And to my left

Casper sits at my feet.

I put a small rug down for my cat to lay on in an attempt to stop the shedding onto my bedroom carpet. Does it help? No. The fur just rises up and settles everywhere. As does my dog's black fur and my other 3 cats, and the bird feathers. I think in five years I will just move out and leave behind one big hairball.

I have one more free week-end and then five week-ends in a row I have something to go to. Two week-ends have two events in them. That really makes the time go fast. So after the dust settles I will be in the middle of September. The older I get the more I appreciate my "down" time.

Since I have one child, a lot of people have mentioned to me about how lonely I am going to be after she grows up, moves out and gets a life of her own. If my job remains stable, I anticipate travel. I do like to travel. My sisters have been bugging me to go with them but it requires an overnight stay or two and at this point in my life I don't like leaving a 15-year-old girl alone by herself. I had my niece stay a couple of times, but she has her own life now.

So, when my daughter is grown - I am hitting the road. Work will keep me busy during the week. I have friends and family who all live an hour to two hours away for week-end jaunts, and I should have 20 days of vacation a year by then.

As soon as I finish this post I am sending an e-mail out to the theater here in town. I was always the "art" student that had to draw and paint everything in high school, so I plan on using my humble talent behind the scenes there. Even if it is just moving the props around, I plan on getting involved. My therapist is pushing me to. My Mom was a "homebody" (a.k.a. recluse) and she doesn't want me to get too much in the habit of staying at home all the time.

I can keep myself occupied with painting, drawing, reading, writing, movies, the Internet, pets, plants.... the list goes on and on. She said I need "balance". I will try. I have another secret. For family I have no problem jumping up and going to meet them or get together with them. But I have to force myself with friends. I hope that doesn't sound selfish or snobbish. I don't mean it to. It just doesn't come easy for me. I know that it is important and after I left my last job ten years ago, I realized that this group of gals was far too important to leave behind. We get together every month or so.

Well, I am going to see if it has cooled down any at all outside so that I can get my grass mowed.

Looking over to my right

Peru in her (his?) cage.

When I post my blog, I sit at my desk in my room. If I look over to my right (in front of one window) I see my bird in her (his) cage. Whatever IT is. Sometimes I have to cover the poor thing because IT won't stop chirping. Sometimes covering doesn't stop it.

I stopped at the farmer's market tonight. Sweet corn, green beans, tomatoes and canteloupe. I fixed the first three along with mushroom hamburger steak. I even got a compliment from my daughter. (although she did mention that I should have fixed mashed potatoes - good grief!).

My nephew is always appreciative, but my daughter rarely says that any food is good. I'll cut up the canteloupe later. I have to be careful because I can eat the entire thing. And then boy do I get heartburn. I add some salt but I suppose like a green pepper it just really messes with my stomach. If it is to the point where it melts in my mouth I have to be especially careful. I will have the entire fruit gone before I realize it. Then I start looking for my rolaids chewables.

The custodian and I have been talking up a storm at work the past two mornings. It is as if we are both sorry that we disagreed with one another. He is so polite and funny.

I also bought some aluminum sulfate for my (rusty) hydrangeas. The garden center told me to add it after it cools down tonight so I don't scorch them. I already figured that. I am to look for a fungus also.

It is just too hot to mow the grass. It is going to have to wait until the end of the week.

Do you know anybody who drives a Pontiac Grand Am? My sister has a 2000 model and the gas pedal stuck on her yesterday. Scary! I looked up recalls on the Internet and it talked about the gas pedal sticking in hot (ambient?) weather on the 2003 models, but I told her to tell the dealer that they should fix it for free since it was a big thing for the '03 model. She later told me that when they called, the dealer told them they were aware of a problem and to bring it in.

Ambient means surrounding, encircling. I guess they mean hot conditions.

So, when were they going to inform the purchasers of the '00 cars? After so many accidents? Be careful out there. In this heat things are starting to stick all over the place. Gumming up, I suppose.

Belated

I was saddened to read about the passing of Mandarin Meg. Questions swirl in my head, but all in all - this was one loved person to have touched so many in so many ways. Where do we go from here?

Sable waits for me

Sable and a Moonflower

I could not resist grabbing a couple of photos of my beautiful moonflowers tonight. This one was taken five minutes ago. My dog, Sable waited patiently for me. We were joined by a couple of lightning bugs and an obnoxious barking neighboring dog. Maddening.

Earlier this evening I passed the television and I saw a castle surrounded by some beautiful green countryside. Nobody was watching the movie and I didn't know what it was. I saw Pierce Brosnan and went weak in the knees. I had to sit down. A castle, green scenery and Pierce. How could any red blooded woman resist? I watched for a while. It peaked my interest. I pushed the info button on the remote control. Laws of Attraction. I looked it up on imdb.com.

I couldn't resist clicking on the photos of Pierce. Although I don't care for his beard at the premiere of the movie The Matador, he still has the rakish look about him.

While looking at more photos of him, I saw some with his voluptuous wife Keely Shaye Smith. What a beautiful couple they make. I like him even more, now. I am sick and tired of the lollipop girls!

Sunset Flash

Sunset Tuscarawas county

I believe this photo was taken in June of this year. I do recall having blinding spots in front of my eyes for a good while after taking the shots of the setting sun. Talk about your welder's flash.

It has been a very quiet week-end here in my neck of the woods. Feeling well rested. I have some awesome get togethers coming up, so I am embracing the down time. Storing up, so to speak.

As you know, one should never talk politics, religion or sex. Why not? Well, they are trigger subjects. They can trigger an argument like no other subject. The weather is much safer.

