On End of Year Blog Maintenance:

Another year comes to an end. Some people are making resolutions. Others are out to ‘party‘.

I do maintenance on my blog first. (Not that I do the other two things anymore. Well not much.)

But still we all have to do it. Even if it is just changing your copyright date to protect your property, its gotta’ be done.

So just a reminder here for the coming year. Have fun, don’t sweat the small stuff, hang in there when times get tough, learn to laugh at yourself and your mistakes because everybody makes them, and be your Gothy self on the inside no matter what the outside is doing. And keep up with your blog maintenance.

Happy New Year Everybody!

On Comments:

To the many comments of late:

I know that most of you have been trying to help me, and I do appreciate that, I really do. But there are some people who have made fun of me or used my desperation to promote themselves or something they are selling.

I know most of you are only sharing a joke or cartoon to make me laugh, or a helpful email from a friend.

Still I will not and never do open any attachments unless I know what they are and who they are originally from. I’ve been burned by viruses from well meaning emails in the past and have learned my lesson.

I love most all of your comments and appreciate all the support and encouragement you have given me in the past. Even the corrections have been enlightening and therefore helpful so I loved them too.

I don’t have so many friends that I don’t appreciate any long distant, cyber friendship. And in some ways the cyber friendships have been better and more frank.

So please do keep commenting. But don’t expect me to open your attachments or post the trash that sometimes shows up in my in box.

Oh, I’m glad that you took the time to send it. But I just don’t have the money to keep on having my computer cleaned out from the few viruses that get through. I just can’t take the chance any longer.

So I whole heartedly thank you for your comments, both the ones I’ve gotten and the ones to come. I’ll keep on being grateful to all of them. Because even the bad ones mean I’m not alone.

Have a happy holiday season whether you partake or not. And thank you all very much for just being there.

On In Need of Intervention:

I need a support group for people who have miss laid things and can’t find them again, but can’t let it go.

Just before Thanksgiving, back in mid November to be more accurate, I took an important to me thing and moved it from one place to another ‘better place’ to keep it safe, but easy to get at, while cleaning for the up coming holidays.

This large, multi pocket, brown envelope that I have been keeping all the patterns I have been making for my dolls and all their clothing, plus the measurements for a lot of their other stuff, is no where to be found.

I franticly search day after day. I methodically look as I go about moving my belongings from one place to another in search for it. My husband is also looking.

I repeat this moving and looking daily, getting little else done.

This is 17 years of my work and math that I can no longer do since the chemo messed with my brain.

Without it the project stops dead. The books never see the light of day.
Dolls sit without faces or hair, naked and wanting. Windows and doors never get put into walls. They all collect dust until I die and my husband throws them out into the trash to make more room to actually live in our house again.

I have turned into a crazy woman who thinks of little else. It is just not here any longer. No matter how many times I look over, under, around, and in the things I own. The universe sucked it into a black hole away from me to make me crazy and it is working.

When I’m not looking I’m either depressed about it or franticly searching my brain for another place for it to be in even though I have looked everywhere to the point of moving all my furniture in my search.

I’ve found things I haven’t seen in years. Tossed things I don’t want any longer to make more room for the searching.

And the saddest thing is that I can’t, I’m not ready, or just won’t let it go. It is eating the soul right out of me. And I don’t turn my back on it.

I need help. Its not worth my life but for the past weeks it has been nothing but my life.

I’ve tried to walk away but find myself looking again and again in the places that I know for a fact that it is not. I’ve looked here, there and everywhere multiple times already. It is gone and I can’t let go.

If you can, please help me move on.

On Getting with the Season:

I’m almost caught up with the blogs I read. Two weeks worth. And a lot of info.

I’ve made a batch of cookie dough and froze it in a log for easy cutting, ready incase company comes over with little advanced notice over the holidays. Pop it in the oven and we’re good to go in only 15 minutes.

I’ve pulled it out of the freezer, cut the log like dough, placed them on the cookie sheet; all while the oven warmed up. And fresh baked cookies were being pulled from the oven as the company came up the driveway.

It helps to make the house smell great for the arrivals too.

Not that we do the holiday thing. But friend and family do and make us part of the round of visits.

I do decorate but in winter theme. Snowflakes and snowmen, icicles and sleigh bells.

The kids (mostly the girls) all (even the adults) like to look at the mini world of the doll houses, dolls and their things. And if there is snow outside there is sledding down the hill past the oak grove.

