Some early thanks giving

Front yard clover from the summer

I sit here this morning looking at the day ahead. I have a list of things I would like to accomplish today. First on the list is paying bills and getting insurance papers turned in for reimbursement. I look at the bills and I look at my checkbook. Yes, I can swing the bills - but it gets harder each month in 2007. I read the word recession in the newspaper the other day.

Sigh. I sit and think. I signed out more books yesterday at the library. I like biographies. I began reading one called "Don't Leave Me This Way" by Julia Fox Garrison. And I begin to realize that I am rolling in clover compared to the struggles that some people may be facing today. I don't have to learn to walk all over again. I don't have to have somebody wipe my rear end when I use the toilet.

So, I will pay my bills, clean my house and mow my grass. Grateful in the fact that this is the most challenging my day will get today. With luck on my side, that is. Because we never know what lurks around the next turn or what tomorrow will bring. Do we?

New digs for Earl

Earl got a new house, not a friend

I've mentioned Earl before in my blog. He is a little beagle that lives with a family in a house on a back alley behind my office building. Sometimes I drive past or walk past to see how he is doing. He got some new digs. It looks like a new friend moved in, but no. I am not real sure the reason the owner kept Earl's old house there. Maybe so Earl could adjust, or maybe it is attached to the house and would leave an ugly spot if he removed it.

I am kind of excited about tomorrow. I have a free Saturday for the first time in six weeks. I plan to get some work done around the house. Maybe. I went to the library and got a fresh batch of books. Oh, boy. I must stay motivated. Heh.

Wee bit of color

County back road

I took a little drive after work today. Mostly because I have not had the chance to drive around this past month very much. I did most of my work from my desktop computer. Ugh.

I found a wee bit of color on the hills of a back road. The sun was shining and the sky was a glorious blue. There were a lot of yellow leaves and brown. Sing with me "All the leaves are brown..." But the sky was not gray. Not yet.

I watched Mr. Brooks last week-end. It was pretty good. I fell in love with Kevin Costner back in the day when he was in Fandango, Silverado and American Flyers. Until I saw him on a talk show and I about threw up. He was so full of himself and fake I could barely stand to watch. There were some movies I didn't care for that he was in, especially those made from 1993 to 2005. He seems to be getting his grove back, though.

Spooky

I have had my nose stuck in some library books and just have let time slip away from me.

New chains

A closeup of the swing set

The above photo was taken at one of the little schools near me during the summer. I was out there installing a new router and the tech had forgotten the keys to the building, so I meandered around snapping pictures until he returned.

All is well in the Peruby household again. My daughter and I had a spat and last night we smoothed things over so Mama Bear could take care of the stitches and put a new bandage on the incision. More of same today. She took a pillow with her to sit in the hard school chairs because this one was low on the back. It had changed drastically. Dysplastic nevus.

I met a sister for lunch today. Afterward we went walking back to her workplace and I felt a raindrop. Well, I thought it was a raindrop. I said "It's starting to rain" and I looked up. There was an ornery pigeon on the building roof looking down at me. I said "You little sh**!" I looked all over and my sister looked me over but we saw no "raindrops". She was laughing pretty hard. I have not checked inside my purse yet, as it was hanging open as I walked along. Nice.

Leftovers

This sits in my bedroom.

Well, I used to have my niece living here and my daughter is 16. I can't just leave this stuff out in the kitchen. I must keep it hidden, I guess. I can also safely say I am not an alcoholic. There but for the grace of God... and all that stuff.

Actually, I am seething with frustration. Years ago, booze is where I would turn. Now, I blog. I guess. Well, even before blogging, I stopped the boozing.

Even so, I want to kick, scream, bite, claw and tear somebody apart. I am not sure who. I would love to have access to a really, really bad person. Somebody who writes a virus, maybe.

My daughter had another mole cut out of her back this evening. I was a softie and bought her a new A&F hoodie, new tee and CD to the tune of $100. Anything to make my little girl feel better after an ordeal like that. Then, we got in a fight on the way home. We had been doing so well, too. Arrgghh. I want to cut myself, too. But of course, I won't! I feel like it. As her Mother, I want to take her pain away, but I can't.

So, no alcohol. No hurting myself. How else can I punish myself? Turning my anger inside. The new kittens are hiding under the basement steps. Yeah, they are safer there. Why do they curl around my feet when I am trying to walk? Why?! Do they have a death wish?

Big breath. Fresh air. All better, now.

Big bat

Flying bat seen from the festival

I have not taken any pictures since the WV trip. And, only about 5 were decent. The festival at the beginning of the month only brought a dozen or so pictures. That could have been because of the extreme heat. I did not take any this past week-end.

I am in a bit of a dry spell. Busy at work. At home - been reading a lot.

Running on empty

Time to refuel

Nothing much, tonight. I am tired from my late night last night. Moving slow and thinking even slower. Need sleep. Hopefully I won't sleep a few hours and then awaken at three or four in the morning and can't get back to sleep. I hate when that happens.

I am hoping to get out this week-end and get some good photos of the little bit of color out there on them Ohio hills. I do have a 75th surprise birthday party to go to. Other than that, maybe I can catch up on my yard work. It looks like we will have about five pumpkins from our surprise patch. I mowed around the vines this time. The pumpkin is more important that the grass underneath it. For now. I have not been in the mood to do any fall or Halloween decorating. Hell, my patio still has red, white and silver stars on it from the July 4th cook-out. Good grief!

A rowdy bunch

Fall crowd at the Fall Festival

We were a rowdy bunch at the bar in the motel room when we went to Wild and Wonderful WV, Friday night. Three sisters, one brother. Two in-laws. Three grandchildren. My daughter is a minor, they didn't say a word to us. The Long Islands kept coming and the laughter kept flowing. The place was hoppin'. Of course my daughter didn't drink alcohol. She had a coke along with my niece and sister-in-law.

