The formal updo's

My daughter's do on the left and my niece's on the right.

Most people would think that a headache the morning after a wedding would be caused by too much drinking. But what of the younger crowd? The teenage girls? Staying up too late? That one little sip of champagne? Nope. How about the updo?

While in the hair salon Saturday morning if you listen you can hear some very remarkable things. First of all, the receptionist talking on the phone made a personal call. Not only did she tell the person on the other end of the line that she had cervical cancer, but she told all fifteen people in the salon at the time. We all could hear her very "personal" conversation. Where are the telephone manners? Don't even get me started on people with cell phones.

Getting updos for two people and prom nails on one can result in two hours of sitting in the salon. The stylists chat with one another and they hold nothing back. Making the hair look nice is only half the battle. The other half is making sure the "do" doesn't collapse or fall out. Bobby pins are used and plenty of them. My daughter wanted chopsticks placed in her updo and her stylist stated there wasn't any room for them. She moved on to another customer.

Meanwhile another stylist began putting prom nails on my daughter. We spoke of the chopsticks. The stylist putting on the nails said that one stylist would get the chopsticks in and she called her over. The others agreed. This stylist could get any hair to stay in place. She was actually proud of the fact that all her clients got a "headache" after she was done with them. She was doing my niece's hair later that day. I called my niece and told her "not" to wash her hair - dirty hair is much easier to work with and I advised her to take 2 Advil before her appointment.

My niece took her hair down last night and I helped my daughter take hers out this evening. She wanted to wear it to school like that. My niece had about 30 bobby pins in and my daughter had over a dozen. At least my stylist used blonde pins in my hair. My niece and daughter had black bobby pins in their hair.

I have 110 photos to post on my personal web page of the wedding and the reception, but my IP is having issues. Technical difficulties. There isn't a thing I can do until they get their act together.

Tomorrow: The reception.

The Church

St. Mary's Church - Massillon, Ohio.

If the object of church makers back in the 1800's was to intimidate the mere mortal, they have accomplished such a feat with this massive church that held the wedding of my nephew and his new bride on Saturday.

One can only feel humble when entering this structure for the first time. For a real breath-taking view, take the virtual tour here.

The day was warm with a refreshing breeze. Formal wear made things a bit warm. The church was not air conditioned but it was far from hot and stuffy. The atmosphere was excited anticipation with a side of 'ready to boil over the rim' chaos. It was a large wedding (in my book).

The bells of St. Mary's chimed throughout the green wooded area all around the church. Small groups of people arrived, parked in the enormous parking lot and began to gather at the front of the church steps. They admired the wedding party dressed in their beautiful scarlet gowns and black tuxedo's. Aunts and uncles ooh'd and ahh'd over the little girl's dresses. Rarely do we dress up any more. Some of the farmers on the grooms side of the family had arrived in their best pressed clothes. In jet black and beet burgundy their dark tanned faces and arms set a contrast with the cold stone of the church steps. Without their hats, they almost looked like strangers.

Tomorrow: The updos.

Here a buckeye, there a buckeye

I've got buckeyes coming out of my ears! My daughter picked up the corded phone and yelled "Why is there peanut butter on the phone?!!!" Well, it is everywhere. I have used up every ounce of peanut butter I have in the house. I have one jar of honey peanut butter that we never ate. I didn't have to dig into it. Total count: 700. Whew!

The 3 rats arrived today in their glass aquarium. They are downstairs on a table. May they rest in peace with a house of 4 cats.

Puppy dog tails

Snaps and snails, and puppy dog tails.

Photo Friday Challenge: Boy

Buckeyes - 380!

Mmmm... creamy peanut butter. Reminds me of the movie Meet Joe Black. Where the Joe character eats peanut butter for the first time. I love peanut butter as long as it is creamy. I can't stand the crunchy. I don't like peanuts in my chocolate bars, either. Or, on my ice cream sundaes! NO! NO! NO! But, I love salted peanuts out of the can. I had to give those up because of stomach problems. Boo hoo.

One of the trickiest parts of making buckeyes is not mixing too hard when you first start out. Powdered sugar is very light and if you slip the spatula you get sugar everywhere. A big cloud of it will explode out of your bowl. So, you take your time. I have lost count of how many batches I have made. I am thinking six that survived. (We all know what happened to the first batch.)

The mutt is doing fine, though. In Sable's behalf I must mention that I did just purchase her a Kong when we were at the vet's office last week. I filled it with peanut butter a couple of times to try to keep her busy and not scratch her sore. So, I guess Sable figured anything with peanut butter in it was fair game. The entire house smells like peanut butter, powdered sugar and chocolate. It must be driving her crazy.