No gift giving but plenty of love and enjoying each other. No pressure to find the right gift or spending money that I don’t have on something they don’t really want. No gifts that I don’t need or want to find room for.

It was hard in the beginning to make others understand our way of thinking. But now it isn’t as hard. And with the added economy issues others are having a harder time buying extras now and are happy to not have to add us to the gift list.

Winter comes with its holidays even if we don’t indulge in all of them. We all have a good time visiting in spite of our spiritual differences. I have no feelings of ill will to those that follow different life rules or holidays. To each their own, I say.

Happy holidays everyone!

The Gall of it All

What a year! It seemed like the harder I tried to blog the more the universe got in my way.

We had a very good Thanksgiving. Mom and her friend had a good time. The food turned out very good. We all ate too much.

This led to a gall bladder attack for me.

Not to worry, my gall bladder is still with me. Though I wish it wasn’t. Back to living on beets and apples again for a while.

I wasn’t the only one to have a gall bladder attack this year, but my younger sister’s was so bad she had emergency surgery and missed her daughters birthday party. My sister is now doing much better.

My attacks are bad, but not bad enough to put me on the emergency surgery list. This means I never do get rid of the offending body part.

Money and a heart problem are in the way of just having the thing yanked out at my bidding.

So life at Deathwatch Manor goes on much the same. Cooking, cleaning, knitting, crafting, playing games and watching DVD‘s.

I did get most of the way through a coloring book while stuck in bed far away from my computer. (I didn’t feel much like knitting while sick.)

There is just something comforting about the smell of crayons while sick.

I may need to get a new coloring book for the grandkid before he comes again, but it was very nice to have it while I was sick.

All in all, life is good. Its just those galling bad parts that get in the way sometimes. I hope next year is better for all of us.

On Thanksgiving Memories:

Thanksgiving is coming here in the USA in two weeks time.

The Halloween stuff gets toned down a bit and some replaced with ‘Turkeys’ and ‘Horns of Plenty.’

A good family holiday. I like cooking for a group. It is not like it used to be at my Grandmothers house when I was a kid. (There would be up to 28 people at the tables groaning with food.) Family is further a field and the cost of travel is getting greater.

Grandma would be cooking and baking for days. We would go over so early in the morning it would still be dark out. Pealing potatoes and preparing other veggies while the turkey-bird was already cooking in the oven.

We kids would go for a morning nap, and/or a long walk with Grandpa, and/or just watch the only, at that time, ‘Macy’s’ Parade in New York City on the Television while the food cooked and the feast would begin when the other relatives arrived. Some years we kids had a small play or poem to entertain the adults with.

When Grandma gave the word we all crammed ourselves around the lined up tables that went from the dinning room through the arch and into the living room. We ate and enjoyed each others company for hours.

Clean up commenced for the women while the men watched sports on TV and talked. And when the clean up was done we started in on leftovers until it was time to go home.

We were ever so thankful on those days gone by. Family, friends, health and happiness. It was enough for us.

I have to get my shopping done so my little thanksgiving feast will be just as good as my Grandma’s. My mom and her friend will be with us this year. But even if I was by myself I’d be thankful. I have a good little life.

On Just One Of Those Days:

On Just One Of Those Days:

I tripped. One of those little trips where you don’t fall down, but the things in your hands go flying and you kind of trip over them before you can stop yourself.

I did this with the spiral staircase for the doll house. It took hours to fix it. And I still have to replace a few parts, but it is in one piece and standing again.

And the toilet broke. It needs a new flusher valve and I have to wait until Mountain Man can get out for the part to fix it. So for now I have to use a bucket of water to flush.

And I got a wasp up my skirt while walking the dog. Seven stings later I managed to get it out. I had to limp home as they swelled. A baking soda poultice helped, but I still have red swollen bumps on my legs.

Tomorrow has to be a better day. And knowing that I can look forward to enjoying it, with no reservation, makes me smile.

On Give and Take:

Mountain Man is gone for the whole day today. Don’t worry. He’ll be back by dark. He is off helping a friend.

We are not fused at the hip by any means. But we touch base often living the way we do. And that means little interruptions in the day. Not bad or good, just stopping what you are doing to look up and answer a question or hear the latest news.

Having the day to myself with no interruptions is heaven sent. I have gotten so much done with no one around to take my mind away from what I’m doing. It is wonderful in its own way. Like hearing a piece of classical music through to the end with no one coughing in the audience, or watching a whole movie without the kids asking questions.