We used to try to make it to WV every year. As time went on, the trips became less and less frequent. This year it has been seven years since we had been down. And, the first year without our Mother. Ugh. Out of five that we normally visit, one had passed on and the other has moved to Columbus for an operation. We plan to catch up with her there. It is one of those situations where they don't inform you of what is going on, you have to either call or write. They don't write anymore because their hands shake so much you couldn't read it. No computers, no e-mail.

My eldest brother has given me a new Family Tree file to update my records. I am going to do that as soon as I am finished here. I am anxious to see who he has added. In some circumstances he goes back to the 1600's in New York. I can't even imagine. But, the branches become so entwined and tangled, I can't even comprehend how they know this stuff. He has done an enormous amount of work on the project. In reality our relatives come from many different places. Austria, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain. Here in the states, New York and Virginia. Surnames include Potts, Williams, Haymond, Conrad, Currence, Friend, Skidmore, Caldwell, Train, Nichols, and Turner. That is just a smidgen of the names. I hope in some small way I am related to J.M.William Turner.

Exhausted

The Cemetery

More and more our visits to the cemetery get longer and longer when we make the trip to visit relatives. Less and less are the visits to real live people. Sigh.

I am exhausted. I did not get very many pictures at all. We completely bombed on the foliage. It was still pretty green down there. Poor timing this year.

Discombobulated

Halloween display at the festival

It was close to 90 degrees Fahrenheit when I took the above photo. Today reached a high of 51 degrees Fahrenheit, I think. That's all. The one thing I really dislike about being busy and stretched too thin is no "me" time. I don't get time to think and sort my thoughts out. That is something I need a lot of. Down time. I get irritated and cranky when I don't get my time. Grrr.

Roaming

Near Salineville, Ohio

My travels today took me to the Eastern side of the state. I was on a back road to Lisbon and needed to stop in at a school near Salineville. It was cool out and the sun was not shining very brightly, the photo is a little on the gray side. Later in the afternoon, the sun didn't shine at all so I didn't even bother with pictures.

This drive brought back some memories for me. I used to drive around in the evenings on back roads listening to music. Back when gasoline was not very expensive and I had plenty of time on my 19-year-old hands. When family got busy with their own lives and their small children and my high school friends had married or gone on to college. I liked to be alone. I still do.

Helga the witch

Helga was quiet this year

I carried on a conversation with her last year. There was somebody hidden in the camper and they corresponded with the people walking around. It was fun. We had a little crowd and we kept up the jabber and banter back and forth. I told her my name was Helga, too. This year, nothing. No words, no movement. Must be a bad spell cast upon her.

As I mentioned before, early October is too busy for me. I like things quiet, but I have to grab life where I can. We have been running every evening and in a couple of days we are off to Wild, Wonderful West Virginia. Camera is ready!

My nephew is not the best at communicating what is going on in his life medically. He would much rather talk about computers, gadgets, cars and movies. I grabbed papers and copied them when I was there this past week-end. Now, I can better understand what is going on. I am learning about zpulmonary zvalve zreplacement, zTOF (zTetralogy of zFallot), zstenosis, and zpulmonary zregurgitation. (Kindly remove the z in front of each word - I am attempting to foil family searches on this information, thus leading to this blog). I am in the dark no more. I can't ask the doctor. They are sworn to secrecy now-a-days. And with the Internet, I don't have to spend time in the library or try to find a medical dictionary.

A forbidden (purple) passion

Flower display at the festival

I knew I was going to get yelled at. I was told "Hey! No picture taking!" Oops. I managed one decent photo. I looked for the 'no pictures' sign and didn't see any. I slipped the camera slyly out of my tote and just when I was ready to snap it, the lady in front of me, who had been bending over, stood up. Darn it! With Canon's notorious pause between picture taking, the booth owner had time to spot my shiny black contraption. I just managed to squeeze another quickie when he saw me and barked at me. I said "Oops, sorry." And went on my way.

I made it to the Fall festival for their last day. It was so blessed hot. Very few folks were purchasing anything more than water and lemonade. Two hours and we were spent. I was very dizzy and nauseous. I was more than ready to retreat to the air conditioned car. I didn't get many photos of the campers decorated for Halloween either. Nor did I get any of the beautiful cars that covered the hillside in colorful, antique glory.

It was just too hot. And, now I am going to head to my favorite silk flower store and purchase just those colors and just that basket and make my own forbidden purple passions. Or, maybe not. I'm kind of just happy to look at it. I think it is beautiful. It does not match a thing in my house.

Sable, the meanderer

Our dog at her dog sitter's house

When one is away from home, under duress and worried about a loved one, it is very comforting to know that their children and pets are safe and being well taken care of. The fact that my daughter was with me and is very close to her cousin and not home alone was an immeasurable relief. The cats and bird are pretty independent. That left the dog.

Well, not to worry. My eldest sister, her husband and my eldest brother are three wonderful retired folks living in a big house. They are all pet lovers. They had a black dog for years who was very much a part of their family. When they dog sit Sable they say it is just like have Rex back in the house. It is a great load off my mind to have her so very well taken care of. Sable even gets company while there. My niece and her husband bring her dog treats from the pet store that rival anything I give her. A doggy pretzel and cupcake! (Both made especially for dogs, not people food). I hear that Sable gobbled them up and even rolled over for one. (Not such an easy feat for her barrel-shaped body).

Next week-end when we go to WV, my eldest sister and her husband are going along. My brother says that he is more than happy to watch our dog, Sable. My sister has told me that the two meander around the yard watching chipmunks and nudging toads near the pond. However, I think that Sable does more than watch sometimes. She has much more land to explore at their house. A wooded section and a pond. New sights, smells and sounds. A regular smorgasbord of sensory experiences.

This morning, I am slowly recovering from a migraine. I drove home last evening and picked Sable up. The closer I got to our house, the worse the headache got. I managed to get an Imitrex in me on the road, but by the time I arrived the headache was in full swing. It was expected. Two days in a strange bed, very little sleep, sitting in a hospital all day, driving hours on end, driving Columbus traffic, driving a strange car. It just adds up to one super migraine. Once the pressure is off and my body/brain saw home on the horizon it began to react to all of the stress.

