Pearl Valley

the hill


If I don't get the chance to stop along the road to take some pictures, sometimes I will roll the window of the car down, balance my camera on my left shoulder and just click away. I don't pay attention to what the camera is doing, I just look after I am home and have downloaded them to the pc. I caught a beauty today of this small hill.

fenceline


An interesting fenceline. I meant to touch this one up in PhotoShop, but forgot.

man in chair


I was hoping that I would get him and I did. Although he is a little blurry. He was sitting outside waving to the traffic. I think he saw my camera and was curious.

sheriff


On up the road, I entered the city limits. Sitting at a red light, I didn't know that I captured this ominous driver. Hmmm. Good thing for me, I stopped shortly after taking this pic and put my camera in my passenger's seat. Nothing pretty in town, so I put it away. I had no idea he was next to me.

Colder weather? Nah!

red bird


An old wive's tale, I'd say. My Mom always said that when you see a red bird, that meant cold air was headed our way. Well, I saw one the other day and - nope. Nothing cold. It has been nice and warm. Maybe a wee bit cooler in the evenings, but I think that is supposed to happen when September rolls into the middle of the month.

I saw Daisyloo's sister down the road on a light pole. My daughter said it was her brother, it was a man, but it had long straw-colored hair like Daisyloo does. I won't be surprised if Daisyloo goes missing one night while they go and paint the town red. She is just wild like that.

Dover Dam

dover dam


About ten miles from my house sits Dover Dam. It isn't very pretty, but it is utilitarian.

If you haven't done it yet, go to google moon and zoom all the way in. Cute.

A beautiful lake

the lake


My friend is trying to sell her camper/site here along this lake. We have been partying here for about ten years. Someone suggested that I should buy it. My eldest sister is thinking of selling the family home this spring. (She purchased it in 1966). Someone in the family suggested that I buy it and restore it.

Both ideas sound nice. But, right now I am just trying to raise my teenage daughter, keep up my own home that I have purchased, keep down a full time job, and manage my own life. Life is good. Life is short. Damn, life is complicated. Sometimes, I just get so, so tired of it all. Take on more? I don't think so.

I have three birthday get togethers this month and a baby shower. I have been wrapping gifts and fixing crafts and food. I have a cold and my daughter has a cold. Nothing that will keep us out of school and work but just enough to be annoying.

Car needs to see the mechanic and the cats/dog need to see the veterinarian. Did I call to make those appointments today? Nope. I have three doctor appointments this month, my daughter has one plus a dental appointment. We had open house at school, and she has two birthday parties this month.

I am tired and I am going to bed.

The Blue Lagoon

half moon lake


As anyone here knows, I like blue. I was able to capture some blue indigo sky into the pictures I took of the lake last night. The moon didn't last very long, he disappeared below the horizon soon after taking this picture. There was no beautiful sunset like last year. No pinks in the sky. Oh, well.

Regardless, I posted most all of them on my photos page of my web page. I don't advertise my page with meta tags. I plan to someday, probably not today. So, when I check my site meter for that web page (which is not very often), I am surprised that anyone besides close friends and family have visited there.

What really tripped me up a couple of months back was the rambling I did on my certain brand of computer that rhymes with smell. I don't dare mention it again, because they will pick up my blog entry here again and post it on their site - again.

What I am talking about is: this site searches for anyone mentioning my brand of pc with the word that also rhymes with it and having the definition of Hades, along with the word "support."

I mentioned the problems I was having on this blog site and it picked it up not once, but twice. The first time because I mentioned it and pointed to my web page, and the second time because I mentioned in my blog the fact that a lot of my hits were coming from that reference. So, in an effort to stop my web page from more of the same, I have refrained from referring to the names on this entry. This probably sounds as confusing as hell (whoops there is a trigger word), but what I am getting down to is the fact that I am still getting hits on my web page from that incident.

As today, I noticed one from a United States gov web site. I only focus on the individuals who spend more than sixty seconds at my site. The government? Yikes, I was wondering why are they looking at my personal web page? I just post pictures of giant grasshoppers, flowers, lakes and trees. I was relieved to discover that it was the United States Department of Agriculture. Probably researching that car-sized grasshopper citing in Carroll county. LOL.