I have a co-worker. He is a retired postman and works as our custodian in the building. I like him. He is very nice, very polite and funny. (uh, not THAT way - he is married and has grown children). He goes to see quite a few movies and tells me about them. I don't get to the cinema often, I usually wait for the dvd to become available. So, he fills me in on the ones he has seen.

When Brokeback Mountain was the talk of the day, he told me that he would "Never" watch that kind of movie. At the time I thought "To each his own."

Then, a week or so ago we were speaking of college students and the war. He told me that he was in Viet Nam during the 1970 Kent State incident. Okay, take a deep breath. You're probably not going to like what he said. I didn't. He said at the time he thought to himself "They should have shot a few more." You can let your breath out now. This caught me off guard.

I mentioned that I liked this guy, right? He is a super fellow. Another deep breath. Okay. I wanted to reason with him instead of argue. I tried to tell him that the students were more than likely following the beliefs of a college teacher, blah, blah, blah. The conversation drifted onto something else or stopped without much more fanfare.

Then last week I walked in the office while he was in the middle of a conversation with my office co-worker. He said "I believe that what is happening over in the Middle East is what the Bible predicted is the end of the world." Whoa! Pretty strong words for 8:00 in the morning. I bit my lip, but did not butt in.

He continued to tell my co-worker that she should read Revelations so that she could see for herself that what is happening is "The end of the world." Yowza. I tried to stay quiet, really I did.

I chimed in on a few remarks he made about the book of Ezekiel and he chimed back. Nothing real intense. It blew over, but it reminded me the taboo subjects of religion, politics and sex. Keep my big mouth shut.

Magenta Rose of Sharon

I would imagine this may be one of the reasons this flower has the name "rose" in it.

I would love to tell you that I did something exciting today. Went somewhere fun and did this and did that. But, nope. I cleaned bathrooms today, and basement steps. And I cleaned up cat puke. Two cats barfed this morning. Then, they sulked when I wouldn't feed them the rest of the day. What do they think? Yep, fun city. Sigh. I guess you have to take the good with the bad.
Oh, I did watch parts of "The Hills Have Eyes". A regular blood bath this one. My nephew left after the first gush of blood. Said that was all for him. We laughed. The rest of the group loved it. Me, I hated it. I'm so glad I ate the pizza before the show. This is SO not my kind of movie. Ugh.

Would you stick a fork in your hair?

Chopsticks hair accessories at Hot Topic

My daughter, her beau and I ate at a the Emperor's Buffet last evening. They insisted on using chopsticks. I never have, and probably never will. I had my fork. It works fine for me.

I asked them if they could eat anything with chopsticks to which my daughter's beau replied "Yes." So I went to the buffet and brought back two plates. One had mashed potatoes and the other had cubes of red jell-o. I really wish that I had remembered to bring my camera.

My daughter finally speared one of the jell-o cubes and ate it. The mashed potatoes? Well, that was just messy.

Afterward we did a little school shopping. My daughter found red and black chopsticks at Hot Topic. The pair of sticks, one red enamel and one black were beautiful. They were around $7. I said "No." They were for hair, but my daughter just wanted them for her room.

Missing an angel

Photo Friday Challenge: Portrait

Can I tell you a secret?

Shhhh. Don't tell anybody. But, I really, really, really want these vases. (glancing around and ducking my head down to speak softly). Shhh. Don't tell anybody. I shouldn't buy them. Together they come to $145. I don't need them. They don't fit any of my rooms color schemes. I am so-o-o attracted to them. If I cave, I'll let you guys know. Cause I trust you not to tell anyone.

Campsis Radicans

Trumpet vine of mine

Ugh. I hate this plant. My Mom had one that grew up the backside of our huge white house. All I remember is that it had thousands of black ants that seemed to be wherever these long coned flowers were and this vine was undestroyable. Is that a word? Why, yes it is.

This one is growing in and around my lilac bush. I am going to kill it off. Yes I am. Murder it. And this coming from a gal who likes orange flowers. Hmmm. What strange and unusual incident may have happened to me that brings up such dark and ugly feelings for this vine? I don't know, but I hope that I don't start barking like Sybil when I have that horrible flashback.

Very much alive

The tree I thought had died - is very much alive.

I guess it is just a late bloomer. I don't recall it blooming so late in the season before. I am not so sure that the city didn't think it was dead also, because the side facing the front has a big fluorescent orange "X" on it. Marked for death, I guess. Saved in time. I need to trim up a couple of the branches. I like to keep it clear for walkers' heads on the sidewalk.

I have been busy with my nephew this evening. He ordered nice invitations for his graduation, but I am helping him print up the "party" slips that go inside the invitations. We were having a blast experimenting with different types of fonts.

He also wanted to help me clean out the one problem gutter corner where the rain overflows into the window well. I told him that my ladder didn't seem to go high enough for me. He just pulled his truck into the yard under the gutter and up through the moonroof he went and he stood on the top of the truck. It also helps that he is over six feet tall. There was very little debris in the gutter. The problem was the nails had pulled away and caused a gap between the roof and the gutter. This was where the water was overflowing and coming straight down. I got him a hammer and he fixed it all up and cleaned out maybe 1 quart of dirt, leaves and twigs.

That with the caulking I did on the one side of the window well should fix that area up. No more leaks through the window into the root cellar and no more bailing. Well, that's the idea anyway.

I showed him the dance video that we have been passing around in the family. If you Google it, type in Evolution of dance you tube and the first hit (or click on the I'm feeling lucky tab) should take you to the video. It is super. This comedian dances for six minutes straight going through a lot of the popular dance steps over the years. I will lay odds that you will laugh out loud. If you don't laugh, I have to believe that you will be impressed by his dancing stamina. Make sure your speakers are on and you have six minutes to spare. It is well worth it as he takes you through some dances I am sure you have done at one time or another.

If you like music and dancing at all, you really should check it out.

