NiftyUniverse

Ring in the New Year! Review the Old Year!

2012-01-06T10:56:00.006-06:00

Before any of you decide to wax pedantic, unnecessarily pointing out that it is already January 6th, let me say, "Pooh, pooh!" It is the last day of Christmas, so a perfectly legitimate time to begin a New Year's post. Those in the Know™ understand that I am the soul of patience (not to mention propriety), but there are times to remain silent on the inadequacies of others and this is one of them!

My first thought when planning this post was to create a masterpiece of beauty and wit (as usual), airily and effortlessly touching on the highlights of 2011, and generally presenting a year-end roundup which would educate and delight my ~~many~~ ~~several~~ ~~one or two~~ ~~non-existent~~ followers. ~~After staring at the blank screen for 20 minutes,~~ Eventually, I realized that such grandiose plans are just ~~beyond my capabilities~~ silly, so I have revised my thinking. I intend to bash out a quick overview of the past year in my usual ~~haphazard~~ happy fashion and simply ~~get the damn thing over with, finally break through the writer's block and call it a day~~ keep it short and sweet!

-----------------------?

Writing about the year is ~~too hard~~ too boring, so instead I will post a little photo montage for your viewing pleasure!

-----------------------?

Hmmm, well it seems we have a slight problem. I seem to have forgotten to organize and label ~~virtually all~~ some of the photos from ~~forever~~ last year, so I am afraid the photo montage will have to wait for~~ever~~ a while. Oh well, who cares? Photos and year-end roundups are vastly overrated anyway! I am sure that TITK will heartily agree with me! The important thing is ~~that I just cough up a few hundred words so I can say I posted on the blog~~ that I have touched base with my faithful blog friends!

Why bore everyone with well-written and amusing essays when the real question is what happened in 2011? With this important focus in mind, here is the year 2011 chez Nifty in review - in bullet points:

- January: Rang in the New Year with all hands on deck and possibly a record-breaking party turnout. Wedding preps shifted into mid-gear. Reception venue fell through with spectacular suddenness, but Yours Truly saved the day, as usual. Kiki began her Masters in Journalism.

- February: Scott and twins went to Powderhorn in Michigan to ski and decided it might be a nice annual trip. Yours Truly stayed home to ~~write~~ get a few things done around the house.

- March: Wedding preps shifted into high gear. One near-disaster after another, ~~usually caused~~ neatly thwarted by Your Dependable Servant. All to Hilton Head at various intervals for March Breaks - joined by Deb - hooray!

- April: Enjoyed an Easter visit with Dennis's parents. Wedding preps train sped toward grand finale in June.

- May: Jessie and Jack returned from university. Jack considered transferring out of Chicago. Your Faithful Scribbler kept the wedding train ~~careening wildly from crisis to crisis~~ on track. Everyone else was useless.

- June: Numerous friends and family members converged on our home for the Wedding of the Century. ~~The whole family~~ Your Exhausted Correspondent managed to pull everything off smoothly. ~~Thanks to~~ No thanks to ~~Scott, Kiki, Dennis, Jessie, Rachel and many other dear family and friends~~ the rest of the useless louts around here.

- June: Retired to Hilton Head for much-deserved (by Your Humble Servant, certainly!) vacation. Joined by our dear friends the Roths. I never complain, but it was deucedly hot in South Carolina last June!

- July: Spent first two weeks in Hilton Head, then returned to Illinois where, as far as I can tell, we did absolutely nothing for about 4 weeks.

- August: Hilton Head for one brief week again, then back to school for everyone. Jack transferred to Miami. Jessie began her senior year at Miami. Edward and Ken back to school as sophomores.

- September: Jeanne and I went to Hilton Head for our annual R&R sans annoying families.

- October: Scott took boys to BVI for a sailing weekend while I went back to HH to host the Ya Yas shopping extravaganza. Very quiet Hallowe'en this year - major downside of children growing up. :(

- November: Scott and I went back to HH yet again for our 27th anniversary. Jeanne came to stay with the boys. Thanksgiving with a wonderfully full house. Jessie brought her new puppy, Ducky.

This photo has not been posted to raise viewcount.

- December: Went to Chicago for the annual pre-Christmas shopping/dining event. Then home for a full house at Christmas and yet more visitors (Em, Gail and Deb) for New Years. New Years Eve party with neighbors and friends not a record-breaker but decent 50-60 guest turnout.

And there you have the year in review!

And there is my blog post! ~~Thank the stars!~~ Don't mention it.

Four Hundred Twenty-Five Words

2011-11-03T10:20:00.001-05:00

Do you see what I did there?

Obviously, I would never pad my ~~pitiful~~ premium-quality manuscript by using double names (the character of Mary Ann clearly requires that name, and was not chosen because every time her name is typed I get two words for one. Please, the very idea!), or by writing out words for simple numbers which are conventionally written as numbers (which, by the way, the Powers that Be of the word processing world have diabolically rendered non-words when calculating word counts! Those villains!).

So, yes, my manuscript is currently only 425 words in length, which some might say means it is hardly in existence at all. Those in the Know, however, are well aware of the magic that Your Faithful Scribbler can create out of 425 words! A mere kernel of a story, to be sure, but never forget my friends: War and Peace was once a manuscript of only 425 words!

Besides, I have a very good reason for this slow start ~~apart from my usual laziness, procrastination and lack of talent~~ quite apart from my usual busyness, industry and brilliance needing to be applied in other arenas (I am, you ought to recall, a very busy woman™!): yesterday, I was summoned to the big city for my citizenship interview!

I am thrilled to report that I passed with flying colors! I am nothing if not modest, but TITK will not be surprised to hear that the officer who interviewed me practically asked, "What took you so long?". Actually, she did, literally, ask me "What took you so long?".

I was immensely flattered, of course, that the United States of America was so eager to welcome me as a citizen (although obviously, Those in the Know are probably not surprised at all - I simply do not realize my own value!), but I gently wagged a finger at her and smilingly reminded her that I am a Very Busy Woman™. As much as I try to fulfill the hopes and expectations of my legions of admirers (including, it now turns out, the United States of America itself!), from time to time I must put aside the wishes of others and devote myself to ~~wasting time, procrastinating and endlessly putting things off which ought to have been done years ago~~ other stuff.

The officer looked taken aback - as well she should have been! I am the last person to point to the shortcomings of others, but - while TITK will completely understand her excitement at having me as a fellow citizen at long last - how could she not have known how ~~lazy~~ busy I always am? She repeated the question - a little testily, I might add*.

I replied truthfully (of course) that, since I have three children who likewise were not born in this great country, I waited until the last of them had gained the age of majority before applying for citizenship myself, thus preventing them from acquiring automatic citizenship through me and allowing them to consciously choose citizenship for themselves as adults. I am sure everyone will agree with me that a momentous decision such as choosing to become a citizen of this great country ought to be a conscious and enthusiastic one made by informed adults. Sure, it would have been easier to have saved my children the trouble when they were younger, but it is a responsibility that I am sure they will claim joyfully.

The interview moved along swiftly after that. I even managed to give the officer some helpful hints for decorating her office in a more elegant and inviting manner, although I must say she was not as appreciative of my efforts as one might have expected. Perhaps it was merely an unfortunate natural expression, but she looked ~~utterly nonplussed~~ somewhat confused ( clearly, a difficulty which might have been considerably ameliorated had she the benefit of my advice years ago and beautified her surroundings which would have promoted a restful and composed attitude at all times). Oh well, c'est la vie! One can only offer! The interview concluded rather abruptly shortly thereafter, and I was escorted out to the waiting area with a haste which I thought was entirely unnecessary.

Since I was in the city, I had made arrangements to meet Kiki for lunch, so I sent her a little flurry of texts letting her know I was ready, where I was, how poorly decorated the federal offices were, how annoying the construction out on the city streets was, and various other ~~irritating interruptions to her day~~ delightful details about my day until she texted me back ~~begging me to stop!~~ inviting me to come to meet her as she was still at work. ~~How exasperating!~~ How nice!

I must say, my talented and industrious daughter has a very impressive job at a bookstore right in the very heart of the city. While I waited for her to finish her shift, I made it my business to point out to the other customers that the paragon of wit and intelligence manning the information desk was my own amazing offspring. I am pleased to report that I saw Kiki's ~~jaw drop in appalled embarrassment~~ delighted smile of modest appreciation as her co-workers all looked on admiringly. This is the sort of motherly boost for which I am justly ~~notorious~~ famous!

We had a wonderful lunch at a little Italian place near the store. Visits to the city are so invigorating! And visits with my daughter are the highlight of my month! But alas, it was soon time to head back home.

Needless to say, after such a full day, writing of any description was totally out of the question. Sure, Kiki went on to write several thousand more words, even after a full shift at work, homework and probably a class or two, but I am a very busy woman and must pace myself!

Today, I plan to move mountains! Good day to All!

*The moment I become a citizen, Those in the Know can rest assured that I will waste no time before sending off a ~~complaining~~ helpful letter to our state senators and representatives. It is about time for the United States of America to enjoy the benefit of my wisdom and guidance! No need to thank me.

278

2011-11-01T13:03:00.000-05:00

...words.

Yes, you read that correctly. I expect the peanut gallery to maintain a dignified silence. Thank you.

Nanowrimo

2011-11-01T09:40:00.000-05:00

Here is the thing: it is not how many words one writes which is really important, it is the quality of those words which matter. Obviously, I could easily have flicked off 500-1000 sub-par words last night, as I am sure many Nanowrimo participants may have done, but for moi, it is more important to produce a superior piece of fiction. Those in the Know are quite familiar with my work ethic and my attention to detail. In short, I am a perfectionist and nothing but the best will do.

All right, yes, it is true. I did not write a single word last night.

This morning, however, is a different story! I already have 116 high-quality words on the word processor, which is obviously a win! From little acorns mighty oaks will grow and all that!

Tonight at Midnight...

2011-10-31T12:24:00.000-05:00

...writing of the great Can-Am novel will commence!

Yes, it is that time of year again: Nanowrimo! Those in the Know will remember that every November, writers everywhere sharpen up their pencils and stack up reams of writing paper. Then, they flip open their laptops to tap out the immortal words of their literary masterpieces.

Last year, I completed the required 50,000 words to win the competition and my triumph was duly recorded in this blog. Unfortunately, through no fault of my own, I neglected to actually finish the story itself. This could happen to anybody, of course. With holidays and ~~lazing around wasting time~~ other stuff, it was simply impossible to get back to work on it.

This year, things are going to be different! I plan to outline the story today and begin the first 500 words tonight at the stroke of midnight! My goal this year is to finish a full rough outline of a complete story. I also plan to make the 50,000 word requirement, but the priority will be the story.

It is going to be a very busy month! But Those in the Know already know that I am always up to a challenge!

Homecoming

2011-10-01T12:56:00.000-05:00

Right out of the gate, I must ~~complain~~ comment on the ~~stupidity~~ mystery of today's Homecoming Race (cross country running) being held not at the park near school, not even in town, but in CHICAGO! What in the world?! I am the most easy-going of personalities, but somehow this seems inconvenient and illogical even to me! Nevertheless, I sent Edward off well-fed and well-primed ~~to win!~~ to do his best this morning. Well, in point of fact, Scott sent him off while I was still ~~fussing with~~ preparing my coffee. I laughingly told them to go on without me, but of course I did not mean that!

I stepped outside into the glorious early morning sunshine just in time to see the back of the car as they sped off to meet the van which was taking Edward to the event. I was ~~furious!~~ flabbergasted! They were running a little late because I just had to have my coffee warmed up and mixed just so because Scott wasted a lot of time getting Edward his breakfast, but I really feel that some people could have waited a few more minutes!

When I recovered from my ~~explosion of fury~~ momentary shock, I turned back to go inside and realized that I had locked myself out! This could happen to anyone, of course, although it does seem to happen to me with distressing frequency! I really must have a word with Scott because it is surely some fault with the lock mechanism.

I am sure that the rest of today will go more smoothly. We have a lot to squeeze into a few short hours, but I am confident that I will be able ~~to whip everyone into shape~~ to help everyone to enjoy the day to the fullest!

Tonight, the younger boys have the Homecoming Dance (for which I have already kitted them out with my usual flare!). That will come after the Homecoming Soccer game this afternoon, which Kenny will play. I plan to be there. After I take Jack shopping for winter essentials...how long could that possibly take? I will just nip out before to pick up the boys' trousers and corsages and then loop around to pick up Jack (he is at the alumni game now). The boys also need to meet at a friends' house at 3:30 for pictures, etc and have a dinner reservation for 4:45. It is Scott's birthday, too, and naturally ~~I have not had a moment to even think about it~~ I have everything in hand for a nice little birthday supper. No problem at all. I am sure there is time to do everything and to do it well!

Perhaps it would be wise to make a To Do list just to be sure:

To Do

1. 11:00 - Pay bills because leaving tomorrow for 2 weeks. (Ha! Done! I did it while online for car license stickers and booking hotel for tomorrow night on the road. I am amazing!)

2. 11:00 - Pick up dress pants at Men's Wearhouse. (Leaving in a jiffy; it is in south part of town)

3. 11:00 -Pick up corsages. (cleverly ordered several days ago, I can just nip over there while out; it is in east-central part of town, but that should only be 5-10 minutes' drive)

4. 11:00-1:00 - Alumni Game. (obviously, I cannot make it, but Jack will be there!)

5. 12:00- Take Jack for winter essentials after Alumni Game(must pick him up first at school in west-center of town, then go to mall at extreme east end of town; no problem as these locations are only 20-30 minutes apart).

6. 12:00 - Allow at least 2 hours for shopping with Jack (no problem).

7. 1:00- 3:30 - Soccer Game! Root for Kenny!

8. 1:00- Pick up Edward. Take him to soccer field to join us watching game.

9. 1:00 - Prepare an excellent lunch for my family. (Hmm. This might not work, as no one is home. Oh well).

10. 1:00 - Shop for birthday supper ingredients. (I know this will be special!)

11. 3:00 - Make sure both boys are showered and dressed for Homecoming pictures and evening of relaxed fun!

12. 3:45 - Check watch as game inevitably goes into overtime, and have not left field yet to do items 2-11)

13. 3:46 - Experience total meltdown.

Hmmm...this is only a partial list and I am not quite sure if it will be possible to do the rest of the things on the list. However, as Those in the Know are well aware, I am nothing if not resourceful and creative. I am confident that ~~Scott~~ I will think of something! I may try to update later, but as you can surely gather, I am a very busy woman! I do not want to hear any whining!

First thing's first. I think a nice cup of tea will fortify me for the busy day ahead. Oops! It is 1:00 now! I had better plug in the kettle quickly!

Good Day to All!

What a To Do!

2011-09-28T17:29:00.000-05:00

This week has not been going at all like I expected. My plan was to write every single day and to send a post out into the NiftyUniverse every day as well. So far, that plan has not come to fruition quite as I had envisioned and the reason is quite simple. I am ~~a very lazy slacker!~~ a very busy woman™! The only appropriate course of action is to make a To Do list at once:

To Do

1. Make To Do list (excellent start)

2. Start supper (chicken in oven as I write)

3. Laundry (always a crowd-pleaser)

4. Write blog post (some progress here)

5. Write/edit current work in progress (who are we kidding?)

6. Order Homecoming corsages for boys as requested (already done! I am amazing!)

This is Spirit Week for the boys. "Spirit Week" refers to building school "spirit", and not, as I they had hoped, a week of ghosting and haunting and decorating for Hallowe-en and so forth which would at least have been ~~fun for me!~~ interesting! I They will have to wait until next month for that, I suppose. I am sure this ~~misleadingly~~ intriguingly named "Spirit Week" will still be ~~pretty boring~~ pretty enjoyable.

Meanwhile, I really feel that two teenage boys could have made more of an effort to ~~use all of my ideas for the week~~ get more into the spirit of the week! Tuesday was called "Tacky Twin Day" (obviously, the school ought to have consulted me before settling on this name, but TITK™ know I never mention this sort of lapse), so naturally I advised the boys to go all out - choose matching outfits, wear the same colours, part their hair on the same side, and generally adopt all of the ~~boring, predictable~~ fresh, creative ideas their mother had suggested in order to ~~win the contest!~~ show their school spirit!

My offspring is nothing if not ~~cooperative~~ obstructive. I had wisely counseled them to imitate Daryl, Daryl and Daryl of "Newhart" fame, as they would then have both the "tacky" and the "twin" elements sewn up! Sure, Daryl, Daryl and Daryl were not, in fact, twins (or triplets...nor any sort of multiples nor even brothers, possibly), but their similar (tacky) attire and similar names (!) would definitely fit the bill!

After a moment of blank incomprehension - how could anyone not remember Daryl, Daryl and Daryl, (even if the show had been on the air nearly two decades before their birth?) How irritating! - Edward and Ken dutifully went upstairs to change into their oldest jeans and checkered shirts hanging open over thermal tees. They came down looking not one bit like Daryl, Daryl and Daryl, so I sent them back up. They returned still looking like their regular spiffy selves. I ~~complained irritably~~ remarked pointedly that they did not look like twins at all and for some reason, my monozygotic sons stared at me, seemingly nonplussed. I was ~~furious!~~ frustrated, understandably, but we had run out of time ~~to the boys' immense relief~~, unfortunately.

This is the sort of thing with which I must constantly contend, yet I am the soul of equanimity. Some days, I do not know how I do it.

This morning, I found myself once again ~~unable to resist interfering~~ having to sort other people out, only this time it was not family members who required the guidance of Your Able Correspondent, but unexpected strangers. It may surprise Those in the Know to learn that I am frequently engaged in ~~causing problems~~ solving problems throughout the community, and this morning was no exception.

Our local grocery store has apparently been taken over by lunatics! I arrived bright and early at 7:45 this morning to pick up a few staples for one of my world-famous casseroles, when I was rudely denied entry into the store! Sure, there was a sign outside saying "Re-opening at 8:00" and yes, the store had posted enormous banners, visible from the road 100 yards away, for weeks advising customers of an impending change of management involving two days closure for restocking, but I want to know why their housekeeping should cause so much inconvenience to ~~me!~~ customers! I was forced to drive around the block ~~about 100 times~~ a few times while peering toward the store each time I passed to see if the "Re-opening at 8:00" sign had been removed yet.

~~As soon as I saw the officious young man who had prevented me from entering the store remove the sign, I veered sharply across the lanes of traffic and screeched into the store parking lot~~ Eventually, I deemed it late enough to return, so I carefully proceeded into the parking lot and made my way sedately to the door. Once inside the premises, I am sorry to report that the place was ~~amazingly well-organized, given that the staff had had only 48 hours to completely empty and restock the shelves~~ incredibly disorganized, considering that the staff had had ~~weeks~~ ~~days~~ ~~a few days~~ ~~who cares?~~ some time - and certainly had used up a portion of my valuable time this morning - to restock the shelves and restore order.

I hurried up and down the aisles in my usual ~~haphazard fashion~~ orderly manner, ~~impatiently nodding at everyone as they hastily scattered to get out of my path~~ politely greeting everyone I met - isn't it interesting how people seem always to be running against the tide instead of with the tide of traffic? Every single person in that store was going the wrong way! but I am, naturally, too polite to point out their faults to strangers - and did my best to make sense of the newly arranged goods. While it is true that ~~nothing at all~~ not too much had changed except store brands, the general atmosphere in the place was different somehow, ~~and I do not like change!~~ but, I am nothing if not adaptable!

Nevertheless, In the produce section, things were in shocking disarray. I helpfully instructed the stock clerk on where to place things while cleverly demonstrating the flaws in the design of his orange pyramid. The resulting citrus tsunami was totally unnecessary, of course, had he built the display properly in the first place. Obviously, had I been in charge over there, none of this nonsense would have occurred!

The situation in the bulk foods aisle was hardly better. The coffee bean dispensers have clearly been tampered with by this new management outfit. I attempted to pour in 1/3 pound as I always do and at least 2 pounds exploded out of the bag ~~as it always does~~! ~~After kicking most of the spilled beans under the shelves~~ After cleaning up as best I could, I put the bulging bag into my cart, found a clerk to whom I ~~loudly complained~~ gently alerted about problem in the bulk foods aisle, and made my way to the delicatessen. There, I was forced to have a word with the young woman at the delicatessen counter about the meager portions of their ~~free~~ samples. I was certainly relieved to see that we have not lost the Boar's Head brand in all this sweeping new broom business, but I felt it incumbent upon me to offer a timely tip: with all the to-do about changing management, what with closing for two days and inconveniencing me customers, now might be the ideal time to start offering me customers more generous samples.

At the checkout, yet another inconvenient glitch in the store's operations awaited me. Those in the Know can surely imagine my ~~exasperation!~~ concern! The code reader would not read the bars for the coffee, and even when the clerk entered it in manually, there was no response from the computer. Spotting one of the roaming managers to whom I have often given a welcome word of advice, I ~~summoned him imperiously~~ called out cheerily and ~~demanded~~ requested a resolution to my problem ~~at once !~~ as quickly as possible. He came up with a solution very quickly indeed! He authorized the clerk to give me the coffee free of charge! Now that is service!

The people at the store insisted on helping me out to my car with my bags, even though I only had two! This attentiveness to a valued customer is something that I hope they plan to continue! It may very well make up for their other shortcomings, although unless the deli samples are increased and the general disposition of the entire staff improves, I worry that it will be a long, difficult road ahead.

Good Day to All!

Rainy Monday in September

2011-09-26T15:50:00.000-05:00

Good Morning to all Those in the know!

Actually, I would like to be able to sincerely say this is a good morning, but the glowering grey sky and steady, soaking rain that is falling have other ideas, I am afraid! It is really a bit much. Certainly, it is true that only the other day as ~~Scott~~ I was watering the parched plants in my flower pots, I was ~~complaining bitterly~~ musing contentedly that we have had an ~~endless, miserable~~ extended, lovely stretch of dry, sunny weather but the fact remains that one overnight of steady rainfall would have more than sufficed!

We had a busy weekend here, what with one thing or another. On Saturday, Edward was running in a cross-country event just out of town at a very nice Forest Preserve. I like to go to my childrens' sports events ~~if I have nothing better to do~~ as often as I possibly can, and Saturday was no exception. ~~Although, if I had known that it was going to be cold and drizzly, I might have thought twice about it!~~ Even though it was cold and drizzly, I did not think twice about it! Obviously, a little discomfort would ~~definitely~~ never keep me away from cheering my son on in his race!

I do have ~~several~~ one little ~~complaint~~ observation to make, however. I simply cannot understand why my Edward, clearly the most outstanding young man there that day, did not run away with the gold medal! He burst out of the starting lineup with a commanding lead, and I made sure that I was ~~halfway onto the track, screaming instructions~~ visible on the sidelines, cheering him on! As soon as he blew past us, I naturally began to hurry across the track to cheer him on at the first bend in the route as it doubled back through the woods. To be perfectly frank, I think the way that Scott yanked me back off the track ~~before I caused a pile up of runners still to come~~ was a unnecessarily abrupt. I was forced to really run to get to my next position in time to catch Edward and pass on the sterling motivational advice for which I am so famous.

I am not sure that I will ever fully understand the teenage psyche. Edward began the race with all appearances of total enjoyment. Mind you, though I am always reluctant to point out the missteps of others, I am forced to say that it appeared that he was enjoying himself a little too much; trotting along smilingly and even chatting in a friendly fashion with ~~his enemies~~ his opponents when he ought to have been ~~fiercely focused on winning at all costs~~ properly focused on competing to the best of his ability, which would have ensured that he ~~could have won!!!~~ could have finished nearer to the top ten. I wish I had a photo to illustrate this point, but I was ~~fortunately~~ unfortunately without my camera on Saturday. ~~BLAST!!~~ Oh well.

Anyway, I did what no any conscientious mother would do. I ~~screamed diabolically~~ shouted encouragement from the sidelines, practically ~~knocked people over~~ knocked myself out as I raced from one vantage point to the next from where I ~~screeched, "Run 'em over, Edward!"~~ called out, "Looking good, Edward!". Those in the Know are well aware that I am my childrens' biggest ~~tormentor~~ cheerleader, so you will not be surprised to learn that I received ~~a dark look~~ a bright smile from my athletic son as he flew past me. ~~Undeterred~~ Encouraged, I hurried to each vantage point along the course, ~~crashing through the forest between race pathways with wild abandon, shrieking hysterically,~~ ~~"Mow 'em down, Edward!"~~ making my way to the next checkpoint through the forest with care, shouting bracingly, "Keep up the good work, Edward!".

In the end, Edward placed 26th, a result that I consider to be ~~infuriating!~~ pretty darn good! Those other runners ~~just got lucky~~ ran their hearts out, so I am able to accept the result ~~begrudgingly~~ with good grace. The parents of the top ten runners no doubt went around bragging in an unseemly fashion ~~(as I would surely have done)~~ (as I would never have done, obviously), but I am above that sort of thing. Anyway, who cares? Next race, we he will surely win!! With Your Faithful Scribe on the sidelines, cheering him on, TITK can be assured that Edward cannot ~~avoid total humiliation~~ fail!

In other news, it is Spirit Week at the boys' school which means - yes, as usual - a great deal of work for Yours Truly! I am not one to complain, but Those in the Know ought to remember just how ~~feckless and unreliable~~ devoted and helpful I always am when it comes to the boys' school activities. As I believe I have mentioned before, I am always first in line to volunteer for ~~the easiest jobs~~ the most challenging and time-consuming jobs, although somehow I always ~~manage to avoid doing anything at all~~ manage to have a lovely time working with the young people! The boys ~~hate it~~ love it when I volunteer. Truly, volunteerism at one's children's school is something I heartily recommend! Your children will ~~dread~~ cherish every moment you spend in the school hallways, chatting with their classmates and sharing little bits of wisdom. My sons are so ~~mortified~~ proud of their "hip"* mom! So far, they haven't asked me to do anything this week, but I am sure they ~~never will unless threatened~~ will mention some important task soon!

While I have several other topics I had planned to discuss today, I see that I have ~~lost interest in writing, as usual~~ run out of time, as usual. Never mind, my friends! I will ~~probably~~ definitely be back tomorrow! Until then,

Good Day to All!

* "Hip" is the groovy new lingo meaning cool, up-to-date, enviable, etc. In other words, moi.

Efficient cars

2011-09-21T19:31:00.000-05:00

Those in the Know will be surprised to learn that, from time to time, I have a ~~deucedly hard time~~ little trouble coming up with interesting ideas for blog posts. Naturally, since I lead an incredibly ~~idle~~ busy life, it is quite a challenge to find the time to post anything at all, but when I take on a challenge, I stick with it until I am able to present my loyal readers with a magnificent finished piece of solid blog gold. ~~This morning, after a frustrating few hours alternately staring at a blank post window and idly websurfing~~ This afternoon, after a busy few hours alternately delivering a tasty lunch to my boys at school and whipping my home into House Beautiful perfection, I have decided ~~in desperation~~ for fun to peruse the draft file I have here on the blog. ~~Egad, I hope~~ Perhaps I will find a little inspiration! Certainly, I do not expect to find many unfinished posts, since I am nothing if not reliably ~~unproductive~~ productive. Let me just take a quick gander inside the drafts folder....

Great Scott!! There must be fifteen or twenty unfinished posts in there! What a lucky ~~break~~ surprise! I'll just pick one at random, dust it off and finish it right now!

Autumn 2010:

While I was in St John's recently, I noticed that the local mania for small cars has ~~descended~~ ascended to an entirely new level. Now, Those in the Know™ will confirm that I am the most ~~conservation-illiterate~~ conservation-minded person on the planet, so it is perfectly natural that I would be the ~~last~~ first to notice this trend. Actually, in St. John's, it has a long and colourful history, grounded in ~~freakish idiosyncrasy~~ creative frugality and ~~bizarre eccentricity~~ principled non-conformity.

~~One or two~~ ~~Some~~ ? Many Newfoundlanders care a great deal about energy efficiency, environmental friendliness and - quite frankly the ~~only~~ most pressing reason, in my opinion - maneuverability through the notoriously narrow and twisty streets of the oldest city in North America. For these reasons (not to mention a ~~skinflinty~~ thrifty streak running through the gene pool), the citizens of St. John's were light years ahead of their continental neighbours in embracing the smarter car concept decades ago.

By the time the popularity of "sub-compact" cars began skyrocketing across the USA and mainland Canada in the fuel-strapped late 1970's, the highways and biways of Newfoundland - not to mention the labyrinthine lanes and alleys downtown in the old city - had already been teeming with Datsun B210s and Toyota Corollas for years. It goes without saying that the Volkswagon Beetle had been ubiquitous for decades.

My own dear father owned an early model Datsun B210, which replaced the VW beetles he had had for years before it. It would not be overstating the case to say that he greeted the arrival of cars that were even more compact (and rumoured to be more efficient) than "the Volks" with irrepressible delight. The prospect of greater fuel efficiency naturally warmed the cockles of his thrifty heart, while the assurance that the newer, sleeker, sportier Datsun was both more nimble and peppier than the VW was no small matter.

