Just around the bend

Scenic route 250

Warmer weather is just around the bend. I am looking forward to some sunny days. It's been wet for a while, now. Very wet. I was digging around my patio's spout to relieve some of the water pooling around my sidewalk.

I hope to get some seeds in the ground this week-end. Is it too early for that? I don't know. I figure "What the heck?" If I don't do it when I have a free week-end, they will sit in their bright colored packages for years and never get planted.

I gave my hydrangea the sulfur mix I bought at the garden center last year. I worked it into the soil all around it. My fingers are crossed. Think blue, think blue, think blue. Purple would be great, too!

Recently a former classmate's father passed away. I usually like to read the obituaries to see where my classmate is living, now. This is how the obit. started out...

On Sunday, April 22, 2007, the world lost one of its greatest men, Mr. John Doe...

Give me a break!

A splash of yellow

Can't hardly wait for sunny yellows

It was a cold, gray day in Ohio. Rain pouring, no sunshine. Dark, dreary. Blah. My daughter had an appointment with her dermatologist today. She thinks more moles need to come out. She said if we want we can go to see another doctor that specializes more in plastic surgery. She also said that the scars will stretch out as my daughter continues to grow.

My daughter is starting her first job on Saturday.

Lovin' the little ones

My Grand Niece

The munchkin came to visit me Saturday. Oh, my sister came with her. This is her grand daughter. We had to laugh because she was trying to pick up five markers with her little hands and a nerf ball too. She finally put a marker in her mouth. We all put one in our mouths. Me, my sister and my daughter.

It was a fun day. We finished the day by meeting up with six other family members for a wonderful meal.

I was sick during the night last night (after the storm while the cold front was moving through) with a huge ice pick pain in my right eye. I finally broke down at 3:30 this morning and took a Relpax. I don't know why I didn't take one before. I actually thought it would go away with sleep. It went away but left me so tired from being awake for four hours during the night. I ended up taking the morning off and sleeping.

This afternoon when I went to work I was hit head on with a school down. It took an hour over the telephone, but we found the loop. Those pesky kids. One of them had plugged one end of an Ethernet cable back into another wall drop. This brought an entire network down. The horrible part of the situation is that some company had sold this school district on IP Telephony. So, when the Internet goes, so do the telephones. No communication. They are out in the boondocks, so no cell phone service. As it was, the company that sold the the IP Telephony service had set themselves up a modem connection to their equipment on an analog line and I walked the tech through connecting a desk phone to it. We just made sure we plugged the modem back in when we were done. Hee hee.

Hey, now that I think about it - the school is paying for the analog line. Sheesh.

A Eureka moment

After the storm

I had a Eureka moment this evening. Kind of like a Kodak moment, but I use a Canon. I was sitting in my room watching the storm out my window. It was dark out and the lightning kept flashing the night into daylight. I was thinking to myself, now from what I have read on Photo Blogs they get their night shots by holding the shutter open for a long period of time. And I was wondering what that setting would be called. And then just like a flash of lightning, it came to me. As I experiment with different settings on my camera to see what I can get, there are two settings where it sits and the little indicator lights flash for a few seconds and then the shutter clicks and all I get is a huge white picture. Duh! That is because it is during the daytime and there is so much light let into the view finder. This setting was for the night pictures. I jumped up and grabbed my camera. Found the setting and snapped away.

Well, I don't have the procedure perfected, but at least I am getting there. When the lightning flashed during the few seconds the shutter was open, it made the photo look like it was taken in daylight. I see now how the car tail lights are streaked across the photo also. I did one car photo, but it didn't turn out real well. The car was turning into a driveway and was going too slow.

You'd think I would just crack open the manual. Or, read the CD that came with the camera. Huh.

The neighboring county to our west had a tornado warning. We didn't get that rowdy of weather. We just got the thunder, high winds, rain and lightning.

The sun also rises

A little northeastern sunshine from last autumn

I felt well enough this week-end to actual start some spring cleaning. There was so much to do. I started in the garage. It was a literal walk down memory lane. I am (my family is) notorious for being pack rats. I come by it legally. I went through about four big boxes for an upcoming yard sale my niece wants to have. My daughter went through two boxes. I came out with two big boxes for the sale and three huge industrial sized garbage bags of trash. YES!

