few left) Sounds like a good healthy snack! And Jello for dessert! Yummy!!

Albino Francine has a new hat. But not a new mocha latte or Nice and Easy #117 head yet. Maybe tomorrow.

Sort of a long day coming up tomorrow...so I am off to the shower and then food. Have a great night!

b

Monday for real...

What a day. I told you I wouldn't be home by 10...and I wasn't. I could have been home earlier than I was, but I was catching up on a few things. I'll be off tomorrow  -  a do nothing day for me! Yeah right!! I already have a full page list o' things to do. But at least I won't get up till I want to!

We have a few errands to run...whenever. 

Here's something exciting that happened to me today! A bird SHIT on my head!! No shit!! I mean...yes shit!! Interesting sensation. I have had a seagull shit on my back when I was little...but that was many moons ago. Today was, should I say, totally unexpected! I will be using those really nice towels I got to take care of the problem in a little while after I scrub the skin off my head.  Now don't get excited, I wiped the fresh stuff off and it was a pretty small bird...so I wasn't in imminent gunga danger (I hope!)

Damn! This internet is going on and off again. We have a pretty good thunderhead to the south of us right now, so I'm sure that has something to do with it. 

That movie...The Pacifier...with Vin Diesel is on. It's a cute family flick. I have started albino Francine's new hat and will no doubt finish it tonight. I'm not in a jewelry making mood. I'm more in a Twinkie eating mood...but I don't think that's wise. I don't have any, anyway, so that's a plus.

I think I need to make some Jello. With sugar. Sugar free is an oxymoron. It's like fat free ice cream...give me a break. Fat is flavor.

I found some grapes in the refrigerator. They are still sweet and a couple days away from raisins. I need to finish those. I am planning to defrost this refrigerator, so I might as well start early in emptying it...God knows what I'll find in there tomorrow! (It's on the list!) 

OK...I'm going to crochet now...see you tomorrow!!

b

Never plan ahead...

See...I planned ahead. I thought I'd be home by noon. Guess what...I wasn't! And I thought that tomorrow...I would be home by 10 AM. Guess what....I won't! Whatever....

It was busy today...but not too busy to go to the store!! We had to go to Alco (our Wal-Mart wanna be...) and I found a few things I really wanted. A pair of jeans...marked down AND 30% off! and some really nice bath towels...3/$10...that are plush and nice. I am a happy gal.

Made some dumplings tonight. Meat filled dumplings that you steam. They were good. Husband loved them. They were very filling and quite a bit of dough. To me, anyway. Don't get me wrong...they were good and anything Husband will eat is a very good thing. He is pretty restricted in what he can eat and what 'agrees' with him...and these do. Yippee!

I am finishing this post on Monday...and will write Monday's in a minute. There were storms all around us last night, and we kept losing power...and internet. I finally just gave up.

On to Monday...

b

Holy crap I'm full!

Family came to town. Went to visit with them and started out with a margarita. Then we went to dinner at La Casita...and had green chicken enchiladas and TWO margarita wine coolers! Definitely not as good as a real margarita....but went down just as easily!! Now I am so thirsty that I have drank 3 bottles of water. I think I need a Tums chaser...

Not a bad day at work. Hot and breezy. Storms seemed to be around us tonight. I think we have a chance of rain tomorrow. I hope so.

We are watching The Westerner...with Gary Cooper and Walter Brennan. It about Judge Roy Bean and Lillie Langtry.  Gary Cooper is a wonderful actor. He was amazing in Sergeant York.    

Did nothing on my 'list o things to do' since we had company. I have to paint Francine. I wonder if I could paint her with Nice and Easy #117! Then we could match! I mean...we could if I'd ever put that shit in my hair...That's a good idea. I could call her...Sweet Francine One Seventeen. Catchy.

Damn, I am really sleepy all of a sudden. Seriously sleepy. I think I'll close now and catch up on some needed sleep...sorry! Nite...

b

I fixed it!!!!

I know this is anal...but I had to tell you!! I fixed it!! That f*#king magnifying issue??? Well, there is this button, see, that says 'view', see...and there is a thing called ZOOM!!! By the sheer grace of God and morbid curiosity...I pushed the button and .....viola!!!...I reduced the print!!

Actually...I reduced it to almost nothing and then increased it so large you literally couldn't see anything...I just had to screw with it when I figured it out.

Guess what? Now I can adjust my desktop computer. I have the same problem with it, only the letters are small! Don't ask. At least I'm consistent!!

Oh well...I had to share my excitement. Oh, yeah, I don't care if you knew how to fix it all along...I had to find out for myself....right??

Nite...b