Dad had eked out a parking spot down a steep alley between his office building and the next one. For years, he had cheerfully piloted the Beetle down that narrow, dog-legged canyon to park each morning and coaxed it back up the nearly perpendicular path out onto the busy road in front of his law chambers each night. This feat took more than a little gutsy determination! That VW boxer (or was it a wankle?) engine was not famous for its lightning-fast, powerful pick-up. To say the least.

I am not one who enjoys mentioning the flaws in beloved icons, but there are times when one must have the courage (and Your Faithful Scribbler is nothing if not ~~choleric~~ courageous!) to say the unpopular thing: the truth is, a Volkswagon starting out on a hill looks and sounds disconcertingly like a consumptive tortoise, shuffling and snuffling its way hesitantly forward, slipping back, surging ahead again, coughing and blaring flatulently all the way.

As a youngster, I always enjoyed being in the backseat for one of these noisy, fitful exits from that narrow, hidden alleyway. The spectacle of startled bystanders scattering like pigeons as the old Volks rumbled up the narrow driveway between the tall buildings and burst out onto the road, literally flying over the sidewalk at the top of the lane and shooting between the parallel-parked cars like a rotund rocket before thumping jarringly down and roaring away while Dad enthusiastically ground the gears was definitely worth any motion sickness guaranteed to come with the ride.

(This is an expert re-enactment of Dad's flying beetle. Do not attempt this at home.)

~~Sadly~~ Fortunately , the Datsun eliminated most of the ~~fun~~ danger because it removed that ~~delicious~~ unnerving sense of uncertainty about whether or not we would actually make it up the impossibly steep, narrow lane. Also, that inscrutably quiet Japanese engine lacked - I am ~~sorry to have to point this out~~ happy to be able to point out- the dramatic flair for which the Beetle was so ~~feared~~ beloved by ~~innocent bystanders~~ people everywhere. The purring engine and smooth acceleration up the driveway eliminated any need to "make a run for it" - as Dad used to jovially call gunning the engine, releasing the handbrake with a jump, scrambling up the clifflike path and bursting out of the alley - like in the good old days. The bright yellow paint reflecting a glow ten feet in front of it on the brick walls of the alley alerted pedestrians on the sidewalk above of its approach long before they could ~~enter the danger zone directly in its path~~ find it necessary to scurry out of the way as in better times. Be that as it may, however, one must grant praise where praise is due. The Datsun was a fuel-sipper and it was rather sporty looking.

Here is a photo of a Datsun exactly like Dad's

(but clearly belonging to far less dignified people).

Where was I going with this? It is not that I am forgetful or inclined to go off on tangents, it is simply that I am ~~forgetful and inclined to go off on tangents~~ a very busy woman and I ~~have already~~ sometimes ~~lose interest, so I let my mind flit off to greener pastures~~ have too many things on my mind at once. ~~Who cares? Conservation, schmonservation!~~ Of course I remember! Compact car mania!

Those in the Know can rest assured that Your Reliable Reporter has ~~paid absolutely no attention~~ kept carefully up to date on developments in the transportation industry since the glory days of the Volksy and the Datsun B210. However, even I have been ~~struck speechless~~ surprised by the most recent stage in the ~~devolution~~ evolution of vehicle efficiency: smart cars.

This vehicle reminds me of something, but what? Oh well, never mind - it is probably just another of my momentary ~~lapses in concentration - good gracious will this post never end?~~ flashes of brilliant inspiration. Let us carry on!

These micro-sub-compact cars may be fuel-efficiency dreamboats, but their true genius lies in their undeniably compact size. Although it is true that a vehicle of these proportions could pose occupancy challenges for actual drivers or passengers, I would like to ask: what is mere comfort or convenience compared to fuel efficiency and maneuverability? I have a feeling Dad would have ~~laughed at~~ loved this car! He may not simply have ~~laughed at~~ loved it, I think he would have ~~laughed first and later got in line to own one!~~ been first in line to own one! My father was a forward-thinker as well as a very practical man. He would have loved the quirky unconventionality of this little rig just on principle, but I think he would really have warmed to its environmentally-friendly, money-saving credentials even more!

That is my news about innovation in the car industry. As usual, Those in the Know need not thank me for bringing you up to date like this. I am nothing if not ~~at least two years behind the times~~ on top of developments in every sphere of human endeavor, and it is my little gift to the world to share my insights ~~when I get around to it~~ whenever I can.

Good Day to All!

Postscript: I simply cannot shake away a niggling feeling that I have seen this idea before. Obviously, as one who has always been ~~blithely unaware of~~ keenly interested in automobile trends, I am an enthusiastic supporter of the newest innovations, so perhaps I noticed it in a cutting edge science magazine some years ago? It would be ~~impossible~~ possible ~~since I have never read such a thing~~ if I had ever time to read such publications. Instead, as TITK are well aware, I have devoted my life to perfecting child-rearing and homemaking, which means that my magazines of choice were usually...

Oh yes. Now I remember! Dad would have howled...and bought one on the spot!

Too Busy!!

2011-09-20T12:58:00.003-05:00

Good Morning to all Those in the Know!

My post today will have to be brief. Obviously, I am ~~never~~ always prepared to make the necessary effort to produce a great post, but I am a very busy woman™ and today that is more true than ever!

Consider this To Do list:

1. Laundry (I want to know why, when I go on vacation, the laundry does not take care of itself?)

2. Bills (Ditto)

3. Fight with university about bogus billing (I'll get right to that - in a moment)

4. Start supper (I am the queen of culinary delights!)

5. Write blog post (always job #1!)

6. Work on great Can-Am novel (definitely going to put in a few hours on this today!)

Oops! It looks like the jobs order is a little whacky there this morning. Obviously, item #5 ought to be item #1, but the truth is that the only item I have begun yet today is laundry, which is number one on the To Do list for this reason. However, writing the blog post is always job #1, so we have a slight conflict of priorities here.

Never mind. I always feel that too strict a reliance on lists and "priorities" can interfere with the creative process. I am sure that Those in the Know will agree! I will get to the items on the list ~~in my own sweet time, thank you very much!~~ in my usual efficient way!

I just got off the phone with Scott. He is away at the moment, as he so often is just when I need a break! Sure, I have just returned home from a week at the beach, but I really feel that one ought to be able to expect a few days of buffer time in which to smoothly take up the reins of duty once more. Your Dutiful Scribe had no such luxury! I came home ~~to a thoroughly cleaned and tidy house and a home-cooked meal~~ and immediately ~~was enfolded in warm hugs, handed a glass of wine and asked about my vacation~~ had to ~~laugh, catch up, and admire the sparkling house and handsome, dear faces of my husband and youngest sons~~ step back into my duties as wife and mother extraordinaire*. Some days, I ask myself how I manage to do it all.

But, to return to my point. Scott and I were chatting as I was putting through load after load of laundry and he was, no doubt, ~~preparing to face a very demanding and draining day~~ doing something or other. When I mentioned that perhaps I would just skip a day of posting on the blog - after all, it is only one day! I am renowned for my work ethic, but even a Faithful Recorder such as myself needs a break now and then - he seemed appalled! I am not one to shine the spotlight on the indelicacies of others, but I can hardly be expected to hide the fact that my spouse appears to ~~believe in me even when I can hardly believe in myself~~ expect that I should move mountains every day when even I know I can probably only move mountains every other day, as a general rule.

To add to the pressure, my ~~devious tormentor~~ delightful partner in life has declared that he expects me to put my writing before everything else, every single day. Even before ~~NCIS!~~ chores! The ~~delights~~ drudgery of ~~flipping idly through magazines, watching HGTV and surfing the web~~ planning carefully nutritious menus, folding laundry and managing a busy household must be put on the back burner, and a serious effort made to produce the great Can-Am novel!

~~I am~~ He is quite determined, and ~~he is~~ I am ever the devoted and agreeable spouse, so I will naturally make the necessary changes to the To Do list:

To Do

1. Write blog post (now, that is more like it!)

2. Laundry (consider the 3 loads already in progress as a bonus...I am out of there!)

3. Bills (that is ridiculous! Everyone knows that incredibly talented, struggling writers never pay bills!)

4. Start supper (Who can cook when literary history is being made? Takeout, bien sûr!)

5. Work on the great Can-Am novel (definitely as soon as this blog post is up, or at least soon after!)

That is all there is time for today, Dear Readers. Good day to All!

* Another bon môt from moi to you. It is, of course, French for truly remarkable, extraordinary, wonderful in every way. In other words: Nifty.
Don't mention it.

The Annual Vacation With Jeanne

2011-09-19T14:59:00.001-05:00

I have just returned from my annual trip to Hilton Head with my dear friend, Jeanne, and I am ~~poisoned that it ended so soon!~~ highly motivated to get back to work! ~~I am~~ Jeanne is convinced that if I write every single day without fail for fourteen days, ~~I will produce several masterpieces of prose that will stun the blogoshere!~~ I will establish a work habit that may actually stick! Therefore, in my usual energetic style, I am getting straight to work. If I fail, I will only have ~~Jeanne~~ myself to blame!

First, however, I need a cup of coffee. Also, a bit of breakfast. I will definitely postpone web-surfing and a shower until after I post, reserving them as rewards for a job well done! Naturally, I do not actually require an incentive to produce a few hundred words. I am an artist and a philosopher! The words simply flow. Why, the real challenge is to find the time to direct the veritable flood of ~~nonsense~~ wisdom and ~~bile~~ wit onto the screen! With that thought in mind, I shall get right down to business writing about my trip, as soon as I have had a quick peek at Facebook. This is not procrastination, it is research. I expect Those in the Know to understand this sort of thing.

The trip itself ~~could have been better~~ could not have been better. Although, there were one or two small annoyances which could have been avoided if I Jeanne had arrived more prepared to go with the flow. Take, for example, beach chairs: there are two very nice ones at the house which have served our purposes quite well for years. ~~Jeanne~~ I was perfectly content with them, but I Jeanne began to fidget and fuss almost from the first moment we set them up on the beach. Nothing would do but that we find better ones!

Off we marched to the store - well to several stores because it is after-season, of course, and few merchants still had any beach chairs in stock. As our beach time ticked away, I dragged Jeanne from pillar to post. I We eventually had to settle for an inferior brand of chair (though, thankfully, they were clearance priced! I am nothing if not a savvy shopper!), I did, however, find a nifty little folding lounger which was really what I wanted all along, although I did not know it before we set off! It is so satisfying when things work out so pleasantly! Mind you, it would have been far more pleasant if that shopping expedition had not gobbled up half the morning! I am nothing if not adaptable, but there really is a limit!

After wasting a couple of precious hours of beach time in that manner, you can imagine that I was ~~fit to be tied~~ anxious to get back to the beach. Jeanne was ~~very slow~~ resigned, but ~~slow!~~ chipper, and we returned home with the -really, definitely inferior! - new chairs, which I we promptly shoved into the storage closet. Picking up the original chairs, we eventually made our way back to the surf and the sand.

At the beach, it took only a moment for ~~Jeanne~~ us to settle, although I must say it is certainly lucky that ~~Jeanne is~~ I am so easy-going. It is so annoying how one can only ever seem to tan on one side when sitting at the beach. I said to Jeanne as she brought me a bottle of water, "It is really too much! I have a lovely golden tan on the front but am pale as a ghost on the back! This beach sunbathing is for the birds!". With that, I began to ~~scramble awkwardly~~ rise up gracefully out of my beach chair (wretched thing! we really need new ones!), ~~intending to stride straight back to the villa in disgust~~, when Jeanne reminded me to try the new folding lounger I had just purchased. Of course I ~~had already~~ had not forgotten! That is exactly what I had intended to do!

I set up the lounger in a few inches of water so that I might be able to trail my fingers in the foaming surf as the gentle waves rose and fell along the shoreline. It was all very much like in a movie and, to be perfectly frank, it was ~~not even remotely possible~~ not difficult to imagine Yours Truly as the heroine of "From Here to Eternity". The entire effect was quite lovely, if short-lived, and I must really protest that a real friend would have given me warning of the incoming rogue wave. I prefer not to mention the shortcomings of others, but suffice to say that after I had picked myself up and mopped the soaked hair out of my face, I was forced to point out to Jeanne that she ought to have her sunglasses made as bifocals as her eyesight is evidently failing fast. Soon after, I quitted the beach for a much-deserved cup of tea back at the house. Jeanne opted to remain in her chair reading, serenely twirling her toes in the sand while the gentle surf lapped coolly around her ankles. How ~~irritating!~~ nice for her!

I am not one to complain, as TITK™ are well aware, but I really feel that when one makes the effort to plan a beach vacation, the weather gods should, at the very least, provide the superb weather that any reasonable person ought to be able to expect. In that regard, I am sorry to report that we were sadly disappointed. It is true that the sun shone brightly for five glorious days out of the six, but I want to know why it always has to be cloudy and chilly on the last full day of vacation? ~~I was furious!~~ Jeanne was pretty disappointed. ~~She~~ I did ~~her~~ my best to cheer me her up, but I she was out of sorts all day.

Most of the week passed in this ~~disagreeable~~ agreeable fashion. I am ~~the essence of discontentment~~ the epitome of congeniality in a traveling companion and Jeanne is ~~the epitome of congeniality~~ pretty good company, usually. I ~~complained constantly~~ provided constant stimulating conversation, while Jeanne ~~fetched, carried, cooked and cleaned~~ lazed about enjoying a well-deserved break. It was all very nice until the drive home when, I have to admit, Jeanne did let down the side a little. I pulled out all the stops to make the journey enjoyable, but this was where the limit of her perfections as a guest became sadly apparent.

On the drive down, for Jeanne's express entertainment (note: I require no distractions while driving - actually, I prefer no distractions at all while driving to be at my best; in point of fact, if anyone in the vehicle so much as whispers one word to me while I am driving, we are apt to wind up in a ditch - but I am otherwise a superb driver!), I played several CDs which are my proven favorites. I really feel that 3 CDs is a perfectly adequate selection of music for an eleven-hour car trip, especially because the mixed artist CD was full of ~~my favorites!~~ classics which can be enjoyed over and over ~~and over and over and over~~ again! Jeanne did not appreciate my thoughtfulness nearly as much as I had expected, however, so we made a trip to Barnes and Noble on the island and purchased several more CDs for the return trip.

I will not belabor the point, but let me just say that I did my best to keep Jeanne entertained throughout the drive, and I assure you that singing along with ABBA and the POLICE and THE BEATLES at the top of one's voice for eleven straight hours is no drive down easy street! Fortunately, I am an excellent singer - whatever some may say that I lack in musicality, I more than compensate for in volume - and I happen to know all of the words of all of the songs on every album I have ever owned off by heart. This is why playing CDs several times through on every road trip is so helpful! I am not saying that Jeanne is unimaginative, but it would not have hurt her to consider this aspect of the situation before she complained to Walter at the end of the trip about not having spoken a single word all day. Although ~~I always talk incessantly~~ we always chat pleasantly while Jeanne drives, for some reason she ~~could not get me to give up the wheel~~ chose not to drive last Saturday. Anyway, who cares? I did the best any good friend could do and that is the end of the subject.

On that note, I must get busy here! The boys have an orthodontist appointment soon and good heavens! I forgot to get supper ready!

Good day to all!

What Do You Mean, Where Have I Been?

2011-07-21T13:32:00.001-05:00

In case any of you were wondering, I have been here, there and everywhere! And, in case any of you had forgotten, I am a very busy woman™!!

Nevertheless, I am nothing if not ~~a slacker~~ accommodating, so of course while I am ~~irritated~~ pleasantly surprised by the ~~lack of~~ interest, I am, as always, delighted to provide another blog post. I will endeavor to recap the past couple of months for the reading pleasure of all Those in the Know™.

I am ~~pretty sure~~ convinced that it hasn't been all that long since I posted last. Surely, I posted about the Royal Wedding (though why I bothered, I cannot tell you, since the Powers That Be dropped the ball there on the invitation for Yours Truly) in April. Oh, hold on a moment: I see that I did not, in fact, publish that ~~rant~~ post due to ~~my utterly foul-humoured fit of pique~~ the uninteresting nature of the subject. Suffice to say that TITK™ need look no further than my blog for a recount of the true Wedding of the Century: the wedding of my daughter, Katherine!

Actually, TITK™ could look no further than my blog for that masterful account but you may not have any luck finding it....yet! I have simply been ~~so lazy!~~ so busy! Who has time to finish blog posts when one is joyfully occupied with arranging and hosting the most highly anticipated event of the ~~season~~ ~~year~~ ~~decade~~ century!! Never mind Catherine Middleton; the only truly riveting bride this year was our Katherine, beautiful daughter of Your Faithful Scribe! Look for that wonderful post ~~eventually~~ soon!

Another post that I ~~flaked out on before finishing~~ am sure I put up here was about our latest renovation. We had hoped to be finally finished with all renovations on this ~~money pit~~ house. Not, I hasten to clarify, that there was no more work to be done. I imagine that if one were willing to continue to pour money, building materials and blood, sweat and tears into this ~~hell hole~~ house, one could find endless new things to renovate. It was just a question of when to accept defeat and to declare it "good enough". By "good enough", mind you, I really do mean good enough and not "barely fit for human habitation" on the one extreme (it is better than that, bien sûr*) or "described with false modesty, but actually palatial" on the other. The state of this house at the moment is "good enough", but only after the last, unavoidable renovation.

However, that is much too long a story to get into on a blog post designed to bring TITK™ up to date on my marvelous life. Stay tuned for the renovation-specific posting which will ~~possibly~~ surely follow ~~eventually - maybe~~ within the next couple of days! As I have mentioned before, I am a very busy woman, so I will brook no complaints.

Following the Wedding of the Century, we naturally ~~slipped into a temporary semi-coma~~ took it a little easier for the next couple of weeks before embarking on our annual summer road trip to South Carolina. Actually, by "we" I should really clarify that it was Yours Truly who actually did the road trip - with six delighted passengers ~~enduring~~ enjoying the entire experience! My ~~better~~ other half merely jetted in after a ~~grueling~~ refreshing little jaunt overseas for a few meetings and whatnot.

The road trip was very difficult for ~~everyone but me~~ me, but with my characteristic pleasantly competent manner, I managed to ensure that all arrived ~~exhausted, frustrated and utterly fed up with me~~ excited, fresh and completely ready for fun!! The blog post that I have been working on about the road trip and the vacation which followed will ~~probably never be written~~ no doubt be up for your viewing pleasure very soon! That little incident at the gas station in North Carolina may or may not be included. I really do not understand why people become so agitated about every little thing that happens! And those remarks about barely averted catastrophe ~~while true~~ were, in my opinion, totally uncalled for. Honestly, it could happen to anyone! I will preserve the dignity that others have unfortunately failed to display and say no more about it.

I had better close for now. As usual, I am much in demand! It was very challenging to even find the time to post this update, but in my usual thoughtful way, I have made the supreme effort in order to deliver the post to my ~~non-existent~~ legions of fans! Think nothing of it!

(Celebrating a recent occasion - not really important)

* One of my legendary touches of sophistication for TITK™ who no doubt have sorely missed my helpful little pearls of wisdom! "Bien sûr" means "doggone right"! en français. You're welcome.

Spring Break Begins!

2011-03-19T17:43:00.001-05:00

Good Afternoon to all Those in the Know! I know that it is surprising to hear from me in the afternoon; I normally write ~~whenever I get around to it~~ promptly every morning, but today was a necessary exception!

It is the first day of the boys' spring break and we have had a simply marvelous day! We arose ~~disgustingly late~~ bright and early (old time (not DST) - which, let us be frank, is the only civilized time) to the cheering sight of spring sunshine and the ~~obnoxious racket~~ delightful symphony of birdsong!

I We had several items left to do on our pre-spring break trip To Do list, which ~~Scott~~ we immediately began to tackle. Here is the list:

To Do

1. ~~Bills~~ (of course I ~~should have finished them~~ started them last week! Efficiency is my middle name!)

2. ~~Cleaning~~ (the boys got down to work early-ish)

3. ~~Clear out closets and move furniture for hardwood floor refinishing on Tuesday~~. (strictly speaking, we did not have to do this, but after ~~hours of whining and pointed remarks from me~~ a little thought, Scott decided to get that job done today).

4. Laundry (let us not kid ourselves; laundry is never crossed off, because laundry is never finished!)

5. Start Supper (are you kidding? Did you see how busy I was today? Dining out - obviously!)

6. ~~Empty china cabinet~~. (I had planned to do this, naturally, but Scott ~~gave in~~ decided to surprise me)

7. ~~Spray peach tree~~. (Jack is looking forward to some juicy fruit this summer!)

As TITK can see, it has been an extremely busy day, and the day is not over yet!

I just came in from the garden where I have begun the annual spring cleanup! Certainly, I would have begun it, anyway, if not for the fact that it is already 5:20 PM, and even working ~~in my typical haphazard manner~~ at top speed, it was almost impossible to get this ^ much accomplished in a single day, much less a single day minus one hour. What I would like to know is how do the Powers that Be sleep at night, knowing that they have stolen an hour out of the days of highly productive citizens/residents like Yours Truly? Daylight Saving Time is an abomination!

Nevertheless, in my usual energetic way, I at least tidied up around the patio, returned the chairs to their normal positions and picked up a little of the winter refuse that seems to gather in corners and under bushes. There is a great deal yet to be done, but it will have to wait until I return in early April. By that time, I expect that the ice will have completely melted off the pond and the garden will have dried out just enough for me to begin a serious cleanup. I am so excited!

Meanwhile, the boys and I will be happily ensconced in Hilton Head, soaking up a little rejuvenating sunshine and taking care of various chores down there, too. We will have an especially pleasant 10 days there this spring because their Aunty Deb is going to fly down to join us for a long weekend next week! We cannot wait! Scott will also be there for that long weekend. We are all looking forward to it very much!

I must sign off for now and get back to packing and plotting my route for the trip tomorrow. The boys and I are going to make a run for it - drive as far as we can - tomorrow. If we can make it all the way, we will. If we need to stop, we will do that. Therefore, do not expect a post from me for a day or so (what am I, a machine? You will be lucky to hear from me all week!) I shall be busy driving! I do not want to hear any whining about it.

Good day to all!

Kiki's Wedding Colours

2011-03-17T12:32:00.001-05:00

Good Morning to all Those in the Know! It is a beautiful, sunshiney, springy day here in northern Illinois and I must say it is about time! It is all bad enough that we are afflicted with daylight savings time in the not-so-merry month of March, but when the weather remains wintry, that is just too much!

I promised yesterday to update TITK about all the other news in my life, and I am nothing if not a promise-keeper!

We are currently in the midst of another bathroom renovation. Yes, I know I once posted that I would never, under any circumstances, ever undertake another renovation again as long as I live but ~~I was only kidding!~~ circumstances arose which made renovation of that last bathroom urgently necessary. We suffered a leak from the plumbing in there which ruined our newly renovated kitchen ceiling. I do not think I need to tell TITK how ~~infuriating~~ disappointing that was! We tried a few home repairs ourselves, but the water always came back, until we finally determined that the only solution would be to tear out the bathtub and old plumbing completely to get at the pipes buried underneath. Obviously, once we began a tear out of that magnitude, the only sensible course forward would be to completely gut and renovate the entire bathroom.

This we have undertaken. We hired a contractor who began the demolition this week. I must say, it does seem to me that these young men undertake a demolition project with entirely too much gusto. The other morning, I was startled by a veritable rock concert of thunderous crashes and thumps from above. Even Minnie (whom TITK are well aware is as deaf as a post) was uneasy and jumped with fright once or twice.

I was forced to walk upstairs to have a brief word with the contractors, letting them know in my usual ~~grating~~ gracious manner that the level of noise and banging seemed quite unnecessary. I must confide in my dear friends, TITK, that young people these days seem particularly bashful, not to say a little slow in comprehension skills. The two young men, whom I interrupted with wrecking hammers raised in mid -air, stared at me in ~~obvious incredulity~~ apparent confusion. I do not know what to think of education today when young people enter adulthood unable to understand the simplest of requests: I feel I made myself perfectly clear: there must be a way to demolish a bathroom and remove 50-year-old fixtures, floors and ancient tiled walls without making quite so much of a fuss!

Apparently not, however. After a long pause (during which I nearly had to go back up to inquire about the breaks policy of their firm), the wretched cacophony started up again. Minnie and I were literally driven out of the house!

Anyway, enough about the shortcomings of contractors. Let me tell you about my design! The former bathroom was a standard 6X8.5 room with an ancient ceramic tub enclosure along one wall and an equally ancient vanity cabinet with a single offset sink at the far edge of it right next to the ugly, squat toilet. The new bathroom will have a simple shower (though beautiful, naturally! It will be a creation by moi do not forget!) and new vanity and fixtures. The old tile and fixtures were white and chrome and the walls were plain yellow. The new tile will be a Mexican style in a mixture of shades of stone, cream and brown. The new vanity will be a modern furniture style cabinet in an espresso finish. The fixtures will be in brushed nickel. No doubt it will all be simply elegant!

Today, I am trying to finish this before my battery runs out, so this post will be quick and possibly poorly written. C'est la vie*, my friends! As always, I do my utmost to make the most of every situation, no matter what the cost to myself, but from time to time it must be acknowledged that challenges can sometimes get the best of one. Resources are limited (32 minutes of battery life remain, but only 9 minutes of my patience) and one must do one's best, irregardless**!

Good day to all!

*From my much-admired collection of French phrases. This one is a suavely sophisticated way to say "tough noogies".

**I have no idea why the spell check has underlined this perfectly useful word! Clearly, there are bugs yet to be worked out in this blogspot software. How irritating!

Catching Up

2011-03-15T14:35:00.009-05:00

Oops! I seem to have neglected my blog! I am sure that Those in the Know will understand that a busy woman like moi must prioritize her numerous tasks and responsibilities, and naturally I have had ~~almost~~ ~~nothing at all~~ several more pressing matters to attend to over the past couple of months!

The main excitement in my life this winter is the planning of our dear daughter's wedding. Needless to say, with Yours Truly capably at the helm, the ship of marriage will be smoothly launched in June! Although, I must admit, I am slightly concerned about the ability of all others involved to stay the course and bring about a truly outstanding social event! Not to worry, though. In my own inimitable style, I will ~~whip everyone into shape~~ patiently guide all concerned toward a joyous and beautiful culmination of ~~all my carefully laid plans~~ all the young couple's fondest hopes and dreams!

So far, I we have made tremendous progress, in spite of a rather daunting obstacle. I am sorry to say that the representative of our original choice for the wedding reception venue wrote to us in December announcing that the management had fired their entire dining room staff - including the chef! - and had signed an agreement with a coffee and sandwich outfit in town to replace them! We were assured that the new cafeteria (currently under construction there) would provide as elegant a milieu for our daughter's wedding as the serenity of the zen garden atmosphere and Asian fusion cuisine of the former Garden dining room. :-/

Let us consider this for a moment: An ordinary, decidedly un-zenlike - let us be frank: very coffee and donut-like - sandwich shop will provide a "serene and elegant reception experience" for our daughter's wedding. Our daughter and her new husband will (for an outrageous fee) be serenely and elegantly surrounded by coffee-swilling and donut-dunking cafe patrons. Possibly noisy and unruly patrons (not that I am easily annoyed, of course). Our dozens of guests, most of whom will have traveled thousands of miles to attend the nuptials, will (at great expense to us) be granted the privilege of mingling serenely and elegantly in wedding attire with the ballcap-sporting hoi poloi who wander in off the street for a jelly-filled donut and a cup of joe. The regular patrons of the cafe will have every right to be there, of course, but our daughter and her wedding party will have to pay (handsomely!) for the privilege and will, to add insult to injury, be the interlopers at the venue during their own wedding!

1. Casual cafe.
2. Casually dressed patrons.
3. Coffee and donuts and sandwiches.
4. Wedding party.
~~Three of these things just do not belong.~~
One of these things just does not belong.

We were assured that the new sandwich shop chef is top notch. I am sure that he is. I have no doubt that his culinary greatness has merely been stifled by the overwhelming demand for coffee, donuts and sandwiches in the hurly burly competitive world of the office lunch market to which he has heretofore been limited. I feel confident that this transition to a wider market and a more varied and sophisticated cuisine will be an enormous success both for the sandwich outfit and for the Gardens and I wish the new venture every success.  However, I am ~~not bloody likely!~~ unwilling to allow my daughter's wedding reception to be a test case for them to gauge the success of that particular experiment.

Let us not kid ourselves: a coffee and sandwich shop is a coffee and sandwich shop, no matter how these people tried to ~~mis~~represent it! Needless to say, I immediately ~~lowered the boom~~ sent them a polite reply expressing my ~~fury~~ disappointment and informed them that we would be making other arrangements for our daughter's wedding, toute de suite*.

