Happiness is...

grown daughters.

VeggiGirl lives on the other side of the block, and stops by often.

Today she brings homemade minestrone soup. Fits in perfect with my new soon-to-be slimmer me.

I got very tired of the ever-growing gut. Never had one before in my life (adorable, chubby baby-hood not included!) and it doesn't like me. My new duties get very sedentary after 6pm, and I don't like finding myself in my own lap!

Also, thermal underwear makes my clothing very, very tight. While the heat seems repaired at the paper, we are still finding the cold settling on us, beginning about 8pm each night. Our best guess is that the leaky roof is still not repaired, although the draining has been diverted from our workspace.

Counting calories works for me. I won't even tell you how many I have been consuming, except to estimate that it must be at least 2,000 per day. Now down to 1800 again, at least until the gut goes.

***sigh***

Why do I get an unpleasant feeling that the gut will stay with me to the grave?

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Little Pond

Astounding.

Ted Kennedy has publicly backed Obama. Not too long ago he was solid friends with the Clintons. Apparently the on-air sniping had gotten too ugly for his tastes.

Neither Obama nor Clinton appeals to me. One is under-experienced and the other strikes me as an opportunistic chameleon.

However, this is an historic campaign for us. We finally have our first truly viable African-American presidential hopeful and a candidate who could very conceivably be our first woman president.

Things should continue to boil right through November 4th, and I intend to enjoy the spectacle all year.

For once, Husband RJ and I are not (yet!) fighting over politics.

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Little Pond

A clarification, if you will.

Perhaps you are following Josephine, the Dragon Lady. If you are, you can find the last chapter of Calming the Angry Planet here.

But the planet isn't calmed at all, you may lament. Or maybe snort in derision, like Josey.

No, it's not. Unfortunately, it takes longer and longer to load with each chapter. So From Heat of Battle is the last chapter of Part I. And the second part will surely be the last.

All because my computer (even the one at work) takes too long to load. Seems we all are getting old.

Calming the Angry Planet. One book, now two parts. The limitations of the Internet.

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Little Pond

We are not snowed in.

However, the cold is curtailing almost all activity. Naturally, we still visit our beloved Chemung River. We are totally addicted.

Ellie has her polar fleece skirt, a fringed polar fleece jacket and lovely scarf in muted tones of pink and red. All quite tastefully done, I assure you.

She also owns a set of MuttLuks, but refuses to wear them. We have a drill: she stops and lifts the frozen paw, and I come right over and rub the booboo with bare hands. A little low-tech, but it works for us. We avoid the city sidewalks in the winter, because of the nasty ice-melts everyone uses.

Winter sun still means fun for us.

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Little Pond

2008 prediction--no big surprises. Please...

(Ellie poses with her "baby" kitten-doll.

It is very well chewed, but never really destroyed.)

I can predict the next six months at the paper.

Advertising sales fall. New customers will continue while the pre-season specials carry them. A few will become permanent.

Gannett will look hard at core positions, and pare down the excess.

Happens every year. Always has--always will.

We may see short-term layoffs by February, maybe again in July. It has always been thus. I was a victim the summer I was diagnosed with MS. My supervisor thought it would be a great vacation!

Well, I got a harridan who sent me on interview after interview, in a forty mile radius, leaning heavily on a cane. Furthermore, it was a partial layoff: three days on, two off. I was exhausted after a few weeks, in an exacerbation by six. That Christmas I was back full time just before I collapsed. The neuro confined me to bed for two weeks after a Solumedrol drip, because I couldn’t make my left side work anymore.

For now our department is necessary, though not for ever. This year it is likely we are secure.

On top of it all, my 401K will benefit from whatever Gannett decides to do.

Always has--always will.

It's Freaking Cold Out!

Cozy warm inside, though.

You probably recognize the HuggaMutt, but the other bed buddy is DeeDee, our storm orphan.

One of our smaller cats.

Finally, Best Wishes for a Healthy, Happy New Year to you all.

Love,

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Little Pond

Last Day 2007

The old apple tree from the bathroom window. Not an especially problematic snow, although Husband RJ has already been out once to clear the walks. More tonight and tomorrow morning.

I will work the paper. Haven't partied the New Year in ages.

Wolf Packs out tonight. For the non-upstater, that's common usage for the presence of the Sheriff's Department Traffic Random Traffic Stops. Around here that means very safe streets after midnight.