Nothing disastrous happened today. Almost, though. I almost dropped an entire cookie sheet of buckeyes onto the floor. Sigh. That would have been a wonderful follow-up to the fiasco yesterday, but it didn't happen. I caught myself and the little peanut butter balls rolled around a bit but remained on the tray. I am not sure I would have posted that if it did happen. You guys would probably think that I am a real klutz. Or accident prone, at least. I am none of those things. I am very sane, and practical. In fact, I am boring.

I felt a migraine coming on at about 2:00. I had 5 hours of sleep last night and two pots of coffee. Way too much caffeine. (Note: small 4 cup pot). I nipped it with one of my Relpax. I have no time for headaches this week.

So, I still have all day tomorrow and I re-stocked on supplies today. I have it down to a science, now. I am a lean, mean buckeye-making machine! Oh, and just for the record - I have eaten a total of two buckeyes. TWO. I cannot stomach any more. I am wondering if this would be a great way to rid yourself of a food addiction. Maybe? If so, I will be making pizza all next week. LOL!

Rolling of the Buckeyes - Day One

Here are the ingredients. Forget the granular sugar. That wasn't an ingredient I needed for the buckeye candies. There are buckeye trees in Ohio that produce this nut that is poisonous to eat. It (the tree's nut) was named after the eye of a deer Buck.

The candy is quite delicious. Peanut butter balls dipped in melted chocolate chips.

After mixing the ingredients, you roll the dough into little balls. Chill them for at least an hour and melt the chocolate chips into a double boiler. I use two pans. The bottom (bigger) pan I boil water in and set the smaller pan down into the water and melt the chips in it. I add paraffin wax to give the buckeyes a clear coat. In the above picture I didn't add enough wax, so I made up for that in the next batch. Use toothpicks to dip the balls into the melted chocolate. Set them on wax paper to dry. My niece and her husband came down to help, she also wanted to see how to make them so she can make her own.

There are many recipes. Just google "recipe buckeye candy" and you will get lots.

Now, for the bad news. My daughter's boyfriend is not feeling well, so after our company left we were going to run him over some herbal tea. I placed all of the buckeyes on a high counter in the kitchen and folded the wax paper over top of them so that if any cat decided to get frisky, they wouldn't be able to get to them. I had 54 buckeyes on the dining room table in a rubbermaid container with the lid on it. My niece and her husband each sampled a buckeye out of this rubbermaid container. What I didn't know is that they didn't snap the lid shut. They just sat the lid back on the container. Big mistake.

While we were gone, my dog (Sable) ate all 54 buckeyes. When I walked past the table and glanced at the container, my first thought was "where in the heck did I put those buckeyes? I don't remember moving them." Then it hit me. I saw the top layer of wax paper laying next to the container. I didn't move them. They were gone. OH NO!

I looked at Sable. She seemed fine. I showed her the empty container. Big sad brown guilty eyes. Christ dog! Do you have a death wish? I was angry. All that work! And, what in the world is going to happen to my dog? Should I call a vet? Should I look on the Internet for what to do? I was so mad I told my daughter that I didn't care if she did die. Well, she did something worse. She threw up melted, foamy buckeyes all over my living room carpet. I rushed her outside. She continued to throw up out there.

Gagging, I cleaned up the carpet mess. Let's just say I think I pulled that muscle in my neck/shoulder all over again. It was already stressed from stirring three batches of stiff buckeye dough!

Later: I called my vet. She called back about 30 minutes later. She said that a dog can safely eat 1 oz of chocolate per pound of dog. My dog is a barrel. One batch of buckeyes uses 1 12 oz bag of chocolate chips. Sable is at least 80 lbs. She kept throwing up and drinking water so we moved her outside. It is a beautiful night out. Cool and a full moon. We walked her around a bit. She is not convulsing. She is not foaming at the mouth. She is not shaky. She is in fact wagging her tail and begging our forgiveness with her big round soft brown eyes. Aw, geez! Okay, I'm not mad any more. At least not until I see the other mess the vet said to expect in the morning. Coming from the other end!

Buckeyes: zero

One of the many beautiful lakes in Eastern Ohio.

My daughter received a lot of positive comments on her hair. My niece is adjusting to the fact that she is going to move ahead with her life. I am on vacation. I bought sugar, powdered sugar, peanut butter, chocolate chips, butter, vanilla and paraffin wax. Number of buckeyes made today: A big fat zero.

Do you think it makes a big difference if you use real vanilla extract? I just finished up a bottle of the real stuff in my banana bread yesterday. Today I purchased imitation. I don't bake a lot so I have never really experimented with the imitation. My Mom used imitation.