A few ~~frantic~~ quick emails from Yours Truly and disaster was nimbly averted. I We have made new and, if I may say so, far superior arrangements with a private country club here in town. To be perfectly honest, this was probably ~~the last thing on my mind last year~~ one of the first places I thought about last year! I really ought to listen to ~~someone else once in a while~~  my own inner voice more often!

After that little bump in the road to wedded bliss was behind us, the wedding planning went along very nicely indeed! Kiki has selected dresses for her bridesmaids and these have been ordered. She has created a design for her wedding cake and she has chosen table centerpieces for the reception (with the able assistance of Your Humble Servant, naturally).  She and Dennis have also met with their officiant and are now planning their own unique ceremony. Although they have ~~foolishly!~~ sensibly declined my ~~repeated offers of~~ assistance in this area, I ~~suppose~~ am confident that, together, they will create a beautiful and meaningful ceremony which will reflect their personal tastes and their hopes and dreams for the future.

We have booked a photographer, a DJ for the reception and some live musicians for the ceremony. We have talked flowers, favors and fillings for the cake layers. We have sent invitations overseas and to Canada a little early to allow our guests more time to make travel plans. In early April, I plan to mail the invitations to local friends and friends in other states.

Things are coming together swimmingly! It is all very exciting, and, thanks to Your Dependable** Reporter, TITK will be able to follow every ~~excruciating~~ exciting detail from now until June 11!

There is other news to relay although obviously not nearly as interesting as wedding talk. Those in the Know can depend upon me to update them ~~if/when the spirit moves me~~ at my earliest convenience. I am, as always, very busy and in fact I am being paged right now.

Good day to all!

* Another little French gem for TITK. It means, "on the double, you fools!" but expresses the thought with ever so much more sophistication! A gift from me to you.

** "Dependable" is as "dependable" does. Who cares anyway? I am here now, and that is all that matters!

Friday, TGIIF!

2010-11-12T09:38:00.007-06:00

19,450 words of pure, unadulterated garbage.

Oh well, who cares? In my own inimitable style, I will make lemons out of that lemonade during the rewriting process. It is true that TITK may be justified in expecting my novel to leap out onto the page from my imagination a fully-formed and impressive creation, but the truth is ~~my writing ability is dismal~~ my writing talent is far more subtle than that! It is ~~pretty much non-existent~~ the sort of talent that quietly begins a story and gradually lets it grow over time ~~and frequent rewrites~~ until the final, ~~excrementitious~~ exquisite draft is triumphantly produced.

Yesterday, I introduced a dead body into the narrative. It was one of my famous ~~disastrous tangents~~ surprising plot twists, and of course ~~totally predictable~~ a complete shocker! However, almost as soon as I typed the words, I realized that here was ~~a pathetic predictable plot clunker~~ an interesting idea that might need a little more development. This morning, as I dragged my weary, writerly bones to the computer, I must admit that I was not looking forward to facing the next ~~awful~~ paragraph.

Then, inspiration struck! I am now typing away with renewed enthusiasm (well, except for right now, when I am ~~wasting time, distracted again~~ dutifully keeping TITK in the loop) and will no doubt create a plot of such stunning complexity and originality that the Nobel committee might come knocking at my door before it is even published!

In other news, our anniversary was even nicer than I had hoped it would be! We were so disappointed earlier in the fall when we realized that our original plan of going to Hilton Head for our anniversary was simply going to be too much to fit into an already exhausting schedule. We had planned to spend an enjoyable evening with Aunt Jean, too, gobbling up delicious Chinese food at her newly renovated house and generally have the most relaxing time imaginable. But, Scott's travel schedule has been hellish and of course TITK already know how busy I always am! So, we opted not to try to travel right now. That left us scrambling to think of a way to make the occasion feel special.

It was, of course, ~~Scott's~~ my brilliant idea to try the little bistro downtown near the riverfront. I ~~had my doubts~~ was very confident that it would be fabulous, and indeed it was! We had a simply amazing meal of small, flavourful dishes in a beautifully decorated and unique little place right on State Street. The wine was light and fruity, there was candlelight and pleasant wait staff and even the small clusters of fresh, fanciful flowers on the tables delighted me.

Something Almost as Pretty as I Might Have Created

Anyway, it was a lovely dinner followed by a pleasant evening sitting out by a roaring fire on the patio with our kids and guests. A quiet anniversary, but surprisingly wonderful!

Today, Kiki has been ~~bothering me~~ keeping me in the loop with frequent texts from work. Her store is holding an event today featuring the superstar crooner Ricky Martin. Apparently, people began to line up to attend the event at 9:00 last night! I told her not to worry; as long as she keeps to the rear of the store, she can ~~pretend to be busy and avoid the hysterical throngs~~ help facilitate a smooth transition between fans and star while ~~popping out frequently for refreshing cups of tea~~ ensuring that the needs of her fellow staff and customers are properly looked after. I know she will astound the rest of the staff with her masterful juggling of the crowds and the star's entourage, while no doubt racking up thousands in sales for the store. She just has that kind of amazing ability. She is, after all, her mother's daughter!

We are expecting Jack in town tonight, so ~~the entire weekend will probably be a dead loss as far as the great Can-Am novel is concerned!~~ the entire weekend will no doubt be filled with fun and music and laughter! I, for one, am ~~irritated~~ delighted! We have not seen enough of our darling boy this fall, so we are really looking forward to it. I am trying to plan some special meals of his favorite foods. I saw on his facebook page this week that he is subsisting on hummus and pita. Why, ~~I haven't a clue what either of them are!~~ I am sure that I can whip up a tasty batch of that in my crock pot! Will have to run, my friends! It is already 9:30 AM and I ought to get that on right away!

Good Day to All!

Holy Horizontal Stripes, Batman!

18,008

2010-11-10T14:47:00.002-06:00

18,008 very loosely connected words. Sigh.

On the bright side, however, I am looking forward to a romantic candlelight dinner tonight! At least I hope there will be candlelight! These new-fangled popular restaurants seem to have missed the memo on what makes a pleasant place for discriminating diners. Candlelight is a must. Also generous portions.

I just realized that the restaurant I we have chosen calls itself a "bistro". Darn it, if I we had known that before now, I we would never have chosen it! "Bistro" is the kiss of death to any really enjoyable dining experience. Tiny portions of much- too- saucy food, artfully displayed on huge plates is all very well, visually. But I want to know how these people expect a restaurant patron to fill up on 3/4 of an ounce of food?

We will see how this goes today. I am nothing if not open-minded, but the signs are not promising!

Another pic for your viewing pleasure (as you can probably tell from this picture, Scott and I both obviously patronized far too many bistros back in our salad days (and, incidentally, probably filled up on too much salad, too, judging by our emaciated appearance!). Quick! Someone get those kids a decent meat and potatoes meal!

June, 1983

Rounding That First Quarter Bend!

2010-11-09T16:59:00.008-06:00

17,000 words!

Those in the Know will be thrilled to hear that I have rounded that first crucial quarter turn in my sacred quest to deliver the great Canadian-American novel to the world! It is a wonderful feeling to be nearly one tenth of the way toward my goal!

The other day when I passed the 10,000 word mark, I told Scott that I had completed 1/5 of my novel and he thought he could confuse me later by referring to that day's achievement as "20%" of the novel. Naturally, I brushed aside his smarty-pants joke. It may be true that I am ~~a complete dunce at mathematics~~ somewhat mathematically challenged, but I know one fifth when I see it and 10,000 words is definitely one fifth of 50,000 words!

Now, (oh joy!) I have almost doubled that number of words and am steaming my way slowly but steadily toward a solid tenth of the final product! Or maybe it is 17%? Oh well, who cares? The point is that I am moving mountains here and this novel is really getting interesting!

We are having an unseasonably warm week and I, for one, am loving it! I spent the morning indoors ~~wasting time, mostly~~ taking care of important chores, for the most part, and chatting with Sven. What a fine young man he is turning out to be! He is enjoying college and has clearly benefited a great deal from our conversations. I don't like to boast, but TITK will not be surprised to learn that I have been a reliable counselor for Sven, particularly in matters related to mathematics and physics (which I naturally have advised him to avoid, since everyone knows they make no sense whatsoever). He will have no trouble excelling at his dream of a profession in architecture if he simply follows my example of combining exquisite decorating taste with a flair for dramatic design. He was so grateful for my advice that he was speechless! I told him not to mention it.

I spent the early part of the afternoon sitting outside attempting to add to my word count. It was not easy due to the turkeys who insisted on wandering annoyingly all over the garden. I like nature ~~as long as it stays far away from me~~ as much as the next person but I find it ~~incredibly irritating~~ a little distracting when the local fauna decide to camp out in our backyard and proceed to make a great deal of noise! Great Scott! What a lot of gobbling and clucking! It is a wonder I am able to string a single coherent sentence together! But, as Those in the Know already know, I am one of those rare spirits who is truly ~~at odds with nature~~ at one with nature. I am the soul of the natural woman.

Well, the sun is beginning to set, so it is time for me to prepare another healthy, nutritious and delicious dinner for my little family. I never complain, but the truth is that I have been finding it ~~very annoying!~~ a little exasperating some days having to cut short a fertile creative harvest in order to attend to boring old matters like putting food on the table for my hungry family. I ask myself: why do people need to eat so much, anyway? But never mind that. Lucky for ~~them~~ me, my dear spouse decided to put together a spinach lasagna last night so that supper would be a snap tonight. Obviously, I could easily have produced a ~~terrible~~ wonderful ~~frozen~~ home-cooked dinner with my usual breezy flair, but this is so much ~~easier~~ nicer!

Tomorrow is Scott's and my wedding anniversary. I must say, some days it feels like only last month that we got married. Not yesterday, as some people so pithily like to say ( obviously they are lying through their teeth) since we did move all over the place and produce five children in between our wedding day and today, but I think a month sounds about right. We plan to go out for dinner at a little place near the riverfront. Kiki and Dennis are coming in to take the boys out for Mexican, so we can enjoy our anniversary tête à tête* without any worries. I never cease to marvel at the thoughtfulness of my first-born. She is so much like me!

Well, I must go and pop that pan of lasagna into the oven now and get the salad ready. I am really too good.

Good Day to All!

*tête à tête : another sophisticated French gem from moi to you. It means delicious supper accompanied by fine french wine. Use it with my compliments.

Here is an old Anniversary photo:

22 Years

14,244 Words!

2010-11-07T12:50:00.004-06:00

The title says it all: 14, 244 words!

How do I do it?

True, I did not manage to reach 13,1313 by the end of the day, yesterday, but there were two good reasons for that:

1. As usual, I ~~frittered away most of the day idly flipping between my open document and the far more interesting world wide web~~ had so many important things to do that there simply was not enough time to achieve so much more than any normal novelist might be expected to achieve in one day and

2. There is no such thing as the number 13,1313 (although anyone could make that mistake, obviously).

Nevertheless, with my characteristic panache*, I did succeed in typing out 12, 432 amazing, high-quality words before ~~flipping the laptop shut and popping in an NCIS dvd~~ retiring for a well-earned good night's sleep.

I was up with the turkeys this morning, as I ~~rarely~~ usually am, and I began working on my novel again the minute I had filled the kettle and set it to boil. It was lovely to be writing away as the first rays of autumn sunshine were filtering in through the dining room window. I had the peace and quiet of a slumbering household all to myself. I really do enjoy being the first person up!

As I believe I have mentioned once or twice in the past, I often express my congratulations to the government for the brilliant idea of Daylight Savings Time. Giving the people an extra hour of sleep every autumn, and the subsequent pleasure of rising in the morning in daylight, with a bonus hour of sweet, free time is exactly the sort of accomplishment we expect from our elected leaders. I say "Bravo!" and my only quibble is why they don't do it more often!

Of course, it would all have been much more pleasant if I hadn't been forced to take Minnie outside practically as soon as I stepped foot in the kitchen. It is all very well to talk about peacefully slumbering households, but the inconvenient truth is that at least one member of our household (or, more specifically, at least one of her remarkably efficient organs) appears never to sleep - at least not for long. Certainly not for 7-8 whole hours.

After I had cleaned up after her, I took our ~~annoying~~ beloved pet outside for a little fresh air and morning exercise, fed her and laid new paper just in case she was hatching any plans about more accidents ~~before anyone else was awake to deal with them.~~ I am nothing if not a devoted dog-owner, but I want to know why I always have to do everything? One would think the dog would try to be a little less of a nuisance, not to mention a little more appreciative of Yours Truly.

Anyway, who cares? The important thing is that I ~~threw her kibble in the bowl and promptly ignored her~~ got straight down to the business of writing my novel after lovingly caring for the dog. Sipping a delicious cup of tea and typing like the wind, I brought my word count up over 13,000 within an hour and was soon galloping toward 14,000.

The great Can-Am novel is taking shape, my friends! Think how lucky you are to be in the know as this amazing literary masterpiece is slowly forming. No need to thank me. It is my gift to mankind.

Good Day to All!

*panache: speedy, if inaccurate, typing.

I Amaze Even Myself!

2010-11-05T23:49:00.006-05:00

Ahem. 10,332 words, ladies and gentlemen. That is my grand tally as of 1:00 pm today. I am more than one fifth of the way to my goal of 50,000 words in 30 days! Halleluia!

Mind you, it has not all been sunshine and rainbows, as Those in the Know can well imagine. I am a busy woman. People depend on me (far more than they ought to, if the truth be known), and I ~~practically~~ never let people down. I am ~~always~~ not one to point out the inconsideration of others, but I think it is only proper that I gently direct your attention to a couple of examples.

Yesterday, for instance, the boys both had after-school activities to attend which meant that it was necessary for Yours Truly to leave ~~the cozy fire in the den and hours of idle websurfing~~ many important chores in progress at home in order to play chauffeur for the latter part of the afternoon. It was ~~an annoying hassle~~ my loving duty, naturally, but ~~an annoying hassle!~~ a little inconvenient, all the same. I love my dear boys with a mother's sincere devotion ~~but couldn't the little scamps hitch a ride with someone else's mother once in awhile?~~ and it is never too much trouble for me to ferry them around!

I was so worn out from all that, it is a wonder that I still managed to serve such a delicious and nutritious supper. In my own inimitable style, however, I had wisely foreseen the possibility of the onset of exhaustion later in the day, and had therefore planned ahead and had put on a stupendous batch of chili in the crock pot in the morning. Toss a couple of brown and serve French loaves in the oven, whip up a ~~bagged~~ fresh Caesar salad and voilá*! An international feast fit for a king! And two princes!

Today has not been much easier on me. First, let me say that I am well-known to be the most understanding of mothers. Everyone who knows me ~~would fall over laughing at the very idea~~ agrees. But I want to know why it is always Mother to whom children turn when they need something? Specifically, when their computers are on the fritz and they need a loaner? I am not one to complain, as Those in the Know are well aware, but it has all been a bit challenging this week, what with my writing a novel and everything!

Kiki ran into difficulties with her computer just before the NaNoWriMo kickoff and naturally I ~~reluctantly~~ generously lent her my laptop until hers could be repaired (or actually replaced with an old one we happened to have here, fortunately). Naturally, I was very ~~irritated~~ pleased to be of assistance to my darling girl, but the fact of the matter is that I find desk top computers quite subpar compared to my portable laptop, and it has had a very deleterious effect upon my writing. To come straight to the point, I have suffered greatly from pinched nerves in my neck and shoulders and I do believe it is because I have been unable to stand at the kitchen counter with my laptop as I much prefer to do!

I never complain, though. And tonight, we went into the city with a refurbished older computer for Kiki and I ~~could hardly grab my own laptop back from her quickly enough~~ was glad to receive my own laptop back in tip top shape! I am happy to report that we then went out for a lovely meal together at the same restaurant where we celebrated Kiki's graduation in May. Much nicer without the rushing! Dennis is in town at long last, which made the evening even more special.

To round out my Friday night, we have Sven back for a week as he is on break between college semesters. It is always a pleasure to have the young people home, even if it does involve quite a bit of extra work for ~~Scott~~ Your Faithful Scribe! I am nothing if not a gifted homemaker, however, so it is all ~~too much!~~ as natural as breathing to me!

It has been a very tiring day, so I must post this update and get some rest. A novelist must work seven days a week, and the great Can-Am* novel will not wait! My goal for tomorrow is 13, 1313 words. I just like the look of that number.

Good day to All!

* Can-Am is cool, novelly slang for Canadian-American. Use it to impress your friends - with my compliments.

Forging Ahead!

2010-11-04T16:52:00.000-05:00

A quick update for Those in the Know:

I am forging ahead with my novel, although it ought to be known that it has not been easy, under the circumstances. I have typed 6800 words so far, under very trying conditions I might add, which only goes to show you how committed I am. That is how it is with creative genius, you know. When the spirit takes one, one cannot do otherwise but embrace it! When the muse is calling, the writer must answer! When the... I am sure you get the general idea. I am short on time here.

Mind you, it would all be so much more convenient (not to mention easier on Yours Truly!) if only I had a comfortable place to work! Yes, it is true that only a few years ago we completed ~~an outrageously expensive~~ a reasonably budget-wise new den for the sole purpose of providing me with exactly that: a comfortable place to work. And it is also true that I ~~threw caution to the wind, indulging every designing and decorating whim that tickled my fancy~~ laid careful plans, incorporating a modest building budget and worked tirelessly to design a workable, comfortable space for Scott and me to work in.

It is just that this desk...this chair... everything about this room, in fact, is simply not up to snuff! I am convinced that if only this chair was firmer and the desk at a slightly different height, I would definitely have logged a word count of well over 10,000 by now. It is really very irritating when the creative spark is smothered by such mundane considerations! But there you have it, my friends. You see what I am up against!

I am nothing if not persistent, and as TITK so fondly can attest, I will continue to work on my novel with the resolute determination for which I am renowned.

Meanwhile, however, I must admit that it is a little difficult to remain focused on the task at hand when the weather gods insist on throwing all sorts of crazy meteorological phenomena at my window! Just now, out of a clear blue sky, there was a sudden downpour of hail! How on earth is a delicate artistic genius (moi) supposed to get any work done with a veritable blizzard of hail;stones rat-a-tat-tatting on the deck outside my window? It is simply impossible! You see what I have to contend with?

Obviously, it is all very discouraging, but with my characteristic fortitude, I will press on!

Good day to All!

Full Steam Ahead!

2010-11-02T09:16:00.000-05:00

Good Morning to Those in the Know (and to all the other poor souls who may not be in the know. Gracious to a fault, I never exclude anyone!)

This will be a short update because, as most of you already know, I am writing a novel this month! There is no time for dilly-dallying: I am a woman on a mission! The world needs my work of incredible genius!

Last night, I typed word 2555 before I went to bed. Things got a little rough there toward the end of the day, actually. For some reason, I find it very difficult to write dialogue. Amazing, I know, considering my prodigious skill at conversation! But there you have it. It is a challenge, but not one that I cannot overcome. I am nothing if not determined!

My dear husband has been away for the week on business which is ~~infuriating!~~ unfortunate, but unavoidable ~~my foot!~~ I am sure. This means that I must look after everything else on the home front, as usual, in addition to producing the Great Canadian-American Novel. Talk about challenging! I still have two sons at home, my friends, and let me tell you t~~hey hardly make a peep and are no trouble at all~~ it is all a bit much. I want to know why I always have to do everything?!

But, as TITK are well aware, I am a miracle-worker on the home front. Take this morning, for instance: as soon as I remembered that the boys needed lunches for school (something their dad would have looked after last night if he hadn't abandoned his wife and family for some stupid business trip! Although I never complain), I set straight to work and made them the most delicious, most perfect, most amazing hero sandwiches they will ever eat! Sure, I have no idea what exactly a "hero sandwich" is, but considering the effort I made, these sandwiches qualify! Naturally, this task involved making a tremendous mess in the kitchen (which it is only fair that the boys clean up, of course), not to mention a moment or two of ~~ranting and raving~~ quick-thinking problem-solving on my part. As always, however, I rose beautifully to the occasion and sent the boys off to school armed with the most nutritious and delicious lunch imaginable. Sometimes I think I am just too good.

Well, that is enough blogging for one day. I have a novel to write! I realize that my latest blog posts are shorter and less carefully crafted, but naturally I expect to hear no whining about it! A novelist must conserve her energy and her readers must respect the muse!

Good Day to All!

Consolation Prize:

Nobel Update

2010-11-01T13:21:00.001-05:00

Just to keep TITK informed: I just typed word #630! And no, I am not procrastinating nor allowing myself to become distracted by posting here when I ought to be writing. This is writing, thank you very much! Although, sadly, these words do not count toward my NaNoWriMo tally. I have been meaning to have a word with the management about that...

Hailing From Author's Corner!

2010-11-01T10:49:00.001-05:00

Good Morning to Those in the Know!

I realize that some people might wonder how I can find time to post on my blog when I am so busy writing the great Canadian-American Novel and ~~quite frankly, those busybodies ought to mind their own business!~~
quite honestly, those kind-hearted folks are ~~a thorn in a great writer's side~~ a delightful inspiration for a weary novice writer!

I made a good, solid start on the manuscript last night. Now before we discuss the word count, I would like to point out that it is quality, not quantity of words which really matters in the final analysis. Yes, some writers ~~(the successful ones)~~ (the commercial sell-outs), do produce large numbers of words in a disciplined , hard-working approach to the craft, but it is my contention that true writing genius requires a more creative approach.

My writing muse will never be fully expressed if she is forced into a daily work schedule with a required word count every day! How can any creative genius work like that? Egad! Daily time allotted to writing and nothing but writing, plus an expectation of a minimum number of words written during each session is a recipe for ~~success~~ disaster! The creative process requires sunshine, freedom and poetic licence! ~~Distractions, pleasant interludes and idle pursuits~~ Unstructured time to pursue creative freedom ~~are~~ is the lifeblood of an artist, and I am a sterling example of the bountiful harvest that such rich creative soil can produce.

My word count this morning is small but mighty. Within them lies all the promise and excitement of the most amazing work of literary talent the world has ever seen.

My word count at present is: 2*

Good Day to All!

* "Chapter One" (No comments from the peanut gallery).

This is IT!

2010-10-31T20:07:00.000-05:00

Good afternoon to Those in the Know! Well, this is it! This is the day you have all been waiting for! The long-awaited day when Your Faithful Scribbler begins the great Canadian-American novel!

Actually, in point of fact, I will begin writing my masterpiece at 12:00:01 November 1, but to all intents and purposes THIS is IT! I will not go to bed tonight until I have written at least 250 words of the most amazing manuscript yet to grace the world! By midnight November 1 (after a little sleep and my usual whirlwind of productivity during the day tomorrow), I will have written a minimum of 1,667 words toward my ultimate goal (Nobel-quality novel, bien sûr :-)). Each day thereafter, I will also produce 1,667 words toward the final two words: "The End"...or, more in keeping with my sophisticated style: "Finis".

Yes, it is all very exciting!

Meanwhile, I would like to report to TITK that (as you no doubt expected), I did indeed manage to complete my entire shopping list on Friday afternoon! True, once I got home laden down with parcels, I did realize that one or two items were not quite right for my intended recipients (how irritating!) but still!

Today is Hallowe'en and we had everything ready in plenty of time before the little Trick or Treaters began to swarm the neighborhood. I ought to post a picture, but I was simply too busy with other things (like mental preparation for the greatest literary endeavor of the century!)

Well, I had better sign off and save my typing for more important things!

Good Day to All!

Answering the World's Prayers

2010-10-29T11:00:00.001-05:00

Good day to all Those in the Know!

A few people have been ~~irritating the heck out of me~~ wondering why I haven't been updating my blog on a more regular basis. All I can say is ~~go away and stop annoying me~~ thank you for being so ~~annoying~~ interested! I am, as you have probably guessed, extremely busy working on ~~various idle pastimes~~ important preparations for my upcoming month of amazing productivity!

Yes, the moment the world has been waiting for has finally arrived! Beginning on November 1, I will be setting to work on my grand opus, my work of incredible genius, my great Canadian-American novel!

At midnight on Hallowe'en night, when most people are settling down after a sugar-loaded day, Your Faithful Recorder will be opening the cover on what will surely turn out to be ~~the single most pitiful wreck of a manuscript ever~~ the greatest novel of our generation!

Naturally, I must prepare by ~~demanding even more attention and mollycoddling from friends and family~~ doing even more than my usual lion's share of what needs to be done around here. As always, however, I am cheerful and dedicated to the people who rely on me every day ~~even if their constant demands on my time does interfere with my NCIS-watching.~~

So, the entire week has been taken up with getting the house in order, paying bills and generally clearing the decks so that I can settle to my great task with few distractions. Today, I intend to perform a Christmas shopping blitz which will exceed even my own astonishingly efficient record from years past. My plan is to cross off every name on the list outside our immediate family (in other words, everyone who will not be under this roof for Christmas) - today. Yes, today. Fifteen + gifts in one day. Do you think I can do it?

I am confident that I can do it! Furthermore, I intend to wrap all of those gifts and box them for mailing tonight and tomorrow. With my usual ~~drama and hysterics~~ calm dispatch, I will have everything completely under control by Sunday, when we will all relax and enjoy the festivities on Hallowe'en. I won't actually mail the boxes until December 1, after I have completed my novel. Quite possibly, our family and friends will appreciate copies of the manuscript included with the Christmas goodies - indeed, how can I fail to provide my far-flung loved ones with signed early copies of the most amazing work of literary genius of the century? Obviously, I will need to leave the boxes open. I will wrap and pack, but not seal the boxes. That is the plan.

So, my friends, although TITK are well aware that I am nothing if not ~~negligent~~ diligent about updating my blog, extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. I expect Those in the Know to support my endeavor as I produce a work of staggering literary importance next month. I will try to post once more before I give my mind over to the creative process, but if it becomes impossible, I don't want to hear any whining about it.

Good Day to All!

Rally to Restore Sanity! Yes!!

2010-10-20T08:39:00.003-05:00

This seems like an idea that I might have come up with, if I hadn't been quite so busy!

The Washington DC Rally to Restore Sanity is, unfortunately, too far away for most of the nation to attend, but luckily some very impressive people have organized Sanity rallies around the country! There will be one in Chicago on Saturday, October 30 from 11-2 beginning at the corner of Jackson and Columbus. Naturally, I am expected to be there, and equally naturally, I feel that spreading the word is the least I can do for a worthy cause.

Donations are needed to pay for the various necessities (portable toilets, garbage cleanup, jumbo screen from which to broadcast the main event from DC), so I am going to post the link in case any of TITK would like to chip in!

Halley's Comet Returns!

2010-10-15T14:51:00.004-05:00

Ho ho ho! It is not really Halley's Comet, of course, but it is something almost as exciting! Or I ought to say someone*! Yes, everyone's favorite correspondent (Moi*!) has returned! Although I am sure I have been greatly missed by Those in the Know, it is really best not to dwell upon ~~the fact that I have been a complete flake and simply haven't bothered to write for awhile~~ the unfortunate circumstances (~~sheer idleness, as always~~ extreme busyness, as usual!) which have prevented me from writing lately. I have had ~~many~~ ~~several~~ ~~one or two~~ some notes asking about my absence from the world wide web, which has been very ~~irritating~~ heart-warming, to say the least. I am responding to popular demand, so I expect everyone to buck up now!

We are expecting a full house this weekend! Kate, Jessie and Jack (and a guest or two!) are all converging upon our cozy homestead for a couple of days and I couldn't be more ~~flustered~~ delighted! Naturally, I am the soul of hospitality and I am constantly urging the children to come home often and bring as many friends as they would like! One wonders, however, if it is really necessary that every single chick and child has chosen the same weekend to descend upon us!

Yes, yes, I know I have often said that is exactly what I wanted, but surely to goodness sensible people can read between the lines! It is all very well to enjoy the concept of a full house, but the reality of nearly a dozen people on the floor is a different kettle of fish entirely! And, as TITK are well aware, it is Yours Truly upon whom everyone relies to clean the fish, dress the fish and cook the fish, not to mention to set the stage for a million magical moments! Needless to say, I always rise to the occasion (even though it is often very inconvenient), but sometimes I think I am just too good!

We are having our house painted right now. It is a big job that we had been planning to do for quite some time. Really, it has needed to be done for as long as we have owned the house. To be perfectly frank, actually, this house needed a decent coat of stain for probably about twenty years before we bought it. I am not one to criticize others, but a less charitable person would be hard-pressed not to point out that the previous owners clearly dropped the ball there.