I'll probably be stopped, myself, on the way home from work. The sheriff's deputies don't know me from Adam. City police leave me alone, after a few stops in the early years.

Party safely and if you drink, stay over.

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Little Pond

Pre-Christmas

The vacation will be over soon and the rush is on. Tonight I hope to watch my much adored son in law play in his band. Don't Look in the Basement.

They will be selling sweatshirts and cds, which brings on the next issue. Husband RJ, VeggiGirl and I are the (1) Secret Santa for my also-adored brother in law, Patricio. He was also in a band, OHM of Boston, Massachusetts. I'm ashamed to admit I don't know whom he is with now, but they had a bit of success in their group, so I know he will love a few mementos from our local up and comer.

Otherwise, we recently cleared about 6.6" (16.51 cm) from our walks, in two separate shovellings. We also cleared up to our neighbor's door, since she is somewhat shut in during the winter. I mention this because on the second pass, it was clear that another neighbor also cleared her walk, coming from the other direction. Later, when her husband came home, he cleared our walk all the way around with his blower. Even later, I saw yet another friend coming from the back way, blowing the snow on the Guinnip side all the way to the corner!

God, I love Elmira, New York!

Update: and I love my Chemung River, even in winter.

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Little Pond

In the Middle

...of my week off, and I going to do the things I usually do. Clean, check my bills, and visit with Golfer Girl in Corning.

The whole area is dark; it is raining and we are waiting for the MidWestern storm to catch up with us. The HuggaMutt refuses to get out of bed. I'll bet I could even use the whistle and she wouldn't budge.

And, oh joy, we are expecting a Nor'easter this coming weekend! Husband RJ is beside himself with worry and anticipation. Fortunately his mother has been discharged from the hospital and is resting at home. No more trips for my father in law, over the river and back.

No way to do it but to hunker down and go through it.

Hope the weather is treating you all better.

I'm afraid my Baby Blogsister Pearlie must be caught in the messy ice storm. Our thought and prayers are with all of you out there.

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Little Pond

Rocky Start

My vacation got off to a rocky start. When I arrived home Friday night (actually Saturday morning, 1AM) there was a message on the answer machine.

My Inlaws were at a local hospital. My dear MIL was having severe abdominal pain. Mindful of my problems with MSG and other additives, they wondered if she was suffering the same.

Actually, her appendix had ruptured. I stayed with them until Husband RJ could arrive. She had emergency surgery later that morning. We have all been visiting, off and on, since then. She's going home tomorrow, and already she's bored and sick of the food.

By a very strange irony, I actually got a touch of MSG poisoning at a wine, cheese and chocolate party Saturday night. That had the effect of mostly keeping me home these last two days.

So Josephine's Journey got another chapter. Some people are just lightning rods for trouble. Some people like it that way. Josey does.

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Little Pond

So this is December

Tried to take Ellie to the River. Too cold and biting for her to really enjoy. We trudged through the snow a while. When she seemed a little distressed by it all--keep in mind that a few inches comes up to her neck--I threw her in the back of the car. We returned home to a warm sofa with cuddly throw, hunkering for a nasty ice storm.

And I had another disturbing dream.

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Little Pond

Josephine is at it again.

Another trip to another tavern.

You know what they say: Fools go where angels fear to tread. But she does learn a bit more about her roots.

This is the long-awaited Dragon Lady symbol. It is the work of the man behind the Sebastian Cyan character in the story.

Here are links to his sites: At Deviant Art and Xanthia. And now Josephine is off on her own adventures that should take us right up to the New Year.

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Little Pond

All gone...

It took a day or so, but the snow is gone. Our world is brown and green and tan right now. Not a pretty sight.

More photoblogging on T-day.

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Little Pond

Got Clobbered Last Night

Looking down on Guinnip Avenue, Elmira New York November 19, 2007

Before the holidays

One of my last posts for Downtown Elmira, just as the last post for RiverDogging was sort of penultimate.

I leave wiggle room for some festive holiday shots, though.

Winter weather is just gorgeous around here, and I hope to treat readers to some Christmasy stuff. Frankly, though, a few of my trips during bad weather were very nearly catastrophic. I would like to think I'm smart enough to learn from them.

We'll see.

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Little Pond

(You can click on the picture for detail.)