Of course I am partial to my nephew because I love him, but he is quite extraordinary with his knowledge of gadgets and he is (and many non-family members will attest to this also) a computer genius. His car has a GPS, of course. A radar detector and satellite radio. He has also installed a DVD player that flips out of his CD player with a small 7" screen. They make this device so that it does not play when the car is running, but he has re-wired it so that it does. I really hope that he does this only for the passenger to watch movies, really I do!

I used "Jill" (the GPS) for the first time. In Columbus traffic on a Friday night while driving a strange car. Imagine if you will a SNL skit. If you are familiar with this device, you probably can relate better to what I am about to say. I really must mention that when you first purchase this device, you practice at home with streets that you know first. This will help you with some of the terminology that is being used, also. In fact, I would imagine that the manual recommends this. If it does not, it should.

Back to the skit. Imagine if you will, travelling 70 mph through four lanes of mad Columbus traffic. According to Allstate, Columbus is the worst city to drive in Ohio. This device on my dash board is telling me "Endpoint five miles." What the hell? My nephew's house is miles away, yet! I am nowhere near the end point of my trip! And, just what in the hell is Main Saint East? When did the word street become Saint? I think Jill was trying to insinuate something, here.

Jill is colorful if she is anything. Her display shows yellow lines and fuchsia lines and bright red lines. I guess I am the blue square on the fuchsia line. Jill is also nice enough to factor in the time it will take to reach our destination. Mine went from an arrival time of 8:45 p.m. to nowhere in the next 25 years.

Poor Jill. She had a time with me. I swear the girl sighs before she says "recalculating." And, she did say that quite a bit. I even heard "please stay on the intended route!" Though I can't be certain about that one. And, Jill may be able to read tiny little street names forty miles ahead of the fact, but my 47 year old eyes can only read them when I am five feet in front of them in the dark! "Turn left onto Hillsborough Street... turn left onto Hillsborough Street... turn left onto... SIGH.... "recalculating".

I admit it. I yelled back at Jill. "A little late on that one, eh Jill? When were you going to tell me about that off ramp? Sorry, Jill! There are 78 cars behind me and I can't just slip over into the left split for 270 North! Thanks a lot Jill!" Of course in the SNL skit, my language would be a bit more colorful.

She stayed silent when I needed her the most, just in an attempt to get back at me. I know it. She is a sensitive bit... contraption, that Jill. No begging, pleading or cajoling was going to get her to talk to me. I even offered her chocolate! No dice.

Now, this didn't happen to me, but I think it would be great in the skit. What would Jill say if I had driven the wrong way on a one-way street? "Please do a 180... turn around... you are going the wrong way....that does not compute....do you need me to call an ambulance?" Yeah, I can imagine what she would say.

In the skit, I can imagine Jill trying to calmly say turn left or right or this or that and recalculating, but after time she becomes more and more agitated and curses under her breath and goes into mini rampages. Stuff like that. I can even imagine the entire GPS just blowing up. I wondered if any of them have blown up from the chaos that some drivers put them through. And, just what does it way when you drive over a bank and into a ditch? Does it say recalculating? That would be a bit sarcastic, don't you think? Or what if you have an accident? The sound of metal and glass smashing and in the eerie silence afterwards...."sigh..recalculating.." How rude! What a great SNL skit.

Anyway, I made it to my nephew's house eventually. I did want to turn the GPS off a couple of times and just use my common sense. I suppose over time we may all lose that as we begin to rely more and more on this type of gadget. Oh, and Endpoint was not actually endpoint. It was a pause between the words In point.... five miles. As in "in half of a mile turn here" In .5 miles. Me sighing this time as I got out of the car. I do believe I saw Jill smoking a cigarette as I went into the house. Either that or the gadget's electronic circuitry was fried and that was the smoke I was seeing. And, I swear there were two less Advils in the bottle that I left in the car.

Note: This may be a great money-making scheme. Sell T-shirts that read "Recalculating" on the front of them. They are guaranteed to be a big seller.

Hologram

Or rather, a volumetric display?

I am sitting here this evening in my nephew's house. I spent all day at the hospital in Columbus. The procedure went well where they examined his heart with a catheter. He is staying overnight because of his reaction to anesthesia. He does not tolerate medicine very well. My sister (his Mom) is staying with him there.

I can't sleep. Mostly because I am in a strange atmosphere. A lot due to the fact that the next step is open heart surgery. The above photo is from my nephew's stash on his home computer. I believe the image is of himself taken with a timer and a tripod.

It fits my gloomy mood of how I don't want to lose one iota, not one pixel of my beloved nephew (who comes very close to being a son to me) and how very vulnerable we are in this life. Reality smacks you in the face with every corner in a children's hospital. Although my nephew is 30 years old, this is where the procedure is taking place. There were little tiny children there. One little girl had a banner on her door that read "Happy 1st Birthday, Hannah!"

For a hospital, it was strange not seeing aged people in the rooms. Just little tykes. It is a bit confusing for me that he be treated at this hospital. I didn't realize that there would be no adult patients. I would like to say that the hospital is fantastic. Top Notch.

Not here.

This is where we "won't" be staying when we go to WV.

We have reservations at the Days Inn near the towns we want to visit. We will have a nice restaurant, lounge, coffee in the rooms, pool, sauna - the works. I'm not sure what the one shown above has. Probably the 2 C's (a cot and a crapper). This is a line from one of my favorite movies. 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag. For some weird reason, I get a kick out of this movie. This one and Galaxy Quest. For zany humor.

I was awoken this morning to the beeping of our carbon monoxide detector. My daughter said it read 208, then 209 then back to zero and it finally quit beeping on it's own. I wasn't sure what to do. It isn't like a smoke or fire alarm. My window was open, there were fans blowing. Nobody had turned the furnace on or anything with a flame.