But still I feel the aloneness. When the fire in the wood stove gets low he is not around to add more wood without my even having to ask. I miss his minor interruptions.

He asks me how I’m doing. He touches me as he walks past. I help him do things he could do alone, but it goes faster with two. We share the load.

Not that I’m missing picking up after him all day long. Or dropping what I’m doing to do something for him and forgetting where I was and having to start all over again.

It’s a give and take. We do for each other and have done for us. Nice to know someone else is there if you need them, kind of thing.

So, I’m making head way on fixing a few things for the doll houses. I’m a hot glue gun fool today. Loose bits and bobs, table legs that have come off, things that came apart or lost a piece or two.

But I am feeling incomplete. Because there is no one here to take my give.

On It’s a Beautiful Potato Day:

It is a beautiful Autumn day here today. The trees are just starting to turn colors and the air is just the right temperature.

We went for a walk with the dog, who ran around so much that he seemed to be going in ten directions at once. Now he is sleeping off his hike.

It’s supposed to rain tomorrow and turn colder. So we were making the best of the day. Digging potatoes and putting them in our make shift root cellar. We have a large plastic bin almost all buried in the shed. After we fill it with potatoes we put the lid on and cover it over with bails of hay.

I just love garden fresh potatoes. Nothing like the store bought. Same with carrots and other veggies. Nothing beats that fresh garden taste. Too bad you can’t get that taste all year round living here. But I wouldn’t give up Autumn or Winter for anything.

I’ll be making a batch of potato salad tonight from the little new potatoes that are bite sized bits of goodness and I’ll be enjoying every bite. With skins so thin and fresh that you don’t need to peel them.

I’m a pinch cook. I don’t generally use recipes. I just grab a pinch of this and a dab of that so I can’t give you a recipe like you’d find in a book. But I can tell you what I put into it.

Sweet Honey-Mustard Potato Salad
Red Potatoes - garden fresh, cooked and cooled, cut into bite sized pieces (Any other potato will do, but the look of the red skins, green beans and yellow sauce looks festive.)
Green Beans - cut into inch pieces, lightly boiled to a bright green, but still crisp then quick cooled (I’ve used frozen green beans in a pinch.)
Mayonnaise of your choice
Brown Mustard
Honey
Sweet Onion - minced fine, onion powder will do in a pinch.
Salt - I use sea salt but any type of salt is fine.

I go with 2 / 3 potato to 1 / 3 green beans. I mix it all to taste and serve it as a side dish to franks and beans or burgers and fresh corn on the cob.

On Blustery Play Day:

So yesterdays east coast earth quake came and went with little damage, and none to human life, it did shake up a lot of folk.

Now we are looking Hurricane Irene in the face. The air is wild and brisk today. Not cold exactly, but fresh and cool.

I love wild blustery windy days. The kind of wind that comes and goes in all directions seemingly at once. The wind turns the leaves on the trees upside down with a steady hiss as the leaves brush against each other.

These winds are not kind to bumbershoots (Umbrellas or parasols.) or lacey fairy wings and tend to tangle your long skirts and petticoats around your legs. Lifting leaves or papers and things off the ground and throw them about. But still I love them.

They stir me up and give me energy. I want to break out in a run and make loud noises. I feel like I’m chasing and being chased all at once.

I don’t expect to see fairies or even small animals in the woods on days like this. Whorl winds of debris dance about and die in clearings. As children we would chase them, trying to jump into the center and fly away. They were never strong enough for that, but we were children and endlessly hopeful.

When we were older children we thought about gliders and other Icarus type contraptions on blustery days. Running and jumping into the wind with large pieces of cardboard in tow were the game then.

Winds like this are usually followed by rain and lots of it. And tomorrow that is the forecast.

Today it is just such a blustery day. I should be hanging laundry on the clothes line and airing out things for the winter months catching this fresh smell for those months to come. But all I want to do is to take a bed sheet by the corners, go outside and play with the wind.

On Back on the Trail:

Or should that be winged horse?

Anyway, I was tired and slow because I was getting sick. I got a nasty sinus infection complete with migraine headache.

I’m well now and back in the pink. That should be black and purple really? I don’t do pink. I'm feeling thankful that I'm well again.

I have traded in my medium sized, neon green wings with black trim for my bat black and silver set this week. The black are a bit larger than the green so I’ll have to be a little more careful when doing house work. My purple set are my biggest wings and I only use them for play.

I also have three small, child size, sets of wings that I use when I’m really busy or only need a small lift. And my branch and leaf wings are for walks in the woods and looking for woodland fairies.

