Friday, June 30, 2006

Feeling decidedly less squirrelly today.

Not very ambitious today. So it's great to have Five on Friday to fill in. Courtesy of Criminal Grace: Is Pat patient?

1--Honestly, I so lose patience in traffic. I drive rather slowly myself, but it's hard to watch people who can't seem to nose into traffic, or who miss a cycle of the stoplight because they are chicken.

2--When I am unwell, I may not even enter a waiting queue.

3--On the spur of the moment, I will disconnect, especially if I was put on hold by someone who called me. Otherwise, if I know I must wait, then five minutes tops. Isn't that why we have the Internet?

4--Ask my frustrated family: I will take the long and winding road over the straight highway any day. Scares the heck out of them, sometimes.

5--Rude, never! Politely, sometimes coldly, assertive, and only when I've already been wronged. If done to me, I grouch back that I agree, and let's go get the bastards! Some people turn into pussycats. Others, well that's the stuff of blogging.

pb
Little Pond

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Darndest Thing


Walked Ellie to the post office this morning. Yes, doggie to the post office; Trish there likes to visit with her. It's the other, young fellow who's afraid of dogs. Same with Mike Miller MailMan. And MailMan owns a dog! Those guys just give off vibes, I guess.

So, anyway. We had a lovely, long walk that was punctuated by a visit with Zadie, the rottweiler across the street, and her owner. She was pretty tired when we headed back home, so I let out the leash in hopes she would potty one last time.

A squirrel was waiting on the porch! Ellie decided to show who's boss, and chased it into the plant flats left in the sun by Husband RJ. I moved forward to protect the flats and their precious baby plants. The next thing I knew, I was eye to eyeball with the squirrel, perched on the handrail. We both froze. Then the squirrel jumped right at me, bounced off my shoulder and booked a quick flight to the side yard.

Even if I had a camera, I couldn't possibly catch the scene, except maybe the closeup of a squirrel eye. But I do have proof of its escape by my shoulder. Except for the one freckle (where I was kissed by my guardian angel), all the marks are courtesy of our bushy-tailed interloper.


pb
Little Pond

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Friendly thought for the day...

A friend will visit you in jail.
A good friend will bail you out.
But your best friend will be sitting in the same cell giggling, "That was awesome!"

pb
Little Pond

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Sunday is for families.

Here in Elmira, New York,
Eldridge Park is for families.
Hike or take your bikes
.
Pack a lunch and
some fishing gear.
Bring some change

pb
Little Pond

Friday, June 23, 2006

Our Lady of the Links (online)

That would be Criminal Grace with our Five on Friday: BookMarked

1.
Online checking
makes my bill payment so much easier. RJ uses it, too.

2. Two sites I don't like to admit I visit.
Final Fantasy Artwork. What can I say? I am not a game geek...
Tongue Tied. I can't resist a visit. Love language stuff.

3. Three sites I wish more people knew about.
Walk in the Word. Best. Darned. Preacher. Period.
Molly Wringwraith. Best online parody of LOTR!
Miss Manners. Register. She's worth it. Uncommon sense.

4. Four great sites for wasting time.
Lileks' site. My blogfather.
Easter eggs. Waste time online; waste time in front of the TV.
Amazon. And a year to find exactly the right thing!

Note: this was a longer post, but Blogger cut it off during a save, when I subsequently edited the length of the URL's. Don't know if Blogger didn't like the change in links, or what. Pooh. It's history. 6/24/6

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Grommets are not cure-alls

Huh? Guess I didn't think that one out very carefully. Grommets don't work well with vinyl film.

I should have seen it coming, but it's been years since I've worked with grommets. See, I got this lovely idea: instead of several layers of reflective film on the windows, why not fuse them together and put grommets in at the hanging holes? Since I use them every day, they would be well worth the time and effort.

Then we would have one discrete curtain to hang before our nap, instead of two to three layers, that really don't want to go up easily. Went to Hancock Fabrics and grabbed the large-size kit, since it's been years since I've grommeted anything. The larger grommets will be easier to handle, thinks I.