During the cleaning, I stumbled across an old Panasonic CD player that I had purchased for my daughter a couple of years back. Before I got her the Creative Zen mp3 player. I made sure this player would also play mp3's. I wondered if it still worked. I put fresh batteries in and plopped in a new CD and found my old headphones and I was in heaven. I hurried to my computer and quickly shot off the making of a CD with over 100 mp3's. (The mp3 format will fit many, many more songs on a CD than if you create a CD for an ordinary music CD player). I started long ago purchasing all my DVD players and CD players that would also play mp3.

I found it much easier to Spring clean. The player is bulky, but I found a pair of old sweat pants with a pocket big enough to put it in and I can travel all over the house/yard/garage and clean. Totally oblivious to the world around me. Oh, I also made sure this player had the no skip feature. So far I have worked for four hours here, there, and everywhere with NO SKIPPING.

There is yet another plus to this player. My neighbor had brought in a jack hammer connected to a large Bobcat vehicle and is tearing up his driveway. This is 50 feet from my back door. Aaarrgghhh! They have not started yet today, but I imagine it won't be long before they do.

Last evening they started at 5 p.m., right when we were leaving to meet family for dinner. What great timing!

Speaking of family, if you have had a divorce in your family you may be able to relate to this. What do you do about the ex in-laws? In this case it is an ex sister-in-law. She is still the Mother to my niece and nephew. We met her for dinner. We try to reach out and make an effort to see her and make her feel loved. She was part of our family for ten years. It has to be very hard for her.

Okay, the back has recovered somewhat. Back to it.

You've humiliated me for the last time!

So, how was school today dear?

In case you didn't get the chance to hear Alec Baldwin's enraged message he left on his daughter's cell phone, this radio station has the audio. Click on "Alec, at his best."

I was flabbergasted, as was everyone who listened to it. Our jaws dropped open. I never cared for the jerk anyway. Don't like his movies, don't like his looks, don't like his mannerisms. Now, I certainly don't like his parental skills.

He can't even see that he is calling her names when it is in fact, he himself, who is being the total idiot. He called her a pig? A pig? The guy doesn't deserve children.

Alec, you are in all areas "A loser!"

The blues

The Friday challenge for last week (the 13th) was "The Blues." I posted the large view from my deja-view web site. I kind of go back and forth. That site does not get many visitors, it was created for family. Fortunately, I have some extended family members in Washington state and New York state who stumbled across this site and in turn I directed them to that web page because it is meant more for the family. I have some old family album photos there and I really need to scan more photos so they can see them.

I have been told of a house not far from me who has set up a huge, life-sized fake buffalo in their yard. It is on a main street and everyone is talking about it. I will have to take a drive over to see it and get a photo. If I get a decent one, I will post it here. It would be perfect if Photo Friday were to title this week's challenge as "buffalo" but I doubt that will happen. They don't get that specific.

This has been a long week and I am really looking forward to Friday.

Street at dusk

The curved building was our hotel

I loved the blue dusky sky as we walked back to our motel one evening in Cincinnati. It was unusually warm weather and there were a lot of people out and about. We needed no jackets.

One of my co-workers has a cousin who is a minister. She talked with my co-worker for three hours last evening about how wrong the gay lifestyle was. How they are confused people and their lifestyle is the reason for all of their strife in life. She also rebuked another bible verse that we spoke of. The one that states "women cannot speak in church." She said if we had read the entire chapter we would see that this was an isolated incident where the women sat on one side and the men sat on another side during the service. They tired of women calling out to their husbands and disrupting the service (you know how women can't shut up, right?) and this was the incident spoken of in the verse. We took it out of context.

Maybe so, maybe not. She went on to explain that women were men's equal according to the bible. I guess it depends on which book you are reading. Maybe I only hear what I want to hear. I didn't approach the first book of Ezekiel to my co-worker. I really don't think she can wrap her mind around that one.

I am sure her cousin has her convinced that I have been sent by Lucifer himself. I hope they prayed for me. I probably have an evil spirit inside of me, thus causing my migraines.

Planted lips

Potted plant - Cincinnati

More like weeds growing. I wanted to paint the lips on the pots around the square. Add some color. I wonder what they look like with flowers (or at least something colorful and pretty) growing in them. Has it really been two weeks already?