I do know that rainy weather affects fudge and I swear it ruined my buckeyes one year. I am hoping for drier weather. I have not checked the weather. I guess it will be what it will be.

I just hope that the wedding reception does not end up in one huge buckeye throwing fight.

Cheap sunglasses

It's never too early to protect your eyes.

This is my great-nephew. His parents are getting married this week-end. Cart before the horse and all that stuff. They purchased a house a month ago. Then they are off to Nassau for a honeymoon. I forgot to ask my sister, but I suppose she is watching the bambino while they go.

The wedding is out of town so a lot of family will be staying overnight in a motel. The rooms were going quickly so I reserved all they had left. Which was three. My other sister asked if we should check into the motel room and then go to the wedding. I said "Definitely, because if they are that booked they will probably give our rooms away!"

My niece called me today crying. Her boyfriend told her to "Get out." They have been living together for 18 months. I read a book a long time ago that if couples co-habitating aren't married in 18 months, it isn't going to happen. This is the niece that stayed with me from 15 to 18.5 years. She is heartbroken.

Not a one of her friends like(d) her boyfriend. Her Mother didn't like him. I don't care for him, he can be nice - but I didn't like a lot of things that I saw. But, I believe that everybody has to learn for themselves. Nobody can tell you. She works two part-time jobs, goes to school full time and took care of most of the cleaning and cooking at his house that he shared with his dad. We (the family) felt that she was being used. Nobody could tell me anything at 19, and I feel that she is pretty much the same way. Blind to love. Love conquers all. Love at all costs. She doesn't eat very well, and I can't imagine that this is going to be very good for her.

Over the past year, she has let all her girlfriends go because of him. One recently re-newed their friendship, but she is leaving for Columbus this month for college. Maybe 2 jobs and school will be good for her. She can keep herself busy.

My daughter is bouncing around with her new haircut. She loves it. I am worried about when her roots start growing in. I swear when I combed it out for her today after her shower, the hair was pure white on the top of her head. I know it will tone down. This coming from somebody who has now dyed her hair for close to 30 years.

My daughter's style is a cut that needs some fixing up in the mornings. Not something she is very good at. We like that wash it, comb it and go hairstyle. I never use a blow dryer. My hair is dry before I am done combing it out. Well, okay - not that fast but pretty close.

This should be interesting. Lucky for me I am off all week for the buckeye marathon, and can give her hair some "style" time. But when I go back to work, she is going to have to buckle down and do it herself. She wanted the hair, she can deal with it.

So we are back to a three girl family again. My counsellor is going to raise her eyebrows at me for not telling my niece "No, you can't come back." How can I turn my back on her? I helped to raise her for crying out loud. My niece has 3 rats. I have 4 cats. This should be very interesting.

Hair cut

Daughter's new haircut and color.

My daughter has been after me to let her get her hair dyed black underneath and bright blonde on the top. We did that today. The beautician talked us into going with a rich coffee brown on the bottom layer. My daughter doesn't think it is dark enough, but I told her with all of the black she wears, you wouldn't even be able to see the underside. She also had it layered. Her chore list is pretty long for this bill.

She is very happy with it. I have to admit, I was a bit anxious about it, but it turned out really nice. It has improved her self esteem enormously. She doesn't look like my daughter. I have to adjust.

This week I will perform a new endeavor. I have titled it "The Rolling of the Buckeyes".

Pondering

What gets me, is if this 'headache' episode is from a pulled muscle during my "rage" incident on Friday the 25th, why didn't it hurt on Saturday, Sunday and Monday? Other than lack of sleep, I was fine on Saturday. Sunday I had my usual migraine behind my left eye. My prescription medicine took care of that. Monday I was tired, but okay. Tuesday morning I had another 'thunderclap' headache. Wednesday a dull ache. Thursday day - I was fine. Thursday afternoon another 'thunderclap' headache. Friday - dull ache. Saturday dull-ache. Headache woke me up this morning, that is why I am sitting here on the computer.

Changing the subject (Thank God!). We have had a big cold front move through the Ohio valley. A bit of rain, too. School started, work picked up. I get to make buckeyes and I hope I don't eat too many of them. They are my favorite candy/cookie. If I find my camera (house is still in a semi-Atomic explosion state), I'll take pictures of the "rolling of the buckeyes". The plan is to make 1,000 of them? 500? As many as I can, I guess. I am thinking that they will end up just being thrown at other people at the reception. A huge buckeye cookie fight. LOL!

Pain or something like it

Something swirled in Paint Shop.

A few years back, maybe a decade or two, Kenny Rogers had a song out that had the line "Love or something like it's got a hold on me." Pain or something like it's got a hold on me. Not so bad today. Thursday afternoon we took Sable to the vet's office. She had scratched a sore on the side of her face under her right ear. I suspected ear mites, but again the vet said it was her allergies.