Hah! I was clever enough to test a grommet first, in case all doesn't go as planned. And it certainly did not. Grommeted very nicely. And the tools stuck, locked very nicely together by the film. I tried prying them loose with a screwdriver, and yanking them loose with vise-grips and pliers. And a hammer. No go: adhering like glue, and this lady does not have enough strength in her hands or desire to fuss with the mess.

Bottom line, I now have a couple film curtains that need repair for the rather large hole I tore while retrieving the grommet tool/anvil "module" I've just created. Back to jerrying the films, to recoup enough of it all to hold me until I order new films. Were they from Carol Wright? Or Miles Kimball? Home Improvements?

Um. Where's the duct tape?

pb
Little Pond

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

About Last Week

I was the boss last week while the real one was on vacation. Did the stress kill me? It did not. So why was that?

Well, the boss is a good guy and a very hard worker. He's the one you want to have at your back for the very tough spots. And the one working alongside us when the long haul is a hard one. But.

And this is where the MS comes in. He's a very hard worker and excellent when we are between a rock and a hard place. And, regrettably, that is quite a lot of the time in Prepress. But, when things are going well, he doesn't shut it off. Not very often. His style is to run in crisis mode until all the work is done. Then relax.

This is great in the short term. Every night we go home with all the work done. But the long term effects of the (unnecessary) pressure is damaged nerves. In my case, literally damaged nerves.

Last week was lovely. The work got done and everyone enjoyed a reasonably busy, manageable week.


But. We feel disloyal enjoying it.

pb
Little Pond

Monday, June 19, 2006

Waiting on contractors. Again.

So here I am waiting for contractors. Again. It's going to be a long summer in the Little Pond.

One bright spot: Sears showed up right on time, a little after 8:00. However, the new washer did NOT perform its little dance. Couldn't get it to shake in any way. This actually might be good news. This Maytag has a self-correcting function that somehow redistributes the load to kill the shaking. Wonder if it actually corrects the problem in the long run? If so, then Maytags are even more marvelous that I imagined, and our old one lasted 20 years.

I reluctantly let the repairman go. A Maytag repairman would have surely stayed for lunch, dinner and a game of cards, but this was a Sears repairman. He probably would have called the police if I detained him much longer.

So I am seeking solace in my blog visitations. A cheery round of Americana is just the ticket:

First stop has to be at my everloving blogmother's for some pets and partying. Her little ones are so sanguine about visitors; my cats head for the hills whenever the doorbell rings.

Hollered across the Little Pond to Karen, but she's still waiting on help with her scooter decision. Can we get some opinions here? I can't be the only reader who's got an opinion on power wheelchairs? Being an opinionated sort, and all.

Good old-fashioned American values can be found at Bonita's site: the kids are serious! These values are not so rare; around here, the fiances are expected to meet the parents' approval. Or is our neighborhood--admittedly not far from all varieties of houses of worship--so very different from yours?

Speaking of neighborhoods: Peggy K, our own sweet Pearlie, is ever so much closer to her new home! We've been watching a while now (you know, through the blinds, straight up the street, when no one is looking our way) so the excitement is just building to a crescendo. Lots of these Habitat Homes going up around Elmira, and we all celebrate as much as the new homeowners, thanks to the local paper.

There was a pretty pictorial tribute to Father's Day at Shushan's Shore. Scroll down a touch and she has the latest family fotos on the coffeetable, waiting for your perusal and approval. Don't be afraid to gush a bit; she'll love hearing from you.

...and the plumber is at the door. New floor planks in the bathroom, or not? (Move to a hotel for a day, or a weekend? After all, we only have one bath...) I'll keep you posted. Like I said, it's going to be a long summer.

pb
Little Pond

Sunday, June 18, 2006

Father's Day Fare

Just got off the phone with my dear old Daddy. He happily reported that his doctor allows him to jog (but not run), so he just returned from the beach in Kennebunkport. One does not swim there, where the water is reportedly 60 degrees today. Yikes! He tells me I wouldn't be the only one spazzing out this morning.