Life of a Moonflower

Here is the flower bush. Moonflower (datura). Blooms at night. Lovely fragrance.



Starting out as a bud.




The bud opens and the flower begins to emerge.





In the late afternoon the flower is emerging and waiting for the cool evening.





As the night nears, it begins to unfurl.





It opens in all it's beautiful glory in the dark (or a very cloudy day).



When it is spent, it falls off and returns to the ground.



The Moonflowers were here when I came and they are wonderful. I have transplanted them into two other places in my yard and they do very well. They have a prickly seed in the fall that I collect and share with everyone that will take them.

My nephew told me that bats pollinate the night flowers. I didn't know that.

The wet look

My pink Rose of Sharon showing off it's wet look.

The past meets the present

Pretty purple wild flowers in a field of green

This picture was taken a year ago at my sister's house. She has huge fields of wild fields and wooded area behind her house. I wonder how long it can stay that way.

My daughter has charged into full Oriental theme for her bedroom. She has fallen in love with the romantic stories such as House of the Flying Daggers and Memoirs of a Geisha. I have even taken her and a friend to the dollar store so that they could get the little hand fans and all afternoon they danced and practiced with the fans. They brought up a web site that played the beautiful music of the dances and they really put on a show. The dollar store fans held up pretty well. I had to get the wood glue out later in the evening for repairs.

Now, my daughter wants a shoji sliding door for her room. I told her to get a job. She gets mad at me when I say that. LOL! I went through an oriental decorating phase in the mid 80's. At that time I had little money but only an hour away was Williamsburg's Pottery factory outlet. I still have a few vases and black lacquered accent pieces packed away somewhere. They are not expensive pieces but I cherished them and I loved the look. I purchased an orange and black wall fan. Many moons ago. Now my daughter wants to go to the garage and dig out all the stuff. Oh, the memories that they will emit.

The rain and Spain

Thirsty hostas getting a much-needed drink of water

We have a good bit of rain hitting us today. Last evening also. Needed, but excessive. My window well over my root cellar now has a leak in it. I bailed again. I put my shop vac together today, so I am ready for the next deluge. Or, I hope I am. I read the instructions. I hope I know how to use it to suck up water.

Mine looks like this one below: (much quieter than I expected. I love it!

I watched The Family Stone. Puhhh - leeeeze! There was NO chemistry between Claire Danes and Dermot Mulroney whatsoever. Two cold (dead) fish would have more electricity on screen. Poor Sarah Jessica Parker. Her uptight character was over the top to say the least. She had to play somebody like that - somebody nobody would ever fall in love with. Not even cold fish Dermot's character. She was so out of it, like she had never been in a family home before. She calls her sister in to support her and they don't even share two words together during the film that would even come close to show that they are blood relatives.

The only one who had fun was Luke Wilson. His character was kooky and he played it well. I am still not so sure that Paul Schneider's character wasn't all there. Perhaps he was supposed to play somebody with a slower mentality. If so, it worked.

I am trying very hard to like Diane Keaton. Really, I am. There were times I thought her Mom character was "right on" and other times I can't stand to look at her. As if she is trying too hard to act "hip" and "swingy". It doesn't seem to come naturally for her. I had not seen a character that I have liked her in. Not one. Ditto for Claire Danes.

Some of the things her boyfriend's family said to Sarah's character in that movie would make me run the other way and stay away. I'd cut my losses and say "It's been real and it's been nice. But it hasn't been real nice."

And what is with some of the odd things that came out of Sarah's character's mouth? Who in their right mind would say stuff like that as a guest in somebody's home? And not expect to get thrown out on your bum?! I know that they are supposed to be telling a story about her being nervous and saying the wrong stuff, but I honestly think there is something socially retarded with anyone who would say that stuff to your boyfriend's family. Good grief!

This family had it all inside it's walls. A serious one, a kooky one, a bitchy one, a gay one (who has a black boyfriend) and a sweet one. The Mother was volatile and the father was passive. Could they have added anything else to this mix? There were no pets. Hmmm.

I know - it's just a movie. But it lacked any kind of sensibility to me.

Whoops! I almost forgot the Spain part. My niece has been stating on her blog that she is very sick and tired of Spain and cannot wait to come home. The heat is intense and she wants air conditioning. She wants Taco Bell. She is homesick. That is unusual because she lived in NOLA for two years, so she has been away from home before. She said her brother took a side trip over to Portugal. He seems to be holding up better than she. She does not like the food in Spain. She says it has mystery meat in it. I thought she was vegan. Hmm. And, she says that she is tired of eating bread. She said Spanish food is definitely not Mexican food. LOL! It is only 45 days or so out of her young life.

Common

Photo Friday Challenge : Common

A common theater in a common town, in common ole' U.S.A.

Don't play with your food!

Nephew and daughter having some fun with a lobster head.

At Red Lobster the other night. This is my daughter and the nephew that is staying with me for a month or so while he finishes his degree. Conservation (I was mistaken when I stated Forestry before).

It will be interesting to have somebody around that I can talk to about global warming and the threat of dwindling resources. He has worked in a few of the lake areas of eastern Ohio during his schooling. I think I will dust off my hiking boots (or get a new pair) and we will head out to some of the beautiful areas we have around here. Of course I will take you along via photos.

Coasters

I got the bright idea to use the coasters under the bed's legs.

Sunspot Baby

On the way to work this morning

Caught a photo of the sun on a back alley on the way to work this morning. This was about as interesting as my day got. Whoopee.

Still learning about the Middle East. Found a great time line site and have been studying that. It tells about all the world history. I can't stop reading.

I understand a little more about what triggered some of the hostility (recently). Not to mention the thousands of years of strife there, recently I guess Israel began some construction that would have hindered the livelihood of a lot of Palestinian farmers and would begin to build a wall of segregation.