True, I we were a little slow getting around to this task (mostly Scott, really), mainly due to ~~my incessant demands for interior renovations~~ Scott's desire to improve certain areas inside the house. I am not one to fuss, as TITK are well aware, but one does wonder if a fancy schmancy kitchen and bath is really of higher priority than weather-proofing and protecting the very integrity of the house itself! I was ~~constantly complaining about the rundown interior~~ perfectly sanguine about the dated charm of the house as it was, and I am sure that I mentioned the importance of a good roof and a properly stained house at ~~no time whatsoever~~ several critical junctures. Alas, my dear but impractical spouse ~~bowed to my ceaseless whining~~ gave in to his desire for ~~a kitchen that worked and a bathroom that was larger than a linen closet~~ luxury and put the interior renovations ahead of the exterior renovations in the family planner. I was ~~over the moon! My dream kitchen! At last!~~ willing to be agreeable about that plan, since the roof seemed fit enough to withstand another few winters and the house stain was so faded it almost looked like it was intended to look like that.

Anyway, I think we just made it under the wire. The roofer came last month. When he first came to inspect and give us a quote, I must admit, he made me a little uneasy. The man had a disconcerting habit of standing with mouth agape, leaving sentences trailing off and I thought he seemed a little flushed about the forehead and neck. Scott thought he might have been ~~appalled~~ surprised at the condition of the roof and ~~the incredibly thin ice upon which we had been skating for the past several years while indulging our whims with indoor sprucing~~ the remarkable durability of that fine 50-year old workmanship! Naturally, I told the roofer that we intend to secure the cheapest possible quote for the new roof while expecting it to last for at least another 50 years. I must say, that man appeared to have been suffering from some sort of intermittent apoplexy: during a perfectly civil business discussion, I am sure I observed his complexion change colour at least 5 times! I believe I have now witnessed for myself what novelists refer to as a "puce"-coloured complexion.

Be that as it may, we embarked upon the ambitious dual project of a new roof followed immediately by the staining and painting of our entire house and trim and the gazebo, too. I think I posted a photo of the house mid-roofing a few entries back (above). Here are some photos of the house after the roof project was completed:

The dormers were so damaged by age and weather that we had to have all of the clapboard on them replaced.

Let's face it, our house had all the sophisticated beauty of a tool shed!

Once the crew began applying the stain, the difference was shocking. I We knew that the old stain had faded to a point beyond embarrassing, but this photo shows you just how much:

Yes, that dull, weathered sort-of-green colour resembling an old abandoned barn WAS the way the entire house looked!

Finally, today I was able to snap a photo of the new and improved house after the painters put the shutters back up on the front. The second floor shutters are not yet up here, but ~~I am too impatient to wait another hour or two to take a better photo~~ you can get the general idea.

We are really pleased with the results so far! It is a big change, but I love it. I think the house now looks like it is happy and smiling, which is a far better representation of the disposition of its inhabitants (especially Your Faithful Scribe!) than the dour and scowling appearance which preceded this facelift!

We certainly hope that this will be the last renovation for a very long time! It does seem as though we have been renovating this house for years. Hold on a minute! As a matter of fact, strangely enough, we have been renovating this house for years! Five of the seven years since we bought it, in fact. I am not one to look for trouble, but I am very much afraid the first renovations will need updating before the last renovations are completed! Such an unsatisfactory state of affairs! Oh well, who cares? I am nothing if not ~~ready, willing and able to dream up more ambitious and no doubt highly inconvenient and disruptive plans~~ patient and resilient!

I have plans for more garden work and Jessie is working as I type on a new wreath to go up on the garage between the two windows. Her friend Michael claims to be helping her, but from where I sit it appears that he is being quite a nuisance. Every time I call out to Jessie to bring me a cup of tea or whatnot, they are busy with glue gun and wires and so forth! It really is too much! I feel certain that if Jessie did not have a guest, ~~I would have a piping hot cup of tea at my elbow right now~~ things would be going along much more smoothly and pleasantly! Nevertheless, I remain the epitomy of the calm, elegant hostess. If I have to make a cup of tea for myself, so be it. Far be it from me to make a fuss. One has to wonder, however, how this younger generation can sleep at night.

That is about all I have to write about today. I must now go shopping for BBQ foods for a crowd. The entire family will be home tonight and together for the first time since Kate's graduation in May (I think! Maybe not, but that is immaterial. The point is that it has been ages!). I will once again create a delectable treat for dessert and dazzle them all with my flair for entertaining!

Good day to All!

*Read with a coy wink.

2010-09-03T10:31:00.000-05:00

The view on arrival in early evening last week. The east-facing cliffs casting a shadow on the nearly calm sea.

This sight hit me like an emotional ambush as I flew in to St John's for the last time as a home-owner.

View of the city on my last evening in St. John's:

Hurricane Earl Veers Sharply West-Northwest, Inundates Illinois!*

2010-09-03T09:52:00.002-05:00

Good Morning to my faithful readers among Those in the Know! I would like to be able to say that the morning so far has been an unmitigated success, but due to ~~laziness~~ circumstances beyond my control, I have not yet accomplished ~~anything, as usual~~ as much as I normally do!

I blame the weather, if the truth be told. How can one be expected to perform at one's normally high level of productivity when one is anxiously preparing for a hurricane? Even as I type, the sky is darkening ominously and I am pretty sure I spied a flutter in the leaves outside the kitchen window a moment ago. Skeptics insist that the hurricane will not or can not affect us here in the midwest, but I am here with a word to the wise: always be prepared.

In view of the current weather situation, my To Do list for today has been adjusted accordingly:

To Do
1. Prepare for hurricane (obviously! batten down hatches, etc.)
1. Laundry (although, with a major storm brewing, one wonders if there is any point)
2. Start supper (we will have to eat, even if we are hunkered down in the basement riding out the storm)
3. Blog post (neither rain nor sleet nor hurricane shall stay this scrivener from the swift composition of her blog post!)
4. ?

I am sure there must be a number 4 (or more!), but no doubt the threatening weather has driven it from my mind! I am nothing if not cool under pressure, but this is a hurricane we are talking about here!

In other news, I have just returned from St. John's where I spent a whirlwind week attending to various, vexing chores involving the sale of our house there and disposal/distribution of my mother's treasures. Lucky for me, my sister and brother-in-law were on hand to ~~do practically everything~~ help out! Naturally, I whisked through a long list of Things To Do with my trademark ~~chaos and complaints~~ speed and panache, but it is only fair to note that I f~~laked out often, leaving my sister and brother in law to pick up the slack, as usual~~ did more than my fair share and returned home this week quite worn out. I was saying to Scott last night as he made supper and was pouring me a glass of wine - sometimes I think I am just too good. Alas, we are what we are, and my giving nature is just one of the many burdens that ~~everyone around me~~ I must bear.

So closes another chapter in my life. At the risk of bringing my faithful readers to tears, I confess that the emotional punch of the past few weeks, indeed of the past several years, has sometimes threatened to set me back on my heels far enough to knock me over. But, I am nothing if not resilient! Like a willow tree which bends gracefully 'neath the howling gales of fickle fate, I am always able to spring back upright, ~~usually lashing and strapping any and all other life forms in the general vicinity~~ so to forge ahead and greet the new day.

It took me two days to finish this post, which is not really up to my usual high standards, but from time to time, even talent like mine is difficult to tap! I notice that Earl barely glanced at North Carolina last night - the disappointment of the weather reporters was palpable! - but I am, nevertheless, remaining on high alert.

Good Day to All!

* Intelligent people agree: it could happen! Two words: climate change!

Back to School!

2010-08-24T11:29:00.007-05:00

One of my esteemed fellow writers commented yesterday that my boys are back in school already. This is true! Yesterday was the first day, but a half day. Today was the first full day back to school. Here is the annual BTS photo:

My high school freshmen! I can hardly believe it!

In other news, we are having our roof replaced this week. I hate to say it, but the roofing firm has let down the side rather disappointingly. For one thing, a job which ought to have been completed in under a week has dragged on for two, and I am quite sure that the itemized list of extra chores I presented to them has anything to do with this, no matter what they say! But worse, I had to take the annual BTS photo by the garage instead of the front door, which is simply not good enough. Sure, the back to school flag can be seen in this picture, which is all very well, but the photo itself is too distant to appreciate just how handsome and intelligent my sons are! Oh well, perhaps in a few days those roofers will be finished and I can take another. Although, it is really second-rate to do this a week or more after the fact. How annoying!

Look at this mess!

I have to wonder if all this chaos is really necessary. I am not one to nitpick, as TITK know, but I really feel that this job could have been completed with far less fuss and inconvenience to yours truly!

I am currently rushing to complete several important tasks before packing for yet another trip up north. I am leaving at the inhuman hour of 4AM for the airport and am flying to Newfoundland on a 7AM flight. With so much depending on me, I will once again make out a To Do list.

To Do

1. Drive boys to school. (check)

2. Take Minnie to vet for annual shots and checkup. (check)

3. Start laundry. (yes, yes. check)

4. Groceries. (leaving as soon as blog post completed)

5. Start dinner. (Thai red curry in the crock pot - a culinary masterpiece I created last winter!)

6. Pack for trip

In my own inimitable style, I have created order out of chaos! I am nothing if not a miracle-worker, but modesty prevents me from saying so.

I am so glad to be blogging again!

Good Day to All!

It is Not Perfect, but I will Take It!

2010-08-23T19:11:00.000-05:00

My ability to gain access to this blog has been severely retarded for most of the summer due, no doubt, to ~~my incompetence with computers~~ what I suspect are gremlins hovering in the ether surrounding my computer. This has been an extremely frustrating state of affairs! Be that as it may, however, with my usual penchant* for making lemons out of lemonade I have used the time wisely ~~alternating between complaining loudly and completely forgetting about my blog~~ on other projects.

The other night, my son helped a little by deselecting "block pop ups" in my browser menu and giving me a few other pointers ~~which I forget now~~, which I suppose might be helpful one day. Those in the Know are well aware that I am not one to complain, but it really seems that one's children could make more of an effort at honoring their parents - particularly their long-suffering and devoted mothers! But, I am nothing if not forgiving, and I certainly appreciated that ~~very~~ little bit of help!

Of course, even after deselecting "block pop ups", the new post window won't sit still for a split second. It is so irritating! I have had to employ every ounce of my concentration as well as my prodigious quick reflexes to pounce on the page when it flashes by. I more or less snare it mid-flash and that is how I grab a composition window. Luckily, my lightning-quick reflexes are legendary - see my earlier blog post regarding the fortunate fieldmouse who can certainly vouch for this fact! - but I am forced to concede that this convoluted process is more than a little ~~boring! more than a few times I had to resort to NCIS reruns just to refresh my brain!~~ vexing.

Anyway, who cares! I am here now and I am sure Those in the Know will agree that that is all that matters!

I was planning to post a To Do list today in order to get more organized. Naturally, I am ~~notorious~~ famous for my ~~lack o~~f organization skills, but from time to time ~~my slapdash, fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants "method" results inevitably in total chaos~~ even I can benefit from a little exercise in scheduling. Unfortunately, however, through no fault of my own, the day has sped by rather more quickly than necessary and my list remains like this:

To Do

1.

:(

Do not be fooled by the above into thinking that I have not accomplished anything yet today. On the contrary! I have had Minnie to the groomer, have worked on this blog post and I have driven the boys to and from school and to and from the orthodontist. As a matter of fact, really the only thing I did not do was finish the To Do list!

Now, I will continue this productive streak by completing my To Do list:

To Do

1. Bring boys to school. (check!)

2. Bring Minnie to groomer. (check!)

3. Pick Minnie up. (check!)

4. Pick boys up. (check!)

5. Remind boys to get themselves some lunch.(<- nearly forgot this one!) (check!)

6. Drive boys to orthodontist. (check!)

7. Drive boys home. (check!)

8. Work on blog post. (check!)

Just look at this list! Eight items finished before 2:30 PM! Sometimes I amaze even myself!

Now, it is true that there were a few other trifling items which I also had planned to do today, but they are hardly worth mentioning. I am nothing if not thorough, however, so here is the ridiculously exhaustive list:

To Do

1. Make out To Do list. (Obviously unnecessary as you can see by my amazing productivity!)

2. Drive boys to school. (check!)

3. Clean/organize kitchen. (Really, what is the point?)

4. Laundry. (The never-ending chore; need I say more?)

5. Grocery Store. (They were paving the parking lot; anyone would have given up when faced with having to walk all the way around the newly paved patch which, I would like to point out, was directly in front of the door! Of course I got right back in my car and drove off. Ridiculous!)

6. Start Supper. (Well, I could hardly do that without groceries, now, could I?)

7. Pick up Minnie. (check!)

8. Pick up boys. (check!)

9. Remind boys to make lunch. (And I gave them helpful nutrition advice, too! check!)

10. Drive boys to orthodontist. (check!)

11. Attempt groceries again since store right across street from orthodontist's office. (The pavers had extended the wet pavement lines three deep in front of the doors. One of them thought he was being helpful shouting and waving to me to cross at a certain point. "You should be OK there!" declared the oblivious (and possibly blind) paver. Should be? Not bloody likely! I got right back in my car and drove off.)

12. Pick boys up at orthodontist. (check!)

13. Pay bills. (Yegods! They just never end, do they? Well, it is all a bit much today, so I am putting it off. Totally understandable).

14. There is no 14, but I felt that 13 items sounded unlucky. I am not at all superstitious, but there is no need to tempt fate, in my opinion!

There is so much to write about and to catch up on after such a busy summer! However, I am a busy woman and have already spent far too long on this post today. I will endeavor to bring my faithful readers up to speed tomorrow!

Good Day to all!

* As always, your faithful scribbler is ever ready with a sophisticated reference! Penchant is a reference to just about every European novel I have ever read ~~the meaning of which I haven't the foggiest idea~~. It means one who is the soul of sophistication (moi, au naturel!).

Halleluia!

2010-08-18T21:02:00.000-05:00

Halleluia! Many thanks to my brilliant son who figured out my problem and has restored my pearls of wisdom to their rightful place in the hierarchy of great blogs!

Now, it isn't that I lack faith...but I think I'll just post this just to see what happens...

Knock!

2010-07-30T14:53:00.000-05:00

Dare I hope that I've wormed my way back into a posting page on my blog? I've been through the wringer with this newfangled technology, my faithful friends! But, as usual, I've also been busy moving mountains elsewhere!

Let's try to post this and see how it goes.

Testing Again

2010-07-13T17:52:00.001-05:00

Let me try again.

Testing Testing 1-2-3

2010-07-13T15:29:00.000-05:00

Well! I have been having an extremely vexing time of it today! I have been trying to post here all day long (and much of the week, actually, although less whole-heartedly before today), and I have been prevented by the internet gremlins from accessing my blog tools! This is all too much!

So, this is a test post to see if my clever strategy of coming into the blog using a different web browser from normal will work.

Here goes nothing!

Ahoy There, Mateys!

2010-06-30T09:36:00.002-05:00

Before I begin the post you have all been waiting for, I have finally downloaded a photo I wanted to show you of the boys flying the kite at the beach. ~~This may very well be the pinnacle of your reading pleasure for today~~ This will definitely pale in comparison to what will follow, ~~but I couldn't rest until I had dredged this photo up and pasted it here~~ but I always feel it is a joy to share the simple pleasures of life. I am nothing if not generous about sharing!

Does this photo not simply radiate relaxation? I am always at the service of Those in the Know: ready, willing and able to provide a little pleasant diversion. Mind you, there is an overly ample supply of "diversion" at the beach, and not always of the most savory variety!

Those in the Know with a magnifying glass handy will note the presence of sunbathers and kayakers in the bottom right portion of the photograph. These people all managed to crowd around at every photo opportunity, in spite of my ~~loudly complaining remarks~~ quietly meaningful glances in their direction. There are miles and miles of beach with plenty of room for all, yet these people persisted in popping up every single time ~~we blindly blundered into their little oases of beach tranquility in our mad dash after the kite~~ we found we could have had the perfect photo! What an irritating nuisance! But, as TITK are well aware, I am the soul of patience and decorum. I refrained from chastising the offenders, simply maintaining a dignified composure as we hurried on down the beach leaving those beach bums scrambling to brush away kicked-up sand and untangle themselves from kite string.

I intended to write today about our sailing adventures, but it seems that I am out of blogging time! This tends to happen when one is on vacation yet still responsible for so many of the little tasks which ensure a wonderful time for everyone. I was saying as much to Scott last night as he was washing up in the kitchen: my work is never quite done, when so many depend upon me to keep the wheels of enjoyment and contentment smoothly turning! Nevertheless, I am nothing if not a dedicated wife, mother and hostess! I am off to the grocery store now to stock up ~~on all of my favorite treats~~ on things that everyone likes to eat. Then, it will be back out to sea for another wonderful adventure! I will ~~maybe~~ surely find time tomorrow to tell you all about it!

Good day to All!

(Brief) Hiatus

2010-06-27T07:50:00.003-05:00

Some people have been complaining about the fact that I have not posted an entry in this blog for several days. (Not enough people, mind you: considering what a fine service I provide to my readers, one would think the hue and cry would have been deafening!). It is all very well for others, but I am a busy woman and there are times when ~~random, idle amusements~~ other important business must take precedence. While this has not really been such a time, it could very well have been!

As usual, I have been ~~wasting time on foolishness~~ hard at work on various vital tasks and life has been jam-packed with incredible and thrilling events. I forget what, exactly, but Those in the Know can rest assured that they were all vital and thrilling! Once or twice, I had a wonderful inspiration for a blog post but ~~I managed to overcome the impulse and get back to wasting time,~~ as is often the case, I was simply too busy to post!

Edward, Kenny and I are in South Carolina now and loving every minute! Just the other morning, as ~~they~~ we they (mostly) carried bags and bags of groceries to the villa in the stifling heat (listen, I had just had a manicure, so carrying heavy bags in that heat was out of the question), I told the boys how glad I was to be there with my two ~~slaves~~ fine sons! I am nothing if not a devoted mother, and this trip is all about me seeing to it that the boys have a wonderful summer vacation!

Scott srrived on Friday night, along with our friends Jeanne and Walter (well, J and W drove down, while Scott flew here from a business trip - but they practically arrived at the same time). It feels like all is (almost) right with the world now, with our dear friends here and decktime back in full swing (same time, different place). Although to complete the picture, it would be nice to do this with all of the kids nearby, and several of our beloved neighbors and friends in attendance, too! I don't think this is asking too much of everyone, and I said as much to Scott the other night as he was folding our laundry (I am such a good companion, as well as a model wife and mother - I never fail to provide my spouse with invigorating conversation any time, day or night, no matter what he is doing. I am happy to report that I regularly see him flushing with invigoration after one of my ~~tirades~~ our conversations, though he is always gallant and allows me to do virtually all of the talking - I am the ideal partner for him, as he is for me!).

Anyway, this brief post is simply to explain my uncharacteristic silence. There is no actual explanation, of course ~~besides sheer flaking out~~ but now that the dry spell has been broken, I'm back in business again!

Tomorrow, I will delight my readers with a review of our sailing exploits! But, for now, here are a couple of photos of my dear youngest sons at the beach, flying a kite:

Alien Invasion in Illinois!*

2010-06-02T16:01:00.014-05:00

(* not really, but I was slipping with the catchy titles and I thought I had better ramp up the oomph-value a little! How else to attract readers?)

Memorial Day Weekend Recap*
(* You see? Even in a larger font, the real title lacks pizazz)

The only trouble with long weekends is that they are never quite long enough. Memorial Day weekend was absolutely wonderful - but I want to know why every time I am really enjoying myself, the time has to fly by like that?! This is yet another example of the powers-that-be mismanaging our affairs: it isn't enough for them to steal an hour out of our days every spring (wretched daylight "savings" time!), but they add insult to injury by creating so-called "long holiday weekends" that are altogether too short to be honestly called either "long" or "holiday". It really just will not do! Nevertheless, I am nothing if not able to create lemons out of lemonade, so naturally that is exactly what I did last weekend!

We had a lovely cookout on Monday with family and a few neighborhood friends. Good food combined with great conversation is always a recipe for success, and ~~I am pretty sure that~~ I am famous for both! Those in the Know will not be surprised to learn that in addition to dazzling my guests with my amazing culinary creations, I am often relied upon to provide the lion's share of the great conversation at gatherings and, as usual, I rose to the occasion! Once or twice some of our neighbors ~~attempted to get a word in~~ nearly interrupted the flow of gay repartée*, but luckily, I was able to ~~plow over their remarks with loud talking and louder laughter~~ skillfully and tactfully redirect their attention ~~toward me~~ toward more productive social interaction. What a delightful evening that was!

In addition to that lovely evening of socializing, we had the pleasure of Jessie's company for Saturday and Sunday. At the very last minute (the very last minute!), she decided that she would rent a car and drive home for the "long", "holiday" weekend. We were so ~~shocked~~ surprised, but of course we were delighted. Jessie was able to reconnect with her running crew for a 30-mile bike ride (TITK are forgiven if they consider this confusing: it confuses me, too), which probably made the entire journey worthwhile. We are so pleased that she was here for our Saturday night BBQ and decktime, too. I was especially gratified that she was willing to help me with my latest aquaculture chores. Although, I did think her guffaw of laughter at my water gardening ensemble was rather unnecessary. I am serious about my artistic and creative pièce de résistance** in the garden, and I would appreciate the appropriate respect from the peanut gallery:

The well-dressed aquaculturaliste*** at work.

My weekend was further enhanced by the presence of our eldest, who arrived with a friend on Saturday evening, rounding out our family party and making the Saturday night BBQ one of the nicest in recent memory! To my delight, Kate returned on Monday after completing some work from home, and joined us for the Memorial Day cookout. Everyone enjoyed chatting with her (when they were not ~~forced to listen to~~ riveted by my sparkling conversation). She was the belle of the ball!

In addition to my many recent social triumphs, I was my usual productive self in the garden. Here are a few photos of the potted planters with which I have chosen to grace the patio:

In the shade

In full sun

These pots contain red and white geraniums with a small blue flower whose name I forget right now (who cares, anyway? what matters is the lovely work of art which Yours Truly has produced!). These ought to mature to a glorious profusion in a few weeks, and will make a lovely patriotic display just in time for the 4th of July. I have such a gift for the visual! It is probably one of my greatest assets (after modesty, of course).

Last, but not least, our two youngest graduated from 8th grade today, which means that I am no longer a mother of any elementary- schoolers. It is all very well for them to be excited about moving on to high school, but I really feel that I deserve a little sympathy. Nevertheless, I am nothing if not supportive of my children (TITK know that motherhood is my vocation!), so I will endeavor to smile through my tears and cheer them on to this newest adventure in their lives.

At the very least, I expect the number of volunteer-mom requests will drop off dramatically ~~which is about time!~~ which is a sad but inevitable part of children growing up! Through the years, my children have really ~~dreaded~~ enjoyed my enthusiastic participation in their school activities, especially the way I have never failed to ~~take over and tell the teachers how things ought to be run~~ ably assist the teachers while ~~constantly causing my children to cringe with mortification~~ masterfully maintaining the delicate balance between providing invaluable enrichment to the entire class while seeming to be almost invisible to the students (among whom my children always stand as beacons of coolness, of course! <- they get that from me, naturally). I know it will sadden my boys to see less of me at school, but like the sands of time passing through an hourglass, so pass these wonderful moments in our lives.

I am pleased to report that the boys seem to have absorbed this serene philosophy from their mother (moi), for when I, in an effort to assuage their understandable melancholy at the thought of no more Mom at school, mentioned that the volunteer sign-up list does have a few spots for high school parents, both boys erupted in a chorus of:
"No!"
"No need, Mom!"
"No!"
"No!"
"Please, dear god, no!"
...which is clearly a testament to their self-sacrificing maturity at the tender age of 14! I was ~~relieved~~ proud of them and so ~~relieved!~~ full of bittersweet regret for the passing of my school volunteering days. (~~hip hip hooray!~~ <- Great Scott! How did that get there?).

That is it for today. Good day to all!

* Repartée may technically refer to a witty dialogue between two (or more!) people, but Those in the Know never doubt that single-handedly providing all of the repartée is just another one of the many talents of Yours Truly! It is a service I provide at every gathering.

**Pièce de résistance is just another little jewel for my readers' sophisticated collection of charming French phrases. It means garden pond. No need to thank me.

***Sure, "aquaculturaliste" may not be a real word, technically, but since I am renowned for taking water gardening to a whole new level - one might say, a more "cultured" and elegant level - it hardly seems adequate to use an ordinary word for the miracles that I accomplish! I am gifting the world with a new word. As always, no thanks necessary.

Memorial Day Weekend!

2010-05-29T11:14:00.009-05:00

I can hardly believe it is Memorial Day weekend at last! The boys can hardly believe it even more, since it means that their school year is virtually over. Really, it has been virtually over for weeks now, it seems, but this is the official "virtually over"! Next week, they only have an outing to Six Flags amusement park and a general assembly on Wednesday and the younger boys are truly finished. Jack has to present his senior project on Wednesday and graduate on Thursday and he, too, will be finito*!

Scott and I will then be the parents of three high school graduates (one college graduate, one college junior and one college freshman) and two high school freshmen! Where, oh where, did those years go?

In other news, the tree-cutting firm in its wisdom has decided that 8:00 AM on the first morning of the Memorial Day weekend is the ideal time to begin a tree removal which was ordered back in early April! With that decision firmly made, they rumbled with their heavy machinery past my bedroom window at practically the crack of dawn today! Those in the Know might not be aware (unless you read my Facebook status last night!) that I had a particularly ~~vexing~~ exciting evening** followed by a late night*** and quite frankly I needed my rest!

But, there is no rest for the weary, as they say (nor for the wicked, apparently - hello, tree removal crew!), so I had no choice but to throw back the covers, rise and shine. Fortunately, I am unmatched in my ability to rise and shine! My admiring family tell me this all the time.   (Well, they would tell you if they were not already miles from home on various errands, having arisen hours before me - and Edward actually said that he was "afraid" to ask me for his allowance after one glance at my face as I ~~staggered~~ breezed out of the bedroom the other morning - what could he possibly have meant by that, I wonder? I am nothing if not a morning person!).

Anyway, what a delightfully busy day I have lined up!   My original plan was to prepare the guest room for Kiki's friend Lee first thing in the morning, and then get outside before the sun comes round to the pond and plant the second order of plants which arrived....oh yes, did I mention that?   Yet another order of pond plants has arrived - on a Friday again! - and I am now ~~forced to~~ happily planning to deal with them forthwith. There is ~~plenty!~~ nothing I would rather do than spend the holiday Saturday up to my armpits in murky pond water, picking up algae-festooned rocks in order to poke slimy pond plant roots into the substrata. (I do not even know if "substrata" is the correct word here, but at this point in my stolen holiday, who cares?).

After that, if the gods are smiling, Scott will have arrived at long last from his trip and he we can begin the preparations for our BBQ tonight. We expect Kiki and Lee around 5-ish, at which time I hope to have completed all house and garden chores!   Let the relaxation begin!

Photo of the tree removal aerial-lift truck. The enormous wood chipper is around the side of the house - right outside our bedroom window! Egad! What an unholy racket that thing makes!! (but what a beautiful morning, n'est-ce pas?):

Good Day to All! And Happy Memorial Day Weekend!
Fly your flags and honour fallen heroes.

* If TITK think "finito" is not a real word, I expect you to be polite and don't mention it.

** Scott was due home last night, but thunderstorms grounded his plane in Augusta, so he will not be home until this afternoon. I am the perfect company wife, but ~~I could cheerfully throttle the powers that be who plan these incessant weekend trips!~~ it is all a bit much sometimes!

***Jessie decided on the spur of the moment (really! At about 4PM yesterday!) to rent a car and drive home for the weekend, so I had the ~~annoyance~~ pleasure of anticipating her arrival late (late! and I was tired!) last night. Almost on the stroke of midnight, she pulled up in a smart little red VW bug which made me ~~green with envy~~ smile. That was ~~all bad enough~~ lovely, but after 7 hours alone in a car there was a lot of pent-up conversation to be had! We had a very late night.

I am so glad Jessie came home, and so glad Kiki will be here tonight and so very glad that we will all be enjoying our Memorial Day BBQ together!

Life is good!

Swamp Thing!

2010-05-27T18:20:00.012-05:00

Let's cut right to the chase: I do not work out because I like it. I do not work out because a) it makes me feel good, b) it will increase my fitness level or c) it will enhance my overall health. I work out because I know that it is the only way I can rebuild muscle strength (in order to do things which are actually fun, unlike exercise) and because I want to look better. That is it, in a nutshell.

Those in the Know understand that I am nothing if not straightforward, and I will have none of this "healthy living" mumbo-jumbo.   No, I do not feel a rush of endorphins as I ~~grimace~~ "smile" my way through an exercise routine. Like any normal, sensible adult I despise any activity which causes any level of perspiration. Only the promise of a svelter figure and the prospect of being able to climb aboard the Twillick without requiring the indignity of a rear-end "boost" from my spouse keep me grimly determined to stick to this diabolical fitness regimen.

I am pleased to report, therefore, that with my usual firmness of purpose, I have ~~forced myself to get the lead out every morning~~ overcome all obstacles in pursuit of my personal fitness goals and I am succeeding beyond my dreams!   I have now lost 12 pounds firmly and am slimming away inches, too!