Husband RJ is being treated to shopping at Lowes by MammaDog today, and VeggieGirl will be providing new sneakers for the Lord of Lawn and Garden. We will all dine out for a late lunch.

Sunny and hot today, with a projected high of 92. I don't need to tell you that I will probably blog, and not jog, today.

pb
Little Pond

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Remember Katrina Pets!

About the Katrina pet debacle: there is something we can do about it. The heartwrenching scenes need never happen again.

I "know" that I would never leave my pets behind, but when the National Guard forces the issue, who can say? My everloving blogmother Sissy has a solution.

Send an ecard today. Our "babies" are counting on us.

Katrina killed a lot more family members than just humans.

pb
Little Pond

Friday, June 16, 2006

Fix-Rite Flub and Five on Friday

Well, Fix-Rite didn't show yesterday, although VeggieGirl waited the balance of the afternoon. Husband RJ skipped work this morning for them, because I grocery shop Friday AM. When I returned after 10, they still weren't here, so we swung into Plan B.

Because the washer is so old, we simply cancelled the appointment. ("Oh, but you're the next stop!") Really? We were supposed to be the FIRST stop, as in "First thing in the morning, if we don't make it this (Thursday) afternoon." Unacceptable.

Especially since there is a sale going on at Sears!

So instead of a 20-year-old washer with repairs, we will have a brandy-new Maytag delivered (no charge) on Saturday. Our old Maytag lasted 20 years, with three, count them--three!--repairs, one of which was due to fire damage, and doesn't count. The new Maytag is $50.00 off because of the sale, PLUS there's a $30.00 rebate related to a current sale on Neptunes. (I don't get it either, but that is what the rebate slip says.)

We won't break out the champagne until after the delivery arrives on Saturday, however. I'm not that innocent, as the song goes.

But to my Daddy, I am still quite innocent. So let's move on to Five on Friday: Father of Mine. Courtesy of Criminal Grace.

1. A father should be knowlegeable and authoritative. Not a pal to a kid, although that may well come later, when they're adult.

2. RJ turned out to be a wonderful father. I had doubts early on, but he is always interested in the girls and their lives. He also was willing to feed and change the babies, as was my father. I could never respect a man who does not participate in rearing his children. Never.


3. My Daddy had no sisters, so as a girl, I was very special. And I felt it. I was touched as a teenager to see how he thought I was beautiful and usually treated me like a lady. Because I lived with brothers and their friends, I felt that I was sort of like a guy. And that made me feel ugly and unsuitable for romantic love.

4. Grampa was always courtly toward Grammy. This struck me as very important, even when I was very little. He called her "Jo" because her name was Josephine, but he also called her "Lady" all the time. When also he called me "Lady," I felt honored.

5. Because I have so many brothers (one shares Daddy's name), it would be difficult to choose whose name to take over the others. We chose names that indicated our parents and grandparents and heritage, without using the exact name.

Happy Father's Day Weekend (yes, you deserve a whole weekend) to all you Father's out there, especially my Daddy and Husband RJ!

pb
Little Pond

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Round 2

Made it sucessfully through Round 1 of the Contractor Contest. The plumbers caught on quick: they arrived around 8:45 yesterday and were finished within the hour. Upshot? We need a new floor in the bathroom. No surprises there. They also said exactly the same thing they said two years ago: "Maybe this fix will last forever." But we know better, and will begin arrangements to replace the floor.

We had an excellent carpenter a few years back who replaced the porch decking. But Husband RJ says he was getting up in years, and is probably retired. But... But... He didn't look any older than RJ. Besides, I thought he was a cutie: not somebody old like us! RJ answered that if we were doing carpentry, maybe we would be about ready to pack it in, too.

Oh, well. There are other cuties out there. I already have a list of three phone numbers, all local people. We want someone who not only will handle the carpentry, but also replace the fixture. Put in something newer, and (we hope) not so low-flow. Apparently we don't need any work on the vent pipe. So nice not to smell the damned swamp gas!