I was going to forget it but when I went to the basement to get my shower, I noticed that the cats and kittens had knocked the front plate to the hot water heater off and I guessed that they put the pilot light out. (I didn't look). I turned the knob off and heard a click or a popping sound. Scared me. I called my furnace company (they were scheduled to come Tuesday to check the furnace anyway). I took the day off and bumped my appointment up to today and waited for them.

I was nervous so I cleaned and baked. (I really wish I got nervous more often!) Anyway, the guy came at 3:00. Sheesh! He checked everything. Told me that the noise I heard when I turned the pilot light knob off, was the pilot light going out. That the cats had not put the pilot light out. Furnace is okay, hot water heater is okay, but he said my carbon monoxide detector may need replaced. He said sometimes they get old and start giving mis-readings. He said if it does it again, I may want to replace it.He brought his carbon monoxide tester in (to the tune of $35) and found nothing. All clean air. Whew!

I must not strangle the kittens, I must not strangle the kittens. My poor dog has a severe rash on her underbelly and inside of her thighs. I will call the vet tomorrow to schedule an allergy shot for her before I head out of town this week-end. I am nervous about the procedure my nephew is having. I've read up on his team of doctors and the hospital and the procedure. I was not involved much when he had his open heart surgery when he was two.

Oh, as for the baking? I made apple crisp and banana nut bread today. Both turned out very well. For some reason I just seem to turn catatonic on Saturdays and Sundays anymore. But give me a day off from work when I am not sick and that's when things happen.

Yonder

Over yonder.

Bit of a headache tonight. It started to rain here. After a super glorious day. I was inside all day so I didn't get to go out and about to see anything. The sun just heated up my little office so that I had to turn the fan on.

Been gabbing with sisters trying to iron out the details of the fall festival and our WV trip. Above photo is where the streets have no names. Like the song. I believe it is called Township Rd 45. Along the area where I found the Redneck bus stop. A dirt road between Keene and Warsaw Ohio. Where the country is still beautiful. I would like to get back out there when the leaves turn, but I can probably count that out. I am going to be looking at the Lisbon run this week. Heading east.

You think?

You should defragment this volume. You really should!

The cobbler's children have no shoes. The computer worker never cleans her hard drive. Goodness. I did a lot of cleaning this week-end but the house is still a mess. Except for the kitty litter area. That is clean. We are making progress there and Titten is behaving herself. That is, until I get the both of them (Titten and Mr. Tibbs) fixed in November. Let's see how they react to that procedure.

November will be here before I know it. I have the first week-end of October in Columbus to help my nephew with a cardiac catheterisation and the Fall Festival I go to every year and a Home Interior Party. The second week-end we will be visiting relatives in WV and touring New River Gorge (before their BIG week-end) - I am really hoping to get some great pictures of the fall foliage down there, the third is a 75th birthday party out of town and the 4th week-end is... Oh, nothing yet! Well, October looks to be one crazy, busy month!

Ugh. Deep breath. Ready, set, GO!

Saving

Time to save some folders

It has been about a month since I saved my recent photos and files to my external hard drive. I think I almost locked my system up by saving too many folders at one time. I separated them over my desktop and snagged a photo of them using the wonderful free program snagit. Well, it used to be free. When I first found it about ten years ago, it was free. I have an old copy that is limited in what it does, but it does exactly what I want it to.

The kittens received their booster shots today. I also got them their rabies shots. Since the little one (Titten) has been having some bowel problems the vet treated both of them for coccidia and we have another dose of meds to give them tomorrow. Better safe than sorry and it only cost $8 per kitten.

We do not feed the cats any milk or people food. I think they ate some crumbs from some homemade chocolate chip cookies two weeks ago and that is about the extent of it. Not that they don't want human food. They try their best. They are learning the house rules. Mr. Tibbs will eat Sable's dog food if I leave it out. Sable is learning to eat quicker these days because all food gets put away, now.

This is a rare free week-end. I was supposed to go with my sisters to an alley rally, but I said no. I have something for the next four week-ends in a row and I need this one to catch up on housework and "me" time. Once October hits it is run, run, run. I hope to get the grass mowed also. It is getting pretty thick.

We have the one little pumpkin that stopped growing and turned orange when the connecting vine was killed by me. I have to push it up and out of my yard so I can mow. We have another pumpkin growing and the vine has survived longer. It is a bit bigger than the first one. I keep looking out for others, but so far that is it. I guess I'll have to purchase the rest.

Photo Friday's challenge this week is: Comfort.

Torrent

Rustic red barn

If that is indeed a hex sign, it is a simple design. I liked the contrast of the rustic red barn against the bright green grass. This was taken today on my drive.

I went to 8 schools today. Most of them I have never been to. I believe I have been to about two of them - many years ago. I know my older sister taught at one and took me with her on the last day of school. I think it was in the early 70's.

I most certainly picked the wrong day to go. I read the paper this morning. They are on the verge of a teacher strike. I met up with some very unhappy people today. And, they didn't take to me very well. After 12 years of providing service to my area schools, I am certainly not used to people looking at me with suspect in their eyes. I called each and every school and informed them this morning that I would be stopping in today to get the serial number from our equipment. And, still I was treated like the enemy. Except for the last two. The second to the last was a Career Center and is not involved in the teacher strike. The very last one I timed my visit with a torrent of rain so forceful there was nothing but pity in their eyes for me.

It was raining so hard when I was in this tiny town I actually thought that perhaps they were getting a mini tornado. I almost skipped it. But, I had 8 schools on my notebook paper and I couldn't stand to be this close and not get the serial number of the last one on my list. I could have driven back to the school on a sunnier and much prettier day, but since Mr. Joe Taxpayer pays for my mileage and my time, I don't care to waste it. So, I got soaked to the skin.