Meanwhile, the garden: I must say, I am not a complainer, as Those in the Know are well aware, but I do have to wonder why weeds and things always have to come into my garden! After all, I have toiled away quite enough already, thank you, installing plants, fixing that ~~damn~~ delightful pond, and tidying up endless beds of perennials, shrubs and so forth. I expected to be able to sit back and relax for the rest of the summer by now, but here I am ~~comfortably ensconced on the deck, sipping an iced tea and pecking away at this computer~~ preparing to get back to work at weeding and pruning! I am sure that I will spend hours more at these chores ~~if I ever bother to get started~~. Some times I realize that I am just too good.

The pond does look better with a few plants in there, although the appropriate word is "few".   If the truth be told, I am rather astonished at how little impact such a large investment of time, effort (mine!) and money has made! Still, these are the small frustrations that a devoted gardener must learn to cheerfully shrug off and, as TITK already know, I am a master at shrugging off just about anything! It is one of my most admirable qualities. That, and my modesty, of course.

As a matter of fact, I think I will just take a leisurely stroll right now down to the pond to admire the fruit of my labours. Look there at how fulsomely the water hyacinths have absorbed the pond water - rich with nutrients, thanks to ~~a fluke of nature~~ my unceasing efforts - why, two of them are already blooming!

And here, one of the little goldfish that I introduced today. Jack and his friend Jessica kindly went to Petco to buy 5 goldfish for me since I was ~~too lazy~~ too busy to go myself. I just managed to snap a picture of this one before it darted into the rocks to join its companions in hiding - ~~how irritating!~~ how charming!

With our pond cleansed of that wretched reptile (the snapping turtle), we can now relax and enjoy a lovely summer by the pond and watch the little comets and all of the new plants I so ~~casually tossed in~~ painstakingly planted grow! Here is a picture of the arum arrowhead plant I ordered and planted last Friday (yes, Friday - but this is just another of those little vexations that I am so admired for rising above):

YEGODS!

(Do you see that reptilian villain devouring the arrowhead?)

Excuse me a moment, please. Obviously, my leisurely afternoon stroll has been completely shattered! I must take emergency measures immediately: five goldfish lives depend upon me!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Those in the Know will be relieved to learn that, with my usual calm good sense, I have saved the day once more!

It may surprise my readers to learn that a snapping turtle can be quite an aggressive and fearsome creature. If it manages to bite you, it will not let go; people have lost fingers, toes, arms and even legs to the death grip of this terrifying throwback from the Jurassic era. It would eat every living thing in our pond if I let it. So, naturally, I did not let it!

Yes, with my characteristic determination, I did not rest until I had captured and removed the offensive scavenger. At first, I asked Jack and Jessica to ~~do it instead of me~~ help me, but they were ~~being babies~~ a little unsure of what to do, so I took the situation in hand myself and ~~advanced, terrified, toward the monster~~ took care of the problem with my usual efficient dispatch.

Once, many years ago, when we still had only two little children and Scott traveled a great deal, I found myself in the kitchen with a mouse. The babies were asleep upstairs and we knew no one in the neighborhood to call for help (having only recently moved there), so I was forced to handle the problem myself. I cannot bear mousetraps, so I decided to capture the mouse and set it free in the field outside. I got out a collander, crouched by the stove/fridge where I had last seen the mouse dart, and waited, with the collander poised in the air. Lucky for me, my daughters were solid sleepers and very early to bed because it was about 7PM when I began my vigil, and it took a little time. I crouched there for over two hours (I was a lot younger then), silent and determined. Finally, at nearly 9:30, after the sun had set, the mouse poked it's pointy nose out from between the appliances. I held my breath. A moment later, it made a dash for the other side of the room, but I was too quick for it. Smack! I brought down the collander with a decisive snap, and captured the mouse underneath! The poor creature must have thought it had run its last because it didn't move a muscle. I slid a bit of stiff cardboard under the collander and carried cardboard, collander and mouse all outside, where I set the mouse free. Yes, it was a ridiculous waste of a perfectly fine evening, but I was very pleased with myself!

Those in the Know are no doubt wondering if I performed a similar conscientious ritual with the snapping turtle. Absolutely not! Let us not beat around the bush, here: snapping turtles are disgusting! A little mouse is adorable and must be treated with gentle understanding, but a snapping turtle is a carbuncle on the face of the earth* and only merits swift and sure disposal! Although, naturally, I never harm any of nature's creatures. By "disposal" I merely mean "removal from our property" - and the farther removed, the better!

However, I did employ my steely nerve and lightning-fast reflexes in order to capture the beast. While Jack was still searching for some sort of net or something with which to safely capture the pest, I ~~frantically dumped~~ calmly emptied a five-gallon planting pot ( Ha! I told Scott those would come in handy, eventually!) and dashed back to the side of the pond. Without giving a thought to ~~anything at all, really~~ my own safety, I nimbly approached the turtle from its shady side (so as not to startle it into deeper water with my shadow), swiftly and stealthily crouched down and, in the blink of an eye, I plunged the pot into the water in front of the ugly thing and scooped it up! Just like that!

Egad! What an ugly thing!

Jack came running down with a garbage bag and just stared in ~~appalled dismay~~ astonishment and admiration at the ~~insanely impulsive~~ amazing feat his mother had just performed. This is the sort of moment a parent cherishes: when one sees the realization dawn on the face of one's offspring that here is ~~a madwoman~~ an awe-inspiring woman, ~~and she is his mother!~~ and she is his mother!

Of course, we instantly understood that this blasted turtle has obviously marked our pond as its territory and had returned from the creekbed mud after the winter hiatus to take up residence for another season. We were all resolved not to let that happen! I was, naturally, more firmly resolved than Jack and Jessica, but nevertheless, I soon managed to ~~trick them into undertaking the most difficult part of the removal~~ impress upon them the gravity of the situation at which point they volunteered to finish the removal. (and by "volunteered", I mean I made them do it)

I took it upon myself to give the wretched reptile a stern warning not to get up to any monkey business on the ride far from our house. These wonderful young people were performing a community service by ridding our yard of this nuisance, so I let the turtle have it with both barrels. Jack and Jessica loaded the pot, inside a bin, into his car and they took it far, far away.

(Here I am giving the turtle what for !)

And so, we are once again reptile-free! Hip Hip Hooray!!

Well, it has been an unexpectedly exhausting afternoon for Yours Truly, so I believe it is high time for a glass of wine and a moment of relaxation on the deck before dinner.

Good Evening to All!

* Alert readers may recognise this sophisticated reference to a remark HRH the Prince of Wales made about some modern architecture in London some years ago. It wasn't about turtles, but it may as well have been if I have anything to say about it! Just another of my helpful sprinklings of culture to spice up my readers' lives! No need to thank me!

This is FUN!

2010-05-22T09:57:00.001-05:00

Last night: So, I unpacked that box of pond plants and supplies and put the plants into pond water in a bin to rest and rehydrate - and I messed around for what I thought was maybe 10 minutes, until the boys came out to ask when supper was going to be ready. I had been tinkering away there for over an hour!

This is FUN! :D

Thank the Stars - It is Friday!

2010-05-21T09:50:00.001-05:00

I awoke this morning to drizzly rain and cool temperatures, so I did the only thing thinkable: I decided to forego my morning exercise. Now, Those in the Know are well-acquainted with my reliability when I have made a commitment and indeed, I never skip Curves, unless it is very stormy out (or snowing, or icy, or too windy, or if it is depressingly rainy like today - or if it gets cloudy at all - or dark - but otherwise, you can set your watch by me!), so obviously I am going to make this bonus free-time count! And what better way to do so than to ~~waste an hour or more typing a pointless post?~~ compose a witty post, draw up a To Do list and get down to business for another of my world-renowned productive days!

I received an email last night informing me that the Fed Ex man will deliver my pond plants today! This is, obviously, a mixed blessing. On the one hand, I am delighted - having waited for weeks, it is ~~about bloody time!~~ so pleasant to be receiving the plants at last!

But, on the other hand, I am ~~deeply annoyed~~ a little dismayed that the plants are arriving on a Friday. They will require immediate attention today (and it is raining out!), and they will require prompt planting over the weekend (the weekend!). I have a good mind to send that pond supply fellow a sharply-worded email! Just because I emailed earlier in the week ~~demanding~~ requesting that he fill my order immediately, obviously I did not mean fill it immediately if it means I will receive it on Friday! Filling the order the next day (for Monday or Tuesday delivery) would have been quite immediate enough! I am a patient woman, but the sad truth is that there are days when I struggle with remaining calm in the face of such constant provocation.

Nevertheless, I am determined to make the most of this Friday ~~even if it is dreary, drizzly and now loaded down with univited chores!~~ , in my usual cheerful fashion! Here is my To Do list:

To Do

~~Start Supper~~ (Ha! Already well in hand, since I made a larger than expected batch of lentil soup yesterday! I never serve "leftovers", by the way: yesterday's masterpiece will become the base for an even more superfood-packed soup tonight! ~~I will throw in a package of frozen chopped spinach and call it a day~~ Loaded with spices, carrots and spinach - and with cheesy garlic toast on the side - this will be an encore my boys will cheer about!)

Laundry (I always say: rainy days are ideal for laundry! The noise, the hot steamy water and the warm air from the dryer are all a comfort when it is dull and chilly outside! No doubt, I will amaze my family by clearing the backlog in that department today!)

~~Blog Post~~ (Ha! Obviously, finis!)

~~Exercise~~ (crossing off as clearly unnecessary under the circumstances, let's get serious)

Pond Plants (whatever is necessary to do for them when they arrive, I suppose I will have to do - even though it is Friday. I am nothing if not diligent, but this is all very irritating!)

That is it for this morning! Good Day to All!

Moving Mountains!

2010-05-20T14:29:00.004-05:00

What a busy day I had yesterday! Those in the Know will not be surprised, of course - I am always very busy! But yesterday I moved mountains!

It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm-ish, so naturally I was anxious to get outdoors into the garden. I intended to make a To Do list but as usual I ~~forgot~~ was too busy to do so. I'll have to get to that right after I finish this post. Also, I really don't have time to post a proper entry. In fact, I have already been struggling with this post for too long - and I left to run errands in the middle there because it was really all too much! - so I think I will just jot the post down in point form. I don't want to hear any whining about it.

Yesterday I...

-Went to Garden Center to choose water plants and shrubs (Didn't actually buy anything, as could not decide. Listen, these things take time!)

-Collected boys at school for ToDo item #1

-Brought the boys to Walgreens to have passport photos taken ( ToDo item #1* - check!)

-Returned to Garden Center to buy two water plants and three shrubs (See?)

-Back home: planted the shrubs and set the water plants in the top pond shallows to acclimatize.

-Cleaned up garage!

-Cooked a superb supper (homemade beefaroni) but canceled the salad because could not find salad bowl. Let's face it: all this talk of balanced diets and lots of veggies gets boring.

Now for your viewing pleasure, photos to show the new additions to the garden! I had planned to use two hollies and a red twig dogwood along the foundation of the new den, but when I was browsing at the garden center earlier yesterday, I realized that I have been exclaiming over beautiful trailing spirea bushes every spring for who knows how long, yet I never have planted any in my own garden! It is ~~likely~~ possible that I forget about them ~~the moment they are out of my sight~~ by the time I finally find the time in my busy schedule to show up at the garden center, but anyway, who cares? I remembered yesterday when I returned to the center ~~to purchase the dogwood and hollies I had every intention of purchasing until a large photo of a trailing spirea caught my eye and completely derailed those plans~~ so naturally I made the ~~abrupt, capricious~~ sensible, executive decision to buy three for our garden at last! They do not look like much, yet, but in a couple of years they ~~had better!~~ will look as beautiful as all the others I have admired so much!

I set straight to work the moment the boys and I got home. I am nothing if not a hard worker! Got those shrubs planted in record time! As you can see, I have a failsafe method of digging holes for my shrubs:

(EGAD! HOW DID THIS PHOTO GET HERE?)

(Well, like I always say - what is the point in having two or three strapping young sons if one fails to ~~take advantage of their brute strength~~ encourage them to develop their interests? Those in the Know will remember that parenthood is my calling, and I am always ready to step up and do my duty! The boys will thank me later).

The water plants are a small lily and some sort of marginal plant (I forget the name, and anyway, who cares). I only have a picture of the lily relaxing and becoming acclimated to our pond. Sure, the pond looks rather sterile at the moment, but it will soon be teeming with life (~~probably mainly algae and mosquitoes~~ <- Great Scott! What a defeatist attitude! Not in my pond!) as I employ my prodigious gardening skills in this new water venture. Here is the lily, yesterday evening, resting on a ledge just under the surface of the water:

By the way, are lilacs not the most glorious flowers of May? Those in this photo are just a few of the dozens of lilac shrubs that the previous owners planted around our house. Since they are one of my very favorite flowers (both for fantastic blooming and magnificent fragrance), I probably ought to send them a Thank You note for that!

Finally, a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned to my faithful readers that I would show you soon why the weigela is also called a "Beauty Bush". Well, here is a photo to give you an idea why. This shrub is still very young and yet it is a beauty:

Now for today's To Do list:

To Do

~~Start supper~~ (done - lentils soaking now for hearty lentil soup - remind me to post the recipe! It is loaded with superfoods and, with my special talent for tweaking recipes, I have created a mega-healthy culinary triumph!)

Plant Petunias sitting since last week (well, I am not sure I really like those petunias, so the delay is perfectly understandable. As a matter of fact, I may just wait another day or two, just to be sure)

Passport Applications (startled you, did I? No, not my own -which TITK already know is winging its way to Gatineau as I type- this refers to Edward and Kenny's passports, which I am sure will take no time at all, so ~~I can forget about it for another little while~~ I will certainly attend to it promptly!)

You know, I could add a few more items to this list, but I really feel that there are times when we should all temper the mad pace of our days with a little less structure. Therefore, I am going to ~~lazily~~ wisely cut this list short.

Good Day to All!

* If I had actually written a ToDo list yesterday, this would definitely have been #1!

Whirlwind!!

2010-05-19T11:36:00.001-05:00

What a whirlwind the past few days have been! I have been enjoying myself immensely!

On Friday, Kiki graduated with high honors from Loyola. Scott and I could not be prouder - well, I may be a little prouder than Scott is, but then I have plenty of reason to be! I am nothing if not modest, but Those in the Know can be forgiven for cheering loudly for me - after all, it is no doubt due to my expert guidance that this amazing child has gone so far in life at such a young age. With my characteristic generosity, however, I must insist that you cheer for Kiki also, for her part in this great success story! For four years Kiki kept her nose to the pedagogical grindstone, (working part time, too!), while still managing a lively social life, a semester abroad and a blossoming romance with a fine young man. I think that is ~~the exemplary behaviour and well-balanced approach to life which ensured her success~~ pretty good! No doubt, she inherited her admirable abilities from ~~her father, who displayed a similar facility with time/life-management at an early age~~ (<- piffle!) me!

Here is my favorite photo of the day: my one-in-a-million daughter in a sea of crimson!

That was Friday. On Saturday, Jack had his senior prom, so we hastily switched gears and turned our attention to corsages, formal wear and gussying up the car for the occasion. Jack probably also thought about these things, although I am not quite sure since he went about with his usual ~~daydreamy~~ thoughtful air, and I did have to remind him of the time when he wandered downstairs to play the guitar at 5PM. However, as soon as he was all kitted out in his formal duds, it became apparent that ~~he had been superbly organized all along, and much calmer than his parents~~ a wonderful evening was in store, thanks to our ~~madcap, frenzied confusion~~ cheerful planning. I think Jack enjoyed himself, ~~in spite of us~~ thanks to our efforts!

Here is our high school graduate (well, almost! He graduates officially on June 3):

The second picture reminds me that he will soon be walking away into his independent future, and he seems so capable and strong and ready. Just as I felt with Kiki and Jessie, the thought fills me with wistful nostalgia - how quickly they grew up! joy - how pleasant to think of a job well done (by Yours Truly)!

In other news, my faithful readers will be ~~surprised~~ delighted to hear that I have finished the passport applications and even have sent them off! I am nothing if not diligent and, although it did take a tiny bit longer than I had planned (through no fault of my own, obviously), I am confident that the delay was worthwhile. Jessie and I were able to have much nicer photos taken in May than we could possibly have had done in February. Let's be honest, here: those passports are good for five years - I, for one, was not eager to have a dreadful photo of my pallid winter-weary face brandished about all over the world if I could help it! So, obviously, my so-called procrastination was, in fact, a cleverly concealed plan to ensure minimum quality standards. The fact that both Jessie and I were grounded in-country for a couple of months while I ~~flaked out on this~~ waited for the optimal time to proceed is immaterial - priorities are priorities. That is just the sort of thing which differentiates me from your average person - I think about the important things.

Next, I will get Edward and Kenny's passport applications sorted out. They should be much simpler to do, so I expect I will have them in the mail ~~eventually~~ shortly.

I am still ~~impatiently~~ patiently awaiting the pond plants which I ordered online some weeks ago. I sent a ~~curt~~ pleasant inquiry to the company last night and they promptly replied promising to ship them this week. A word to the wise: the squeaky wheel gets the grease. No need to thank me.

There were other things I hoped to write about today, but I am ~~already chafing to get outside on this glorious day~~ too busy to write much more today. That just means more for tomorrow!

Good day to All!

2010-05-18T20:27:00.000-05:00

Photographed by the street right in front of our house: Turkey hen and chicks (I counted at least ten, although I was unable to capture all ten of the wriggly rascals on digital film!):

Fire Weather and Thunder Snow!*

2010-05-12T12:12:00.004-05:00

*Really! (but not all at once)

I grew up in a simpler age. It was an era when the weatherman was just a weatherman. Little boys and girls rarely aspired to grow up to be like the weatherman because he (it was always a "he" back in the olden days) was quite simply the lowliest peg on the network news totem pole. Their childish disinterest (and the lowest peg position, incidentally) was totally justified by the weatherman's utter lack of pizazz. I am not one to criticize, but let us face facts:    I used the term "simpler age", but the weather back then was really just boring and the weatherman was as dull as dishwater.

Therefore, I am delighted to report that these days we have a new breed of weatherman -   the "Chief" Meteorologist - who has finally brought the weather segment into the 21st century - not to mention a well-deserved seat at the anchor desk - with creative razmatazz. Unlike the unimaginative weatherwonk of old, the Chief is forever discovering new and infinitely more interesting weather phenomena than we had when I was growing up.   Who knew that weather could be so much more than clear, overcast, rainy, snowy, windy, warm or cold?

Back in the day, even when two weather fronts appeared to be on a collision course (now there is an exciting weather story just begging to be told!), the weatherdullard would shuffle on camera and mumble about an upcoming change in temperature - "overnight lows may fall to near freezing" (ho hum) - possibly accompanied by the hopelessly vague and uninteresting "mixed precipitation".   These uninspiring pronouncements were invariably delivered in a monotone guaranteed to solidify the reputation of the weather segment of the Evening News as the generally accepted snack/bathroom breaktime of TV viewers everywhere.

The Chief, when in possession of similar meteorological evidence, teases viewers during the opening segment of the nightly news with a little preview - something like , "Hang onto your hats, folks! There is wild weather coming!". This guarantees that viewers wait with bated breath through a half hour of boring world news and stupid sports stories before he wows 'em with the exciting prediction of my favorite new weather phenomenon : Thunder snow! Forget dull talk of temperature fluctuations and mixed precip*, the Chief brightens our lives with the expectation of something wonderful: "Tonight, be prepared for the possibility of thunder snow!".

Thunder snow! Yegods!   Who can fail to feel a thrilled shiver run up one's spine at such a forecast? Thunder snow is mythical! It is epic!

Usually, what follows is a night with temps falling to near freezing along with a little wind and maybe some rain and wet snow. Once in a very great while, alert listeners might detect the distant rumble of something like thunder (which may or may not just be the wind, but why quibble over details?). Now, that is weather!

The most exciting forecast I ever heard growing up was the dreaded RDF (rain, drizzle and fog) - a particularly bone-chilling cocktail of weather misery which gripped St John's for three straight months every spring. Not only was it bone-chilling, but it was boring. The only relief from the tedium came in the form of sporadic spring snows - events which the weatherman would announce with predictable lack of fanfare as "4-6 inches of snow possible" or "significant accumulations likely". Thanks to the deadpan delivery of the dowdy weatherbore, nobody would bat an eye, let alone consider a school closure, ~~to the fury of yours truly~~ to the disappointment of countless schoolchildren.

The Chief, ever ready with a snappy, attention-getting forecast, is a schoolchild's hero. A spring snow is not merely a spring snow anymore: the Chief predicts a snow bomb!   The ensuing 4-6 inches of heavy, wet spring snow may seem to be as short-lived and unremarkable as the boring snowfalls predicted in former times by lesser weathermen, but it takes the Chief to inspire sufficient awe of the elements to guarantee that school officials declare a pre-emptive snow day after the evening news but before a single flake has fallen. Now, that is impressive!

Last week, I saw yet another new weather alert that definitely grabbed my attention. What the boring old weatherman merely called "dry weather" or "no chance of rain", the Chief calls fire weather. Fire weather! Is that not the most evocative and terrifying new weather phenomenon ever described?   The Chief is ever-ready to provide these ~~alarming~~ amazing and interesting new names for what was once just boring, old weather. And people ~~over~~react with ~~alarm~~ interest, naturally.   Some people think the Chief does a disservice to mankind by whipping up a frenzy of false "weather-emergency" readiness every other week to boost television ratings, but I, for one, am delighted!  Finally, relief from the weather tedium of bygone days.

The idea that hyperbolic weather terminology could be playing into a general existential hysteria by feeding fertile and overwrought imaginations with terrifying imagery is, let's tell it like it is, pure bunk. People enjoy thinking about the same old weather repackaged as new, exciting and ~~terribly~~ slightly dangerous!   Goodness knows, it isn't as if people are apt to believe that there is anything chillingly prophetic about the same weather patterns, climate cycles and natural phenomena this beautiful world has been experiencing for many millennia just because they are suddenly described in new and ~~frightening~~ interesting ways! I must say, I am a little disappointed in those not in the know who worry about the bogeyman around every corner!

* "precip" : that's cool meteorological shorthand for precipitation. I am nothing if not up on the coolest lingo!
                          --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have been ~~ignoring~~ struggling with this blog post for days now and I have decided that it is simply time to ~~give up~~ move on to another topic.   Time to mention what is new in my life:

Jessie is home for a little break after finishing her second year at university and before starting her summer research project back on campus.   It is always a pleasure to have her home, even if she does talk a little too much and distract me from my usual ~~lazy time-wasting~~ highly productive daily routines!

Kiki is graduating this weekend.   I can hardly believe that she has already completed her university degree!   We are all looking forward to a wonderful weekend celebration.

Edward received an award last week for a story he wrote! He placed second in his school overall for his story The Book of Jade. I ~~had no idea~~ always had a feeling that boy had writing talent!

I have been ~~spinning my wheels, as usual~~ a little disorganized due to a very busy week, so I intend to make the most of my characteristic flair for time-management by making an updated To Do list:

To Do

Laundry (might ~~flake out~~ postpone until tomorrow)

Start Supper (beans soaking for spicy gumbo - good)

Passport Application (EGAD! ~~Forgot all about that!~~ have been too busy!)

?

---

Blast! I think I ~~have already lost~~ am in danger of losing my momentum here for the day. Best get off the blog and on to moving mountains!

Good day to All!

Today's photo: the weather has been simply dreadful for over a week now (coinciding exactly with my inability to finish this blog post, interestingly), but here is a picture taken back when the weather was fit for human (and canine) consumption: Minnie gamboling in the garden!

2010-05-05T14:09:00.000-05:00

Something important needs to be said: the main problem with the health craze is that it runs counter to every natural, healthy, normal instinct of mankind. What can possibly be healthy about starvation? How can it possibly be natural or healthy to push an undernourished body to exercise - fueled on nothing but water and fresh air? When I have achieved my weight loss goal, I am going to enjoy a delicious and satisfying supper of homemade macaroni and cheese!! Although...darn it! I won't be able to enjoy it now that I have the echo of health nazi calorie-counting madness ringing in my ears all day long!

This health craze is going to be the death of me.

Tornado Watch!*

2010-05-01T11:43:00.007-05:00

*Really!

This post has nothing to do with the tornado watch, but I would like the record to show that this post title is 100% true. We are, indeed, under a tornado watch until 8 PM this evening. I don't know why the National Weather crowd issues these watches, though, to be perfectly honest. Nothing ever happens! It's not like we are down in Oklahoma or Mississippi or New England or something. Those people get on the news regularly with one exciting weather-related story after another. I really think it is a bit much, actually. We are blessed with nothing but boring, boring, boring calm, near-idyllic conditions here in northern Illinois practically constantly and even if something exciting were to happen, the airwaves are always clogged with stories about Oklahoma or Mississippi or somewhere (those attention hounds)! Anyway, we do have a tornado watch and a severe thunderstorm watch, so I feel it is only fair that I post it in my title and get some mileage out of it. Heaven knows I hardly ever get the chance!

Earlier today, after my exercise, I spent a couple of hours in the garden. Oh yes, you read that correctly: after my exercise. Those in the Know will not be surprised to learn that I have been very hard at work 4 mornings per week at Curves! Mind you, it feels like an utter waste of time since I never seem to lose an ounce nor have I lost any inches (and I am thisclose to quitting every single day, but the Fitness Nazis there shame me into continuing), but I am nothing if not determined and I will stick with it until I see results. ~~Or until I get fed up~~ (<- oops! How did that get there?).

I was planning to finish the pond story in this post ~~although I am bored with that subject now and may just toss it~~, so I will get right down to it!

When I returned from my travels last summer, a sinister and very unwelcome "guest" had taken up residence in the pond. A snapping turtle. It had decimated what little plant life had begun to eke out an existence in the pond. Not only had it destroyed the flora in the pond, but it had also devoured all of the tadpoles and any unwary frogs which happened to wander foolishly into the pond's murky depths. And I do mean "murky depths". After that dreadful animal took up residence in the pond, it befouled the water with its wastes and, because it had eaten every other living thing, flora and fauna alike, there was no way for the pond to recover by filtering the wastes by cycling through plants, pond animals and good bacteria. The bloody turtle had eaten everything up!

Here are some photos (not of our pond, unfortunately, because I was too disheartened last summer to take any photos here) which show the deleterious effects that a 6-8 inch snapping turtle can have on a pond (sensitive readers, please shield your eyes):

Yes, it was like a clip out of a horror movie.

Anyway, I've just had to have the landscape firm in again to drain the ponds and power-wash all of the gunk left behind by the turtle (which either left last fall - the vicious, slimy interloper! - after destroying the pond and eating itself out of a home, or was ushered out by the crew once the pond was empty of water - hopefully, none too gently!) before refilling with fresh water. ~~More bloody expense!~~ Expensive, but totally worth it! Here are the freshly cleaned, but utterly sterile ponds today:

This isn't the easy, quick restart that it might sound like. A pond takes years and years to become (close to) a fully naturalized ecosystem, but the very first thing to understand is that the biggest part of that process is cycling water. After that darn turtle putrefied the water in the ponds, a year and a half of cycling was down the drain (literally!). Refilling with city water means a pond full of chlorinated water, which, as Those in the Know no doubt have already realized, is not hospitable to pond plants, pond animals and most of all, to the helpful bacteria which are crucial to a healthy pond ecosystem.

Nevertheless, I am undaunted by the challenges before me! My Friends in the Know are well aware of my characteristic resourcefulness and indomitable spirit! I have been studying pondology assiduously over the winter and into the spring and ~~I am probably now more dangerous than the snapping turtle~~ I intend to conquer this puzzle! This may involve ~~incredible expense~~ a lot of time, effort and ~~expense!~~
expertise, but I am nothing if not ~~foolhardy~~ a hard worker.

Anyway, I am too busy (what?) today to write anymore. I have two flats of portulaca to put in around the patio pond. Scott ~~forced~~ asked the boys to weed the shallow bed there this morning and now it is wonderfully ready for me to get started! I must say, I love how my family ~~reluctantly~~ enthusiastically pitches in when ~~taken by the collar and frogmarched away from the Xbox~~ asked!

Good Day to All!

ETA: This post was begun yesterday afternoon, but I was ~~too lazy~~ too busy to finish it last night, so obviously we are no longer under a tornado watch. Nevertheless, the title is still totally true - we were under one last night. Furthermore, as usual, I was 100% correct in my prediction that nothing would happen. Nothing did.

Is It Friday, Yet?

2010-04-29T12:01:00.012-05:00

The past couple of days have been quite challenging, so I am sure that Those in the Know will understand that ~~just about everything~~ something had to give! My entire family is miserable with the most miserable of miserable colds! (Everyone except Yours Truly, of course - need I remind you of my excellent health?). I've been scouring cookbooks for ideas for immune-boosting suppers. Tonight, I am making a turkey soup which should really be tasty. Instead of traditional (mild-flavoured) turkey soup, I am making it with a Mexican flair: there will be spice aplenty! That ought to cure what ails my boys and spouse!