Phase V of the room

July 18th - Phase V (temporary placement of furniture)

After waiting a couple of days, I finally allow furniture on the floor. I'll replace the striped blue blanket with a black rug of some sort and move the futon closer to the wall. The accent pieces strewn on the table and T.V. stand are going on the walls.

The next purchase will be a black comforter and black pillow cases. They will probably have a design on them. We are taking our time finding those. This photo does not show the black mushroom chair, black chalkboard wall or the wall of mirrors. More pics can be found here.

So, how does the old song go? "Nobody's right if everybody's wrong?" That is how I feel sums up the situation in the Middle East. Israel has a right to defend itself. Lebanon and the innocent civilians are caught in the crossfire.

I spoke with a lady working in a Career Center. Her son is finishing his last year majoring in Political Science. His Arabic teacher just returned to Lebanon. He heard from her two days ago, but now nothing. I would imagine that the Internet connection is shaky there along with everything else. It was interesting to hear her speak. Although she did say "I hate George Bush and he is supporting Israel." I am yet new to the information, but I wondered what she thought Israel should do. Let the terrorist cells bomb the hell out of them?

Do you suppose I found an anti-Semite? I have to tell you my first twenty years on this earth had me in a cocoon. When I went to work in the "real" world, I was perplexed. To say the least. In one of my first "major" jobs I worked for a Jewish man. When I told people where I worked, I would hear somebody mutter a joke or some kind of derogatory remark. I was shocked. My Mother would never have tolerated racism. I didn't even know what racism was.

I mentioned before when I moved to Virginia, I was stunned to see the bumper sticker that read "Clean up the South, put a Yankee on a bus". Why would anybody blame me for what happened over 100 years ago? Until then I had never considered myself a Yankee. To me a Yankee was a ball player and a stadium somewhere in New York. Three years prior I had lived in El Paso Texas. Nobody said anything to me there. Although I did hear racist remarks against the Mexican population while there. One of my best friends was a tall, dark complected, dark haired woman married to a black man. Her little boy was named Seneca. I asked her where she got the name. She said it was an Indian name. That was when it occurred to me that she may be part Indian (or Native American).

And once while watching Jerry Springer (cringe) this man with a shaved head stood up and screamed about black people "They don't belong in our country! Their ancestors are not from this country!" All I could think of was "Mister, where did your ancestors come from?" He didn't look Native American to me. I cannot watch shows like that.

So, what is the Middle East fighting all about? Some piece of farm land? Pride? Ownership? Oil? Money? Power? A religious belief? All of the above? None of the above? Why ask why?

Field of green

Country field near Irondale, Ohio

Above is one of the pics I took while driving around on the 4th of July. The air and earth were muggy and caused a mist to rise above the treeline. I have noticed that I enjoy the pics that I take that have fence posts in them. They call out to me.

I had another "heat" episode today. While cleaning up my patio, I found a couple cans of pop (soda pop) left over from my July 3rd bash, and placed them on the table so I could carry them into the house. They were unopened. As I turned away to pick up something else, one of the cans blew it's top. Just ripped a big hole right in the top of the can. It sounded like a gun going off. Another thing that built up and couldn't take it any more. The can(s) are still sitting there. I won't be touching them any time soon.

There aren't any pictures of the room today. My daughter is anxious to put furniture in there, but I told her "No." She put "light" furniture in there. A small table and a chair. Because it said she could on the back of the can of polyurethane. It said light furniture after 24 hours. I still have the windows open in there and a big fan running. The bedroom door is closed and I put a big towel under the door so no hot air or fumes could seep into the rest of the house. I am running the air all the time this week. Hot, hot, hot!

My moonflowers are blooming but I haven't managed to get a picture, yet.

First day back at work was uneventful. Very slow. During my lunchbreak I studied more about the Middle East conflict and the G8 summit. Oh, and of course Bush being caught saying the sh!t word on live feed. Curse, pound your fists, jump up and down - just get our people the hell out of there.

A nephew is staying with us for a month or so while he finishes up a couple of classes at the University branch close to us. He hopes to finish and graduate with a bachelor's degree in Forestry this August. My daughter loves having the extra company (so do I).

I was so embarrassed

My brother and his step grandson in firemen gear - 2005.

Are you ready to have a laugh on me?

Well, I was working on the computer when our smoke alarm went off. Beep! Beep! Beep! Pause. Beep! Beep! Beep! Pause. Over and over again. I got up, looked at my daughter. No smoke. No smell. Nothing. What the?.... We walked all over the house. We unplugged fans we sniffed and sniffed. Although I don't know if we could have smelled anything over that polyurethane smell.

I took the battery out and checked all over the house again. I walked around outside. My, was it hot outside. It was in the nineties. I am glad I decided to run the air conditioner instead of opening the windows to air out the paint fumes.

Can you tell where this is going?

I called my brother (because he is a fireman). He was at work so his wife answered. She is a fire person also. "Can paint fumes set off a smoke detector?"

She said "No."

"Huh, that's weird," I said.

About two minutes later I went to put the battery back into the smoke detector. The unit was hot and the wall around it was hot. I panicked. I told my daughter to call 911. I grabbed the bird and put her on the patio. My daughter was throwing cats out left and right. Well, only one left and one right because out of four we could only get two out. I tied our dog to the tree in the back yard so she wouldn't get in the way of the firemen. My daughter came outside with me and said that they would call when they got hungry. I said "What?" She meant the cats coming back when they got hungry, I thought she meant the fire department.

My sister-in-law called. She heard the call go out for my address on their scanner. I said that the wall was hot and I was afraid it might be in the attic. She told me that they would bring image-sensing equipment and would be able to see if there were a fire in the attic or in the walls. I told her I would call her back when I knew more. The 911 dispatcher had told my daughter to get out of the house.