And, I got a migraine. My daughter and I noticed a few days ago that my windshield appears to be covered with some filmy oily substance. The wipers would only smear it. I felt like I was looking through blurry glasses the entire time I drove today. Certainly a headache in the making. All is well, now. I took Imitrex around 4 p.m. and it kicked in by 5.

Moody Lake

The gray sky is reflected in the water

The lake was a bit moody today when I stopped at lunch for this photo opportunity. It was a nice day, a bit warm. The sun did come out towards the end of my shoot, but I kind of like the moody ones better.

I realized that yesterday's photo post of the trotter looks like he is wearing a witch's hat on his head. Ack. I think I have been looking at too many Halloween decorations.

Well, it's back to kitty training and my book. All very time consuming. Humph.

Trotting Number Seven

Warming up before the race

Here is a photo of one of the trotters we saw at the fair on Sunday. I admire the discipline the horses have as they trot around the field and do not break into a canter or a gallop. There were plenty that broke this year. At least one in each race.

I have had my nose stuck in a book for days. I finished "The End of The World As We Know It" and am currently absorbing "Final Analysis". Dishes, kitty litter and trash got done but that was all. Heh heh. It is a great way to pass the time while re-introducing our littlest feline to the litter box. Gently and slowly so she doesn't fear me or the box. No trauma during this important time. I shut us both in the downstairs laundry room with a fresh clean litter box after she eats until she realizes what it is she is supposed to do and where she is supposed to be doing it. She is becoming quite affectionate with me because of our bonding time together.

Miserable

Doesn't he look just miserable?

This photo was not taken at the fair. Believe it or not, I didn't get any animal photos there. Just derby shots and harness racing. My daughter is miserable with a bad cold/flu bug. Could be the one I had a month or so ago.

I sat on an aluminum stadium bleacher seat with no back from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. yesterday with about 2 ten minute bathroom breaks. I actually thought I would be more miserable than I am. I don't feel too bad other than tired. And my arm hurts from holding my camera up while I took videos of the derby heats. The vans were funny. I'll shorten the videos to just the good parts and try to post them here. They are grainy, but I think you can make out what is happening. I was a good distance away.

I can't understand why folks take small children and infants to these events. It has always bothered me that my county fair holds the demolition derby the last day of the fair (which is always a Sunday) and they start it at 7:30 p.m. The kids have school on Monday. Someone told me they do it to keep the kids away. Oh, hell. That bothers me even more.

I never took my daughter because it was a school night. This was our first year. She is sixteen years old. We left before the last "free-for-all" heat. We got home after 11 p.m. There were three tiny babies around us. For the most part they slept. There were about 8 small children (between 3 and 7). Now, how fun was it for these kids? Not very. They were cranky and tired because if you want a seat you have to get there hours before the event. They were bored. They picked on one another and got smacked many times by their parent. They annoyed everyone around them by kicking their feet on the aluminum bleachers. They stomped up and down the stairs almost falling. They kept pulling other folks' blankets off the bleachers and knocking drinks over because they were tired of sitting still.

The funny thing is if the fair was trying to deter the parents from bringing restless kids, it has kind of backfired on them. Because what kids come to the event? The ones who have parents who don't give a damn that they get enough sleep the night before school and are a tad bit on the negligent side anyway. They don't care if their kids are a nuisance to other folks around them. These are the kids who are starving for attention and if they can't get the good kind, they will act up and get negative attention. And, they do.

Last day of the fair

This ride turns them upside down

We are off today to enjoy the last day of our county fair. We are looking forward to watching harness racing and the so very popular demolition derby tonight.

I never was a fan of riding the more dangerous rides at a county fair. Do you ever "look" at the people who man those rides? Smiling parents shuffle their children onto those kidde rides and the person taking the tickets looks like a prison inmate from San Quentin. I am stereo-typing here, but I have yet to see a decent looking person controlling a small town carnival ride.

I can still remember putting my daughter on a ride and the guy taking the tickets had eight sucker bites (a.k.a. hickies or hickeys) on his neck. Well, maybe seven. I lost count because I was counting fast and trying hard to wipe the look of disgust off of my face. Ew. I think that was her last little kidde ride. She cannot stand rides, so I don't worry about their safety any longer.

I cringe when I see mobs of teens standing in line to get their thrill rides in for the evening. I just wonder who inspects the rides, if they have a hangover when they are inspecting them, how much they get paid, how much they may get paid under the table, and how often do they make an appearance.

Please accept my apologies to any carnival employees, state inspection personnel or any relative and/or friend of said so people who may be reading. The post is purely my personal opinion and is not intended for statistical value or manifestation in any way shape or form.

Shady Dirt Road and an Amish "cult"

Why did I drive around the county on back dirt roads?

I gravitate to that lush drive between school buildings. Something to take me away from technology, wires and electronics. I can see me retiring among the Amish. Until I was made aware of this story.

This is the same group that is connected to the Amish guy in the garage at my sister's place. So, maybe retiring to that community is not in my best interest. Things certainly can escalate to a tragedy here. This sheriff is well-known for his unique ways of handling the community. You could say he has made a lot of enemies. However, I do agree with some of what he is saying in this video.

Quite an interesting development. Especially the way he keeps referring to this group as a "cult".

Redneck Bus Stop

On a back road in Ohio

I took over 400 photos today and I debated and sorted and finally realized that I just had to post this one first. The others are nice. There is some beautiful scenery on the back roads in that neck of the woods, but this one is just worth a thousand words.

Below is a map of the route (in red) that I drove today. That bus stop is on a back road somewhere close to where I pasted the smiley face on the map. Starting out I travelled west on Rt. 36 past West Lafayette. Turned North to Keene, took a shortcut (?) over to Warsaw. It was along one of the Township roads that I saw the setup. I had to laugh and take a picture.

Again, it was just a gorgeous day. The sun was streaming through the trees and the air was just crisp and fresh. I did get a monster of a headache from the sun shining through the trees. Small price to pay for the beauty of it all.