In addition to caring for the ailing menfolk, I have been busy with planning for our garden ponds. Yes, I can almost hear the exclamations of delighted surprise from my Friends in the Know - I haven't mentioned the ponds before, have I?   The reason for that is quite simple: ~~they scare the living daylights out of me because I haven't a clue what I am doing~~ they are a work in progress and I was looking forward to surprising everyone!

We have garden ponds totally by default. When we bought this house, the ponds came with it. That was that. Neither Scott nor I know anything about water gardening or pond care but we thought, "How difficult can it be?" (EGAD! How foolish we were!) At that time, the ponds were beautifully aged, well-established garden ponds requiring almost no attention from us at all. The eco-system had been developed over more than a decade and it was a symphony of balance and beauty. The water was clear, the plants were prolific and perky and when we introduced goldfish, they thrived in the perfect pond conditions with absolutely no assistance of any kind from us. In the spring, Scott started up the pump to circulate the water and in the early winter, he shut it down. That was the extent of our labour investment in the ponds. There were simply no problems and I we had nothing to do but sit back and enjoy the view.

Unfortunately, about 2 years ago, everything changed. The ponds began to leak. I suppose it was inevitable with age and degradation of older pond liner materials, but I want to know why everything always happens to me? I said as much to Scott as I stood on the deck watching him hastily trying to set up a pump and roll the plastic tubing across the backyard and down to the creek to siphon the leakage away from our garden and basement.

"Why?" I ~~whined~~ very reasonably inquired, "does this kind of disappointing thing always happen to me?"

I would love to be able to report that Scott had a wise and comforting answer, but the sad truth is that he merely grunted and kept hauling the tubing and pump paraphernalia across the yard. I love the man, but I must confess - sometimes his lack of understanding is very unhelpful.   There he stood up to his ankles in leaking pond water with the pump hose hanging limply over one arm, staring up at me ~~comfortably ensconced in a deck chair~~ as I was encouraging him from the deck, yet he completely failed to offer a comforting word to his heroic spouse (moi). I had to go into the house and flip on an NCIS rerun before ~~Scott could ask me to help out with the mucky job of draining the pond~~ my emotions got the better of me.

Anyway, the upshot of this sad tale is that we were forced to have a landscaping firm come in to tear out the old and badly deteriorating pond liners and install a new and vastly superior (we hope!) one. Obviously, we did consider tearing out the ponds altogether and removing them from the garden completely, but since the entire landscaping scheme put in place by the previous owners - including all of the decking and landscape grading - was designed around this pond system, removing them completely and thus being forced into renovating all of the landscaping was never really a viable (or affordable!) option. It was either the expensive pond renovation or a prohibitively expensive complete landscaping renovation. We really had to go with the first choice, in spite of my our near-total incompetence in aquaculture.

The pond rehabilitation went reasonably well and the new version looked quite sturdy, if sterile. In the process of ripping out and re-installing, the landscapers succeeded in killing and removing every last shred of vegetation - every last vestige of the wonderfully naturalized pond environment which had taken probably two decades to develop! Perhaps it was unavoidable ~~since I made no effort to save them myself nor even thought to mention it, really, at the time~~ in the June heat, but I really feel that the firm let down the side a little on that score! Although, obviously I am too gracious to point it out.

So for a season and a half, we have had a rock-rimmed set of pools with ugly rubber liner visible in too many places and not a bit of green to be seen, anywhere (not to mention no goldfish - it is all too much!). It was my intention to perform one of my gardening miracles and restore the pond to its formerly glorious natural perfection last summer, but I was otherwise engaged early in the season.

The story becomes very dark indeed here for, during my absence, a very unwelcome "guest" moved into the pond, completely destroying all attempts by nature to establish a little foothold until I could return to complete the rescue.

Thursday Update: Well, as you can see, I have been so ~~lazy~~ busy that I never did manage to post yesterday, after all!   I am also ~~too lazy~~ too busy to post much today, so I'll give you a quick update on the sick members of the family and sign off.

Boys are improving somewhat - Kenny is nearly symptom-free (hooray!); Edward is about 2/3 of the way through the cold, but still snuffly and miserable (poor baby!); Jack is over the initial cold but has apparently progressed to a sinus infection (which is always a danger for him, like his mother, poor boy!) and Scott is rallying strongly after a good night's sleep and lots of rest yesterday.

I am sure my family's improved health is really all thanks to my Supersoup of yesterday, however.   Those in the Know may recall that I started out making turkey soup (always a cold-buster!), but I decided to put my considerable nursing acumen to work by improving the usual stock and soup recipe tremendously. I added a number of immune-boosting spices while making the stock and then added even more after removing the turkey bones and adding the vegetables and legumes. It was an AmerAsian triumph! I thought it was going to be Mexican-cuisine flavoured yesterday, ~~and I have no idea what happened or how the flavour turned out as it did~~ (<- irrelevant), but in fact, I decided to create a wonderful fusion of flavours reminiscent of both Mexican and Indian cuisines! Although I may never be able to repeat it because it was a total fluke brought about by sheer dumb luck and a couple of spice accidents involving not wearing my glasses: chili / curry ...a mistake like that could happen to anyone!, it was a culinary tour de force*!

I am ~~too bored, as usual, with a topic that exceeds three paragraphs~~ too busy right now to finish the pond story, but I will ~~probably~~ definitely finish it tomorrow or the next day ~~or some other day, provided I can remember not to forget~~.

Good Day to All!

* Busy though I have been, I never forget my Friends in the Know! Today's little piece of sophistication is brought to you by France! You're welcome.

Two-Headed Newt Discovered in Garden!*

2010-04-26T11:01:00.001-05:00

* Haha, not really.

First things first: my initial embarrassment over thinking "bottlebrush plant" might be the name of that lovely little Witch Alder out front was completely unnecessary! While it is true that real Bottlebrushes are native to Australia (so wikipedia was correct on that score, if unnecessarily snippy), I should point out that they totally dropped the ball by not mentioning that Fothergilla/Witch Alder is often given the common name "Bottlebrush plant" Up Over! Take that, Wikipedia! It is so ~~infuriating~~ amusing when I occasionally doubt my unerring memory for names and words and, indeed, for anything connected to gardening! But, as Those in the Know are well aware, I am nothing if not modest. I always allow for the fact that I am human and yet am never could possibly have been mistaken.

Second on this morning's blog agenda: Those in the Know will be astonished to learn that in spite of how busy I have been, I actually did a little more work on the Photo Project over the weekend! I have decided that whenever it is raining, I will do a little more scanning and so forth (provided, of course, that I am in the mood!). This way, I will avoid ~~flaking out completely again~~ losing track of where I was and possibly having to start over next fall. I scanned a couple of packages of photos and set up the five Baby Books for the children in Iphoto - they are all blank, except for Kenny's (which I had already begun weeks ago), but it feels good to have them there waiting to be filled with pictures.

I am having a bit of a job to get motivated this morning, however. It is a lovely morning, with the sun back out shining again after (too many!) days of rain and drizzle. Usually, I am full of energy on mornings like this, especially Monday mornings like this! But, alas! Today is not one of those usual days. I have a bit of a headache, if the truth be known. Also, a particularly bad case of procrastination. As always, though, I know just what to do!

To Do

Blog Post (in progress, thank goodness!)
Laundry (not this morning - but we will see about later)
Start Supper (very good idea--the earlier the better! But, grocery store first)
Grocery Store
Minnie (pick up from groomer/short walk)
Garden (pick up piles of debris from weeding/planting/winter junk)

That is probably quite enough for a day like this.

Good Day to All!

Don't Hate Me Because I'm Beautiful!*

2010-04-24T15:38:00.005-05:00

* Really! ;-)

Those in the Know may recall that I have been embracing a healthier lifestyle, lately. It's not that I have been unhealthy or indeed that I really needed to alter my daily habits in any way. I am ~~alarmingly pudgy and out of shape~~ in perfect health and have retained the healthy glow of my youth quite nicely, in spite of the numerous demands of my busy life! However, I am nothing if not forward-thinking and, as such, I felt it behooved me to ~~lose that ugly twenty pounds of flab!~~ set a good example of healthy fitness for the younger generation. No need to applaud. That is just the sort of selfless thing for which I am famous.

Although... it would all be a bit more pleasant if diets actually worked a little faster, in my opinion. There have been centuries of scientific and medical research - how come "they" haven't come up with an easy and quick way for people to lose weight? To be perfectly honest, I think it is a very poor showing from the scientific community!

Nevertheless, I am not one to fuss about the inadequacies of others. Here is the important thing: I have actually begun to lose weight! Not as quickly as I had hoped, mind you, but losing nonetheless. My goal is to lose 20 pounds by June 1, which seems reasonable as long as I ~~starve myself~~ follow a sensible weight-loss diet and engage in regular exercise. It would be a snap, really, if not for one thing: hunger. Likewise, the exercise component of the programme would work out a whole lot better, (are you listening, Health Nazis?) if one were able to take in enough food to provide the energy to exercise! In spite of the obvious idiocy of conventional weight-loss orthodoxy, I have persevered and am proud to report that I have lost 8 pounds thus far. Not bad, if I do say so myself!

Those in the Know are probably dying to hear about the progress I've made in the garden since I last posted. I would like to remind everyone that it is not what is done every single day that matters, but what one accomplishes over time that is really important. One must take the macro* view, see the bigger picture, open up the mind to a world of possibilities! Indeed, I ~~haven't done a darn thing!~~ have been so busy with household matters that I have done less than I had hoped over the past few days, but the fruits of last week's labours become more apparent all the time.

The garden is filling in nicely as perennials are coming up to replace the fading spring bulbs, and with the last couple of wet days, the Bleeding Hearts are even more beautiful than ever! I told you before that they do well in Newfoundland and this is such amusing evidence! "Springtime" in St John's is something of a joke due to the months of bone-chilling rain, drizzle and fog which are typical on an island out in the north Atlantic located right at the collision-point of the Gulf Stream and the Labrador Current. But cool, wet weather is exactly what Dicentra loves! This is why it is not as well-known in the Midwest - springtime here is an actual season which usually fits the descriptions in poetry and literature - that is, a mild, often sunny season with blazing sunlight touching even the parts of the garden which would normally have summer shade (such as under trees). Those spots are where Bleeding Hearts usually like to grow; they dislike a lot of direct sunlight, they prefer cooler weather and they love to be watered often: <- conditions which are plentiful in St John's in spring, but far less commonly found in the Midwest. Therefore, it is always fun to watch a Bleeding Heart, planted under the canopy of enough early budding trees and shrubs to provide a bit of protection from direct sunlight, simply bursting into prolific bloom and growing as if on steroids during the brief spasms of cooler, wetter weather the Midwest is known for between hot, dry spells. Check out my Bleeding Hearts today!

By the way, if one squints very hard at the second photo, one can just make out the veritable sea of Bluebells in the woods beyond our garden. That gorgeous display belongs to our neighbors, whose own garden is ~~a woodland paradise~~ pretty nice. I am ~~green with envy~~ delighted to have such a fine display right next door, and have been hoping quite fervently that those Bluebells will just migrate on over here into our woodland borders, too, so that ~~they can stop showing us up, darn it!~~ we can enjoy the beautiful blue wave each spring, too! It is true that our kind neighbors have generously invited me more than once to go ahead and take some cuttings to transplant into our own woods, but ~~that sounded like too much work~~ I prefer to let nature take its course. I am nothing if not ~~lazy~~ a nature lover.

Flipping through my gardening books last night, I was looking for the name of a little shrub out by the front door which I had almost yanked out ~~in an ignorant, impatient weeding frenzy~~ accidentally one year. It could have happened to ~~anyone as clueless as myself~~ anybody: literally, this thing was like a bent stick scraggling up out of the ground and not at all attractive at first glance. I was so glad that some serendipitous instinct made me leave it there/ wait and see what it would do, because later that fall, it blazed out in the most gorgeous fall colors I have ever seen such a small shrub display. I was delighted, but I am ~~mortified~~ amused to report that even then I considered it to be some sort of weedy shrub blown there from the surrounding woods. The following spring, I again nearly tore it out of the ground, as it showed small weedy-looking blooms which I ~~ignorantly~~ naturally associated with dandelion seedheads. Again, however, my ~~forgetfulness~~ unerring instincts saved the day! This went on for several years: my intention to remove that "weed" combined with my ~~forgetting~~ deciding not to do so due to mysterious Mother Earth instincts which I apparently possess in abundance!

So, the other day I saw the spring blooms again (after very nearly ripping it out the week before when it, once again, looked like a broken twig poking up out of the ground). Brilliantly thinking, "Hey! Maybe that is some sort of Bottlebrush plant!" because of the flowers, I started looking for something like that in Illinois weed resources. No luck (and Bottlebrush Plants are native to Australia - oops!). Then, last night I was flipping through one of the gardening books I have owned for years and there, as plain as day, was a photograph of this plant in bloom! It was a considerably more attractive-looking specimen in the book, needless to say, but the flowers were unmistakable. It said right there in the book that these plants are renowned for their brilliant fall color. Imagine my relief that my inherent gardening ability helped me to save this little plant from destruction! Its name is a little disappointing, though, I have to admit: fothergilla. Seriously. Very ~~lame~~ unimaginative. However, it is almost as though someone somewhere along the way shared my talent for beautiful, fun and descriptive names because I later discovered that the common name for this plant is Witch Alder, which is perfect! It has that extraordinary glowing orange fall colour right around Hallowe'en and with its gnarly, twiggy dark branches in between, has a delightful spooky appearance. I love it! I shall never refer to it by its boring botanical name again. Witch Alder it is! I plan to look for more at the nursery on my next visit because I'd like to scatter several throughout the yard at the front of the woods in order to be able to enjoy flashes of that fiery color all over the place next fall. Here is a photo of our current humble specimen (it is not planted in an ideal spot, which may account for its slow and spindly growth: certainly it is not due to my neglect and constant threats of removal over the past 5 years!):

Incidentally, the leaves on this plant resemble those of the Witch Hazel tree in our backyard, though they are much smaller and otherwise the plants are dissimilar. I thought that was kind of interesting.

One last item regarding gardening before I move on. Several times recently, I've had an unsettling experience when ~~boring~~ regaling people with interesting tales of my garden adventures. People listen for a few moments and then interrupt me to ask what vegetables I am growing! Vegetables!? I am telling them about my glorious perennial and shrub and annual garden projects and they ask about vegetables! Of course, I always hastily switch gears as best I can, mentioning the container tomatoes (and sometimes peppers, if I am really ~~bored~~ ambitious that summer) that I usually cultivate on the deck, but this show of courtesy and versatility on my part is often met by perplexed stares. I never embarrass others by pointing out their stupidity (I am nothing if not tactful!), but let us come straight to the point: growing vegetables is not gardening, it is farming. Farming is an honorable and worthwhile pursuit, but I am not a farmer. I am a ~~sometime gardening hobbyist~~ gardener. Get it right, people!

That is all for today. I am well aware that I have skipped a couple of days posting, but considerate people would never draw attention to something like that.

Good Day to All!

* As usual, I provide Those in the Know with little educational gifts sprinkled throughout my posts. Macro is one of those intelligent-sounding words for which I am famous. I won't give the meaning because ~~I have no idea what it means~~ I prefer not to spoil the adventure of a vocabulary hunt for others. No need to thank me.

As Promised!

2010-04-20T22:27:00.009-05:00

Garden Pictures!

I wish I had thought to take photos before doing all of this yardwork! Unfortunately, Those in the Know will have to try to imagine how terrible it all looked before and therefore appreciate how much better it now looks. I am thrilled with the results of the landscape service team's diligent effort! As I was saying earlier, few things irritate me more than people who rush through a job. The team took an appropriate amount of time and care and the finished product is a testament to (my) patience and (their) hard work!

Along the side of the house here, the entire yard was torn to pieces during the renovation. This was a beautiful garden pathway before, lined with hostas and daylilies and it broke my heart to have it destroyed like that.We had to have a tractor in to level the ground again, (it had been completely dug up and left in mounds). Then, we had to reseed the entire thing. We did that last year, although it has yet to completely fill in. For most of the past 2 years, the grass has been sparse, the daylilies nearly all gone and no hostas appeared to have survived the renovation catastrophe. This is a large area - far more than I could manage to repair on my own - so this is mainly where the landscape team did their work. Anyway, while I was out preparing the area for them to start edging and relocating divided hostas from other parts of the garden, I discovered, to my joyful astonishment, that some of the old hostas that once lined the pathway were attempting to resurface out of the compacted earth! The heavy machinery, trucks and tractors had crushed them and buried them under tons of gravel, dirt and construction debris, and they had nearly all died. However, after a year of rest, a few hardy specimens were struggling back to the daylight! The crew replanted them along with the transplants from the front yard. Now we have the beginnings of a renewed hosta- lined pathway!

The other big job that I needed the crew to tackle was the transplanting of 4 lilac trees which had been completely enclosed in shade because a dogwood, several other lilacs and an evergreen that the original owners of this house had planted years ago grew up and surrounded them. They relocated three of them to other spots in the front yard and I had them place the smallest one in a sunny, protected spot between some low evergreen shrubs on the same side of the house as above.

Here is one of my favorite plants in the garden - Dicentra or Bleeding Hearts. I have a soft spot for these because they grow so well in my native Newfoundland and were one of the first perennials that I came to recognise when I was a little girl. The flowers are heart-shaped and easy to remember. However, the graceful arcs of flower fronds and the way these shrubs show up so beautifully under trees and in shady spots keep them well up on my "favorites" list! I am putting two pictures here - the first is of two lovely specimens under the trees on that same favorite side of the house and the second is of a new plant which self-sowed about 30 feet away from the first two! Love it!

Now, here are those hydrangeas I showed you the other day - only now they are in a nicely-edged bed and have a little mulch around them! Also, the second picture is of the bed Scott and I dug last year and into which I planted three hollies, two variegated weigelas (I think these are what Dad always called "beauty bushes") and yet another lilac. I may as well admit that I love lilacs. Love, love, love them! The previous owners of this house also seem to have loved lilacs (check back in a couple of weeks and I'll have photos to prove it!), but they planted a sea of hybrid lilacs---Korean lilacs and similar. I like these very much (wow! are they prolific bloomers!), but I have to admit that, once again, a childhood favorite still holds the warmest spot in my heart - old-fashioned lilacs, preferably in tree form. So, I added an old-fashioned to that back bed and one of the rescued lilacs from the front is a vulgaris (common or old-fashioned) and that is the one I had them put in by the evergreens where it can really stand out. These variegated weigelas are another of my dearest favorites. When they come into bloom I'll show you why! :D

Last photo: Here is our little Easter Island. (chuckle) It was my brilliant idea to have those huge rocks placed around the garden back when we tore up the old pond because the original perennial garden had no permanent feature plants. It used to die back to nothing every winter. I felt that, until time and my efforts could renovate the garden itself so that there would be interesting features in it year-round, the rocks would provide some permanent features and varying heights. Instead, it came out looking like some sort of stunted Easter Island! At first I was a little bit dismayed, but as often happens with unsuspected brilliance, it has grown on me! The only things missing are the assortment of garden gnomes and faeries that I had planned to scatter about the garden, peeking around the rocks and out from under the shrubbery. To my ~~fury~~ disappointment, Scott insisted that I abandon those plans. I am not one to dwell on the short-comings of others, but I cannot help but wonder how a man as intelligent as my spouse (after all, he showed impeccable judgment - not to mention good taste - in his choice of a mate!), can fail so miserably to appreciate good landscape design! But never mind! I am nothing if not adaptable and I continue to derive pleasure from this (somewhat impoverished) vista anyway! (Bonus: get a load of that glorious flowering crab in the background!)

Well, that's it for the photos tonight! Maybe I can update through the summer as the perennials develop. I may add a few more perennial plants and possibly some annuals (which, naturally, depends on how busy I am over the next month or so!)

Good Evening, All!

Nifty Needs YOU!*

2010-04-20T14:59:00.003-05:00

* Really! Read on for exciting details!

Yes, yes, it is another glorious spring day. Of course, I am ~~sick to death of the same old, same old!~~   completely delighted with ~~the continuation of the same old, unvarying, boring weather! Yegods! Is there to be no relief from this tedium?~~ the pleasant springlike weather! Those in the Know can just imagine how capably I am taking advantage of the sunshine and mild temperatures. In addition to my usual busy homemaking schedule, I have now added a seasonal activity:

Gardening! I have been in the garden more and more lately. Sometimes, even to work. Although I did mention this briefly in an earlier post, the spring had not yet taken hold reliably enough for me to switch into high gear at that juncture. Now, however, after a ~~seemingly endless stretch of the same old sunshiney, mild, boring weather~~ pleasant stretch of delightful sunny spring weather, the garden is in sore need of attention. I can hardly wait to get back to work out there!

Last week (or was that the week before? It is hard not to become confused as one boringly similar day blends together with the next. One has to wonder: is it really too much to ask for a little rain sometimes? Maybe an exciting thunderstorm or two? Egad. <- Hmm, this might be a little bit of a tangent. Oh well, who cares!), I made an excellent start in the garden by doing some light tidying of the beds, a bit of shrub-trimming and of course, a few transplants and new plantings. I kept the additions and the transplanting to a minimum, however, because ~~I planned to have a service come in to do the really heavy lifting- what am I? An Amazon?~~ I like to give this sort of thing plenty of consideration before plowing ahead.

Anyway, I have already treated Those in the Know to a couple of pictures of the fruit of my labours so far, but later today I hope to get some new photos for your viewing pleasure!   I've had a landscape service in to help me with some more difficult work (digging up some sizable trees and shrubs for transplanting - something which even I, one who never says "never", really cannot manage on my own, ~~fortunately~~ unfortunately) as well as ~~a bit of~~ some major edge-digging and trimming of shrubs and trees which are too high for me to reach safely.

I've been watching with ~~barely restrained impatience~~ delight as the team has worked away out there today.   I must say it is ~~an irritating nuisance~~ a rare luxury to be able to putter around inside taking care of various (boring!) indoor chores while a team of ~~slowpokes~~ experts clears away a few heavy-duty and vexing items on the garden To Do list. Those in the Know will not be surprised to hear, however, that I am dying to get out there and get busy in the garden again! With a little luck, I will be able to regale you all with an account of my gardening achievements tomorrow.

Meanwhile, today's To Do list:

To Do

Blog Post (nearly finished! Not bad :))

~~Laundry~~ (Great Scott! Don't even mention it--stuck indoors doing boring boring chores--am on the 6th load. If it isn't nailed down or hidden in a closet or drawer, I washed it today!)

Start Supper (after I go to grocery store for ingredients for my world-famous Minestrone. By the way, remind me to tell you about the fantastic culinary triumph I achieved yesterday! )

~~Exercise~~ (this is something I will be doing at least four mornings per week, as per Health Nazi guidelines - someone please shoot me)

Gardening (well, I can hardly do any, can I? what with Slowpoke McSlow and his band of snail-paced Slowpokes out there holding me up!)

~~General housekeeping, tidying, organizing~~ (the secret to my success is that I ~~waste time~~ cleverly work this sort of thing seamlessly into each and every day. There's a tip for you. Don't mention it)

Before I sign off, let me tell you about the fantastic culinary adventure upon which I took my delighted family yesterday evening!

Oops! Wait! I am almost out of time for today's blogging, so I had better get to the more urgent business of this post: How YOU can help ME ( aka "Nifty").   I am sure none of Those in the Know have probably noticed, but my blog has been in danger lately of becoming a little ~~boring~~ unfocused. This is mainly because I am ~~bored, unfocused~~ too busy many days to think of an interesting topic on which to write. Before I ~~flaked out~~ decided to take a sensible hiatus from the Photo Project until the fall, that topic provided us all with a delightful ongoing subject of great interest, not to mention a helpful focus for Yours Truly to structure posts around.

I need your help to find another focus for the blog so that I can ~~shake off the lethargy~~ continue to bring you enlightening and enriching daily posts. If my faithful followers can help with ideas, I would be ~~likely to use one of them as long as it isn't too lame or boring~~ very grateful for the assistance!

Good Day to All!

P.S. I shall attempt to post those garden photos later, after the ~~incredibly slow bunch of slowpokes~~ landscape service finishes up.

Murder on Monday!*

2010-04-19T14:57:00.000-05:00

* Not really, but I couldn't think of another catchy post title!

What a terrific start to the day!   I was up bright and early to greet that smiling sun, thanks to Jack's ~~inhumanly early!~~ sprightly early morning call. He traveled to the state capital today (I think so anyway - it's always so hard to keep track of things like this when one ~~forgets to ask~~ is as busy as I am!). He is going to compete in the World Youth Science and Engineering exams ( mercifully shortened to WYSE in most correspondence). That's my boy. I am as proud as I can be of him not to mention ~~mystified as to where he got his mathematical abilities as I am utterly incompetent at math~~ delighted that he has been blessed with so many useful talents from my side of the family! Of course, his father is ~~a math whiz with a post graduate degree in economics and finance~~ pretty good at math, but Those in the Know will surely agree that it is from Yours Truly that this child, like all the others, has inherited his keen intelligence in addition to outstanding good looks! I am not one to boast: these are simple facts.

From that ~~ungodly~~ delightful early start, the rest of the day stretched out full of potential and I, for one, am never one to waste potential!   I immediately got down to business on a To Do list for the day, which, as Those in the Know will remember, is a bit of a point of pride for me. I am nothing if not organized, and one of my finest organizational ideas is the daily To Do list. Now, it is true that I have ~~completely forgotten all about it~~ not felt it completely necessary to make To Do lists recently, but that is because ~~I was fed up with them~~ I was too busy to take the time to compose them.

A really useful To Do list requires careful planning and elegant structure. Too many items on the list will defeat all but the most industrious of persons. I know one or two people like this and they are ~~freaks~~ indeed very industrious people!   Too few To Dos will encourage me ~~lazy~~ less industrious persons to put off the chores on the list until a rainy day (~~which, incidentally, I've often thought was an idea with tremendous merit~~ <- who said that?). Nevertheless, I think it is preferable to strike a healthy balance between a challenging To Do list and general enjoyment of life. I am, naturally, a master at ~~ensuring that general enjoyment far outpaces daily challenges~~ this very thing! Below, please see an example of my gift for striking the ideal life balance:

To Do for Monday

Blog Post (always job #1!)

~~Take Minnie to Groomer~~ (this is always a Monday job)

~~Laundry~~ (<- never mind that; I am sick of laundry)

~~Start Supper~~ ( already have a delicious curried beef stew in the crockpot! Yum!)

Nap (you saw how early I woke up this morning!)

Take boys to orthodontist (after school)

?

I really think that is quite enough, actually. After all, it is Monday!

Now I must close quickly because ~~it has taken me much too long to finish this post, as usual~~ I've been so busy that the day has flown by and it is now just about time to pick up the boys from school!

Good Day to All!

Race to the Finish!

2010-04-18T17:22:00.002-05:00

I have exactly 25 minutes to compose this post and, as Those in the Know may be aware, it takes me considerably longer, usually, to write ~~anything remotely coherent~~ my trademark crowd-pleasers! It is not only that ~~I am too lazy, too easily distracted, too ADD~~ I am too flush with excellent ideas, but also that I ~~lack discipline, lack talent, lack focus~~ am too busy. Nevertheless, with my characteristic ~~stubborn refusal to accept my limitations~~ perseverance in the face of minor setbacks, I will make the supreme effort, for the sake of ~~my own enormous ego~~ my many faithful followers. Don't mention it.

The Photo Project may be on the shelf, temporarily, but do not think that I have forgotten it nor that I am failing to keep an eye on it. I may have ~~flaked out totally~~ needed a break from it, but I am still mentally preparing for the future work I have planned: namely, a) finishing the scanning and recording of photos and b) creating beautiful photo books for each of the children. I did manage to complete one book for one of the children from his birth to age 5, and it turned out quite nicely if I do say so myself! I was delighted with it, as a matter of fact, even though the publisher was really ~~mystified by my incessant questions~~ sub-par. However, I've ~~dropped the ball totally since March~~ been a little too busy to continue with the project this spring. The truth is, however, that spending hours every day gazing at photos of my children when they were small ~~almost suffocates me with a heartbreaking sense of grief and loss~~ does get a little tedious after a few hundred photos. So, the new schedule for the Photo Project is firmly set for ~~whenever I bloody well feel like getting back to it~~ next autumn, without fail! Stay tuned!

Dealing with the Health Craze is a bit more difficult. Unfortunately, as mentioned in my previous post, the requirements of "healthy living" are beyond inhuman, so let us not pretend that it "feels good". I am not a complainer, but my Friends in the Know will remember that I have been trying to lose weight and become more fit for at least 3 weeks now. It has not been easy. As a matter of fact, it has been quite challenging and not a little frustrating. I am sure that Those in the Know will be thoroughly shocked to learn that, in middle-age, Yours Truly cannot quite pull off feats of physical prowess while always looking her best in quite the easy way I once could. To state it more bluntly - I look like heck and I feel like heck, too! And by "heck", I mean H E double hockey sticks!