In lieu of a vacation over the summer months I plan to take time off and re-do my bathroom. My bedroom had to be repainted before I moved in. The 70's green and blue was a bit nauseating for me. The bathroom is pink roses on pink wall paper with pink fixtures. Too much pink for me. I could live with it, though. This summer I am going to change that.

My daughter said that suits her just fine. She said she doesn't like to travel. What? How can this be? I love to travel. I used to love to drive until I started working for the schools and ended up driving, driving, driving for most of my work day. Okay, I admit. I do tire of staying in motels. After four days I begin to get really sick from a change in sleep patterns, scenery and foods. Vacations will be limited to a week or less unless it is a really big one.

The two co-workers who debate religion were at it pretty heavy this morning. I usually tune them out, but when their voices were raised I listened. They are three feet away from me. The one was speaking of her pastor saying in his sermon yesterday that ALL gays are sinning. That it is their choice they are gay and that they are disobeying God. I told her I disagreed. I believe that it is not a "choice" and I believe them to be born gay. We didn't argue but it wasn't long before the topic turned to bible scriptures. For all their talk, they sure didn't know much about certain bible scriptures. I quoted a couple for them and they said "No way!" I looked the verses up on the Internet and showed them. They were floored. They changed their tune. They said "Well, you have to study The New Testament and forget about the Old one." Oh. Okay. Let's translate the Bible to say what we want it to say.

It is okay with them. We laugh and carry on. We do not get mad at one another. We let each other say what we want and go on with our lives.

I know some folks who cannot have a thought process for themselves so they cling to someone who can persuade them to believe what they say is true. Sheep.

Black Monday

Something colorful for a dark, dark day

Well, I sure wouldn't want to be in the shoes of the Virginia Tech president any time soon. I had just eaten about four Hershey's miniature chocolates when I took a small break and checked the latest news on my work computer. The chocolate turned in my stomach and I thought I was going to be sick. I went to get a glass of water and clear my head. What was it? A broken romance? And after killing her, did he think why not take out as many as I can, my life is over anyway? Time will tell, I suppose. I am just guessing, here. I have not a clue.

It does sound like the people in charge are going to take some heat for not getting an alarm out to the students sooner. And, you had to know that Nancy Grace was going to race out there and elbow people and over shout them until all you could hear was her whiny mouth. That is when I shut the television off.

First birthday cake

We know where this is going, don't we?

A borrowed photograph

Pretty pink flower

I have borrowed this photo from my nephew's China collection. It's delicate petals remind me of sugar icing. The flower looks good enough to eat. His latest toy? A Garmin nuvi 360. Very nifty.

I am baking a cake today. I have a party tonight and was asked if I could bring a dessert. I decided to repeat the Butterfingers cake recipe. The last cake turned out very good, but did not get eaten very quickly. With only my daughter and I in the house it just sat in the refrigerator. For some weird reason, I don't like my own baking. When I taste a dish that I love and get the recipe, that is one sure way to ruin it for me. To bake it myself, and I am like "What happened? It doesn't taste the same!" Oh well. It is the kind of dessert you want to take to a picnic or a get together anyway because it is so huge and so rich.

I will also take my cheese ball and crackers. It is a sort of staple for me.

I am currently reading "Prime Green: Remembering the Sixties" by Robert Stone; "Singled Out" by Bella DePaulo, PH. D.; and "Fans, Bloggers, and Gamers" by Henry Jenkins.

We have 10 years and 4 months to plan the event. Total Solar eclipse. The closest area to me is Kentucky, Tennessee.

Wait for the Blessing

We went to church on Sundays, but my family was not big into religion. My Mom tried church and was dismayed by the gossiping that went on there. Ta, ta! Look at her! I quit going around 12 or 13 years old. Perhaps 15 when I started working every week-end.

We were not ones to say the blessing, but I needed something for Photo Friday's challenge of Blessing. To me the first thing that pops into my head when I hear that word is a family or someone saying the blessing before they eat. I didn't see many photos of that.

Pie!

It's gone

I need to work on the meringue. I have not made a meringue pie before, so I didn't know the little tips and tricks. I prepared. I called two wonderful pie makers. They didn't mention that I should not add the sugar before I beat the egg whites. I whipped. I beat. I electric mixed. I wire whisked. Damn, this shouldn't take this long! I finally gave up and plopped the silky white mess onto the lemon pie and baked it. I kept checking because one of them told me that it would burn quick. I finally took it out when the top became a beautiful creamy beige.