Anyway, I like to keep my personal web page low key. I have uploaded way over my limit of space and so far, no one has stopped me. A while back I asked my provider how would I know when I reached the 10mb limit. They answered that my uploads would error out and they would stop uploading. Well, they error out, but that is because I am shoving 70 to 80 images at a time and it stalls. I just re-connect and keep on shoving. They are just pictures and the only copyright I may be infringing upon is dear Mother Nature. She hasn't given me her permission yet, but she hasn't complained, either.

Hey, maybe my provider meant 10mb per upload. Ha, ha - NOT! Last count, I had over 200mb on my site and growing daily. I keep taking pictures and I keep uploading. I just can't stop. I suppose they will pull the plug at some point, but until then I will keep posting pictures.

www.mydeja-view.com

www.mydeja-view.org

www.mydeja-view.net

A friend brought taco lasagne (lasagna) to the party last night. It was quite delicious. Tostada shells crumbled on the bottom. Ground beef mixed with taco seasoning came next. Then, a layer of cottage cheese. A layer of green chile peppers, a layer of salsa, a layer of shredded cheddar cheese. Top with crumbled tostada shells and if you wish, taco sauce. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for thirty to forty minutes until heated through and cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream and/or guacamole sauce.

Some variations of the recipe include using flour tortillas instead of tostada shells. Onions can be added, along with black beans and refried beans. Here is a close recipe for Taco Lasagna. I have decided that cold beer goes very well with Mexican foods. Big discovery there, folks.

There was also a lemon delight dessert. I shunned lemony-tasting foods for years, but my taste buds continue to change and I find myself liking lemon more and more. I'll look for the recipe and fix it at my next family get together.

I am tired and am recording Ladder 49 as I type. I watched parts of it and maybe someday I'll get around to watching it in it's entirety. I did not get nearly enough sleep last night. It does take time to post all those pictures, you know. My nephew keeps trying to "give" me short cuts to posting, but he just doesn't understand that I don't want shortcuts. I want to learn "on my own" and do it my way and when I have the time. For now, I will post them the long way and the tedious way. I don't like someone handing me things, I want to learn how to do it myself. He is a wizard and bless him, but I love this stuff too much to take short cuts.

It is kind of like Art. If you are painting a picture, you don't ask for somebody else to paint it for you. It is a creation - an expression of your soul. It may be rudimentary, but it is all mine. I don't create anything until I fully understand what it is that I am doing. Sure, I copy things from other sites. But, they are training html sites. They post to educate me, and I learn from them.

I like what I do.

Believe it or not

giant grasshopper


I didn't really tell many people about my side trip last week. I still can't believe it myself. It was a lonely stretch of road. I was by myself. I did have my camera, and was taking pictures. Then, it happened. From out of nowhere. I was driving along the dirt road, minding my own business and over the hill it came. A giant grasshopper.

Sweet Mary Mother of God. I grabbed my camera and resisted the urge to jam the car into reverse and get the heck out of there. I thought to myself, "Okay. Grasshoppers don't have teeth or pincers, do they? What can it do to me? I don't think it can crush my car." So I moved ahead.

flying giant grasshopper


A little further up the next hill, another one hopped into view. As if from out of the sky.

(The pictures are not touched up or added to in any way, shape or form. They are as original as the second I took them.)

I looked around to see if there was a farmhouse or a farmer on a tractor. Anyone to witness the phenomenal event. But, there was no one. Just me and my camera. I have a few more shots of the creature, but it was scurrying away by that time and they are blurry.

running giant grasshopper


Here is the one crossing the road in front of my car. I had to swerve to miss him.

I am still shook up by the whole ordeal.

What did my daughter say? "Aw, Mom. Just turn on the windshield wipers. They will go away." Ewwwww.

LOL. For more pics: www.mydeja-view.org - choose Photos button at bottom of page.

And then came Tobias

tobias


Some of my relatives are expecting babies. Others, are getting new additions to their families. Meet Tobias. He was mostly legs at the cook-out. He ran around completely curious about everything. He didn't want much human contact, he probably gets enough of that. He wanted to roam. Into the woods, into the fire, into the trash, into the flowers. He even tried to walk on top of the lily pads. I wish I had seen that and taken a picture of it. Or better, a movie of it.

It wasn't long before he tuckered himself out. He wouldn't sit still long enough for me to get a picture. My camera has auto-focus and he just was not patient enough for the moment. This one was probably the most I got of his facial features. The rest are body parts, usually moving away from me as fast as he could. "Who are you? You don't have food, I can't eat that black box!" And, away he would plod looking for another adventure.