I kept turning stuff off and we went outside and waited. We could hear the sirens. I am starting to get really anxious. All the neighbors are going to be coming out of their houses and - there is no fire. Well, the fire trucks came and they kept coming. First of all a police car came and I swear the guy snickered at me. He could see there was no emergency.

The fire department was different though. They were more courteous. My sister-in-law had told me they would bring image-sensing equipment and they would look in the attic and in the walls. They did. Of course they could not get to my attic because we had put the chest of drawers from my daughter's bedroom in front of the door. And once he opened the closet door it was full of junk! They had to move so much stuff out to get up there. I was dying of embarrassment. The fire department told me that "Yes, absolutely paint fumes will set off a smoke alarm. Especially if there is not enough ventilation and it builds up." Since I was running the air, I didn't have it ventilated enough.

I felt stupid so I went outside to open the windows to my daughter's bedroom. That's when I saw the small crowd. Well, now was a good a time as any to meet some new neighbors. I walked over and told them it was paint fumes. We all had a good chuckle and they kept saying "Better safe than sorry" sort of stuff. One asked me if I got my dog out. I said "Yeah, and two of the four cats." Another guy said "Yeah, I saw a white and tan one." I said "You want it?" They laughed. He said he was allergic. I said "They have medicine for that!" They all laughed again. A little boy asked me if he could pet one of my cats. I said "Honey, if you can catch one you can have it!" But he was the son of the guy who said he was allergic.

More trucks came from the neighboring city. More police cars. I said "Okay, all we need now is the ice cream truck to come by." It was pretty hot out. I told them that we had been painting for days, and mostly had the windows open to air the place out, but today was so hot I needed to turn the air conditioner on. I painted the last coat over 20 hours ago. By that time the captain of the fire department wanted to talk to me. I said "Well, it was nice meeting all of you." One said "Let us know if you need anything." Very nice.

The captain was very kind. He took down my name and phone number. Asked about insurance, blah, blah, blah. Lectured me on ventilating the house when painting so my daughter and I are not "overcome" by the fumes. We had been lethargic and sleepy a lot. Yuck. He also chided me that the wall was hot because heat rises and it was a hot day, and he smiled. Okay, I thought. Enough!

So they pack up and leave. I felt so bad for making them get their big heavy coat and equipment on. They were carrying axes and had masks on. I wish I had made some fresh iced tea or lemonade to give them. They all looked so hot.

We go back inside, I am cleaning up and putting things back and opening windows and doors and stuff. The fire department chief called. He said "By the way. The fumes could have built up enough to ignite a pilot light." Okay. That's it for me! That's the last time I varnish or paint. He was also concerned about where we were cleaning the brushes out. I told him outside. The can of polyurethane did not say anything about a pilot light.

So lesson learned. I called my sister-in-law and gave her the all clear. No fire here. Just a house full of paint fumes.

Of course I understand that I did the right thing. But, it didn't stop me from feeling a little bit silly. If the fumes had been allowed to build up, in another hour or two they may have reached that pilot light in the basement. So, it was a good thing that the smoke alarm went off. It was a good thing that my sister-in-law said that the fumes wouldn't do it. Because if she had said "Yes" then I might NOT have opened the windows. My daughter and I may have been "overcome" by the fumes. Who knows what COULD have happened. So, it IS 'better safe than sorry'.

So, how was your day?

Looks like tar, smells like tar

Chalkboard paint on one wall of the bedroom.

Phase III. This stuff goes on like tar! It is black, thick, gooey, messy and sticky. Not to mention stinky. As I fell asleep last night I could taste it in my mouth. My daughter started and she asked me to help. I finished the first coat. Our mistake was using a paintbrush. For the second coat which I applied in under five minutes today was applied with a roller. Good grief.

I met family for dinner at Red Lobster last evening with black paint under my fingernails. I tried as hard as I could to get it all out. I didn't want to smell like turpentine so I applied my new bath and body lotion that smells like Gardenia lily. Very nice.

Today when I ran out to get the paint roller I noticed the Radio Shack in the plaza next to the store was closing. Everything was 70-90% off. Well, some women go weak in the knees at a clothing sale or a shoe sale. Me - electronics. I browsed the entire store - twice! I didn't want to miss anything. It was pretty much picked over but I managed to get some stuff for like $3.00 each. It was like an electronics yard sale. I wanted to call my nephew to see if he needed anything but I didn't know if his cell phone would work for free while he was in Canada. He is up there for training - again. Two weeks this time, that is why he is there through the week-end.

Hey, I just realized that I have two nephews and a niece out of the country. One in Canada for work training, two in Spain for school. The new jet set is growing up fast. Yet another nephew (you know I have six) is having his bachelor party in Canada in September. I didn't get the details as to why, but - wow! What is up in Canada? I may not want to know the answer to that one.

This is the second child for my eldest sister to get married. The last one was fantastic. My niece was married on Halloween. She has the most awesome pastor. Most would hesitate to participate in any kind of festivity event on that date, but he was a trooper. As was his family. They didn't dress up in costumes for the reception, but half of the crowd didn't either. You know I did.

This wedding is coming up fast, and since it is on September 9th, it is going to have an Ohio Buckeyes' theme to it. I guess there is a big game that day? I wouldn't have a clue. My one sister is turning 50 that day. What a break! I wish a family member would get married when I turn 50 so I would have a ready-made party with all my family and friends attending. All the alcohol and food and I wouldn't have to pay a dime! Not sure how they are handling the drinks at this wedding. My sister did an open bar all night for my niece. I think they are still paying off that tab. LOL! Good grief! Right before the bar closed my nephew (it was HER son) called everybody in to drink shots. I couldn't even imagine the bar bill.