The Dover Dam

Morning sun over the Dover Dam

Hey, as long as it's sunshine streaming over the dam and not water, eh? I was on my way to a school the other day and stopped to snap a photo. The water was way down and was quite ugly, so I turned the camera up instead.

My daughter went to the county fair with friends this evening and I made a much needed trip to the store that is taking over the world "Wally World". Nastradamus or some seer predicted that the anti-Christ would be born in 1962. Well guess when Wally World was founded? Hey, I'm just sayin'.

Cat and dog food and kitty litter. We are having potty-training problems with the wee one. I bought her some kitten food. I am thinking the adult cat food was a bit too strong for her. She does not seem to be growing and she has constant bathroom problems. Not the best thing to be dealing with. She started out fine for the first couple of weeks. I moved the litter box downstairs and I guess I'll have to move it back into the back bedroom and try a gentler approach with her. The little sh.. uh, varmint.

Standing out

Blue building

Today I didn't get to drive anywhere but to the office and back. This photo is from yesterday's excursion. I like the folks who dare to paint their home or garage a vivid color. One that will stand out. You could tell folks, "I live in the blue house. You can't miss it. It is blue. It is beyond blue." At the time I took the photo (a drive-by shoulder shot), I didn't realize that there was actually what appears to be a house on the one side. I thought it was an abandoned business of some sort. No vehicles were around the building. We have quite a few purple houses in our town along with a few green and yellow ones that stand out from the rest. I like that.

I went to the library at lunch today. I picked up a book that I nearly finished this evening. I forced myself to put it down and focus on other things that needed my attention. The book is "The End of the World As We Know It: Scenes of A Life: by Robert Goolrick. It is pretty good in the fact that I like to read about others' lives and how turbulent it was while they were growing up. It sounds a lot like "The Prince of Tides" by Pat Conroy. I read the book after I watched the movie. I was dismayed at the many changes the movie made. Anyway, back to "The End..." I like books like this. Why some of the children in a family remain functional in life and why some stumble along. There is a lot to birth order and how children turn out in life. As always, there are exceptions to every rule. It makes for great reading, though.

Fresh

Country

I wish you were with me today. I can show you photos and I could take a short video I suppose so you can hear the sounds. I'd have to turn the car motor off and travel into the field or woods some so that I wouldn't pick up the sound of any other automobiles. But what I can't give you is the smell or the feeling of the sunshine country fresh air. And no, I don't mean that country smell. This is the real fresh smell of September in Ohio when it cools the heat of summer off the land and the air is fresh and the sky is blue and there is pure delight when you breathe. That is what I want to share. If we can only bottle it.

There is a candle scent you can purchase called fresh cut grass. Have you taken a whiff of that one? If they can nail that scent down, I wish they could get this fresh country air that I experienced today. Pure heaven. It just took me to another place. A happy place.

I don't know if anyone has noticed but I seem to be missing a once popular topic in my blog these days. It's the "m" word. Shhh. I am not real sure why the decrease. If I happen upon a reason, I'll let you know what it is.

The county Fair - Day 1

Two girls riding the Umbrella ride (Paratrooper)

I did the right thing and disguised the two little girls. They are strangers to me. I am not sure what or who they were looking at. I used my zoom to get in closer to get the picture.

We went today (the first day of the fair) to see the Motocross racing. Some of those kids are so small it is amazing. I hate it when they get hurt. There were many wipe outs, but few injuries. My nephew raced for years. He was very good. He had the perfect build for dirt bike racing. He is somewhere in North Carolina working. He has broken so many bones he sets off metal detectors in the air ports. Just kidding. Maybe.

I was feeling good, so I ate deep fried vegetables with fair lemonade. Then, I wasn't feeling so good. Very filling. It did keep me from eating anything else, though. The kids continued with root beer floats and elephant ears while I just turned my head away from the sweet foods.

I purchased passes for four days, so we are going back on Thursday evening and over the week-end. I have to get some photos of the animals. I like watching the trotters, but I don't know if that is a good thing. Is it inhumane? I know that I don't like to watch them when it is 90 degrees out and they are running. But, it is beautiful weather this week. I am beginning to wonder about any sport that uses whips to make the horse go faster. I am torn about this.

This week-end was strange. I turn around and I feel that I missed it altogether. I didn't seem unusually busy, but I notice that I didn't post. I didn't do a lot, but I must have been preoccupied with something. I did watch Fracture. I liked it.

You can't see me!

Sable smiles.

This photo looks to me like my dog is thinking "I have my eyes closed, so you can't see me!" Or, it just may be that she is conditioned to close her eyes each time I point that little black box at her because the flash hurts her eyes. Poor overexposed puppy.

My co-worker in her infinite wisdom read an e-mail to me yesterday that she received. You may have received it, too. It is spam. I sighed to myself as she read it. You also can read it here here and here. She really believes this stuff. She was amazed by it. I quit wasting my time trying to reason with her long ago. No, in fact - I never did try to reason with her. I know an airhead when I see one.

September Sunset

Neil Diamond had his "September Morn" I figure I can have my September sunset. I stayed late after work and decided to drive to the top of the hill at our town park and get more photos of the sunset through the pine trees found there. Even though the weather was stunning and beautiful, there were very few folks out and about. I did run into someone I knew and chatted for a few minutes. By then, the moment to capture the sunset was gone. Ah, well. I have lots of this particular view, anyway.

My vacation time for October has been approved. Some family members and I are going to visit relatives in WV. We have an on-line calendar at work where we are to post our vacation and meetings. I have mine posted for vacation time. I just know my manager is going to schedule a meeting on one of the days that I am gone. I can feel it. He never checks the calendar to see who is going to be out that day. Hey, I just thought of something. Maybe he does check. And, when he sees that I am not going to be there, he schedules a meeting. I never thought of that! LOL! Well, bust my buttons. Now, I have a complex!

Morale

He was very proud of his sand castles.

He was a stranger to me. I was walking past him on a beach of Lake Erie and I asked him if I could take his picture. The girl in the background is laughing. I don't know if she is related to him or not. He was so proud of his work as he had every right to be. I hope that I boosted his morale.