I don't have much experience with puppies. I always got my pet dogs fixed and from the pound. The abandoned ones. The ones that nobody else wanted. Tobias (a.k.a. Toby) is a rescue. Some of my friends pay hundreds of dollars for a dog. I can't do that when there are so many waiting for a home. Waiting to be loved. Just because they don't have a certain look or blood line shouldn't determine that they don't get a chance.

Aw, don't mind me. I just lost all my formatting on one of my documents and have discovered that I have to do all the work over again. I saved the damn thing, but for some reason moving it from my laptop machine to my desktop machine re-arranged the html document. I am trying to find a fix without all the extra work. I think I am getting sick. Lots of people off from work and lots of kids out of school. Something is going around. Headaches, sore throats and stomach aches.

Stop and smell the roses

two creams


Two beautiful cream color roses from my sister's flower garden. I also have pictures of their pond that they started last year. It has so much green my eyes had a mini vacation.

Family cook-out yesterday. Today, me and my crew.

I am worn out.

View from a school

farm


Could you imagine going to school and seeing this? I was coming out of the school in "cow country" this past week and this is what greeted me when I got to my car. My camera was in the car and I just snapped away while driving away. FFA is probably big here.

I dressed in my bathroom this morning. I don't know why. But, I grabbed the deodorant out of a drawer. It was one I used years ago while in my late teens and early twenties. (Uh, a new container, not the same one! LOL) The smell brought back memories like a wave crashing down around me. I was back standing in my old bedroom in my Mom's house. I felt rejuvenated. Excited for the day. Maybe I should use that deodorant every day.

Perhaps I should investigate Aromatherapy a bit. It appears that my olfactory senses bring on a lot of headaches for me. Maybe I can use the sense to my advantage.

Well, I have a lot to do. I have a family cook-out tomorrow at my sister's house. I am taking a cheeseball with crackers (of course) and the layered taco dip. Here is the recipe:

I usually place this in a round tray with a small lip, so it doesn't spill out over the sides. I use a wide spatula to spread the first layers with. And it is easier to bag up the ingredients and take to the cook-out location, putting it onto the tray there. For obvious transport reasons, you don't want to drive with a full tray of this stuff. Trust me.

Refried beans
Mixed cottage cheese and sour cream
Salsa
Shredded lettuce
Fine shredded mild cheddar cheese
Sliced black olives

It has always been called seven layer taco dip. I guess the cottage cheese and sour cream are considered two different layers, but I mix them. You can also add fresh chopped onions and green peppers. Some chop up tomatoes very fine instead of salsa. I get a couple of different kinds of tostada shells to dip with. I try different salsas as some get very watery and the dip starts to look a little bit sickly after sitting for a couple of hours. I break this into two different trays, because I don't like perishables to sit outside for very long. I leave one in the fridge for later.

My grocery store has setup a relief fund for the hurricane effort. I will make sure and do my part today while I shop. I hope that some changes will come about in an effort to remedy what happened during this troubled time. Because I don't know all the facts (and possibly never will) you cannot point the finger at any one group or person. I hope for a merciful relief for all involved.

Oh what a web we weave

web1


Here is the spider web from the other morning. I tried to get the spider into the picture, too. It is in the upper left of the web.

web2


Close up of the spider. Looks like it is taking a drink from one of the dew drops.

web3


This time I certainly caught the spider in the photo.

web4


And, a close detail of one of the web's anchors.

Been a long day. Finally, a headache is gone. The migraine medicine was taken earlier at lunchtime. Two advil this evening knocked out the rest of the discomfort. If I could just take my eyeballs out and sit them in a bowl of ice water or something.

My daughter and I went to see Red Eye yesterday. We had the entire theater to ourselves. I told her I reserved it just for us. Yeah, right. The movie has you thinking that person is involved, or this person must be in on it. Keeps you guessing. This guy plays a great C-R-E-E-P.

They call me mellow yellow

mellow yellow


I had a wonderful drive today. Actually, I had a wonderful day. As soon as I walked out my front door I saw a fantastic spider web. I'll post those pics another day. The yellow moth in this picture was a big as the flower he was sitting on.

Well, I just burnt up one of my T-Fal saucepans. I am so-o-o mad at myself. If you have birds you know that this is death to them. I just hope that my poor little Peru is far enough away from the kitchen the fumes don't kill her. The pan was thrown outside in the wet grass. I am losing more and more marbles every day.