Ready for Round 2: DING!!

Update: 10:15 AM:

Lovely. Freaking Maytag just quit, leaking water all over, while I was making the calls. So naturally, I had a noisy touch of asthma and accidentally disconnected the phone. Back on the phone, only this time to Fix-Rite. Getting to be like Grand Central Station around here. Good recovery, though, if I do say so myself.

pb
Little Pond

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Chilly June Sunday

Really wanted to post on the RiverFest 2006 today. But the news didn't much cover it and neither did I. A virus knocked me through a loop last Saturday the 4th. (No matter. There will be something or other somewhere, although it will take a bit to dig it out of the internet. And there's always my trusty shutterbox and the changing seasons.) Just a touch of a repeat bug today. Not enough to housebind me. Would that be the present tense of "housebound?"

Actually the cooler weather has allowed me to wear the stuff I got for my birthday, now two months back. What a joy fancy black leather is! Wore the jacket to church and to walk HuggaMutt. Took her down by the river and found myself slipping and sliding in the mudsoaked riverbank. I hook the leash to her harness when we are on the strand, to allow her to tug a little. She nearly dragged me into the drink! Fortunately I grabbed a tree and pulled us both back. But I gouged tiny holes into my prized jacket. Oh well. Just like me to have a little mark to help me remember our little adventures.

Husband RJ's sunning with Ellie. A couple of years ago, I gave him some laser treatments for his birthday. He had some permanent red veins on his nose that he just hated. Well, should have saved my cash. The veins themselves are still gone, but the spot burned by the laser goes bright red whenever he insists on sun-worshipping.

Napping doesn't seem to be an option. And I'm left-over tired from a cookout yesterday. One of the guests brought a trio of dachshunds to the party, and one was marked exactly like HuggaMutt. They were minis and looked so delicate compared with Ellie, who is a solid, chunky sort of critter. It just occurred to me that the brindle pattern is exactly like my purse, a present from MammaDog. I mimicked Streep as Cruella DeVille: "Looks like I'm wearing your dog!" Brindle seems to be very much in style right now, since someone else was telling me their bedroom is decorated with the same pattern.

Well, there's carton of Friendly's Mocha Silk (or maybe Purely Pistachio?) calling my name. Now if only I could figure a way to eat it without the brain freeze.

pb
Little Pond

Friday, June 09, 2006

Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days!

A Grease-y new twist on Five on Friday: Summer Lovin'

1--Farthest I've ever gone on vacation was the Caribbean. By car alone: Fontana Village in the Great Smokey Mountains of North Carolina. Ten days of absolutely breath-taking views and the incredible experience of waking up in a rain forest after a night of thunderstorms. Now I'm addicted to thunderstorms!

2--The best car for a vacation would be any hatchback that includes a sun/moon roof and air conditioning. I've slept in the back of a hatchback that opened to make a shelf, creating plenty of room to sleep. Great fallback during the busy seasons.

3--Love (or lust) at first sight has always resulted in disaster for me. I was particularly susceptible when I was young woman in my early twenties.

4--Okay, this is sounds a little pathetic. The last fight I had with Husband RJ was over Bush's election. We are polar opposites, politically. Why can't we fight about great places for covert lovemaking?

5--Participating in raising MommaDog and VeggieGirl has always been the most amazing thing. In my whole life. Hands down. Awesome kids.

So get that summer thing going! And drive carefully, the kids will be out of school.

pb
Little Pond

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

06-06-06

Enough with the AntiChrist already. Doesn't anyone remember that it is the anniversary of D-Day?

BlackFive does: a grateful nod to the BlogFather.

Bloody Hell, that's what it was. So maybe the 666 is appropriate, after all.

Take just a moment to remember the ones, living and dead, who passed through the fire to keep the free world free.

pb
Little Pond

Saturday, June 03, 2006

Open Letter

Dear Blogging Family, Occasional Readers and Accidental Visitors,

Been blogging now over a year. Before that I was a great surfer, savoring the grassroots aspects of every blog. Always opinionated, I wanted active participation.