I have been asked to make buckeyes for the wedding. The little peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate. I love them, but they are a pain to make. I guess somebody told the bride to be that I make pretty good ones. She wants each plate to have five buckeyes each. She is inviting 100 people. 500 buckeyes? Am I crazy? I told her I would do it, or I would try. My first concern was for storage. I don't have an extra freezer. My one sister told me to store them in my basement. It is dark and cool down there. They would be fine. Okay, storage is no longer a problem. How about time? I may take the week before her wedding off for vacation. At least a few days to do that. I don't want them to be too old before the wedding.

I may never look at another buckeye again. Some people make them with rice krispies inside, but I like the creamy smooth peanut butter for mine. I have yet another sister that makes great peanut butter fudge (like Mom used to make), but she will add the crunchy peanut butter into
the mix and I hate nuts in my fudge. I yell at her every time. She just smiles and says "I didn't put that much in !" Oooh, she makes me so mad! LOL. She really gets to me when she dips the wooden spoon that she is stirring the fudge with back into the peanut butter jar to scoop out more peanut butter. Then fudge dries into the peanut butter and the next time you have a peanut butter sandwich there is this crystallized sugary stuff in it. She did that when she lived with my Mom! Talk about mad. I wanted to hit her over the head with the wooden spoon.

My Mom made the smoothest creamiest peanut butter fudge. It had like a shiny buttery look on top that just melted in your mouth. She used the "soft-ball stage" to test when it was done.

The soft-ball part is for testing to see if the stuff is cooked enough, a bit of the mix is dropped into a cup of cold water, if it makes a ball, it's done.

We would wait patiently until she was done with the big pan and then she would hand us five big tablespoons and we would pass that pan around in a circle and scrape all of the fudge that had stuck to the sides and shove it in our mouths with the spoons. I was in heaven. I passed on the chocolate fudge. Too grainy for me. (I say five because by the time I was old enough to remember things my three oldest siblings were pretty much moved out and on their own).

Sigh. I am trying to learn more about the current events that I am reading in the paper. Today I am reading about Hezbollah. Who they are, what they are, what they stand for. Depressing, but I want to know. I need to know. What a mess.

Remarkable

Photo Friday Challenge: Remarkable.

This seven story office building was constructed as an exact replica (only 160 times larger) of Longaberger's famous market basket. Located in Newark, Ohio - it is (in my book) quite remarkable.

Looking good!

Floor after first coat of polyurethane.

This picture came out dark. It reminds me of the dark mahogany stain I used on some of my furniture when I lived in Virginia. I accented with a cobalt/midnight blue. My daughter's bedroom is much lighter and oranger than this picture shows. It was taken without flash.

Regardless, the floor looks great. Phase II. We had a few setbacks. Our first mistake was letting the dog into the room. How can I forget how much black hair she sheds? I tried to get it all wiped up before we began varnishing, but we still found hundreds of them as we painted. Grumble, grumble. The other setback was when the first coat dried, my daughter ran in to take pictures and her belt (which is made from fake bullets) marked up the floor a bit. The second coat smoothed that out.

The smell is getting to all of us. I don't have a headache (yet). We opened all the screens and windows and are running fans all over the house. The bird is in my room and I am worried most about the odor affecting her. I have both my windows open in there and she is nibbling away on paper, so I guess she is okay.

While trying to escape from the smell, I watched a movie in my room on my PC. North Country. I have tried to find the time to watch it. It was pretty good. It tells the story of how women had to struggle to overcome the rude comments and actions of their male co-workers when they attempted to break into an all-male workplace. The main character in the movie filed a class-action sexual harassment case against the iron mill she worked at and she won.

I have worked since I was 15 years old with a small break in my early twenties. I have to say that I have never had a problem on the job. Not of any magnitude. I sympathize with any woman (or anyone, nowadays) who has struggled with this sort of harassment. I am not certain that I could go through what some of those women experienced in that mill.

I do believe that there are certain ways to handle a situation that can make life easier for yourself, but the situation should never happen in the first place. That it had to be dealt with at all is horrible in itself. I also know that certain men get harassed by other men especially in an environment such as the military. Not only that, I suppose the same thing happens with women. There are certain personality types that I believe bullies prey upon and if left unchecked can become an emotional and draining experience.

Jumping tracks, my sister did not know who Granny was in my previous post about Granny's Pit Stop. She stated that it was a local watering hole, from the late sixties maybe early seventies. That was before I became of age, so I never graced their doorstep. Funny as it seems, there was a Church of the Nazarene about 100 yards down the road from Grannies. It was also abandoned.

I think we will apply one more coat of poly onto the floor tomorrow and then begin the chalkboard paint. We picked it up today. The futon will be picked up this week-end, when I have access to a truck. That leaves the chest of drawers. I am still undecided about them. Whether I want to go with the dark set we found or wait to see if I can do better (cheaper and more black). She also wants the PS2 game Dance Dance Revolution. With the dance pad included this can run over $200. Ouch. If she is willing to give up the chest of drawers until a later time, I will think about it. It is a good fitness workout and she loves to dance.

It starts

Velvet poster of art by my daughter.

A little motivation goes a long way. The makeover of my daughter's room is in full swing. She is determined to get this project completed. It's her room, she has to take the initiative. And she is.

I didn't want them to pull up the carpet. She and her beau lifted a corner to show me. It was beautiful. I gave them the go ahead. They worked their behinds off. Pictures are here. Phase I.

We went to the lumber store to get finish. Polyurethane. The salesman told me I had to sand the floor down and then put a primer on it and then put a stain on it and then put the polyurethane on it. I asked him if he rented sanders. He said "No." He had no sense of humor. He was a regular stick in the mud. I almost didn't purchase anything from him.