Edit: 10:00 p.m. - The house is aired out, the bird seems fine, but I have the worst headache! I hate, hate, hate smells!

Aliens among us

alien


When I saw this photo of a man walking in the rain-soaked streets just prior to Katrina, my first thought was "That looks like an alien." I still giggle when I see it.

Although, I am not at all amused by the total chaos happening in the wake of the hurricane. I am troubled, speachless, bowled-over and anxious. What can I do? What is the best course of action? Send money,
I suppose.

I have one heck of a week coming up. With gas prices jumping higher, I find myself looking at five trips north this week alone. Sometimes it just happens that way. Not work related. Sigh.

What is with my Daisyloo? I moved her from the patio to the front yard. She was leaning up against the front porch railing. I had to pick her up again. She was face-down in the wet grass. When the rains were coming, I moved her onto the porch into a potted plant. A big potted plant. I found her yesterday leaning out over the porch, face-down in the wet grass again! What is it with this doll?

Anyway, her stick had come out of her.... out of her, errr.....burlap sack area and I had to sort of re-arrange her or put her back together. Kind of like the scarecrow on The Wizard of Oz. When I placed her back in her full upright position, I noticed dozens of I think they are called "pill" bugs. They can roll themselves up into a tight ball. So, I figured during the rains they crawled up onto Daisyloo to keep from drowning. My, she is quite the rescuer. I am going to have to tie that girl down.

NOLA

sp moss


Here is a photo from my nephew's collection when he visited New Orleans in the spring. I am hoping for a speedy recovery for the area.

I cleaned my gutters out this evening in anticipation of Katrina hitting Ohio. They say it won't be as bad as Ivan/Frances last September, but I know my gutters. I have one that I just cannot reach. My ladder is six foot, I am five-three, and the stick I had was two feet. But, of course I only go to the third step on the ladder because of the uneven ground. Sigh.

Going outside started my head hurting. Or, maybe it was the cleaning of the gutters. I pretty much flung slop all over myself and my house siding. The headache remains and I took some ibuprofin. Maybe the barometric pressure is changing.

Ugh! My head was itching and I just found a clump of slop from the gutter cleaning. Well, off to the shower for me. Adios.

Gorgeous, outrageous, hideous and marvelous

wildflower purple


Gorgeous:
I was attracted to the bright purple wild flowers growing alongside the back roads all of August this month. I was determined to get some pictures of them. They grew along the road, in the fields. Although the one above is a little blurry, it is the best one I have from the Bunker Hill adventure.

Outrageous:
I started my Sunday morning out the same way I do most every Sunday. Cup of coffee, reading glasses and the Sunday paper. Picking my way through the living room bodies strung out on the couch, the chair and the floor, I make my way quietly to the front door and retrieve the paper and escape back into my bedroom.

I usually start with the news and read most of the paper. The Sports section is left for bathroom reading - for my bird! Thankfully, I do not have to read the classifieds, either. I also skip any religious sections and the social columns. What do I care who is getting engaged or married?

Finishing up with the comics and slick advertisements, I complete my Sunday morning ritual. Now, I like coupons as well as the next person, but this one really got to me. $2.00 off on four boxes of cereal! Get real! I recall getting angry when they would make you buy two of something in order to use the coupon, but I realized that I do a lot of "two" buying. Two cans of peaches, two cans of olives, etc... But, come on - four boxes of cereal! With the price of ceral being close to five dollars a box, that is nearly a third of my grocery bill for the entire week.

I was the type who ate toast each morning. I did not like anything sweet for breakfast. Until I was pregnant. That was one of the first triggers that alerted me to my pregnancy. I noticed that I was craving sweets much more than I normally did. At the family cook-out, I ate the candy and not the hot dogs or potato salad. What in the world? Then, I had to go and take a nap. Hmmm.

Travelling with my large family on summer vacations we would go to the pancake house. I always ordered eggs. The thought of pancakes in the morning just turned my stomach. Or, I guess it was probably the syrup.

My daughter likes cereal. She really likes milk. So, I do purchase cereal, but not four boxes at a time. Good gracious. Growing up, I recall one of my brothers eating cereal. He ate lots of cereal. He also added sugar to his cereal. Blech! (I love sugar later in the day, don't get me wrong.) I never started that habit with my daughter, there is no need with all the sugar in cereal today. I don't even think she knows where I keep the sugar.