I had to hold Sable down while the doctor shaved the hair from around the sore. Sable didn't like it one bit and she is a big dog. The exertion of holding her down brought me a headache that slams into the back of my head like a crowbar. Again, it lasts five minutes and then retreats to a dull ache. Friday night, Tuesday morning and now, Thursday afternoon.

My description is like somebody taking a crowbar and sinking it into the back of your skull. Then they begin to pry it towards them in an attempt to pull your head off.

I researched on the Internet. The closest I could find to what I was experiencing is called a "Thunderclap" headache. The doctor went through the normal examination. No numbness, dizziness or tingling. Thankfully, it doesn't appear to be an aneurysm. She diagnosed a pulled muscle and sent me home with a prescription for muscle relaxers and the name of a masseuse. "Say what?" Yep. Giving her (the doctor) the benefit of the doubt, maybe the pulled muscle is causing the exertion headaches. Maybe she realizes the same thing I read on the Internet. There ain't much you can do for a "thunderclap" headache. Wonderful.

Oh, and the masseuse is $120.00 for an hour and a half. First visit must be an hour and a half. You know insurance won't pay. They said 99.9% don't. That would be too wonderful. I am debating the massage.

Meanwhile I am on day two of the relaxers. Big deal. Doctor told me to relax for the next week. I have been sick for over five days. Do you know what kind of state my house is in? Major atomic bomb site. Relax, my butt. Maybe she has a maid. I wonder just how in touch professionals are with the rest of us out here in the real world.

I also wonder what life would be like without all of these headaches. I have had some good days and sometimes I stop and get real quiet. What would it be like to feel this way every single day? I wouldn't be so grumpy. I wouldn't be so mean and nasty. I would make crafts and paint again. The smell of paints or glue wouldn't bother me. I could stay outside and work. The weather changes wouldn't bother me, either. Oh, get real.

My oldest brother and sister's migraines stopped when they retired from their jobs. They rarely get one any more. I still use the relaxation CD. Two years, now.

I am rambling. I am tired. Can headaches be recognized like a major illness such as diabetes? Or, arthritis? When somebody says they have diabetes, people kind of know what they are speaking of. Take your medicine and you should be okay. When you mention migraines, you kind of get a look like "Uh huh." Sometimes people like to think they know what causes your headaches. You must be eating too much cheese, chocolate and red wine. You need to take vitamins. You're breathing wrong. You must be allergic to some foods. You sit wrong. You walk wrong. You wear the wrong type of shoes. You need to walk more. You need to drink more water. You take too many 'over the counter' pills. Oh, there are more. Many more. I've heard my share.

Over the past 30 years with my migraines I have discovered the major triggers (for me):

1. Hormones
2.Weather change
3.Change in sleep patterns
(I don't care what they say about going to bed at the same time and getting up at the same time each and every day. Sometimes you have to go out on a week-end and stay up late! I do like to socialize, you know!)
4.Smells such as perfume and cigarette smoke
5.Stress, I guess.
6.Onions, I think.

I never know when I am under stress. I have become so conditioned to saying "I am fine" when anyone asks me, I don't give it a second thought. A lot of migraines come after the stress episode.

We watched "Eight Below" today. About the sled dogs. I can't believe we waited this long to watch it. My daughter really likes the husky-type dogs. I don't. I can't stand a blue-eyed dog for some weird reason. I don't trust them. My Sable has the big soft brown eyes.

We have "Failure to Launch" to watch for tomorrow or Monday. I am trying to relax but I can't stand to sit in the living room and watch a movie when I look around and this needs done and that needs done.

At least this holiday week-end I am free from get togethers. Well, a birthday party last night but no cook-outs. Since last week-end was the graduation party and next week-end is the big wedding, I guess everybody needs some breathing room.

I hope I kick this latest headache episode before the wedding! That would certainly be a damper.

I know that I have to mow the grass soon. I can't let it go very much longer. Just give me one good day, and hopefully on that good day it is dry enough to mow.

Silky

Shasta sitting on the grass.

Friday's Photo Challenge: Silver.

Green on green

Green dragon fly in Sherrodsville, Ohio - Carroll county.

Another blogger posted theirs and I remembered mine.

Well, I am not laughing today. My headache managed to go away for two hours this afternoon. I had taken two Advil. The school had their hall doors open and the breeze was very pleasant. I thought to myself "Ahhh, the cold front must have finally moved into the area."

It was a short reprieve. The headache came roaring back. Only this time it was gone from the back of my head and moved to it's usual place. Behind my left eyeball. Sunglasses back on. I broke down and took a migraine pill at 4:15. I went to the grocery store. I began to feel much better. I bought some much needed supplies.