It has been a bit cooler this past week around here. The summer is starting to get that look about it that it gets when summer is on the decline. The smell of the air in the mornings have a hint of autumn. And the evenings have traded fireflies for katydids.

I’m looking forward to Autumn as usual. My favorite time of year. I’m getting revitalized just thinking about it. Harvest, color, nesting, sweaters, longer nights and shorter days. The woods open up and show their secrets when they drop their leaves. The skies have more gray days. The crisp chill that makes you feel alone and the need to hug yourself even on a crowded street.

Well, I’m off to work on the story I was writing when I was interrupted by being sick. I’ll have to see if it is worth anything or if it was just a sick crazed mess. But either way I’ll try to post a new story on my writing blog sometime soon.

Edit: For a look at some really huge wings, take a peek at Travel, Fiber and Threads blog.

On Vacation Timing:

I’ve been busy. More than usual for this time of year. Missing a month or more of a part of my year set me back.

I remember August as a kid. My father always took his vacations in August, so that is when we went. It was the time of year to do day trips, or camping, swimming, and not doing the normal everyday things in life.

When I was the mommy, I’d make our vacation plans for August.

But this year I don’t have a day to spare.

Gardening, harvesting, canning, home repair, visiting relatives for work/repair days at their homes, volunteering, meetings, wood gathering, wood splitting, wood stacking and getting things ready in and outside of the house for winter.

Over scheduling! Calendar Full!

I’m just glad I don’t have kids to get ready for school.

Yes, I know that I can do some of those things next month if I choose to. But next month has its own things to do. So this month I try to catch up so when September comes I’m ready.

I’d rather not procrastinate. I sat for too long last month. Now I want to get things done. No vacation time, but I don’t mind now that I’m back home.

On What I Learned While On My Forced Quiet Time:

Well, I could have just brooded about my situation while being stuck in Nowhere’s Ville, Normal Town, USA.

But I chose a better route. I looked within and found some things that I had been missing. I generally don’t do good with too much time to think. I can work myself up to a panic if I let myself.

I watched the trees in the breeze and found faces.

I hadn’t done that since I was a kid. Its kinda’ like those puzzles where you find the hidden pictures in the larger picture. (Find the hidden cup, bat, phone, and dog.)

I found baby faces, old faces, lady faces, man faces. Faces that looked like they were talking to each other and faces that looked like they were talking to me.

It was like having my own group of friends come to see how I was doing, while I sat quietly waiting for the woman I was helping to finish napping.

I would think up conversations for them. The old fisherman with a beard would say, ‘How’s the day been treating you?’ And the Lady with a hat would answer, ‘Middlin’ good. Just like my friend watch us out that window down there.’ The baby would just smile away.

The older woman, in the next tree over, asked me questions about my self growth. How are you feeling about your life path these days? Are you good with your God? What do you want to accomplish in yourself before you get home? Having busy work doesn’t make you accomplished, does it? (Along with others.)

All good questions and I was glad for the time to listen and think on them.

No panic, no self doubt, no self incrimination. Only finding parts of me that I had lost. Gaining perspective. I’m a better, healthier person for doing it.

I also found some silly parts of me that I just stopped having fun with a long time ago. And you know what? It helps me be a better grandma now that I’ve found them again.

So I didn’t have a half bad time will I was away. And I got some really good self learning in while I was at it. Better stuff than money can buy if you ask me.

On 'Helping' Others:

Although I like to help others, I’m no saint. I did go with an eye toward my own comforts and considerations. She had a nice comfortable bed for me in the corner of a home office room. And the paycheck was going to help out. So I packed mostly just my vanilla/normal clothing to work in someone else‘s home for their comfort.

I was once a nurses aid, in three different nursing homes no less, back in the day. So I knew what to expect on the whole. I also knew that this person did not have all the funds or insurance coverage to go into temporary nursing care or be able to take care of herself at home for that time, even with a visiting nurse.

I was ‘hired’ to make and server meals, do a little ‘light’ house cleaning and the personal care and cleaning of this woman until she could resume doing these things for herself again. And I was not offered a large figure for doing this.

She had no computer, DVD player or even a TV, only a radio and some cassette tapes of general oldies pop music. Books of Christian novels. And an anti social cat.

She thought she could rent a computer for me and had no idea that it needed to be plugged into an internet hookup of some kind. (And since Gladys, my laptop computer, died with a thump to the head on the floor one day. I was without my laptop to play with, have my own music, or write on.) And frankly I was hoping that the paycheck would go some way toward buying me new one.