Hideous:
This is what I saw in my bathroom this morning. Now, I am all for free expression as much as the next liberal American, but this kind of caught me off guard. Even with all of my open-mindedess and "live and let live" philosophy, I was taken aback with this particular piece of apparel.

belt buckle

It is a belt buckle made from the.... from the... (with a wince on my face) this is hard to put into words. What do you call it? A dental mold of the mouth of one of my daughter's friends. My coffee is turning sour in my stomach. I guess I have a weak stomach, I don't know.

My daughter didn't question why I came out of the bathroom, got my camera and went back in for a minute. She probably didn't want to know why.

I swear, in all my days I never imagined someone would want to display this sort of device (for lack of a better word) on their body. She has no relative in the dental industry that I am aware of. Once I overcame the initial shock, the only person I could even dream of wearing this would be a dentist or their relative. Hmmm.

Marvelous:
My nephew is expecting a baby (well his female partner is) and my niece is already due in October. Finally! Real babies in the family again. Other than a step grand-child, we have not had any blood relatives producing in fourteen years. I am so excited. I wish my Mom were here. I do, I do, I do!

Who was that masked blogger?

sun burstbh


Who was that blogging on my site on Wednesday? Must have been Daisyloo sneaking into my computer and logging onto my blog. I think she was still mad because I left her out lying face down in the grass for so long.

She is now out front, with the porch railing as a back support. Hopefully, the hard winds won't knock her down anymore. Sorry, Daisyloo.

She was very pessimistic in her blog. That just wasn't me at all.

Picture above is from my drive on Wednesday over Bunker Hill. Sun bursting through the tree leaves.

Gonna get me some!

light stream


Motivation! Gotta get me some of dat. Don't know how, don't know where, but I gotta find me some. Gotta reach way down inside and pull it out. It been hidin' from me.

Yeah. I'm fed up with myself and my lack of motivation. I have been dragging myself around the past couple of months. Could be the heat. Well, if that is the case, then my attitude should change because we have much cooler weather.

Everyone I talk to says "Get out and move! Walk. Walk the dog. Play some upbeat music. Go meet friends." I want to lock my doors and stay inside. When I walk the dog, I see beautiful lawns and I get depressed. I shouldn't be out here walking the dog, I should be home tending to my lawn. It's a disease. I don't want to see any friends. I don't have a good time.

I feel horribly guilty for writing this. My friends deserve better. They are beautiful, wonderful people. The problem is me, not them.

Anyway, the photo above is from today. I took a nice back road to the school I was fixing today. I stopped along the way and recorded some of the beautiful wild flowers on the back roads. I posted this one to contrast the one I put up yesterday. Yes, I deal with boring network wires and such sometimes, but other times I get to drive on wonderful back roads on a day so sweet as today.

If today was so beautiful and sweet, then why am I so low?
red barn


Check out this blue sky! This photo is untouched. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. Of course not, they were all in my head.

hidden grasshopper


Why stop there? Click on the above photo to see a closeup of someone hiding. I tried to center him. His big brown eye is just a little up and to the right of the center of the photo. Follow him down his golden body and to the right you can just make out his long back leg used for hopping in the grass. Hopping in the grass.

This is it.

wires


Mmmm Hmmm. Welcome to my world. My work world. A picture is worth a thousand words. This one gives me a headache. Find that loop!

Autumn Road

autumn road


My favorite time of the year is approaching. As soon as things settle down, I can relax and enjoy the beautiful Ohio scenery again.

We have freshman orientation tonight. We leave in twenty minutes (in order to get a parking space) and my daughter just got into the shower. She takes a lot longer than twenty minutes, I can tell you that. She did nothing today. No chores. Not only was I in a bad mood when I came home, headache, tired, hot and everything else; I come home to find that she has done nothing to help out. I am fuming. We have been shooting sparks at each other all evening.

She wanted to burn a CD. I got her started (she has done this before, so I don't know what the deal was), and she kept saying it wouldn't work. I finally sat down at her computer and checked into it. It kept failing on me, too. Then, I realized that the spindle of disks was from my niece's stash downstairs. They were used disks. That is so like a teenager to burn a disk and not label it.