Personally, I loved the meringue this way. I didn't have peaks and I didn't have fluff, but it tasted wonderful. My tastes have changed. I hated lemon pie, but now - love it!

And, I think I got "Happy Feet." If we are ever visited by aliens, we are to break out into a lively rendition of River Dance and the aliens will think we are adorable, fall down and leave us alone.

Speaking of falling down, my daughter and I have decided that our latest addition (over a year) to our pet family (Moose the cat) is part Myotonic goat. For some weird reason she just falls over. Granted she doesn't stick her legs up in the air, but we laugh. She just "boom" falls over onto her side. I figured she wanted me to pet her when she does this, so I reach down and she runs off. She is still a bit skittish. We had never seen a cat do this before. Oh no! As I am proof reading this very paragraph, my daughter just told me she did it again. LOL! Crazy animal.

Panda Bear Nesting Dolls

My nephew brought back a set of nesting dolls for me from China. I didn't specify doll or animal, and I was pleasantly surprised with the Panda bear set. My Mom had a Russian woman nesting doll set. I think I may start collecting them. I don't see them very often and I am not certain, but I think my nephew had a time finding this set for me. My second choice was a wind chime, which he said he could not find anywhere.

Did you know that things sold in China do not have the "Made in China" stamp on them? Amazing!

Here is a thought to ponder. In the United States the government pays you to have babies. In China you pay the government to have babies.

I am still trying to get through "Happy Feet." One of my sister's agrees with me. She thought it fell short also.

New video card is in the machine. An ATI RADEON Sapphire X1950 XT 512MB. My daughter's frame rates in her game increased from 30 frames to 550 frames (I think this is per second.) So what does that mean? My daughter got motion sickness. Nice.

Mixed feelings

A soft glow of the rain forest flora

I find myself in a mixed emotional state today. For the past few days I have been contemplating writing a piece titled "The dumbing down of America." This phrase sticks with me because it is being used a lot right now. In the papers, on the news, etc... Lately I have become aware of the people around me and how they just don't seem to be in tune with what is happening in the world today. I guess that says a lot about the company I keep.

Am I reaching a stage in life where I want to move from 'watching the events unfold on television' to actively 'doing something about it' or educating people about it? This brings forth the question, 'Do people want to be educated about it?' I distinctly get the feeling that a lot of people don't care. I think that frustrates me just as much or more as the unbelievable events themselves. My feelings are not catastrophic, just needling me.

The dilemma itself has been lying under the surface for a long time, but more recently when I mentioned a current event and that person had not a clue as to what I was referring. Is it true then, that since the boom of television "entertainment" we have tuned out of what is really going on in the world to watching endless sit coms and reality junk shows? I like to laugh as well as the next person (you know I love Seinfeld and AFV), but I can only ask that folks balance this out with watching a documentary or watching the news channels. Preferably, one that does not flash the latest death, overdose or overexposure of a celebrity.

When you go to a get together and the topic of conversation is the overdose of someone that lived their life to the extreme tells me that there is something askew. I don't want to be the wet blanket. I just want somebody to be able to make a comment when I mention the latest controversial issue about politics or the environment as well as the latest gossip in the plastic world of celebrities.

I have heard of certain celebrities reaching a point in their lives where they are trying to say "Look folks, this is NOT real! What we do is entertainment!" They try to invest their time, effort and money into a cause that they are passionate about. I can imagine that they also reach the point where it get ridiculous to them. Like the Captain said at one of the events "Get a life!"

Is the world so overwhelming that some people cannot face the actual reality? Does it make them think too hard? It requires effort and time to study and learn. The alternative is 'let's tune out and tune in?'

I don't mean to get up on my soapbox today. I also, went through many years when I didn't even know who the Governor of my state was if somebody were to ask me. I was busy living my life, trying to make ends meet, trying to establish a well paying job, trying to develop a relationship, trying to keep a social life, and trying to find myself. Life gets in the way.

During the ghastly movie "300" I sat thinking about how they trained the Spartans to fight. It was a lifetime training and this movie depicted that aspect of their life very well. It reminds me of a conversation I held with my brother some time ago.