I purchased the finish and two brushes. We ain't fixing it up for Home and Gardens. She just wants to dance on it! I can't stand the idea of sanding that floor down and losing that beautiful color. I don't have the energy. I don't have a sander. I don't have the patience.

We continue to look for a black chest of drawers. We found a dark one for $200. I told her she was NOT painting our maple chest of drawers I had purchased her four years ago. No way, no how! It is real maple and this dark one is well, something - but it isn't real wood. She can paint it, put stickers on it or plain chew on it for all I care.

We also found red and black chairs that she likes. I'll have to think about that purchase. They are a bit pricey. I have already purchased her one like this pictured below in fuzzy black:



She also has a little table and decorations for the wall. We are waiting for the chalkboard paint to arrive. Next step is the poly. Ready, set, go!

This is the pits

Granny's Pit Stop in Wolf Run, Ohio

While driving back from my sister's house on the 4th of July, I decided to take a few extra minutes and drive my old school bus route. Wow, how things have deteriorated in that area. It never was very prosperous. It was a coal mining town. I remember selling cookies as a Girl Scout. My partner and I were assigned the lowest income area that ever existed. I was born into poverty, but my eldest sister and brother worked hard and were able to put us into a decent house (with indoor plumbing) by the time I reached the first grade. Prior to my birth, my family lived in this neighborhood.

But the area that I sold cookies was what you pictured in the movie 'Coal Miner's Daughter'. The houses were gray and run down. The kids were shoeless and wore dirty clothes. Their hair and faces were dirty. They had impetigo sores on their faces.

Now, there are some nice houses. It isn't all bad. Just a section of it remains run down. An eyesore. Like impetigo on the skin. You look at the town, but you try to ignore the ugly side of it. There are many pretty pictures that I had taken that day - even in that area. The beautiful trees and hillsides, but this building reminded me of something I left behind. Reminding myself of how lucky I am and how fortunate that my family pulled out of that situation. I can go back and drive by it, but the past is gone. And sometimes, that is a good thing.

Blue Sky

Beautiful evening in Canton, Ohio.

I enjoyed browsing at Borders bookstore while my daughter and her beau watched the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie last Friday. I snapped up a few pictures of the glorious evening sky. They enjoyed the show and remarked how it left the plot to be continued for the third and final episode.

We worked hard today. Inside and out. The heavy rainfall that came around six p.m. eased my headache somewhat.

I stopped at Sherwin-Williams for some advice on my daughter's bedroom. They suggested a black chalkboard paint that she could write/draw on and erase just like a chalkboard. She wanted something fun (and black). I wanted something that could be painted over in a couple of years. They also have paint that you can stick magnets to. Neat-o!

One week down, one to go

Setting sun over Carroll county, Ohio.

We have finished up one week of vacation and are starting number two. We have accomplished a few one-day trips here and there. I am letting my daughter guide the days. I had the cook-out/fireworks party and I told her the rest was up to her.

We have started working on her bedroom. She is going with a black and silver theme. The main problem is moving the bird back into my bedroom. She will not stop chirping. That loud shrill chirp that appears to be a calling out to my daughter. When my daughter speaks the bird chirps. Not when I speak. I read somewhere years ago that this is a sort of "pecking order" for the bird. I am the protector of the bird, and she sort of looks out for my daughter. If she cannot see her, then she is constantly calling out to her to ensure that she has not become prey.

I don't know about this. She also chirps whenever anyone else in the house speaks. She is better than a watch dog if she can see out the window that somebody is coming up the sidewalk or pulling into the driveway.

My cats are perplexed. They are used to running into my bedroom and looking out the windows. They run in now, see (or hear) the bird and they stop dead in their tracks with a look of "What the...." on their faces. Except for my big baby Casper. He doesn't run at all. He saunters. The others turn on their tail and run back out, afraid of the bird, me or both. Not Casper. He flops down at my feet as if he owns the place.

I brake for baskets

Longaberger Office building in Newark, Ohio

We went to COSI today. On the way home I traveled my old route through Newark and my daughter grabbed a great shot of the basket. You can read more about it here, there and everywhere.

COSI is the place where I wrote about the car wreck with teenagers and if the girl in the front seat had pulled the emergency brake one sixteenth of a second later or earlier the results and fate of the passengers would have been different. And they ask you if you think life is pre-determined or fate? There are many other exhibits here. It is a tremendous learning experience for children and adults. I discovered today how much difference in energy it takes to run a fluorescent bulb than to run an incandescent one. I'll be purchasing fluorescent from now on. Try as I might I could barely spin the display knob hard and fast enough to light up the incandescent one, whereas the fluorescent was a breeze.

What did my daughter enjoy the most? The Poseidon room where she got to play with water.

I enjoyed the Progress room that displayed one area of a town in 1898 and around the corner the same town in 1962. I cringe to say I remember a lot of the stuff in the 1962 area. Especially the green plastic dinosaur banks they handed out at the Sinclair gas stations.

I also enjoyed the Space program information room.

From last February, they had setup a glass of milk, bowl of tomato soup, dinner roll, apple and a slice of cheesecake in a vacuum. One display was untouched, the other had been eaten somewhat. This exhibit was to show you how the bacteria from your mouth accelerates the breakdown of the foods. A side note said to make sure you brush your teeth after each and every meal. Yeah, after that exhibit - I'd say I agree. I asked a young worker who was the lucky person to clean that up and if they wore a gas mask. He said the last person passed out from the foul smell and they quit. He said that he hoped it wasn't he who did the cleanup on this display. Sheesh!

Much to my dismay there are also many optical illusions at this science center and I came home with a bit of a headache. Not to mention that I drove there and back (2 hours one way), and we ate at a very nice Japanese steak house (very tasty food). All of this adds up to one boomer of a headache. Advil will suffice, now that I am home and can relax.