Don’t get me wrong here. I would have helped her without the promise of money. I just would have been happier knowing I was doing it from a point of giving and not as a job. I might have also seen to my own comforts a bit more. And I would have resented the extra time spent there a little less.

She was a light sleeper and I would stare quietly out the window for hours so she would not be disturbed by my leaving the room, for example.

You all know how it is. There are things you would do for money that you wouldn’t do else wise. Or at least you would have a different attitude about it. That was my dilemma after the first few weeks when I realized she couldn‘t pay all her bill much less pay me.

I would have been happy to wash her floors on my hands and knees for nothing given the choice. But to do it for cash and getting none, hurt me more then I’d like to admit.

She is a sweet old thing and I liked caring for her. (It was my choice to leave without serving her a bill for moneys owed. Knowing she didn‘t have it.) But I would have packed some more of my Lady Euphoria clothing and makeup, and been more comfortable in my own skin knowing the outcome.

On A Shout Out:

Back a few weeks ago when I was going through that bad time of my dogs dieing, Darkside of Knitting tagged me for a meme. And I thank her because every peek into my blog helps.

It was a meme I had done a few months before, the Stylish Blogger Award, and I just couldn’t bring myself to get into it at that time.

But I really like her blog and didn’t want her to loose my adding to her traffic by nhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifot playing along. So please go and check out Darkside of Knitting. You just might like it too.

On Thirds:

Well another year is almost at the third way point. Yes, May is almost upon us.

I am spring cleaning and have a goal of getting rid of one third of my collected junk. J-U-N-K Jewels (As in Sparklies), Unproductive (Collecting dust.), Non-useable (By me at this time.), Klutter (Clutter, poetic license).

Of that third of my things, I have told myself that I have to recycle/re-purpose at least a thirds of it.

So I am selling a third, giving away a third, and reusing/recycling most of the rest.

Most of the selling stuff is things I used when I was doing colonial re-enacting. I can’t see just sending it to Good Will. They don’t know what half of the stuff is for or how to use it anyway. And re-enactors are always looking for a deal on used, broken in things. (New stuff sticks out like a sore thumb.)

I do have to pair down the crafting collection. I have a day camp willing to take a lot of that stuff off my hands in one load. Popsicle sticks to plastic beads, odd baskets to extra glue guns. Even some odd left over paint. They can use the free crafting stuffs.

As to re-using things? Well by patch work and piece meal. I’ll have a few more bed covers and such. I always did patchwork over blankets that were getting worn out. It beats buying filler for them.

And there is no end of things I can make the grandkid out of my old stuff. Toys, clothes, games, soft books. Few things around here ever just get thrown out without having at least one use before the garbage bin. Even food containers like paper milk containers become building blocks or seedling planters. The plastic ones get holes put in them and they collect things from crafting supplies to berries when it is picking time.

Oh, the things you can do with a cottage cheese container and its lid.

Anyway I need the space, the freedom, and the piece of mind.

Three good things to have, if you ask me.

On Update:

Now I’m not saying that my life is going down hill, or that I really can complain about anything. Because I do have it good all things considered. And I’m not overly upset about any of it. Life has its ups and downs. And I’m in for the ride.

Puppy discovered bugs and worms. To chase, catch, and bring into the house.

Rain and wind storm, lights out. Reading by candle light.

Yoga-ed too much, too soon and strained my back a bit.

Rained hard and some came in under the door. Wet floors and damp rugs.

Sunshine and growth and budding happening all around. Trees rufus with buds, husta’s doubling in growth daily, grass will need mowing very soon.

Rain and more rain. Puppy comes in after each walk and no white fur can be found on him, only brown drippy mud. Bath time for puppy many times a day.

My computer key board is dieing and I just got it last November. Dell is going to hear about this!

Rain and rain and more rain. Ran down the chimneys and onto the floors, under the doors and onto the floors. Took up most of the rugs days before.

Funeral for wife of Mountain Man’s friend, cancer. Sad. Very vanilla people so had to find some ‘not’ Goth clothing. And me with a closet full of Victorian Mourning garb. (What a waste of good Gothiness!)

Got some great deals at the dollar store on the way home from the funeral.

There is a rodent in the house and the puppy shows no signs of being a mouser. Mountain Man is setting traps in the bedroom where last it was heard scratching under a dresser.

On Help! I’m Playing and I Just Can’t Stop!:

I found a new obsession!