I got the new disks and the burning worked just fine. I popped the CD into the player and listened to the songs. The CD is now in the trash. Because of this song and I ripped the CD out of the player before it finished the next one, which was even worse if you can imagine that. We are going to be doing a clean up on her pc. The next time I told her, I won't be so nice.

I finished watching Million Dollar Baby. The second half was much better than the first half. I do not like boxing, I do not like blood spurting out at every angle. If I wanted to see blood I would have become a nurse or doctor. I don't and I won't.

Sigh. On to the high school.

Better left alone.

blue lake


One of the lake pictures, after I touched it up in PhotoShop. I kind of like them left untouched, but I like to play. Certain ones look better, and I do like my blue. But, I think I will leave the rest of the photos alone. You can see more of them on my home Photos page.

moody lake

tree on lake


Today was gone before I realized it. It zipped by way too quickly. Sometimes you just turn around and "poof" it is gone. Where did the time go? Was I so preoccupied that I was not aware of the time passing by? Sounds like a song.

After the Storm

tappan lake


Whoa. I want to tell you. I drove through some pretty harsh weather after leaving the mall in Pittsburgh. It is about a two hour drive for us, and this one took longer. Cars were pulled over to wait it out.

Once I arrived a little closer to home, I noticed this beautiful scene on the lake. Tappan Lake. I took a little extra time and snapped away. I didn't wait around for the sun to set completely. We were tired and we wanted to be done with the trip.



School shopping is done as far as the clothes go. We didn't get a supply list. The area stores have the lists up until eighth grade. My daughter is starting high school. Yikes.

A nice couple

mom and pop


This photo was taken a couple of years ago. We were passing through West Virginia on our way to Florida and stopped here.

I know gasoline prices are high, but we did not go on a vacation this year, so I am taking my daughter and her boyfriend shopping here, today.

All the latest and greatest fashions that they enjoy and plenty of caffeine suppliers for moi.

I am making sure to wear my SAS sandals.All that walking and my feet will not be happy. They hurt already and I have only walked to the kitchen for coffee. I have half a chance with the ugly SAS. San Antonio Shoes. They are showing some wear, but my budget will not allow me to purchase another pair. Not anytime soon.

I remember the days when I would wear the white heels (like the lady in the above photo). I wore all kinds of shoes back in the day. I remember every Easter getting a new outfit and a new pair of white shoes. I also remember the scuff marks. And, sunrise service.

Never speak religion, politics or sex. Was that the old saying? What a can of worms each of those topics will open up. And when you blog, never mention work. Or your employment work, I should say.

Well, I had better get moving. I am gathering up old computer monitors and equipment today and taking them to the recyle drop off this morning. They are old pieces that people have left at my house when they were "beyond repair." Sigh. Let me dispose of them. Monitors are tricky to dispose of because of their cathode ray tubes. I will still call a monitor a CRT now and then. That is what we called them in the 80's. CRT's. And, I have batteries. I save them in an old tissue box until recycle day.

Then it is off for a long day of shopping. Yippee. Not my favorite sport, but it needs to be done. We are not shoppers (my daughter and I). We both hate it. I can't stand the smells in the department stores. I have my migraine medicine with me just in case.

Big and Blonde

belgians


There are some very nice looking big blonde Belgians that I look for each time I drive into Carroll county. There is a farmer there who has had this breed of horse for years. I especially like the foals, but did not get a picture of one today.

There are many other horses along the way, but time did not permit me to stop and partake in much photographing. Busy season for me. Between schools starting back up and the late summer storms, I am hop, hop, hopping. Or, drive, drive, driving. I blow a kiss to the gas stations as my Honda Civic zooms past every one of them. Putt, putt, putt.

Changing the subject, if you ever want a good read from a stark, female perspective of Chernobyl and the government in the Ukraine, go here. She never ceases to amaze me.

Edit: Daisyloo (from Sunday the 14th's post) fell flat on her face sometime this evening. I need to go and pick her up. Not sure if she had too much to drink or just got tired of standing around.

Back Off!

atwood lake


Beautiful space at the lake a week ago. Not what I encountered today, at the mall. I drove my daughter and one of her friends to the mall to pick up some more school supplies and while they were wandering about, I browsed the local bookstore.