I brought the groceries home and fixed my daughter and I a vegetable pizza and chicken salad on fresh croissants. We drank milk with our meal. I choked on my milk and took a coughing fit. That was all my head needed. Right back to the throbbing. I threw my food and plate in the sink and tried to lay down. The coughing had loosened up everything in my head and I kept on coughing for about twenty minutes.

I just said the heck with it and sat up and am posting. Some days you just can't win.

Only when I breathe

Today was not a very good day. I awoke and took my shower. I bent over to pick up my wet towel and instant pain shot up the back of my neck. My head began to throb. I have had a headache on and off for about four days. It does not seem to want to respond to medication. There has been stormy weather around here.

I had an educational office down (without Internet) and I drove there to reboot the equipment and swap out the power pack to the unit, hoping that would fix the problem. I walked with my head stiffly bent to the side. I kept my sunglasses on. I talked through gritted teeth. I was short with co-workers. I apologized to them and explained that I was in pain.

At 10:35 I called my doctor. The receptionist stated that the doctor had a cancellation at 10:30 and I was too late to make that. I was trying to explain this headache to her. I mentioned that I had a "rage incident" on Friday night that started a severe pain in the back of my neck. It went away after about fifteen minutes. I said "You know how you hear people talking and they say after road rage or a serious argument they get a severe headache pain..." I went on trying to make sense. When she repeated it back to me she said "You hear people talking but they really aren't there..."

OH. MY. GOD.

Okay. I WAS on a cell phone. I reluctantly started to laugh. I didn't want to laugh. It was going to hurt something awful, but I really couldn't help it. Even now I am smiling and it feels like someone is taking a can opener to the back of my head. I bent over I was laughing so hard. It hurt like the dickens. I re-explained things to her and after all was said and done she must have figured that if I could laugh, I didn't need to see the doctor. She fit me in on Friday morning. Whatever. I went home sick at lunch.

I have been in pain before with a headache. In my late teens and early twenties I did not carry medical insurance and I never went to the doctor. I rode my migraines out laying in bed with a bowl of ice water to dip my washcloth in and then lay it over my eyes. It usually took 8 hours of sleeping fitfully, throwing up and another 16 hours before it was gone for good. My body was freezing cold but my head would be as hot as an iron.

It is just that back then I didn't have a child. I didn't have pets to take care of. I didn't have dishes stacking up in the sink. I didn't have noises in the house. My Mom was very quiet and I was the youngest - the rest of the siblings were gone. The phone rarely rang back then.

Now it is easier for me to keep myself busy when I have a headache. It seems that if I lay still all I dwell on is the pain. Throbbing, throbbing pain. And I get physically sick. Anymore I move around quietly doing this and doing that. I wear my sunglasses. I listen to the television but keep my eyes covered with a sleep mask. The story keeps my mind occupied and distracts me from the pain. My legs and feet are rubbing together moving a mile a minute. The swaying motion rocks my body and keeps the throbbing at bay so I don't reach up and try to rip my head off.

I used to scratch myself all up when I had these headaches. It transferred the pain elsewhere. For a while. (It may have released endorphins, I don't know). But, the gritting of my teeth while I scratched my arms or face made the throbbing start again. But the absolute worst was throwing up. The exertion made my head feel like it was going to shoot right off of my shoulders. A lot of the time I wish that it would have. There was one time (only once) that I considered ending it all because of the pain. I just wanted the pain to stop.

I imagine by Friday I will be pain free. My regular appointment is in September and I will probably cancel Friday and keep the one next month.

Persistence

Protractor

What is normally abundant in stores all across America becomes evasive and eludes the school shopping Mom. I do believe that some sick Math and/or Science teacher goes along the stores all summer long purchasing every single protractor and compass on the shelves. And, he or she is laughing that strange weird laugh that Pink Floyd laughs during their song "Brain Damage".

The lunatic is in my head....Ha..ha..ha..ha..ha..ha..ha..ha.....!

My daughter and I saw other classmates with their Mom's struggling from store to store this evening also searching for the all elusive protractor. We got the last compass at Staples. Needed was a spiral sketchbook diary and a protractor. Staples had neither. Wal-Mart had neither. Driving home wondering if I had any stashed in my endless supply of "stuff" I decided to turn up the road to Rite Aid. Twenty minutes before closing time. We found the spiral sketchbook, but the hanging stem for protractors remained empty. Sigh. We moved toward the checkout counter. Out of the corner of my eye I saw another aisle with folders. I turned. Hanging were two protractors. Buy one get one free. I grabbed them ($1.99 total) and told my daughter to sell the spare one to the highest bidder tomorrow. LOL!