So, this is the best I can do today, my friends. Hopefully, tomorrow will bring ~~more food~~ more inspiration but for today, this will have to do. No whining, now!

Good Day to All!

Eyjafjallajokull !

2010-04-16T14:57:00.001-05:00

Yes, you read that correctly - Eyjafjallajokull ! Repeat after me: Eyjafjallajokull, Eyjafjallajokull, Eyjafjallajokull! All the world is abuzz about Eyjafjallajokull today. Explosions of ice chunks! Rivers of fire! Plumes of choking ash! It's the best news day in ages and everyone is panting to talk about it. But, there is one little problem: nobody can actually say the name.

The fact of the matter is that no normal person can actually repeat the "word" above after me. Few people south of the arctic circle could manage to utter this gobblygook "word" coherently even once, let alone three times. Let's lay it on the line, my friends: our eyes glazed over as soon as they clapped on that first double consonant, didn't they? Not to worry, though: Your Trusty Scribbler is always here to help. It's my little gift to mankind.

I am not one to point out the failings of others, so I will simply mention what everyone already knows, and leave it at that: with a language like this, it is no wonder that Iceland is rather thinly represented in most international news cycles! Eyjafjallajokull has been burping up ash for ~~who knows how long-(as I said Iceland is rarely in the news and with good reason!)~~ some time now, already, with little or no international attention paid. Who can blame reporters for wanting to avoid having to spell (or worse: pronounce!) a word like Eyjafjallajokull? It is only due to the fact that the ash plume has now drifted southeast over Europe, disrupting European airline travel, that the reporters of the world can no longer avoid the story, or the confounded Icelandic language.

No doubt, Those in the Know flicked one glance at that incomprehesible jumble of letters above and knew, rightly, that Yours Truly would soon sweep away the curtain of confusion and explain it all.

Here you go: a complete breakdown of the word:

Eyjafjallajokull : " thát / vol/CÂN/ô / ín / Îce/lánd¿ ".

Now everyone can discuss the chaos in Europe intelligently. No need to thank me. Happy to help.

Blazing Fireball Over Illinois!*

2010-04-15T14:20:00.001-05:00

^ This title is completely true.   Apparently, we are in the midst of a meteor shower called the Lyrids. Last night, a giant fireball (allegedly from this meteor shower) streaked across the midwest sky quite spectacularly. Unfortunately, rather than simply enjoying this gift from the universe as Your Faithful Scribe would have done, many people foolishly leapt to the wrong conclusions and assumed it was some sort of space invasion. ~~Of course, in starkly literal terms, that is exactly what it was but~~ (<- beside the point). People were in a panic, dialing 911 and generally making nuisances of themselves.

The fireball was making a nuisance of itself too, as a matter of fact, because according to geeky websites such as Stardate Online (never mind how I know about this, I just do), the Lyrids Meteor Shower was scheduled to spatter the heavens on April 21/22, a full week from now, not last night!   Really inconvenient, obviously.   I am not one to point to the inefficiencies of others, but I really do feel that one should be able to depend upon the Powers That Be to gather precise and reliable information about significant events in the galaxy, so that the general public might avoid unnecessary hysteria. I'd write a letter to NASA, but I ~~have already lost interest~~ am much too busy.

The point of all of this is... well, actually, there is no point at all.   It's obviously a very slow news day, since this is one of the top picks on several news sources, and quite frankly, I'm a little put out that this is the best that NPR et al could come up with to provide me with an eye-popping title for today's blog post. Oh well, who cares. I am just thankful that I didn't waste too much time listening to inferior news-gathering sources blathering on about inconsequential celestial non-events.   Instead, I spent the morning ~~idly web-surfing, staring out the window and generally wasting time~~ performing important tasks for my home and family.

Those in the Know are probably wondering what amazing insights I have to offer regarding the great fireball witnessed in the sky last night.   I am nothing if not full of amazing insight! However, I must demur at this time: ~~ignorance~~ modesty prevents me from waxing poetic about our amazing universe today since I ~~missed the entire spectacular show because I was watching NCIS reruns as usual~~ always prefer to direct my faithful followers to a hard-working expert. I am a fount of wisdom, but I also am famous for giving credit where credit is due and regarding the Lyrids Meteor Shower , ~~who could care less?~~ I humbly defer to NASA and similar outfits.

Good Day to All!

* Now that's what I call an eye-catching post title!

ETA: Here is a photo for today - Jack's peach tree in bloom. Even though the Photo Project ~~may never be heard from again~~ is on temporary hiatus, I shall continue to bring you fabulous photos from my outstanding collection. You're welcome!

Wonderful Wednesday

2010-04-14T17:01:00.011-05:00

Good Morning, All!

You are probably wondering why I entitled this post "Wonderful Wednesday".   I am wondering that myself, to be perfectly honest. It seemed like a terrific idea for some reason as I was heading home from my workout earlier (don't ask), but now I forget what that reason was! It doesn't really make any sense up there now, does it? Oh well, who cares! Perhaps it will come to me later.

I'm standing here in my kitchen, after an unusually hectic first few morning hours, attempting to choke down some old-fashioned oatmeal loaded with "superfood" ingredients - blueberries and walnuts (stringently measured to limit caloric intake while optimizing anti-oxidant benefits), skim milk and cinnamon (not limited stringently enough, in my opinion).

One might wonder how something that sounds so tasty on paper could be so disgusting to eat in real life. Well, wonder no more, my friends - with no thick, sweet cream, brown sugar nor enough blueberries and walnuts (what parsimonious grinch decided that a single tablespoon of blueberries would satisfy dieters? This dieter will wring his scrawny neck if she can discover who he is!) - what we have here is a glutenous, tasteless mush. Tasteless, that is, except for the obnoxious, up-your-nostrils (yet mysteriously useless at actually improving the depth of the flavor of the mush itself) legendary spice of sultans and kings: cinnamon.

Yegods, I hate cinnamon! I never really realized quite how much I hate it until this very moment. Seriously, is it any wonder that there are hardly any sultans or kings anymore, if this was their preferred spice?   No doubt, sensibly civic-minded people ran 'em out of town for the sake of the greater good. They should have thrown their cinnamon sticks out after them!

Actually, I used to think cinnamon had a pleasant, homey aroma when I was younger (I still do, really, when I'm not being tormented by this health craze madness!), but even back then, I shied away from cinnamon hearts, cinnamon buns and all candies, desserts and especially drinks that are too liberally sprinkled with the stuff. Like coffee, cinnamon is the sort of thing whose aroma is far more pleasant to inhale - in very small quantities, preferably (let's just cut to the chase: the faintest whiff is more than sufficient for any normal mortal) - than a teaspoon of the actual spice is to actually eat or (horrible thought!) drink. Come to think of it, even when I was younger and took for granted a kind of misty-eyed agreement with our society's apparent love affair with cinnamon, it was far more likely the vehicle in which the cinnamon stowed its way onto my palate that I remember with fondness and continue to crave from time to time, rather than the wretched, overpowering powder itself. Apple pie and Christmas fruitcake owe far more of their memorable deliciousness to apples and dried fruits than to cinnamon, even if it is the aroma of that obnoxious twig wafting through the house which everyone erroneously remembers as the best part of all.

Anyway, enough about that. I have ~~forced the offending glop down my throat~~ finished my ~~stupidfood~~ superfood cereal and am waiting for that wonderful glow of good health to spread over me. I'm not holding my breath, though.   Right now, a more likely outcome appears to be that my insides may rebel but be unable to mount an appropriate defense due to the fact that the oatmeal doubles as lumpy papier maché paste on odd (and even) days, and will undoubtedly petrify my entire digestive system. I wish the Powers That Be would get to the bottom of the mystery of ~~what sadist~~ who started this health craze insanity, because then I would know whom to sue. Now, that would be a sensible way to spend our tax dollars!

(I will never understand why the government doesn't just put me on staff and be done with it: I have divined the solutions to countless vexing problems facing the free world and explained the true nature of humanity too many times to count, but to date, there have been no calls or letters begging me to head up an international Think Tank or similar. <-- Their loss, obviously.)

You know, I am a little suspicious of the whole "feel-good/heart-healthy/healthy-weight" craze in general, if I am to be completely honest. It all seems like a bit of a scam to me. There is no way - no way on gods' green earth - that any normal human being can master the complete so-called "healthy lifestyle" triumvirate.   There is built-in contradiction. Sure, one can pursue one branch of this odious trio, but success in one endeavor nearly always will result in abject failure in one or even both of the others!

Take your typical "healthy-weight" diet, for example. Everyone knows that in order to make a bowl of lettuce leaves or a tasteless vegetable soup even remotely palatable, one must pour on about 4000mg of sodium (in the form of table salt, usually) just to be able to choke it down. Bam! There goes the blood pressure!

Likewise, in a heart-healthy diet, the combination of eating paper and hamster pellets (otherwise known as "whole grains"), enduring the watery blandness of vegetables cooked without salt and near-total meat-deprivation is usually enough to drive most normal people to load up on breads and sweets in order to make that extended life worth living. There goes the waistline!

And finally, need I point out how utterly incompatible the "feel-good" chapter of the trilogy has always been with both "heart-healthy" and "healthy-weight"?   Those in the Know have come to expect me to tell it like it is, although I am nothing if not skillfully diplomatic. Let's just tactfully nod in the general direction of a well-known fashion celebrity who coined the pithy phrase, " Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels!". We all know where that poor young girl wound up in her pursuit of the "feel-good" branch of the Holy Health Trinity. It turns out that skinny does not actually feel good enough, after all!

Regular people know this instinctively. Consult any regular person and he will ~~bore you to tears with his own tale of dieting woe~~ tell you exactly what I am telling you: unlimited supplies of chocolate and creamy desserts, heaping bowls of pasta and sausages, thickly cheddared pizzas, milkshakes, potato chips, hamburgers, fries and a beer (and of course various alcoholic beverages), not to mention cigars and other smoking pleasures are the wonderful things that all normal people crave. Let's just call a spade a spade, here: this is the stuff that makes people feel good.   And I am pretty sure that most of them are directly counter-productive to the goals of the twin horsemen of the health-craze apocalypse: "heart-healthy diet" and "healthy-weight diet". Consult any "healthy-lifestyle" bible: I rest my case.

There was a great deal more I intended to write on this topic, but I seem to have ~~lost interest~~ lost my thread as the day has progressed. There have been numerous ~~diversions and flights of fancy as I struggled to maintain my focus on this quickly cooling "hot topic"~~ interruptions and urgent requests made of my time as I have struggled to satisfy the demands of others while continuing to perform domestic miracles in my own inimitable style. Perhaps if I ~~move on already!~~ turn my attention to other matters for awhile, the rest of my no doubt brilliant post will come back to me.

But wait! I just remembered why I decided to name this post "Wonderful Wednesday"!   My dear friend, Karen (whom I've never actually met but who would definitely be a dear friend if I did) has a nifty widget on her blog where the title of other peoples' blogs plus a few lines of their current posts appear in the margins of her blog.   Yesterday, I noticed that there was a blurb from Yours Truly's blog on Karen's page which I nearly overlooked because it was so stupendously boring somewhat uninteresting (~~also not numero uno on her blog list, but I don't quibble over who is more popular with ex-friends~~ <- ETA Egad! How did this get in here?), and I realized then and there that clever blog post titles are essential to successful blogging! Well, strictly speaking, I realized it this morning: I am a deep thinker, but these deep waters do not run swiftly. Keep it to yourself.

There at the top of the list was Carolyn Ann's saucily entitled post (that show-off!), which immediately grabbed my attention, and no doubt the attention of every single visitor to Karen's blog (that attention-hog!). Indeed, from its prominent position at the top of (~~ahem, ex-friend~~ <- oops!) Karen's blog list, Carolyn Ann's title fairly sang to visitors to come visit his blog, tooooo (completely overshadowing my clearly superior but ~~stupidly~~ less excitingly entitled post - that evil literary siren!). Naturally, ~~I spent the rest of yesterday evening in a lather of fuming jealousy~~ I immediately set myself the task of figuring out how I, too, could ~~leech away as much of Karen's well-deserved audience as possible - and certainly more than that weasel Carolyn Ann! - and divert it to myself~~ earn the respect and readership to which a talented blog writer (moi) is entitled.

The trick is to wow them with a catchy title!   That is ~~the honey with which one lures unsuspecting readers to boring blogs~~ the spicy teaser with which one hints at the excellent writing on a related topic that readers will find if they click on my blog.   I plan to use this trick every day from now on, and ~~I may even occasionally match content to the title if the spirit takes me~~ I am sure my delighted readers (~~purloined from Karen's blog, heheheh~~ <- ! Great Scott! there must be a gremlin on this website!) will enjoy a myriad of entertaining posts ~~if I ever write any~~ every day.

I love it when I have brilliant ideas!   As frequently as this happens, I never grow tired of that ~~smug, self-satisfied~~ wonderful feeling!

Good Day to All!

Photo Project Update

2010-04-13T14:55:00.001-05:00

Good Morning to all Those in the Know! It's another lovely spring day here in the Midwest and I, for one, intend to make very good use of it!

Before I go on to move mountains today, however, I thought it was time I submitted a little update on the photo project. As most of you may recall, I've been so busy lately that I've had to scale back a little on my photo project hours. Actually, it's been necessary to scale back quite a bit. In point of fact, the Photo Project hours have been scaled back ~~to zero for weeks~~ to a bare minimum lately as spring chores have taken front stage. While I am a woman of prodigious energy and industry, even I cannot do the impossible. As the spring chores list grew, I decided it was best to put the Photo Project aside temporarily while I attend to ~~something new and infinitely more fun~~ urgent seasonal matters.

First, it was the Spring Break road trip. Naturally, I did it all for the children (whose slumped posture and gloomy countenances owed everything to the sleep deprivation of excited anticipation and nothing to disinterested reluctance to leave their friends and drive for 3 days up and back, to go work in the garden in SC), but the price I had to pay was ~~freedom from the vexing Photo Project for 10 whole days!~~ a regrettable interruption in my Photo Project routine.   It was unfortunate, but there you have it.

Next, we returned home just in time for Easter. Kiki came out for Saturday night and Sunday brunch and of course we had dear Benjamin visiting from Germany. It was a lovely weekend, but I can't help pointing out that once again, I had to do everything! I said as much to Scott as he was preparing the vegetables for the BBQ Saturday night: apart from laundering and changing the sheets in the guest room, tidying the house, grocery shopping and preparing every meal until his ~~escape~~ departure for an overseas trip on Sunday afternoon, what exactly had he done for me, lately?   Fortunately, I am the sort of person who can always make lemons out of lemonade, and so I managed to squeeze some refreshment out of the taxing Spring Break road journey in spite of the many demands upon me!   But, you can see how difficult it was to eke out a little time to devote to the Photo Project!

The following week was a blur of activity as Scott was out of town on business and I had a houseguest, too! The boys, including Ben, did virtually every household chore that cropped up and then some   did occasionally chip in with the odd chore around the house, but as usual, it was up to me to ensure that our happy home was running smoothly and efficiently.   I was so busy! Road Trip laundry (the boys always forget something!), tidying up, planning and preparing healthy yet tasty suppers ~~fixing my nails, browsing the web, fussing with my hair, watching NCIS reruns at night,~~   and  ~~vacantly staring at walls while daydreaming~~ other stuff.   It was a wonder that I found time to sleep, to be perfectly honest. I don't know how I keep up my strength sometimes.

I've already mentioned the lively social gathering we hosted here on Saturday night. What a ~~noisy~~ delightful crowd of teenagers in Jack's class! Why, we had probably 25 young people here but one would never ~~have believed the cacophony~~ have guessed it! And what ~~ravenous~~ healthy appetites! Why, I believe those kids ~~devoured the food like a swarm of locusts~~ really enjoyed the refreshments! Scott was kept on his toes running back and forth to the basement fridge bringing up fresh pizzas to cook, ice for drinks and supplies of soda. I must say, it is a pleasure to watch the young people socializing and I am so gratified that I was able to create just the right atmosphere of warm welcome. It's a gift.

But, what I know you are all waiting to hear about is my favorite activity of the weekend: gardening!   Yes, I can almost hear your astonished, yet admiring gasps of delight.   I am nothing if not brimming with pleasant surprises!

As busy as I was hosting parties and maintaining our happy home, Those in the Know will not be too shocked to discover that I also performed miracles in the garden over the past few days. Yes, while others enjoyed the fruits of my domestic labours this weekend, I was putting my considerable talents to work outdoors in the garden as well!

The weather was absolutely gorgeous so remaining inside was obviously an intolerable prospect. Sure, it was fine for Scott (who had a lot of work to do anyway- see above), but a woman of my artistic (yet amazingly stable) temperament must have a wider canvass upon which to create her magic.   As soon as I had the situation in hand on the domestic front (with just a little guidance, my expertly reared children and excellent spouse are nearly as capable as Yours Truly at whipping our home into tip top shape, thanks to my ~~relentless demands~~ tireless teaching efforts),   I ~~abandoned them all without a backward glance~~ left the party preparations in their capable hands and tripped off to the Garden Center for an hour of sheer bliss, browsing the aisles for ideas for our perennial and shrub garden.

Well, it would have been sheer bliss if the Garden Center hadn't let down the side ~~a lot!~~ a little on their end.   To my ~~fury~~ disappointment, my trip was nearly wasted because the Center had very few shrubs and virtually no perennials in stock. Sure, it's a little early in the season and this time last year we were still having hard frosts and even the odd snowfall. Actually, I understand that most years April is an uncertain time for gardening in this part of the country due to the wildly shifting last frost dates and so forth. Be that as it may, however, I really feel that a good gardening store should anticipate the needs of its clients and be prepared to supply them with nursery stock whenever they need it. We are having an early spring this year and ~~I want~~ people would like to enjoy it! This business of tailoring inventory to the normally expected seasons is nothing but a nuisance to the serious gardener (ahem - your faithful scribe?) who ought to be able to purchase whatever she wants whenever she wants and damn the (garden center's) expense (~~not to mention the family bank account~~ <- misses the point ).

Nevertheless, Those in the Know will surely anticipate that even the incompetence of the local Garden Center's management could not diminish my ~~determination to avoid the usual boring Saturday chores~~ enthusiasm. After ~~flicking an irritated glance here and there~~ taking a thoughtful look at seeds, shrubs and garden tools and supplies, I purchased a couple of basic spades, pruning shears and new gloves and headed back home.   I decided to prune our existing shrubs and transplant a few perennials which were planted in totally unsuitable locations. (This was completely accidental, by the way - I was terribly ~~impatient~~ rushed last spring and ~~didn't bother~~ forgot to consult my garden books before planting <-- could happen to anybody).

There was an awkward moment after I returned when Scott's face turned an odd ruddy shade as his gaze ranged over my newly purchased tools and gloves.   I really feel that it is a little insensitive of him to point out, however mildly, that I already have a cupboard out in the garage that is bursting with spades, pruning shears and gardening gloves. It is part of my Spring ritual to purchase ~~whatever I happen to fancy that day~~ a modest selection of fresh new tools and gloves (I can't help it if I keep forgetting what I already own and besides, it is annoying how dirty those things all get, and I hate using dirty things <- understandable!) and one would think that a supportive partner would encourage such a flair for tradition. But, I am nothing if not sweetly forgiving, so I gave him an understanding peck on the cheek and suggested he get back to the party preparations while I pull off another one of my astounding garden transformations.

I spent the next several hours on Saturday and much of Sunday ~~mostly standing around leaning on my shovel listening to the birds chirping~~ hard at work in the garden, digging up perennials, pruning shrubs and clearing away winter debris. By the time I was finished, most of the beds looked wonderful in their early-spring state of expectancy. Fresh green shoots are peeping out of the old growth from last season, flower buds are just barely visible on some of the early blooming lilacs and nearly every tree in the garden is budding out and will no doubt have leafed out completely by the end of the week if one can trust that the weatherman was telling the truth when he predicted warm temperatures and sunshine for most of this week.

I even returned to the Garden Center ~~several times~~ once or twice and came home with two new hydrangeas to plant on either side of the lovely blue hydrangea given to us by Kiki and Dennis last spring.   That shrub was one of the ones someone (moi) incorrectly planted in an unsuitable spot. I transplanted it to a sunnier and better-protected location behind the house and then planted the two new hydrangeas on either side of it.   There will be a beautiful symmetry to this arrangement when the shrubs bloom later this year for the center bush will be covered with heavenly blue mopheads while flanking it will be two "blushing bride" shrubs covered with exquisite creamy rose mophead flowers, in honour of my darling daughter, soon to be a bride herself.

Well, I could go on all day about my achievements in house and garden but I am a busy woman and have much more to accomplish before the sun goes down today!

Good Day to All!

Photo of the blue hydrangea flanked by the two "blushing bride" hydrangeas: (sure, they don't look like much now, but just wait a couple of months: this will be gorgeous!)

Power Weekend!

2010-04-12T15:05:00.001-05:00

Good Morning to all my faithful followers! What a joy it is to log on to my blog and see your friendly faces loyally bracketing my words of wisdom with your friendship and kind attention! On mornings when I am feeling ~~like flaking out~~ like there are just too many things to do to stop and write a blog post, it is the memory of your faithful presence and show of support that helps me to keep my focus and stick to my vow to write every day.   In honour of all Those in the Know, I've made it a personal rule never to skip a day without posting on my blog.

Obviously, yesterday was the exception that proves the rule. I don't want to hear any whining about it.

Well, what a weekend it was! Just when I feel like I cannot possibly squeeze another task into my busy days, I somehow manage to surprise myself and astonish my admiring family and friends by reaching yet another level of achievement!

The weekend began with the usual To Do list items which I, naturally, ~~capriciously jettisoned~~ sensibly put aside temporarily in order to concentrate on ~~more fun~~ ~~less boring~~ more important things.   Our young friend Benjamin, who has been visiting from Germany, and Jack were going to have a few friends over on Saturday night before Ben's departure on Sunday, so I was busy getting ready for that. Although I didn't actually do anything to get ready, Those in the Know are aware of how vital it is for young people to have a steady hand on the tiller when preparing for a social event. And, as always, that steady hand was ably furnished by Yours Truly.   Ben and Scott got in pizza and other supplies for the soiree whilst I supervised a bit of a tidy-up. The boys (mostly Edward and Kenny) gathered up wood for the outdoor fireplace and, as it was a lovely mild spring evening, Scott put in a roaring blaze for the young people to gather around.

It all went off without a hitch, thanks to my able direction. Scott helped a bit, too, although I notice that he seemed to get all the praise (just for cooking a few pizzas, building a roaring fire, getting all the shopping done, serving as cook and waiter and generally making sure every detail was looked after), and I must admit, one could be a little miffed if one were inclined to petty feelings.   Fortunately, I am blithely unconcerned about such trifling matters as giving credit where credit is due. Like I always say, a job well done is my reward, and I am not one to quibble over the details like the poor manners of those (ingrates) who overlook the contributer who was the key to the party's success (moi!). All of that scowling and ducking as I fulfilled everyone's most cherished hopes by ~~obnoxiously~~ unobtrusively snapping candid photos was a little unnecessary as well, quite frankly, but I am nothing if not tolerant of the silliness of youth, so naturally I did not let it deter me from ~~hounding every last guest to smile and pose awkwardly for the camera~~ my mission. You can thank me later, kids.

Having the peace and tranquility of my home ~~destroyed~~ enlivened by ~~loud, ungrateful~~ the cheerful laughter of teenagers was only a small part of this eventful weekend, however! Read on!

Hmmm. Unfortunately, I seem to be ~~almost stupefied with boredom~~ drawing a bit of a blank on how to proceed with this post, so I think it might be wise to ~~drop it like a hot potato, call it a post and pat myself on the back for a job well done~~ take a little breather now so that I can compose a wonderful conclusion. I'll come back to it as soon as I feel refreshed.

Good Day to All!

Too Busy To Post

2010-04-10T11:14:00.001-05:00

Sorry, my friends, I am just too busy to post today! Naturally, I have a great deal of very interesting news to share, but simply cannot stop right now to type it all out. I'm sorry, but that is just the way things are today. I will be sure to post tomorrow!

Good Day to All!

Here Comes the Sun!

2010-04-09T12:15:00.003-05:00

What a relief to awaken to blue skies and sunshine this morning! Well, dark blue skies and a promising gleam on the horizon pointing to a visible sunrise, at least! I don't fuss about these little details-- now that we are basking in daylight savings time, the long, glorious evenings more than make up for a little gloom in the early morning hours. These people who make a big deal out of that sort of thing are a tad behind the times, I feel, and ought to be more progressive in their attitude. As long as there is a glimmer of light on the horizon as we flip back the covers in the morning, sensible people embrace the longer evenings with pleasure. Certainly, I always have!

Another lovely harbinger of spring is unfolding right before my delighted eyes here in the kitchen. Last Mother's Day, my children presented me with a nice large bird feeder which my helpful hubby installed directly outside the kitchen window here by the sink. This is ideal for me, because as my friends all know, I spend a great deal of time working in the kitchen. How pleasant to look outside and watch the wildlife!   Even pleasanter is the fact that the kitchen window at the business end of the room faces the street, which is something a little different from the usual kitchen designs these days (we are nothing if not original!), and so I can ~~spy on~~ enjoy the comings and goings of my neighbours, too!

My eyesight is not the greatest. Well, let's just call a spade a spade: I'm practically as blind as a bat. I have a particularly hard time distinguishing objects and colours without plenty of light (and it helps if the object is less than 6 feet away, frankly. Also, large). By placing the new bird feeder directly outside the kitchen window at eye level, it is virtually within arm's reach for me (except for the glass of the window, obviously).   Birds come right over to feed on the seeds and don't seem to notice me at all as I chop and dice vegetables for the my daily culinary triumphs. This is simply perfect!

This morning - right now in fact! - my very favorite bird in the world - a female cardinal - has been flitting back and forth between the feeder and what I presume is her nest in the shrubbery out in front of the house. To be able to watch her up close is truly a joy. Female cardinals are very shy and jumpy; if I were outdoors, I wouldn't have a chance of seeing her. But, this bird feeder setup is ideal. Yesterday, there was a loud, pushy male cardinal out there, too. It was a bit irritating, to be perfectly frank, what with all that chipping and drunken up and down flying between feeder and trees. Those males are nothing but show-offs. Sure, that bright red plumage is beautiful and eye-catching, but I prefer the softer, surprising colours of the female, not to mention her more graceful and gentler nature.   She reminds me of myself a little - shy, retiring, understated. I guess there is a spiritual connection there.

Phew! That was a stupendously boring couple of paragraphs! I had to step away from the computer for an hour or two ~~to fritter away some time on idle amusements~~ perform a few essential household tasks and refresh my brain. I'm all for injecting a little nature and colour into literature, but the plain truth is that action is what people really prefer!   So, without further ado, I will set down today's To Do list:

To Do

?

You know, it is already nearly noon and such a beautiful day. I'm not sure that allowing oneself to become a slave to lists is really healthy or actually beneficial to anyone!   As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure that list-slaves are a bit of a drag on society. It is the mavericks, the alternative thinkers, the ones who are not afraid to take chances and do something new who really move the community forward. Progressive thinkers! That's what this world needs!

Lucky for my community, I am just such a person! I am nothing if not progressive and, as such, I intend to make the most of this beautiful day, not languish inside doing ~~necessary, but excruciatingly boring~~ slavishly unimaginative tasks.

I've got several great ideas for this day, starting with making a call right now to a local special events venue to arrange a visit. Kiki and Dennis are considering having their wedding there, so as Mother of the Bride and future Mother-in-Law (I know what you're thinking - lucky young man!), I intend to give the happy young couple the benefit of my wisdom and exquisite taste. The place features breathtakingly beautiful Japanese Gardens, according to all reports, but naturally I'll reserve judgment on that until I've seen it with my own eyes. (But what a day to do it! I can't wait!) I'll approach it with the kind detachment and critical, but fair, eye for which I am renowned. (Glorious sunshine! Fabulous gardens!) My dear daughter and her gallant fiancé are depending upon me to ensure a magnificent and memorable wedding day, and Those in the Know know that this confidence is well-placed (dinner at the beautiful gardens! Staff eager to please! Red carpet treatment, here I come!). No matter how inconvenient it is for me, I am proud to say that I never let down the side.

"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown"*, my friends. Of course, I do not (usually) wear a crown, but as Queen of this domain, it behooves me to ensure that all those under my care are given nothing but the very best in time, attention and support. Like the female cardinal chipping ~~so annoyingly (egad, do those birds ever stop flapping those beaks?)~~ so cheerfully outside the window here, I work ceaselessly to secure the very best for all of my little chicks. That is my splendid purpose in life, and it is a joy to be so very competent in my role. Don't mention it, kids.