Love blogging. Love my blogs. So much so that they are worth redesigning. To me, anyway. Facilitated by my
talented Blogsister Karen, our redesigns have almost gained hobby proportions. One of my less-expensive (and less fattening!) hobbies, I might add.

Our latest re-creation is
Materia is for Wusses. A.K.A. Wusses. A.K.A. A Monumental Self Indulgence.

It's got an edge to it now. No longer Blogger-looking. Yet somewhat techno, a little more organic, and a lot less girlie than most FanGirl sites. Make no mistake; I am a FanGirl. A little overripe maybe, although I prefer to think of myself as mature, if a FanGirl can be considered mature.

Yes, that is my
LogiTech controller. The PhotoGraphic is Karen's, who always comes up with something new. Usually a surprise and a delight. And if you look carefully, you might find a humorous touch here and there. We visit, correspond, and then we tweak: the journey is the destination.

At some point, I will move my sites to private domain. Because the spam has multiplied in a scary manner. Even some reverse type of spam, where Googling my stuff can get you strange spam results that mimic some of my entries. (I refuse to link to them.) Somebody really needs to get a life.

Not too sure about the costs and amount of work involved, versus the benefits. Blogger is often quite frustrating, and I am furious about their participation in, or active hosting of, spamming sites. Can anyone tell me about their experiences in cost/benefit analysis of changing domain? Keep in mind that these are all vanity sites; they make no money and are only a hobby.

Except for errands and work (the latter seems to be killing me), blogging is pretty much my contact with the outside world. My family occasionally reads my stuff and I love to hear from them. We learn a lot from each other. Same goes for my readers and especially those who've joined my ever-growing blogging family. Thanks for your interest and loving support.


BTW: the gaming spread includes, clockwise from the left:
Polar flavored seltzer water; Snickers bar; Cheez-It Grips; Black Licorice Jelly Bellys; Keebler Fudge Shoppe Mini Fudge Stripes

All my snacks are zero or low-calorie; all such good intentions are defeated by the sheer quantity consumed. Generally, though, once I am absorbed in the game, the eating stops long enough for blood sugar to catch up and cancel the appetite. It helps to tote up the calories beforehand. It helps even more to take long, arduous walks with a HuggaMutt.

Oh, yeah. Just a touch obsessed with the weight.


Blog on, Guys.
pb
Little Pond

Friday, June 02, 2006

Blah, blah, blah (update) and Five on Friday

Boy, I could predict it like daybreak.

Another "atrocity" committed by our troops. I'll pretty much quote my answer to my Liberal coworkers:

Yeah, yeah. And we are investigating the situation. And I simply don't recall any investigation into any atrocities committed by the suicide bombers, insurgents or Al Qaida to date. Except our own.

We do
all we can** to prevent "collateral damage" by our troops. Investigate our boys till they drop out from disgust. Back then, and to this day, I never thought My Lai should have gone to public trail.

**Update: More from Sissy on other takes in the Blogosphere.

Both in Viet Nam and the Middle East, our enemy usually does not shrink from offering the innocents up for slaughter to cover their own disgusting a***s.

We react and investigate. And our enemy uses it to their best advantage. Get a clue, Liberal MSM and their parroting coterie!

Any given day will lighten up the mood here.
1. Saturday is best for me, being the first day off, with another one ahead.


2. I had to consult a perpetual calendar to find my birthday.
Friday's child is loving and giving. Me all over the place. ;]

3. I'm never away from home. I hate it. It literally would take a death in the family to get me away from my own bed.

4. I work on a daily newspaper; that is to say, I am always at least a day ahead of myself. So I actually always know what day it should be. Except for vacations.

5. Five on Friday is one of my favorite sites because it asks the sort of questions I would never think to ask. How about you? If you could designate five weeks of Five on Friday, what would be your list?


pb
Little Pond