We've all been there. Somebody says something that sends our morale plummeting. Down to the depths of hell. Not much can help after we have been stung like that. It happened today. Not to me. To a co-worker (friend). He had a serious heart attack around the New Year. He returned to work in April.

Blaming it on the rain

Abstract cake photo

Believe you me, this photo is much nicer than the actual cake. It was that bad! I have never had icing turn out that runny. I am blaming it on the rain!

My daughter finally got a job at class today. She was to make a collage of four famous authors for the literature class and it needed to be large enough to place onto a cedar chest. ??? Got me.

She was telling me that the teacher does not teach the students anything about copyright laws. I have always told her to respect them. She knows all the URLs that offer free photos or those for educational purposes, non-profit and other stuff like that. I reminded her that we signed an AUP and not to take any chances. We don't need that thrown in our face after all we have been through. Who knows? This sick-o teacher may be setting her up.

Do I sound paranoid? Maybe, I am. That is what life has taught me. That is what I have become. I lean on the side of caution. Don't trust them. You get burnt. Hopefully, my daughter will have better experiences and a more positive turnout.

Kittens are doing well. Soon, they won't be kittens any longer. I have had to step up the litter control considerably. Ugh! That is to be expected. I fixed the hose on my Shop Vac. I got the (lazy) bright idea to use my Shop Vac to suck up my grass clippings a week or so ago on my back yard sidewalk. Whoops. Everything was going along just fine, until I hit a big patch. A big lump lodged like solid rock in the middle of the hose. I could push it one way with the broom handle and then from the other end. Finally, I began squeezing the hose until I worked it out. It took me a while. I felt like I was pushing a rat out of a snake.

I am hoping to post a little video of the two kittens roughing each other up before they get too old to be cute. They are quickly getting tired of one another. The other cats still keep their distance. Sable stepped on the little one (Titten). Just rolled her end over end. The big galoot.

Lazy week-end

I tried to teach my daughter not to wear stripes with dots.

But, you know teenagers. She will wear the opposite of anything I advise. At the butterfly conservatory in Niagara, not only the spotted butterflies were attracted to her headband, but as you can see, the striped ones also. This is the one we had to have the worker remove. He used a soft piece of felt to lift the winged diurnal insect off.

I was very lazy this week-end. I watched a lot of movies. My favorite out of the bunch was a tie between Georgia Rule and The Contract. Both very different movies. I did not expect Georgia Rule to have that story line. And I like most anything with John Cusak and Morgan Freeman in it and when they are in the same movie, it delighted as well as entertained.

I was disappointed in The Last King of Scotland. Okay, maybe disappointed is not the correct word. I don't like detailed torture and bloody scenes. Just let our imaginations figure out what happened, they don't have to be so graphic about it. It did inspire enough curiosity in me that I researched the story line on the Web. I know more about the background and the history. Which in fact, is a good thing. If not for the movie, I would be ignorant of the situation.

And, for fun, I watched Blades of Glory with my daughter. It wasn't bad, and I have to be in that teenage/young adult mindset to go with the humor they put in the movie. We laughed out loud in a couple of places. That is a good thing.

It rained here Friday evening and all day yesterday. It is still raining. We have a cook-out later this afternoon. My daughter made a cake (from a mix and with my help). I will be showing her how to make frosting (from scratch), next. I suppose her helping curiosity has run out by now, though. I'll probably be flying solo on the icing of the cake. Until it's time to lick the bowl. Yum.

I want one!

I did NOT take this picture!

I did NOT steal their souls. My sister did. She said somebody told her they didn't mind. Uh huh. Meanwhile, I called another sister today. She had to end the call -someone was at the door. I waited about ten to fifteen and called her back. A deep baritone answered. (Huh?) "Hello?" he said. I stammered. "Hello, is (my sister's name) there?" The deep baritone, "Who?" I was convinced I had the wrong number, even though I used my cell phone's speed dial and rang her up by name. I repeated the question. Deep baritone "I'm the Amish guy in the garage."

Wow! My sister has an Amish guy in the garage. I SO want one! How does she rate? So, she has been holding out on us, huh? Sigh. Could you imagine what my garage could look like with an Amish guy in it? Oh, the brilliance of it. The organization. The MUSCLE!

She had a chance to explain later. He came to use the telephone. The one at their saw mill was not working. Still, you think the guy would have said "I'm her neighbor, I'm just here to use the phone." But no, he is and will forever be "The Amish guy in the garage."

You've got the cutest little...

Baby Face

I am back to reading and studying html.

Such as:

• Sunday


• Monday


• Tuesday


• Wednesday


• Thursday


• Friday


• Saturday

and:

    This paragraph

       ..........   and this sentence.....

will go .............

          wherever.... I tell them to go!

It's fun.

The pool cake

I didn't get to taste it, but it sure looked yummy. I thought this cake was very precious because of the time the Mom took to make it for her 2 year old boy. She said she got the idea out of Parents magazine.

With the blue icing just the perfect color for pool water, and what looks to me like miniature marshmallows to form the bumper around the edge, the cake is ready for folks to dive right in. (Pun intended). Mmm mmm.

The barrel train

All aboard!

The kids loved it. The last barrel had a flag holder attached, so I imagine the builder entered the little train in parades now and then. A couple of the children (including the birthday boy) were too timid to ride the train.

Nothing was said to my daughter about her hair today. I just want her to learn Graphic Arts so that we can plan a future for her. Come on. Let's get past this dress code issue. Others did not change their hair color and I am miffed about that. Let's just put this behind us and move on. Is it a power issue do you think? They can't control anything else in their life, so they get obsessive about students' hair color?

Glee

Little girl on a water slide

My family must be tired of each other. Nobody had a cook-out this holiday week-end. If they did, they kept it very simple. I had plans to go to a friend's cook-out. Her grandson was turning 2 and her son and his wife were up from Biloxi, MS for a few weeks and decided to have a get together.