Good Day to All!

* Those in the Know will recognise the Shakespearean reference above - just another one of those little infusions of literary elegance for which I am famous! Enjoy!

Photo Project? What Photo Project?

2010-04-08T10:14:00.007-05:00

I'll just come straight to the point here: I've been so busy these past few weeks that I've made absolutely no progress on the photo project. In point of fact, I ~~actually forgot I was even doing a photo project~~ have had so many pressing concerns that even the number-one priority, the photo project, has had to take a back seat. Well, strictly speaking, my daily blog post is the number-one priority on the To Do list each day ~~but since I've totally flaked out on that for almost two weeks~~ but since I've been much too busy to write the blog post every day, obviously I have been too busy to work on the photo project, too!

Now that I've cleared the decks, so to speak, on that little piece of business, let's talk about how much I have accomplished this week and how much I still plan to accomplish!

First thing's first: with my usual diligence, I settled straight down to work on my blog post yesterday and have got daily posting back into full swing again. It took several hours to finish, though, what with all the ~~distractions~~ interruptions I must contend with on a daily basis. There is an annoying smudge on the cupboard above me right now, as a matter of fact, but instead of dropping this instantly to clean it, I will exercise my usual self-discipine and continue with the post.

?

??

?!?!

You know, I really feel that one of the hallmarks of a great homemaker is the ability to differentiate between that which must be addressed instantly and that which can wait a little. An untidy house leads to an untidy mind, as Those in the Know very well know, so the priority is obvious. Now that the smudge is history (and, by the way, that cupboard looks much better inside, now, too, after a quick tidy!), this day is finally on the right track!

My next biggest win this week was a huge clear-out of laundry backlog - I even managed to get to the bottom of the barrel to wash the dining room tablecloths! The spring one and a (!) red one which we must have used in the late winter (certainly not Christmas!).

I also took the younger boys shopping for spring clothes - wisely using a Kohl's coupon I had tucked away for the purpose - and they are indeed two handsome young men! Obviously, they have been blessed with the lion's share of my genes! Their height they get from their father, however: both of them are now approaching 6 feet, at just over 14 years of age. Like father, like son. I like a tall man, though (as my excellent choice of mate illustrates!), and I am sure that their imposing stature will hold them in good stead in the coming years, secondary to the good looks and intelligence which they have inherited from me.

Another thing I have been working on quietly, but sincerely, is a healthier lifestyle. I believe I may have mentioned before that an excellent diet and daily exercise have always been the cornerstones of my happy life. Nevertheless, in recent years a few middle-age difficulties have appeared. About 20 of them, I'd estimate. With all the running around I do every busy day, I can't think how it happened, but alas, there you have it. So,

Oh, excuse me a moment. The word "diet" reminded me that I meant to look up a recipe for tonight's supper before I go to the supermarket. If I don't look it up right now, I may not remember again. Won't be a moment...

Done! What a great feeling it is to be so organized and efficient!

Now for today's To Do list:

To Do

Blog Post (Ha! Nearly finished!)

Passport Application (Yegods! I forgot all about that!)

Grocery Shopping (right after blog post)

Start Supper (right after shopping, of course :) - I am a marvel of efficiency!)

Write Thank You Note for beautiful Easter Flowers

Pay Bills (amazing how they keep piling up!)

~~Call Landscaper re Spring Job~~ (this should probably be higher up on the list as I'm afraid I've been putting it off a little, believe it or not) (Postscript: Success! Why didn't I tackle that task sooner? It was a breeze! Love it when I take the bull by the horns and get things DONE! :D)

And I must add some items that other people have added to my To Do list for today (how tiresome!):

School Registration 5pm (my children can easily manage this themselves, but schools will insist!)

Teleconference 7pm (people always need my help! Luckily, I am nothing if not graciously accommodating, so I'm giving up a precious evening of NCIS dvd marathon for this--they had better appreciate it!)

Well, as anyone can see, I have another full productive day ahead of me so I won't delay. As soon as I've ~~finished idly web-surfing~~ checked on the news of the day, like any responsible citizen, I'll be on my way!

Good Day to All!

Stormy Spring Morning

2010-04-07T09:51:00.004-05:00

Greetings to all Those in the Know! I hope you didn't miss me too much. (Although, to be completely honest, I actually hope that you did miss me very much, but it would be bad form to say so and I am nothing if not punctiliously polite, so I'll pretend that I hope you were skipping along merrily for the past two weeks without my blog to brighten your days - traitors). Naturally, ~~I completely forgot all about you, this blog and all of the vexing jobs awaiting me at home~~ I thought of you every day while I was away.

I am back, refreshed and raring to go. Mind you, I'd be even more rarin' to go if I hadn't awakened this morning to dark, gloomy skies, rain and thunder! And, come to think of it, I would feel more refreshed if I hadn't had to drive all the way down to Georgia and South Carolina and back, sorely under-fueled and under-caffeinated (stupid health craze!). When you get right down to it, I may actually be feeling worse now than I felt before we left!

It's all because I always have to do everything! Those in the Know will remember the lengthy To Do list I was faced with before the March Break. Considering the number of items on that list, - I can't quite recall just how many, right now, but it was a lot - is it any wonder that I need another break? True, I didn't actually get any of those things done because I was ~~too busy lazing around~~ too busy with other things, but the mere thought of so many pressing responsibilities is enough to exhaust anyone!

But, as usual, I was able to turn a difficult situation around and make something positive out of a negative. Yes, once again, I managed to make lemons out of lemonade. I am nothing if not resilient and adaptable. I ~~didn't bother with~~ wasn't able to work on the old To Do list ~~because I was becoming bored to distraction~~ because I was out of town, so I simply created a new one! Not an officially typed out "To Do" list per se*, but as important a To Do list as any other - maybe more important! - if I do say so, myself.

Here it is:

To Do on March Break

Drive to Ohio (not bad - I love driving!)

Visit Jessie on Campus (en route, which is convenient!)

Jack's Campus Tour (Jessie actually did this while I watched NCIS reruns with the younger boys in the hotel - it was raining! - good planning on my part!)

Drive to Chattanooga (I wish KY would get their road construction under control!)

Drive to Hilton Head (no matter how long the drive, it is always a happy task!)

Laundry, Organizing Furniture, General Tidying Up and Taking Stock of Work Needed (I have to do everything!)

Buy and Plant Annuals (Edward and Jack helped with this, dear boys!)

Clean Upholstery (tiresome job - and Scott left it to the very last morning!)

Meet Contractor for Repairs and Painting (Done! :))

Daily Blog Posts (who are we kidding here? I was incredibly busy!)

Exercise (a stroll on the beach counts - no time for more. Besides, I was on break)

Drive to Atlanta

Visit with Aunt Jean (so enjoyable!)

Drive to Cincinnati (KY roads even worse than 10 days before--how irritating! I think I'll write a letter to the Governor)

Visit with Jeanne and Walter (Good Friday pizza and great company!)

Drive Home (and about blasted time, too! ENDLESS, STUPID DRIVE!!)

So, as Those in the Know have come to expect, I accomplished a great deal on my so-called "break". I like to keep busy and long lists of impressive productivity just seem to follow me wherever I go.

Now that we're back, we have Ben visiting from Germany and Scott is gone to Germany on business--ironic! We had Kiki overnight from Easter Saturday to Easter Sunday, and we all enjoyed a lovely Easter Brunch together before everyone scattered. We missed Jessie for Easter, but are so pleased that we saw her on the road trip (I'm even more pleased that she was so helpful with the campus tour)! The boys are all back at school this week and I am back at my various projects around the house. In short, life is slowly getting back to normal around here and I am as busy as ever!

This is about the best that I can manage after such an exhausting trip, so I'll hear none of your complaining!

Good Day to you all!

Happy Easter!

* Alert readers will have noted that, even in my exhausted state, I have managed to provide them with another sophisticated Latin reference. Just doing my bit to improve the minds of Those in the Know! You're welcome!

Spring Hiatus

2010-03-23T15:28:00.008-05:00

Well, one good thing about all of this spring ahead nonsense is that it is usually quickly followed by Spring Break. Such is the case in this household, I am pleased to report. It's a relief when the bureaucrats who run our lives get something right!

The upside to a Spring Break is obvious (well, at least for the schoolchildren; just as obviously busy parents like myself get no break at all--where is the hope and change, I ask you? It's woefully thin on the ground around here!), but the downside is that I will have far less time to blog for the next 10 days or more. I will make a superhuman effort (don't I always?), but the fact remains that I will be busier than ever and something may have to give. Of course, I could give up fun stuff like watching hours of NCIS at night - therefore getting everything done - but NCIS is much more enjoyable than struggling to post on this blog, so it stays and the blog goes. I don't want to hear any grousing.

Yesterday, I took Jack for a campus visit to one of the universities on his shortlist for next fall. I say "shortlist" because that is what one says in this situation, but the reality is that his list is no shorter now than it was last October when it seems he was picking my pocket every other day to pay an application fee to yet another institution. Sure, his excellent grades, hard work and future ambitions are important, but I want to know why I have to do everything! It was a beautiful day yesterday and instead of staying home so that I could ~~sit indoors doing bills and wasting time typing foolish blog posts while pretending that at any moment I was going to get outside in that glorious sunshine~~ be outdoors walking in that glorious sunshine, I was instead forced to tour a campus with Jack and Kiki (~~and, incidentally, outdoors walking in the glorious sunshine all afternoon, more than any other day yet this spring!~~ <-- not the point). Anyway, it was wonderful to spend the afternoon with Kiki on her school turf (she rocks! a bit like her mother, actually), even if it was inconvenient for me, and I think Jack felt lucky to have a Senior tour guide.

I don't know if he is any closer to making his decision, but it is not from lack of effort on my part, as always! I have ~~nagged him incessantly~~ gently nudged him toward a decision throughout the winter, but I am nothing if not a wise and patient mother, so I am simply allowing him to come to a measured and ~~hopefully quick!~~ careful decision. With that goal in mind, we are heading off tomorrow to Ohio for another campus visit, this time with Jessie as our guide. This happens to be working with our spring trip plans, because we will then continue on to South Carolina for a few days R&R. But Those in the Know are well aware that even if it hadn't been so convenient for me, I would have made the supreme sacrifice and given up a day of my precious time to get him down there for this purpose. Parenthood is my vocation, although heaven knows I never make an issue of it.

In other news this week, I have been bombarded with yeas and nays regarding the no doubt ruinous Healthcare Reform bill which the House of Representatives just passed. I'm just going to go on record right here in my blog by saying that all of the fuss and nonsense has been very irritating, and the so-called showdown vote on Sunday was (let's just tell it like it is) practically a non-event. Some of us had better things to do (ahem, NCIS?), and I for one had important family dinners to prepare as well. Sure, I did my civic duty by ~~standing in the den for nearly 10 straight hours glued to the coverage of the tense, fascinating hours leading up to the climactic vote only running out to check on dinner or grab a glass of water~~ by checking in with CNN from time to time, but if I am to be perfectly honest, it was all a bit ho-hum. It's all bad enough that we had to endure months of obsessive news coverage of this stupid bill, but blanket coverage by CNN on Sunday seemed a little much when some of us might have been wondering about more important things like Tiger's return to golf or how Lindsay has been doing since the Olympics. I am often shocked by the misplaced priorities of these giant news stations- it's a scary trend!

Anyway, when the dust had settled, the votes were tallied, and the ~~shameful~~ perfectly understandable name-calling was over, the bill was passed and now we will all have to cope with the consequences. I don't mind telling Those in the Know that I think this is a terrible thing for the country. I don't know how these idiotic lawmakers expect those who have earned it (like Yours Truly) to maintain our well-deserved privileges and first-in-line status for cadilac healthcare after all this messing with the "system".

Look, the "system" has worked just fine for decades! Those of us ~~fortunate enough to have jobs with insurance benefits~~ who work hard enough have health care and the rest of those lazy galoots do not! What was so bad about that? Sure, it can be tough for some, but people get what they deserve. Our best-in-the-world (for the privileged few who actually deserve it!) Healthcare System (soon defunct, thanks to this ruinous legislation) is just like the inerrant truth in the Bible as preached by our fundamentalist friends (who know a thing or two about exclusion!): millions may not like it, but since they have failed to invite Healthcare into their lives through their own ~~physical or financial misfortune or helplessness as little children~~ laziness and poor planning, it is right and just that they be excluded. Hey, those of us with healthcare coverage may not ~~give a hoot about anyone but ourselves~~ like the situation, but what is right and just is not always pleasant. I can't believe this excellent "system" is being changed! "Reform", my eye!

It's time for all these bleeding heart liberals to just get with the program and stop mollycoddling the sick, the lazy and the criminal. Heck, don't they even notice how babies, children, elderly and poor people contrive to be sick all the time? Are they blind to the fact that most of those fetuses that good citizens fight to ~~force disadvantaged women to carry and bear, regardless of the cost to the women psycholgocially, physically and financially~~ save never ever seem to have healthcare insurance once they are born? Ungrateful freeloaders! I'll never understand why anyone wastes an ounce of energy ~~forcing their own twisted morality on~~ trying to help other people when these people just turn around and mooch off the "system".

Yes, it was a sad day for America and doubly so for Yours Truly who gave up hours of NCIS because of that televised drivel. Millions of undeserving louts ~~mainly babies, children, chronically ill, and millions dealing with various misfortunes which have precluded them from the security of access to the healthcare we all need and deserve~~ will now be included in this country's great pool of medical resources along with those of us who really ~~got lucky~~ deserve it. No doubt, it will inconvenience the rest of us terribly, and even if it does not, I don't see why others should enjoy what we enjoy just because they are human beings and citizens of this great Republic!

I must admit, though, that my aggrieved feelings were somewhat mollified by the personal note of thanks that I received from the President shortly after he gave his speech from the East Room. I must say, I do appreciate how quickly President Obama gets down to the important tasks like thanking respected taxpayers like myself for a job well done. Yes, as I said, while I did briefly feel a little vexed by all the hullabaloo, and certainly it is irritating to think of these unnecessary changes to the perfectly fine status quo, I am nothing if not generous and as such, I am glad to have contributed in my ~~very~~ small way to such an historic and important moment.

I've a dozen things to do today before we depart in the morning, so I am going to have to stop here and hope that there are not too many typos in this post! If there are, I hope Those in the Know will show a little tact and diplomacy and don't mention it.

Have a Good day, All!

Todays photo (taken yesterday--this looks to me like youth opening the door to the wide horizon of the future--no doubt bursting with bleeding heart liberal ideals and other foolish notions-- :D):

Time To Get Organized!

2010-03-19T10:37:00.004-05:00

It's another glorious springlike morning, the kind that just makes you leap out of bed ready to greet the day! I love days like this, and I'd love them even more if they began on time instead of an hour too early! As it is, I was forced to drag my protesting limbs out from under the duvet in the pre-dawn murk, call the boys for school, start breakfast and take the dog out before the first life-giving rays of that beautiful sunshine had even peeked over the horizon! If a planet (or star?) could talk, I'm sure the good ol' sun would have said to me, "What the heck are you doing? I'm fixing to shine down on you and the rest of this wonderful world in about 17 minutes--get back in bed!".

Unfortunately for me and the rest of civilized humanity, the Powers that Be are deaf to the whisperings of the stars and blind to the natural order of the universe. They insist on the lunatic scheme of daylight savings time and because they are the Powers that Be, they can force the rest of us to arrange our affairs accordingly. There ought to be a law against that. If I had more time in my day (ahem! stolen hour?), perhaps I would organize a grass-roots protest, but I am a busy woman and with even fewer hours in my day, I must redouble my efforts with the important tasks already on my To Do list!

TO DO

Blog Post (obviously- in progress)
Photo Project (another obvious priority, although more difficult- don't know if I will get to it today)
Laundry-sheets, etc (Kiki is coming home tomorrow for a quick overnight)
Lose Weight
Start Supper (hmm..)
Exercise (right after I finish this post! Going for a walk in the lovely spring sunshine!)
Passport Application (Oops! Forgot again!)
Plan Spring Roadtrip/ reserve hotel rooms en route (I have one already booked! Good!)

I've noticed that the order of priority seems a little off here. Perhaps that has been the problem with my To Do lists. Let me try sorting them in order of importance, then I can start at the top and work down, getting the most urgent tasks completed in a timely manner. I am so glad that I have been blessed with good organizational skills!

TO DO

Blog Post (always job 1!- started and first thing, too--excellent!)
~~Passport Application~~
Laundry (we need the sheets for tomorrow, so this must come first)
~~Passport Application~~
Start Supper (we have to eat!!)
~~Passport Application~~
Photo Project (good lord! this should be at the top of the list! It is job 1!)
~~Passport Application~~
Plan Spring Roadtrip (won't need any passports if we have no trip planned!)
Passport Application
Exercise (technically, this ought to be number 2 because it is the next thing I am going to do)
Lose Weight
Pay Bills (oops! Nearly forgot that one! thanks for the reminder call, Comcast, although I must say that terse attitude was uncalled for)

Hmmm...there is a problem with the priorities on this list, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is. Oh well, it doesn't matter- it is the process which counts and I am nothing if not dedicated to the process! Now that that's done, I can get started on my great day!

But first, I ought to mention something a little disturbing that I noticed this morning on the drive to school. I had the radio tuned to NPR as usual, and they are in the throes of their annoying annual Spring fund drive. I tune in to NPR in the mornings because it is the only station from which I can get unbiased news and so forth without a load of irritating commercials and shouting deejays. Every few months, however, I am subjected to annoying whining and begging for "pledges" and "support"
(they call them "annual" Spring/Fall fund drives but they are lying through their teeth--they have them at least twice per year!). It's really very aggravating! I don't see how they can claim to be "commercial-free" when they subject their listeners to an hour or two of nearly non-stop pan-handling every six months, and I for one have had enough of it.

Certainly, I barely noticed the unnecessary interruption of my normal morning routines until this morning, when they mentioned a "special group of members" who are encouraging new members to join, but the principle remains the same: they promise annoyance-free radio and I expect annoyance-free radio! Sure they have no commercials, but is it not equally irritating to subject their listeners to this fawn-fest of shout-outs to their little favorites? I bet that "special group of members" spends all their time annoying people instead of contributing to humanity like Yours Truly and Those in the Know!

Apparently, this is actually the last day of the Spring drive and I hadn't noticed it before now, but standards are standards and I think NPR is letting down the side a little here. Just what do they mean by a "special group of members" anyway? I would have thought that I would definitely belong in the "special group of members" as I listen to the station every single day, but it appears that I have missed the memo! Or rather, NPR has committed a grievous faux pas* by failing to recognise their real quality listeners! I'm a little put out, if the truth be told, although Those in the Know will remember that I am far too tolerant, not to mention busy with important stuff, to give it a second thought.

(Fulminating pause) Who are these people whose membership is more special than mine, anyway? It is all too vexing. I'm going to have to ring them up and give them a piece of my mind...

(PAUSE FOR TELEPHONE CALL TO NPR)

Well, I've wasted enough time today on this blog post and ~~going off half-cocked to call NPR, resulting in humiliating realization that I have forgotten to renew my membership for the past 3 years~~ other stuff. I am a busy woman and people depend on me to make things happen!

Good Day to All!

* Those in the Know can "learn something new everyday" simply by reading my blog and soaking up the sophisticated foreign references! Take that, NPR!

Top O' The Morning To All!

2010-03-18T14:14:00.002-05:00

Look, I know it is once again afternoon and I am still scrambling around trying to put in a productive morning, but there's nothing I can do about that. The Powers that Be have ruined it for all of us, and I am no exception. I'll make the supreme effort to post here in my blog before I get on with the business of running our happy home. You can thank me later (preferably by returning my stolen hour or, failing that, a nice coupon for a discount off an Apple photobook would be nice).

Speaking of the Photo Project, I may as well come straight to the point and let Those in the Know know that this week has been ~~a total bust~~ difficult. Several items have come to my attention which I really feel must be immediately addressed. Yes, they are the usual items that are always on the agenda every single day, but to be perfectly honest ~~I'm going to go stark raving mad if I have to scan one more photograph - I must have distraction!!~~ I feel that there are times when one must do the right thing and attend to other matters besides the enjoyable ones - I must do my duty!

With that in mind, I have decided to compose a To Do list. Those in the Know may recall that I have always maintained that a daily To Do list is a fine way to stay organized and get things done. I would have kept this excellent habit up myself but for all the confusion and aggravation of the photo book headache not to mention the recent theft of a vital hour of my hard-earned time!

Not to worry, though. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, I am always bravely ready to overcome adversity and to make lemonade out of the lemons that other people scatter in my path. Here is my To Do list:

TO DO

Write Blog Post (in progress-good)
Photo Project (~~becoming boring~~ difficult)
~~Start Supper~~ (done-yes!)
Laundry (this chore is neverending, so hardly any point putting it on the ToDo list; but for what it's worth, I am on load two already today, so not bad)
Passport Applications (this slipped my mind- could happen to anybody)

This is a slightly shorter list than my usual because, frankly, with one less hour (thanks a heap, Powers that Be!) who can jam all that I usually accomplish into a day anymore?

I've got a man down with a tummy bug today, so even less time to dilly dally over blog posts (that is my excuse and I am sticking to it), so this is it for today.

Good Day, All!

(No picture today- who has time?)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T12:27:00.003-05:00

Normally, I am in fine form on St. Patrick's day (as I am on most days), but I am dragging just a little this morning. Oops! I see it is just after noon now, although any normal person would completely understand why I thought the slant of the sun indicates not noon but 11 AM. If it wasn't for that insane daylight savings time business, the time would be correctly 11:10 Am, not 12:10.

You see, this is the sort of nonsense that can bring even a robustly cheerful individual like Yours Truly down a little. We had a perfectly lovely March month going here but then the Powers That Be ruined everything by insisting that we "spring ahead" last weekend. I, for one, have not been the same since.

But never mind all that. The real question for today is: what are people doing to celebrate St Patrick's Day?

For many years, I provided my children with hours of seasonal fun by throwing a St Patrick's Day party for them and several of their little friends. In more recent years, however, they have been less enthusiastic about the annual green party, as they've outgrown the leprechaun outfits and refuse to do green crafts anymore. It's disappointing, but there you have it.

Everyone still loves a fine St Patrick's Day feast, though! I will be preparing my usual Corned Beef and Cabbage to die for, and I am even considering whipping up some sort of delectable dessert in honour of the occasion. Maybe a layered dessert featuring a green and pink layer of something or other. Not sure exactly how I will do this, but I am confident that with my usual flair for the original I will create a mouth-watering triumph!

No time to waste posting (and since I have hardly anything to say today, perhaps it is just as well). I'm off to the grocery store for ingredients!

Happy St Patrick's Day to All!

Spinning Out Slightly

2010-03-16T13:01:00.007-05:00

You know, even the most industrious and productive among us is entitled to the occasional less-than-stellar day. I, myself, have had ~~dozens~~ one or two somewhat sub-par days since the New Year, when my usual high standards have had to be ~~abandoned~~ adjusted to the reality that sometimes I ~~totally flake out~~ simply need to recharge. I'm not going to lie, today is shaping up to be one of those days!

I'm spinning out today, to be totally honest. Standing around in the kitchen here, not writing a blog post, not sorting or scanning photos, not starting supper...In short, the day is going to hell in a handbasket.

I blame the health craze. Let's just take the bull by the horns and get this out in the open. It is because of our health-crazed society that I am trying to lose weight. And it is because of this health craze that I feel so badly every morning when I weigh myself and discover that I have not only not lost any weight, but I have often gained an ounce or two! This hardly makes any sense at all when you consider how carefully I have been watching what I have been eating! I don't know what more I can do, ~~other than actually reduce my caloric intake,~~ and quite frankly, I'm beginning to get annoyed with the whole health craze thing.

News flash, health nazis: there is a reason why sensible, smart people have trouble seeing dieting as a good thing: it makes us hungry. Yes, sure, it is all well and good to be ~~mercilessly pressuring~~ encouraging us all to be svelt and slim but that hungry thing is going to continue to be a stumbling block to success for most sensible human beings. Far be it from me to criticize, but this whole health craze thing is a non-starter doomed to failure unless someone somewhere gets with the program and solves this fundamental problem. (Those in the Know will note that, once again, I have to think of everything!) Why don't some of you thin, perky purveyors of health and fitness put a little of that ~~obnoxious~~ healthy energy toward inventing 0-calorie foods which taste good and fill people up? Tell you what, why don't you take my idea - gratis* - and run with it. It is my little gift to the world. You're welcome, Humanity.

On the upside, apparently the photobook I submitted on the weekend is on a truck out for delivery to me today! Ha! Well, they did give me a coupon for free shipping, and when I got to that page on the order form, I was amazed to notice that "Free" was written next to every shipping option, from donkey mail to overnight courier! Sure, I could have ticked off the least expensive shipping method, but I figured they owed me after all the aggravation ~~I had put them through~~ they had put me through, so I selected the fastest method available- overnight courier. I'm not one to quibble about details, of course, but my readers might like to check out earlier posts to refresh your memories on what date I submitted the book. I am much too gracious to make an issue of it, but it cannot be denied that it has been more than one day.

Be that as it may, I am thrilled to know that I will soon be holding a photographic masterpiece in my hands! The only real question is whether I should alert the media.

Something else which belongs in the positive column is the fact that it is a simply glorious spring day out there. I just took Minnie out for a little jaunt up the driveway and I saw so many spring flowers shooting up out of hte ground that I was practically skipping on the way back! A few friends replied to my Facebook status this morning (re- spinning my wheels) that I ought to get out in the sun, take a walk, etc and I am going to take every one's advice! I am going to take a walk around the block (thanks, Jennifer!), then I am going to come home and sit in the sunroom to work on Kenny's photobook (thanks Cathy and Donita) ! I am going to post this and turn right around again to go!

But one last thing: Thank you, Kiki for reminding me last week about "counting your wins". I may not be losing weight yet (but I bet I will as soon as I start to diet! :D), and I may be spinning out a little today--- but I have two loads of laundry finished, my photobook is on its way to our door and I am about to finally take the first in what I hope will be a regular habit of walks!

Why, I'm not spinning out at all!

Good Day, All!

*Another thoughtful little gift of exquisitely appropriate culture for my Friends in the Know. Don't mention it.

Today's photo (not from anything I'm actually working on, but does anyone really think one ought to do everything by the book?):

Happy Anniversary, Jeanne and Walter!

2010-03-15T16:46:00.008-05:00

I'd like to send out anniversary wishes to my dear friends, Walter and Jeanne, whose 30th Wedding Anniversary is today!

Some would say that thirty years of marriage is quite an achievement, but I say "Bunk!". What's so great about living, working, playing and staying together for thirty years in both good times and bad, anyway?

Sure, 50% of marriages today don't last for five years let alone twenty or thirty, but those people face real challenges, like not enough time to go out playing with single friends, partners that expect them to grow up and behave like adults, children that come along and ruin everything. Compared to hardships like these, I have to admit that my friends really had a walk in the park. I don't like to tell tales out of school, but between you and me, Jeanne and Walter finished growing up in college, have always been responsible adults and welcomed their children joyfully and unselfishly into their lives. So one is forced to wonder--where was the challenge in their marriage? Sounds like a skip down easy street to me, really.

Look, let's just cut to the chase here. Just because Walter and Jeanne managed to stand as a beacon of hope to all the couples they've known over thirty years that is no reason for everyone to start falling all over them with congratulations and admiration! Now, if they had only raised two accomplished and beautiful daughters and a fine, handsome son, maybe their successful 30-year marriage would be worth talking about! All right, they did do that, but come on people - how easy was that? Twenty plus years of constant vigilance, loving guidance, hard work and knowing when to laugh and when to get tough is, let's face it, a tiptoe through the tulips when it comes naturally to people, as it apparently did for Jeanne and Walter. It's not like they had to work at it or anything!

Take neighborhood involvement: why do people insist upon waxing all poetic about Jeanne and Walter just because they are leaders in the community? It's not as if they don't enjoy it! Sure, they are always ready to lend a hand to a neighbor in need, keep a sharp eye out for the welfare of children, the sick and the elderly in the 'hood, are the first people anyone calls for news, advice or practical help and throw the best damn Fourth of July parties in the state of Ohio! Like a well-oiled machine with perfectly calibrated dual engines, they are the couple who makes everything happen for all of their friends - and friends of friends and even friends of friends' relatives and friends. They never leave anyone out of the loop --all are made welcome and pulled into the warm Rothville circle.

But what I want to know is: what have they really done to deserve our warmest praise?

This business of congratulating people for stuff that seems to come to them as naturally as breathing is really quite perplexing if you ask me, but I am nothing if not diplomatic, and so I congratulate them on their ~~awesome~~ pretty good achievement anyway.

Happy Anniversary, Walt and Jeanne. Here's wishing you 30 more great years together!