I had not even opened the first book when the sales lady jumped over to me, "Do you need help or are you just browsing?" Not yet perturbed, I smiled at her and replied "Just browsing." Which to me means I would like to be left alone. A couple of aisles later, I noticed she was very, very close to me and trying to reach for a book underneath my arm. That was enough for me. I walked out of the store and more than likely will not return to that store. I was going to purchase the book I was looking at, too. I would go to a Borden's but the closest one is an hour's drive away.

Strange thing is, I had enormous feelings of deja-vu. As if this same scene had happened before and in that store. I do not like my personal space invaded. Clear your throat, cough or heaven forbid say 'excuse me' but do not step on me! Blah!

Am I blue

blue lamp 2


Am biting everybody's head off this afternoon. I need a nap. The above picture is an iridescent lamp shade that I received as a gift. The blue part in the background are my drapes. The lamp shade is cellophane.

Since my niece has moved out, I plan to regain control over my basement. One side is a fireplace/t.v. room/ sofa area with a full bar. I have asked for beer lights/signs. I have a lot of stuff to put up. The other side of my basement is where my niece was, but I am thinking of turning it into my own art/craft area. Creativity abounds. However, my daughter wants a pool table. We'll see. Can I wait another four to five years for the art/craft area? Probably.

And, ergo; stress, worry, and pressure creates a headache. I feel like I am moving in slow motion. Zombacized.

Daisyloo wanted to party

daisyloo


This is Daisyloo. She stood just off the patio (most of the time the rain was pouring down on her) and I think she wanted a beer. But, we never gaver her one. She just kept smiling. We laughed at her and we admired her. She never said a word. She never complained about the music being too loud and she never had to go to the bathroom. Not once!

We think Daisyloo makes a great party guest.

Sun spray through the trees

sun spray


This picture is from the Atwood dam on Wednesday. I lost a day somewhere this week. I am not sure which day I blocked out, but it must have been a very hot one. I think it may have been Monday. That is the day that I bit someone's head off.

I hate that. I get hot, irritated and frustrated. They ask me a "why" question and I just go off on them. "Why does this equipment keep doing this?"

Me: "If I knew the answer to that, I would fix it! Do you think I enjoy coming out here in 90 degree heat and sitting here? When I have a lovely air conditioned office I could be sitting in?"

Oh, there was a lot more to it, and they didn't deserve it. I must apologize to them the next time I see them. But, that could be weeks or months, depending on when the equipment decides to flake out again.

To quote a line from the Berenstein Bear books "Lizzy, Lizzy in a tizzy!" My name isn't Lizzy, but I was sure in a tizzy. Supposedly the word "tizzy" refers to an old time radio character named Tizzy Lish who was always in an agitated state. Some people twist it and say "Lizzie Tish."

Sigh, breathe, calm down. Cool down. And this too, shall pass.

My lunchroom

picnic table


Well, just for today. I was working next to Atwood Lake. I grew very hot and tired sitting in the stifling wiring closet. I headed out to the open air. There is a small dairy bar near the entrance to the Lake/campsite. I grabbed a good old American hot dog and a Pepsi.

Even the outside air was a relief from the intense heat inside the building.

After the hot dog, I headed a quarter mile on down the road to the dam. I regained some of the pictures I lost last fall. A father/son or grandfather/grandson was fishing on one side of the little park, and I didn't want to disturb them so I focused my picture taking to the other side.

The lake was beautiful, calm and peaceful. I do so love this state.

Take a closer look

moonflower upclose


Getting a little closer look at my moonflower. The bloom only lasts one night, but there are many, many on the plant. I have one entire side of my house (the west side) blooming with this delicious, sweet smelling flower.

My daughter goes to Kings Island with her friend and their family tomorrow. I hope she enjoys herself. She and her good friend do not like rides. Neither one ever did. They may spend their time on the water park side. I'll make sure she packs her sunscreen.

While browsing my news sites, I came across an article about certain states having a tax-free day for sales. What is this? I am starting my letter to my state representatives as soon as I finish this blog. Although, Pennsylvania is tax-free on clothing. If I feel up to it, I may drive my daughter there for some school shopping. But, what I save in tax, I will spend in fuel. So, maybe not.

Here is an interesting site that lists taxes by state. Rhode Island comes in with the highest gasoline tax at .31 cents per gallon, and Georgia comes in with the lowest at 7.5 cents per gallon. Yowza!