There were kids all over the place. It makes me realize what low producers my family members are. My friend's nephew built a little train for the kids to ride on. He made it out of barrels. The barrels are laid on their side and he cut out a section for the seat, put them on wheels, locked them together and pulls it with a tractor. It is really neat. I'll post a photo of it soon.

Some of the children relished the water slide and jumped right in. Others held back. Some parents tried to force their children to go on it, which just resulted in a crying child. The event was held at a small park and there were swings, sliding boards and a merry-go-round. Now, there's a piece of playground equipment you can have. I get sick just watching that thing. Ugh!

There was so much food. I realize that with each family get together we all tend to make or bring the same stuff. When you go to a new get together you get to sample and taste all kinds of new foods. Yum! This family brings food in tubs and roasters! We left in the late afternoon when one branch of the family started shoving each other's faces into pieces of cake. There were about five cakes, but I can't see wasting food like that when somebody else took the time, money and trouble to make it. The Mom of the little birthday boy had made a "pool cake" made out of cookies and such. She got the idea and recipe out of Parents magazine. I'll post a photo of it later, too.

My daughter wasn't feeling well. I really hope she does not get that nasty cold that I had last week. Well, tomorrow we get to see what the school says about her hair. Since that school is one where I install, maintain and setup equipment in, I am scheduling a maintenance day there tomorrow. I really need to check on their router, you know? I am a little bit concerned about the CRC errors on the Fast Ethernet port out there. Well, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it. Let's see them refute that. I also need to go right about lunch time for the students so Mama Bear can cast a discerning eye over the students in the cafeteria for any offenders of the strict hair code. Damn straight. Let's play some hard ball. I'm ready.

The new red

Not sure what is going to happen when the school sees this color. It always comes out blaring at first, it will fade. We are having a hard time keeping the blond from absorbing the red color and turning a faded pink. This is a more natural shade of red. I believe it was called copper red. My daughter wanted the violet red, but saw it to be a bit too purple. The stylist said that we really shouldn't touch her hair for two months after this round. I agree.

I have come to name the gray kitten Mr. Tibbs. My daughter still calls the orange one Titten. I call her Buttercup. I've also thought of Marmalade. Both nixed by my daughter. Regardless of what their names are, the kittens are a riot. They play with everything. It is so fun to see the romping and carrying on that they do around the house. They have come close to breaking things, though. I'm not exactly thrilled about that. My two first cats (Casper and Jasper) are getting used to them. We have seen Jasper playing with Mr. Tibbs.

Poor Moose is more isolated than ever. She barely comes out of the basement at all. I will try to find the time to go down there and give her more loving. But, when I do my big baby Casper comes storming down there and it just makes him all the meaner towards Moose. Sigh. Why can't we all just get along? Sable is also all dejected from all the attention the kittens are getting.

Moose threw up again today. I am wondering if she eats too fast because she is so nervous and afraid. I hate to think of what any of them went through before their life with us. Back in 1982 my sister caught a little boy swinging a cat around by it's tail. She went off on him. I also recall some co-workers laughing and one saying they used to bury cats with just their heads above ground and run over them with the lawn mower. Or tie their tails together and hang them over a clothes line. I wish I had the mouth that I have now on me back then. I'd give them good ol' boys a piece of my mind. I can only hope they were making it all up in some sick way to get a reaction out of me.

I have a cook-out tomorrow. I've made my pineapple pudding cake to take. My daughter thinks that she is getting my bad cold I had last week. I hope not. If she does, I hope it is a very mild case of it. It is not an experience I ever want to go through again, I especially don't want my daughter to suffer.

Hey there country bumpkin

How do you like my green pumpkin?

We can all thank our lucky stars I didn't pursue writing songs, eh? I didn't plant this vine. It grew of it's own free will. I do put pumpkins on my patio in October, so a seed must have found its way to the ground and nature took its course. As nature will do. It has taken over the front of my patio and threatened to take over the side. It is currently in a war with my newly planted moon flower on the East side of my patio. The moon flower is not giving way.

A few more little pumpkins have started here and there, but they die off. Probably because I keep sweeping the vine up and out of the yard, thus crushing or twisting the vine. I am surprised this one got as far as it did. I don't see me having a great bounty for decorating with.

I missed an opportunity to go with family to Amish Charm today. From the photos my sister sent it looks like they had a lovely time. I am still hacking (coughing) pretty hard. Today I did what a lot of folks believe in. I sweat out my cold. I mowed the grass, I raked, I swept and I am exhausted. I was sweating something awful. And the good clean air that my lungs did breathe, couldn't have hurt me any, either. I took my time. It took me twice as long to mow. But, that was mostly because it hasn't been mowed in so long.

Tomorrow my daughter is getting her red part in her hair re-colored. Oh, I know. I went up and down and inside out trying to figure out what I was going to do. I even did "this". Oh, I am wicked. But in all reality, her hair looks horrible. It does not look like the picture in the above link at all. (I planned to take a recent photo of my daughter's hair and post it, instead.) Fact is, I have not gone "live" with that URL yet, anyway. Since they made the remark about her hair, she has been washing it in very hot water in an attempt to get the red to fade quickly. The end result being, it is a very faded red color.

So, we go tomorrow to see what damage control the hair stylist can come up with and a more "natural" shade of red. However, I am still amused at how the Administrator came up with the color "fuchsia" for her hair. My daughter wishes she could have fuchsia in her hair! The salon won't do those "wild" colors. They can't guarantee the color will remain. They actually call that red a natural color. Whatever, I am tired of the subject, as I am sure so are you.

The kittens are adjusting very well. They still need to learn a few fundamentals. Stay off the dining room table. Do not get under my feet when I am walking. Do not climb up my living room curtains. (Already snagged, sigh). One day, when I do not have any pets, I am going to have beautiful carpet, beautiful drapes, beautiful furniture, nice smelling house.... aw, who am I kidding? I am the cat lady.