Let's say that the United States goes to war. Who do you think will win? The man who had to live his life scraping by, scratching at the dirt to make his living, climbing trees and rocks to get from place to place - or, the American who grew up watching "Happy Days" and spending his Saturday nights cruising up and down the boulevard in his souped up Chevy?

I understand that the details are much more complicated than that, but this was just an example. Oh, I think I have exhausted myself, now. And, I have come to realize that wanting to write about this has just now become a reality. Like a poison, I have gotten it out of my system.

Sweet 16

Cincinnati - getting ready for the show

Opening a new pair of ear rings that ended up being too heavy to wear for long. Never having pierced ears, I can't relate. I do know the clip ons can pinch like a... like a.... son of a gun. I quit wearing them years ago along with rings and bracelets. Once in a great while I will don a necklace, but that is it. I don't evern wear a watch.

So, the past sixteen years have flown by, huh? I had eaten a vanilla ice cream cone, and was riding around the camp grounds near the ice cream stand. It was unusually warm weather, didn't need a jacket. After the ice cream my water broke. In the front seat of a Ford pick up truck. Oh, yeah. Two or three hours later I was having an emergency C-section. My doctor had just returned from vacation that very day. It was a Sunday. I worked an afternoon shift by myself and had worked Friday night. I kept thinking "What if my water broke when I was at work by myself?" Well, really the hospital was about two miles from where I work and 25 miles from my house. So, it probably would have been okay.

Feels like a lifetime ago. I guess it was.

Blue and gold Macaw

Beautifully posed at the zoo

The person who gave me our bird (Peru - for whom this blog is named) owned other birds. One being a blue and gold macaw. I never cared to own a bird of this nature. Too big and much too noisy. They live to maybe 80 years or so. The person almost lost her thumb so the bird had to go. She went through her varied strange animals. Snakes and birds mostly. Personally, I believe she got them for the attention. The stranger the animal the more attention it would bring.

As it is, I guess we all do certain things for attention. Take my daughter's hair. The triple color brings about three remarks on a day that we venture out into the world. At the mall or in Cincinnati, people make a comment. All positive. I suppose if somebody does not like it, they keep it to themselves. I would joke and say "Hey, at least it isn't a tattoo or a body piercing!" They would laugh and agree.

However it dawned on me today. If it were a tattoo or piercing, it would be over and done with. As for hair, it grows out and fades. The money thing never stops! Arrgghhh! Saturday we are looking at getting teal instead of red/pink. I guess some girl at school did the same "do" and we just can't have that now can we? We must be different. We must stand out in a crowd. She said she wants the teal like the color in the peacocks or the macaw. I am hoping that this "fad" fades quickly.

Nobody in the family has mentioned Easter dinner, yet. I wouldn't mind a quiet one. Usually somebody pipes up by now. Somehow I got to be the family go-between. I go between those with e-mail and those without. I make the effort to call everybody and get the show on the road. So and so is having the dinner, can you bring (usually what they enjoy making) and if not, whatever else they feel like bringing. Then, I call the person having dinner and fill them in on who is bringing what, who can make it and who can't, who will be late and who can only come for an hour before they have to be somewhere else.

My daughter wants a lemon meringue pie for her birthday. I have made a pumpkin pie and I have a made a no-bake cheesecake. My Mom made great lemon meringue pies. I never liked lemon pies so I never watched or took an interest in how she did it. I looked up a couple of recipes and I guess I'll give it a go. My Mom also made sea foam candy from time to time. Another candy I did not like. (I guess some call it divinity). Sugar, water and egg whites. Yuck.

When my daughter was young, I really got into throwing birthday parties for her. One of my favorites was when I dressed up as a fortune teller and told the girls' fortunes. (All good fortunes, of course!) I rented a costume and we had great fun. The past couple of years my daughter does not want any fanfare. Any at all. No cake, no party, no decorations. I feel weird with this decision. As if I am not doing enough or something. She wants to go out to eat (her favorite is Damon's ribs) and she wants to get her hair done. Pie and/or ice cream cake when we get home. Just me, her and her boyfriend. (And any other family that happens to be here that week-end). We are looking at a very quiet one, though.