Summer. Photo Friday Challenge.

Well hello, Molly

Say hello, Molly!

This is a picture of my nephew's new little beagle named Molly. She was so sweet. Not very big, he hopes she will make a good huntin' dog. (I have never known him to hunt, I think he will just take her out to chase rabbits - if even that). He was a very good dirt bike rider. The MX or AMA or something. He's been to the Loretta Lynn ranch and many surrounding states. For about ten years he competed in dirt bike racing, jumping and so forth. We have a picture of him taken with a room full of trophies. He has had more bones broken than he can count.

Another nephew and niece (brother and sister) are in Spain! She finally posted on her Yahoo account and gave us an update about her trip overseas and how they are adjusting. A few snags with the airlines but all is okay now and they are loving the atmosphere. This is the niece who went to school for two years in New Orleans and returned this past February to visit some friends and take pictures. She cannot post pictures from the Internet cafe so words will have to do for now. It is just so nice to hear from her and know that she and her brother are okay. They are going to school there for about 45 days and will return. It must be so exciting! They are in Valladolid which is in the northern section of Spain.

I have six nephews and five nieces ranging in age from 34 to 13 years and they are all very special. I watched them A LOT when they were young.

My sister's cat "Baby"

Baby - my sister's cat.

The sister who gave me Precious kept this cat. She named her "Baby". Of course that is what I call my Casper. He is my big beautiful baby. And, he knows that he is special to me. Although the others have a way of pulling on my heartstrings too.

Hopefully, tomorrow I will having something better to post about than cats. I ran myself down a bit today also and am dead on my feet. Maybe tomorrow I can catch up on my sleeping. Maybe.

How the Manx "really" lost its tail.

Manx in the making.

Forget the stories you heard as a child about Noah closing the Ark doors on the Manx cat and that was how it lost it's tail. Nope. I think this is how. If this cat isn't asking for a tail docking, I don't know what he is doing. I stopped the car and let him continue to give me dirty looks and then he crossed right in front of me as if he owned the road or something and went on his merry way. This was a very back country road and there were no cars in sight. He was fairly safe.

Concerning the fourth of July. If I don't see another hamburger or hot dog for a month, it would be too soon. I am so darn tired. I prepared for my cook-out/fireworks party - which turned out to be a big success except for a wee bit of rain and drove today to another cook-out (with a lot of rain) and I am bushed. Beat. Knackered. All the above. Good news. I don't go to work tomorrow because I planned my vacation. I can sleep, and sleep and sleep. Well, for a while. I do have to meet somebody for lunch tomorrow.

Another great plus is I had the energy to clean up after the party so that I didn't have all that mess to face this morning when I awoke and I could relax while drinking my coffee before heading out to the 4th of July gathering.

The fireworks were great in my area, the guests were fantastic and we laughed pretty hard. Good food, good drinks, good conversations, good friends, good times. Not much more you can ask for, folks. Not much more. Now, it is off to slumberland for me. Zzzzzzzz......

Sunset through the Gables

Festival ride with gables.

While growing up I loved to read. I considered myself a voracious reader. One book that was required reading in high school was The House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Now, I just did not get this book. I loved Poe, London, Melville, L.M. Alcott, J.F. Cooper, Crane, S.L. Clemens - and possibly other books by Hawthorne. But this gables one got the better of me. I never had such a hard time with a book. I've read some readers' view points and they said that you need to concentrate. That was probably something I didn't do a lot of while I was a sophomore in high school.

Some of my very favorites were Agatha Christie, Wilkie Collins and Jules Verne.

The above picture is not actually a ride but one of those big air mattress type structures that the kids kick off their shoes and jump up and down in. We used to call it the Moonwalk. Oh my gosh! I just found the same one on-line and they called it a moonwalk - gables and all! Seriously, you have got to love this Internet thing.

So, the fair in town is still going on. I haven't been there since my escapade on Friday night. I have possibly 30 people coming tomorrow to the cook-out. I am not at all nervous. Nope, not one little bit, I say as I bite off the last of my finger nails. The headache came when the weather turned nasty. We are under a severe weather watch, blah, blah, blah. Get the rain over with and let it be sunny and pleasant tomorrow for the fireworks display. If I am not too busy playing the hostest with the mostest I will try to get some pictures. I am not one to stick a camera in people's faces, though. I probably won't take many. Just the little ones who enjoy getting their pictures taken.

Open Wide!

Casper (left) and Peru.

I caught this photo this morning. Casper was sleeping on my bed (as usual) and Peru wanted some attention. I shut my door and let Peru roam around on my shoulders, but it was clear she wanted on the bed. I asked her "Are you sure?" I looked over at Casper. He was not at all interested.

I let Peru march down my arm onto the bed. She wanted to start a conversation with Casper, but he couldn't have cared less. He did open his eyes a wee bit and promptly closed them back again. Peru was being very chatty (or chirpy).

When Peru got real close Casper let out this giant yawn right when I snapped a picture. It looks ominous but he was not at all interested in the bird. Later he did stretch a paw out to Peru who hissed and backed up. That was enough for me. Peru was put safely back in her cage.

Well, the fair's in town. I've managed to walk over the hill and see the sights. I love to watch the little children. My daughter and her crew were running around wild loving the party atmosphere. They are past the stage of spraying colored paint into their hair. My daughter did get a little ill on the swings, though. The swing ride (not the playground swings). It sat next to a dark and foreboding ferris wheel. Still parked with the number 6 cage at the top with it's ripped canvas top. It is sitting upright, not upside down.

Two days now until my party. My daughter and I cleaned the basement today. She helped a lot and was wonderful. We even laughed and had fun. There has been a lot of that lately. I'm basking in the bliss of the moments with her.