Don't start smoking if you live in Rhode Island or New Jersey. Not only did RI have the highest tax per gallon of gasoline they have a whopping $2.40 tax per 20/pack of cigarettes. NJ was the same. Cheapest cigarette tax was found in North Carolina at .05 cents and SC at .07 cents. I don't know why my sis goes to WV to purchase her cigs, the tax is the same as Ohio at .55 cents per pack. I don't smoke. I can't stand second-hand smoke.

It is also an interesting site to see what states determine to be tax exempt. My state does exempt food, and prescription drugs. I'll never forget when I went to Yellow Stone National Park. We flew into Montana. I think it was Billings? I bought a pair of sunglasses and there was no sales tax. A new experience for me.

Well, I'm off to Staples to purchase a new USB cable with a mini B port for my daughter's Zen. We lost her other one. She wants to download music to her mp3 player for the trip tomorrow. Cheerio!

Moonflowers blooming

two moonflowers


After the torrential rains last week, my moonflowers did some blooming. Here are two of them from one evening this past week-end. Their fragrance is very romantic.

The only other romantic evening flower smell that I recall, was in Flordia when I caught a whiff of the orange blossoms. Sweet!

Fire in the sky

sky fire


The sky over my neighbor's treeline this evening was spectacular. If I had more time, I would have taken a drive to my grocery store where there are less power lines. I get a really good view of the western sky there.

My moonflowers were blooming away, also. More pics of them can be found here.

Still many beautiful scenes and scents expressing the summer.

Tubular!

tube1


It all happened so fast, I barely had time to grab my camera. A huge thunderstorm hit my town early this morning. My daughter was taking our dog outside and lightning hit so close to her she nearly jumped out of her skin. She came rushing in to tell me that there was a cyclone or microburst.

I grabbed my camera and headed for the front porch.



The pictures are blurry, but I figure that was because I was barely awake and probably shaking from the intensity of the storm.



I could make out just the outline of it through the tree break in my neighbor's yard. This is the area where I get most of the pink for my sunsets. The object would appear to get closer and then retreat. I couldn't see any lights.



It didn't stick around long. And, I didn't really like being outside in my robe.

What was it? Or, what is it?

........

........

My bad. It was a pine needle hanging from my front porch on a spider web. Okay. What can I do? My sister cancelled on me today. She was bringing her pre-schoolers down for a lunch/picnic at our town park. People come from miles around to visit our park. It is quite nice. Since it was such lousy weather, she was forced to cancel. And, I am forced to relax and goof off for the day since I took a vacation day from work. Ahh, the life!

A meme from Tabor

eyes


Here is a meme that came from Tabor's site:


1. What are the three stupidest things you’ve ever done in your life?

i. Imbibe in alcohol

ii. Not continue my education

iii. Enabled losers


2. At the current moment, who has the most influence on your life?

My daughter, of course.


3. If you were given a time machine that functioned, and you were allowed to pick up to five people to dine with, who would you pick?

i. Jesus Christ (the man that was)

ii. My daughter in the future about fifteen years

iii. My maternal grandmother

iv. Benjamin Franklin

v. Jules Verne (with a translator)


4. If you had three wishes that were not supernatural, what would they be?

i. More wisdom in life

ii. Job security

iii. To write a book that would change people's lives for the better


5. Someone is visiting your hometown/place where you live at the moment. Name two things you regret not having in your city, and two things people should avoid.

i. A nice art museum

ii. A Japanese Steakhouse

Avoid:

i. Wal-Mart

ii. The Flea Market


6. Name one event that changed your life?

Becoming a parent.

Twirly

blue twirl


I chose the kaleidoscope option for the picture above. It came from the one below.

twirl blue


Tired, getting over a migraine. Mentally, I can't think straight enough to write anything worthwhile.

I wanna go back

girl


When we dropped my daughter's boyfriend off at his house, his little sister was sitting on the porch steps. I couldn't resist taking a photograph of her.

Turn back the clock to when my daughter was that age. Sigh.

Coming from the speakers: I Wanna Go Back by Eddie Money

We are family

family


I am the one in the middle. This was taken in 1993. My father passed away in 1976 so he is not in the photograph. My Mom was a tiny thing. She weighed less than eighty pounds when she passed away in 2000. On my father's side we are Austrian. On my Mother's side, Irish, Scottish and English. To the best of our knowledge. My eldest brother - top right, did all the leg work on the geneology. I would like to pick up where he left off and run with it. Time, time.

We are extremely blessed.

Coming from the speakers: We Are Family by Sister Sledge.