Well, let me back up to the beginning of the story.

I have an iGoogle page and on it I have a few game that I play now and again.

You know those free video games that you only play a few rounds and move on to the next thing you’re suppose to be doing.

I had Bejeweled, the old version, on there and it just stopped working, so I went to find a new game to replace it.

I found ‘Flood-It!’! A simple game of starting in the upper left hand corner you take one color (of the 6) at a time and collecting the available touching colored squares in the box, until the box is filled with only one color. You have a limited amount of tries for each round of play. There are 3 sized playing boards, Small, Medium and Large.

It is from labpixis.com. They have more than a few things just for iGoogle, (and a few for Android and iPhone) that I have on my home page. (You don’t have to have iGoogle for your ‘home’ page. You can make it just a page you create for yourself with your favorite gadgets in it. All you need is a ‘gmail’ address to get at it. Free and easy.)

I’ve been playing for days almost non stop. I’m addicted to this silly stupid game.

I’m going to have to delete it. I have other more important things to do. Really I do!

I’m a level Genius Pixie already. (And frankly I’m not that great at it. I only have a 50% win rate.) I haven’t even touched the large board yet.

I guess, I’m hoping it will just burn itself out and I won’t have to hit the delete button.

But at the moment, I’m a bad girl and loving every minute of it.

On Being at the Spa:

Okay friends and fiends. We’re going to play a little game of deception.
(I’ll not tell you I was sick yet again and you will believe I was in a spa for the last week.)

So, I've been at the spa and I had a ‘good’ time, I lost 15 pounds. It was quiet and I did read quite a bit. I lounged around in bed quite a lot also. But mostly I just slept the days away.

The puppy learned a few new tricks while I was busy pampering myself.
How to unravel a throw rug to the point it couldn’t be saved.
How to repeatedly run down a patch of flowers flat, instead of ‘doing his business’ outside.
How to chew a hole in a pillow and pull out all the stuffing.

Sir Handsome also unlearned some things he use to be good at.
How to ‘do his business’ outside.
How to run around outside instead of inside the house like a crazy thing until exhausted.
How to scratch at he door instead of howl and yowl to wake the dead until someone lets him outside.

All things considered it was a good week and we have so many new things to learn and undo it will keep us busy for weeks to come.

I just hope I can keep most of the weight off after all I went through to have it gone in the first place. Now I have to replace lost muscle first. I’m about as good as a wet dishrag when I try to get further than a room length at the moment. But my stomach needs have shrunk to almost nothing. I’m eating like a bird. A peck here, a peck there.

I expect that we will be back to normal here in just a few days. If not I just may find a ‘real’ nice spa out of state to hide in for a while.

On Ouch! What Was That?:

Well, despite my best efforts I didn’t blog yesterday. It was just such a lovely day for a change that we jumped into spring fixing mode. We even opened the windows wide to let in the warm fresh air. Now where did we put those window screens?










The snow by the garden wall that greeted me yesterday morning had melted all away by noon. And the crocus’s have made a comeback.

Mountain Man took the kitchen screen door apart to replace the broken screening and paint it, he made a ramp for the dog to get up to the window seat and did other ‘make it better’ or ‘fix it’ stuff.



















I cleaned house, tossed broken non repairable things in the recycling bin, added things to the ‘fix it’ pile and repeatedly chased after a puppy running full tilt around and around and around again in the muddy yard. (The kitchen door was open and he took full advantage of that fact.) And did I mention cleaning the kitchen floor and bathing the dog a few times too.















The good news is Sir Handsome now knows that he can do his ‘business’ outside. Not that he doesn’t have accidents, but he wants to go outside if he can get there in time.

By evening we were very tired and just sat in a lump watching TV and catching our breath from a happy day well spent.

That was until the slapping started. No, not each other. The mosquitoes! Yes, the first day it was warmish here and the beasts were out already and apparently congregating in my house. I don’t remember a year that we didn’t get to have the house open for a few days while getting the screens back in place before they showed up in force.

Anyway, we have red, itchy pumps all over us from the flying fiends, but the screen door has a fresh coat of paint as it dries out in the shed. Just in time for another cold spell.

Did the weather forecaster just say S-N-O-W on Wednesday? He did, didn’t he? Oh No, Yes He Did!

I’m going back to bed to hide under the covers until the snow goes away or summer bug season starts, which ever comes first. I just can’t take both at the same time.

Ouch! Another one just got me. Gotta’ Hide!