Catching my breath

Little imp

It has been a long week-end. Big family college graduation party on Friday, company all week-end, and the first day of school is tomorrow. And, I was blessed with a migraine today. Too little sleep, too much rich foods and a lot of "UP" time while helping out with the get together. Drains me.

Circle

Photo Friday Challenge: Circle

One of my little plastic ice cream dishes scanned in and given a burst of light.

Anybody home?

Two story red brick.

Sometimes, while driving along I will take a picture of a house. Then, later when I download it onto my PC and zoom in and look at it, I will wonder about the house and it's occupants. I am not even sure the above house is occupied. The photo was taken in June of this year. The grass has not been mowed although it isn't completely out of control like a field would be. There are curtains hanging in the windows.

Maybe there are two elderly sisters living there. Puttering around in that big old house with just their memories to keep them company. There is an old television in the corner but neither of them watch it. (Hence the tower antenna).

They have knick knacks galore. One of them may go along and dust them every so often. Picking up an old picture and staring at it for a few minutes. Remembering the old days and wondering where have they gone? Was it really sixty years ago that we used to kick up our heels at that ballroom and kiss the soldiers when they came back from the war?

From the back of one of the pictures an old and yellowed tattered piece of paper will fall out and once again she will read his handwriting. How much he misses her and how lonely it is all the way over there in a foreign land. Fighting for our freedom. He never came home. She carefully re-folds the paper and places it gently back into the picture frame. She reaches for her tissue which is always bunched up in her dress pocket and wipes her eyes. Another place, another time.

Gone with the wind - shield wiper

I don't know which is uglier. The dead bug or the arm of my windshield wiper.

My world this week

Back road, Carroll county

Like the shed above, I am barely keeping my head above the weeds.

Welcome to my parlor

Photo Friday Challenge: Friend

Two words

Mechanical Bull.

Okay. That's not me. I am 46 years old and to be honest with you I ache enough in the mornings when I get out of bed. Even if I had ten shots of alcohol in me, my subconscious would tell me "Awww - Hell No! No way, no how!" I can only imagine the three that did ride the bull (bride-to-be was one of them) have to be feeling a form of whiplash today.

That is all for now. I am sorting through pictures and movies and sending to e-mail addresses.

Finishing touches

The finishing touches on my daughter's newly decorated bedroom.

A black vase with white swirls, white and black silk flowers with tall, silk black grass.
Check out that wild pattern on the comforter.

A tea lamp (in Oriental motif).

The rug. This is only the middle of it and it needs vacuumed. To me it looks like they skinned a cow. Ugh.

My precious eyes

That beautiful sunset last evening.

Here is that sunset I was trying to catch while walking the dogs at the park yesterday. Or, should I say dog and a half? LOL! What she lacks in size, she more than makes up for in energy. Good golly that dog can scamper.

My daughter told me the other day the pooches were out playing while she washed her bike and they found the bees underneath the back porch. The little one took off like a rocket, but Sable got stung a couple of times.

When I came home from work, Sable was rolling around on the living room floor playing with her little stuffed toy. She was fine. I didn't know if she might be allergic or not. She has never been stung before that I know of.

I read today that looking at the sun (even through a camera lens) can damage your eyes permanently. Yikes! I have been taking pics of the sun for a few years now. I think I better talk to my doctor or optometrist about this.

I made my first ever trip to Aldi's today. I never went before because I thought it was a place where you purchase in bulk amounts. I told my daughter "You have to go with me the next time! It is so cool. You put a quarter in to get a buggy and you get it back when you are done! You pick up empty boxes as you shop so you have something to place your stuff in." I probably looked a bit giddy. Of course I bought more than I planned. I was looking for coffee. I didn't purchase any there. I don't experiment when it comes to something as important as my morning coffee.

I tried a few different items. If we don't like them, I just won't buy them again. I guess they are cheaper, but if I catch the name brand stuff on sale - it looks like the same price. I also joined Sam's club this year. I went once so far. It is about 40 miles away where Aldi's is just a few miles.

Then we went school shopping. Two pairs of jeans, two hooded jackets and a tee shirt. (Previously we purchased a bunch of tee's). One pair of very expensive shoes and some underwear. New perfume. I hesitated on the shoes. I made my daughter go in every shoe store in the mall to see if she couldn't find another pair that she liked just as well for less money.

She turned her nose up at all the shoes. Her mind was set. Sigh. We saved some on the hooded jackets so maybe it all evens out. I would like her to purchase more jeans. She still has some old pairs from last year that she can wear. In my book you can't have enough jeans. I always like for her to have one outfit of dress pants and a nice shirt with nice shoes. Not this year. Nothing doing.