Me? If I had my way? I would invite girls and boys, turn on all the disco lights. Blast the music and set up Dance, Dance revolution in one corner of the basement and karaoke in another area. I would decorate with green, purple and blue streamers with a tiki Island theme. We would have pizza, pepsi, chips and dip, candy and cake. I guess we already did that at the 11th or 12th party (before the boys). I recall one year doing the island thing. Oh, well.

Birthdays past involved skate parties, pinatas, limbo, Discovery Zone, Chuck E. Cheese and a handful of other crazy games and ideas. Sigh. Well, they were fun.

Snow White

A white hibiscus at the zoo

Beautiful and sunny bloomed the white hibiscus. I wonder what it feels like tonight with snow swirling around it? I covered the tiny green sprouts of my hydrangea.

We saw 300 today. As if they can make this blood bath more graphic. I used to cringe when horror movies showed blood. I could not stand Bravehart or any other graphic war movies. Well, I didn't choose 300. It is rated R, so an adult had to go. Handing my ticket over, the elder lady said "Oh, this is a great movie!" I looked at her "Really?" My spirits lifted. She said "It is... how can I say it? Pretty!" I asked "What about the blood and gore?" She replied, "Well, you know it isn't real." Well, sure I know it isn't real. But somewhere, the war fought in 480 b.c. or the war being fought today - blood IS real. And, I want to know what her definition of "pretty" is. My daughter thought that some of the hard lighting on the scenery was pretty. I have to say, pretty does not come to mind when I think of this movie. Pretty gruesome, pretty awful, pretty graphic... yes. But, the word pretty by itself? Nope.

So, take the blood bath. Slow it down. Way down. Enhance spurting blood all over the screen and shower it all over the battlefield as if it were raining blood. Slowing the movements down allows the viewer to experience the gruesome detail of heads being sliced off from every single angle and perspective. Lovely.

Sound effects must have taken on a whole new art form. The sounds were deafening. Iron swords sloshing into body parts. Slicing, dicing and making all kinds of sucking sounds. If it were possible, I believe I would have hurled popcorn. Not an easy food to bring back up. My eyes remained closed during much of the onslaught. My migraine medicine was a necessity.

Alright you heathens. I carried through on my promise to take you to that dreadful display of gore. I get the rest of my vacation to myself. Wild Hogs or Meet the Robinsons. Are the movies Happy Feet and Charlotte's Web out on video yet?

Giraffe

I guess this is what he thought of my picture taking

This photo combines The Lion King and the Zoo. The show was absolutely stunning, of course. Performance and costumes. I went in with a slight migraine (any travelling or change of schedule will certainly trigger one) and had taken my medicine three hours prior. The lady that sat next to me must have emptied her entire bottle of perfume on that day. It was strong. I understand that a migraine kicks all of my senses up about a hundred notches. Smell, taste, hearing, sight and feel. All super sensitive to any activity. This is why they tell you to lie down in a dark, quiet room. Block all the senses.

We had a beautiful day for the zoo. The critters were lazy, but so was I. Six hours. I made it six hours with many rests. I was constantly looking for an outlet to charge my one good battery for my camera. That was okay with me as it gave me a chance to sit down. I think I may have had more fun watching every body's little children experience the animals. I recall why I don't go to the zoo. I love the excitement and I love to learn but I hate to see the total boredom of the animals. My daughter will be sixteen. I believe the next time I will visit a zoo is when I take a grandchild.

I do have a humorous little story. I was sitting in a tropical room (waiting for my batteries to charge - both mine and my camera's) and this family walked in. The father must have sneezed a dozen times. I said "Sounds like you are allergic to something in this room." There was silence for about ten seconds. Sometimes when I am in a good mood I try to make light chit chat with the folks around me and I am delighted when I find another light soul. I especially like to have fun with the little children. I don't pursue anything if the parent does not give me some kind of signal that it is okay to correspond with their child. I read them and if it feels like I am intruding I quickly move on.

After the ten seconds he turned around and said "Why don't you leave and we'll see if I quit sneezing." I had to laugh. I guess he had allergies and this was a two month process for him. He mumbled something about "Every year like clockwork, two months I have this!" I notice that his wife was not saying "Bless you". She just kind of gave him a sad smile as if she knew he were suffering and couldn't do anything about it. Well, color me "put in my place!" As he left he said "See, I'm leaving and I've stopped sneezing." I smiled at him. Pardon me.