But... but! We get to purchase a dress! A dress! I am so-o-o excited. We have a wedding coming up and she actually wants to wear a dress with high heels. Oooohh! Squirming in my seat. Heels! She has never worn heels. This should be funny. I'll bet they come off after the first hour at the reception. Ha! Ha!

The bachelorette party is Saturday. Now, it has been a while since I have participated in a wedding. My friends that were going to get married all GOT married twenty-some years ago. My sisters also all got married thirty-some years ago. My niece married a couple of years ago, but did not have a party beforehand.

I am a little rusty on the bachelorette party. The guys are going to Canada on the 25th for their doings. Canada? I am going to try to find out why this week-end. Gambling? Special bars? Maybe I don't want to know. LOL!

A shot in each bar as we barhop? I don't plan to drink because I have to come home and answer to a fifteen-year-old. The party is about sixty miles away from my house. Now in my day the most risque thing we did was give the bride-to-be a teddy (or a naughty nightie as we used to call them). Today it probably comes close to those sex toy parties you have either gone to or heard about. Personally, I have a great time at those get-togethers. Hmmm. Should be interesting.

We finished up the evening with the Chinese buffet. I dropped her off at the Park so she could spend time with her friends and I came home. Opened the mailbox and there was a bonus check from work that covered every penny I spent today with $50 to spare. Wow. You can't beat that!

All wrapped up.

This evening, Sable and I went for a walk at the park in a bordering town that allows dogs on a leash. I am watching my sister's dog, so she was on the expanding leash.

Here is what happened to me. But, there was a good reason. Honest.

This is the mischievous girl who tangled my feet.

I can only imagine that she was trying to keep up with this "hyper" other girl prancing around.

And, this was the reason for my distraction. I was trying to catch a couple of shots of the fading sunset through the pine trees, when I spotted this powered hang glider. I caught picture after picture, but of course - the first one is the best one. He (or she) was far away and when I zoomed in, it just became a blur against the sky.

The dog(s) are forgiven and I even laughed at myself. A couple of walkers were strolling past, but I didn't mind. Silly woman with silly dogs taking pictures of flying machines while the dogs tangle her legs in the leashes. Could have been the beginning of a bad horror movie. The next scene shows one of the dogs running away scared and yapping with half her leash dragging behind her. It would have to be that little squirt, because Sable can't run very well. Her back legs are not very stable. Not very stable, my Sable.

Kickin' it!

Germs?

No. Not germs. Gumballs in negative. Whatever bug had hold of me the past few days, I'm kickin' it to the curb! I was feeling so much better and I have not fixed any decent meal in a few days so we ordered pizza. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid! Not for the others, but for me. Ohhh, the agony!

Four cats

Photo Friday Challenge: Four

I'm grumpy

Misery

My unplanned hiatus may be over. I don't know. I may not post again for another few days. I am grumpy. I am sick. My daughter taunts to me that I have mono. "Bite your tongue!"

The poor horse above is being tortured by dozens of flies. That would drive me nuts. As the horse and as the owner. My sister and I used to put this stinky stuff on her horse to keep the flies away. Dip it onto a rag and wipe Queenie's face with it. Queenie. That horse didn't like me.

Headache, earache, nausea, stomach ache. Alka seltzer, antacid. And the nasties. No flies, though. Yawn. I'm going to go back and lay down. Yuck.

Enough to give me heartburn

At the lake near Dellroy, OH

And this is just silly. I purchased some chewable rolaids yesterday. The usual box I buy has three packs in it, thus leaving an empty compartment. This pack had a special bonus and included the 4th pack in it. Would they remove the cardboard compartment and add the 4th pack? Heck, no! They have to build another bigger box and add the 4th pack to the outside of the regular box. How typical is that?

Fits right in.

Jasper snoozing on the new sheet set.

The sheet color was NOT my idea. Good grief, no. It goes with the black and white comforter that has been shipped but has not arrived yet and the black and white area rug which I have not seen yet.

But, Jasper says he is very comfortable with the new look and we think he fits right in.

I am NOT a voyeur!

A very private swim

Okay. Let's get one thing straight. It was no accident that I took this picture. However, this is a crop from a much larger picture. It just happened that my daughter wanted to go along with me today and we chose this very back, gravel road to scout the area for suitable picture taking.

I snapped my usual "shoulder shots". This one happened to be part of a much larger pond scene. Water and green. I did not even notice the couple swimming there until the man said "Hi there." I saw them right before he said anything and thought they were children. His voice was a deep baritone. As I drove on past I asked my daughter "Do you suppose they were skinny dipping?" She said "Probably."

Yeesh. Sorry folks. And, now I go and put you on the web for all the world to see. If the world happens to meander to my little corner of the world.

As it is, even the thought of a voyeur creeps me out!

Okay. A closer look at the larger picture shows a group of voyeurs sitting on the bank watching the couple swim.

And finally, the larger (complete) shot:

I doubt that there was any dipping going on, after all.

Backpedalling

An Amish house

Don't be mislead by the stories you read about how austere the Amish life is. Even the movie Witness was pretty plain. The Amish houses I see are darn pretty. They are great at landscaping around these parts. Notice the solar panels on top of the roof. Many have trampolines and basketball hoops. No electric lines running to the house, but I have seen a few mowing their grass with lawn mowers.

Well, the jig is up. Checking my stats today I found that a family member read my blog. Or a future family member. Sigh. I guess I may have been fooling myself thinking I could remain anonymous. Of course, some of them could have been reading it all along, but I have watched my stats pretty close. I compare them to my stats on my photo web page and yep. There it was. I hurried back a month or two and re-read my entries hoping beyond hope that I didn't say anything to offend. I may have in one post. Re-sigh.

That will taint what I say here, although I have been being very careful. You know how you aren't supposed to talk about work and co-workers.

So, here's to blogging. I imagine that somebody somewhere has typed up a blogging etiquette. Like never blog while drinking, or never blog in anger. How about: Never blog when driving? LOL. Okay, that last one was a joke. But seriously. Now, I will have to check my stats daily to see if they return.

I imagine my niece and nephew have returned from Spain. She has some great photos on her photo blog from the journey. She mentioned that it was hot, hot, hot over there. The pictures remind me of a dry, desert region.

You know, just as a side note. Don't you wish that the dictionary used here to check spelling would add the word "blog" ? I keep clicking Learn. Maybe it will stick this time.

Well, howdy do!

Miniature burro near Charm, Ohio

I met some family at the Chalet in the Valley restaurant near Charm Ohio yesterday. We had a nice meal but better conversation. The place was not as crowded as what I expected. There were a few out of state license plates in the parking lot.

After our meal, I meandered over to the nearby pasture and put a quarter in the feed machine. I placed the bucket under the spout and maybe ten kernels of field corn rolled out along with my quarter. I put it back in and turned the knob again. Another ten and my quarter. Again, and once more. That's all you get for a quarter. About 40 kernels. The little goats were running to me as soon as I picked up the bucket.

As for the burro, he (could have been a she, I didn't look) was not interested in the corn. Just wanted a pat on the nose. I haven't been up close to a burro in years. Since my last visit to a petting zoo, I suppose. Probably five years or more. This one has the image of a cross on it's back. Very friendly little things. I could see another goat across the field. It appeared as though he was tied to a dog box of sorts. He may have been the mean one.

On the other side of the restaurant was a field with one horse. He was up by the fence and I walked over to say hello. He was completely miserable. They had cut off all of his forelock and the flies (there must have been a hundred of them) covered his face. It must have been maddening. All the poor thing could do was dip his head and rub his face against his front legs. His tail wasn't going to reach that far around. If he had his forelock at least he could shake his head and the hair would swing around and shoo them away. He needed to find a buddy and they needed to stand side by side, head to butt so they could swish each others' faces with their tails.

But, I didn't see any other horses in the field. Just the ones tied at the front that went with the Amish buggies. They were harnessed up and on the other side. Beasts of burden.

Private II

This one was taken about two months ago on one of my drives through a neighboring county. I stopped to look at a pretty field of wild flowers and carefully began stepping through some tall grass and I came upon...well....something private.

Is it my imagination or is the one on top smiling? Click on the picture for a close-up and I think you will see for yourself.

I could have used this one for the Photo Friday Private theme, but didn't think of it. Sigh.

Oh, back to that!

So, after the hot weather passes and we are a bit back to normal, Friday at work starts out strange with the electricity being off for three hours. Do you ever realize how quiet it is when the electric is off? The UPS kept the servers up and running. Not that it mattered to me because my PC and my Linux server were down. No UPS there.

With all of that weather talk behind us and things picking back up around lunchtime, what else is there to do or talk about?




Oh, yeah. Back to that.





Only in America, right?





You know what I'm talking about.





You get an e-mail at the end of the day. It's frolicsome Friday. Everybody wants to get out from behind their desks and cut loose. We finish the week off with....





What else? Bush Bashing!

I'm not even sure this is right. But, if you want to see for yourself, you can here. And to capture the screen shots like I did, I use this nifty little product. Except I got it back when it was a free version. I have never needed to upgrade. The old version does what I want perfectly. I never run a computer/laptop without it. That and Irfanview.

Private Journal

Photo Friday Challenge: Private