Odds and Ends + A Birthday Party

Bloggers Renn, Tiff, Biff and Kenju meet with Renn's friends to celebrate her birthday (along with husband Chachi and daughter Nooze)

The truly fabulous birthday cake; four layers of dark chocolate/coffee goodness, separated by butter cream icing and topped by chocolate ganache. Heaven in a bite - baked by the cute blond on the left! She calls it "World Peace" cake, since no one who eats a slice could ever want to fight anyone!!  (You might be in a sugar coma afterward....lol)

It took the birthday girl four tries to blow out all the candles!  (She's not old enough to get winded that quickly!)

Our resident hawk lost something on our deck this morning. It is 12" long!

In case you can't enlarge it, the graphic shows an android peeing on an apple logo!

Hereafter Known As.....

"The great pantry cleanout of 2011." (I won't kid myself and say it will be done again this year!) I found a box of untried recipes, and some booklets like the one I'm showing here - but nothing as cute as this!  I really hope that you can click and make them larger, because the copy if amusing and some of the recipes appear to be good ones. Let me know if you cook any filet of sole.....LOL

Yesterday's continuation of the cleaning yielded a bag of chocolate chips with bloom on them - dated 2006, and two stale bags of chips and pretzels. I have quite a few bag clips; if only I could convince that man who lives here that he has to fold the bags down several times  (removing the air)  before clipping them.

Tap Dancing vs. Exercise

 

 

 

Yours truly, age seven. Now tap dancing is great exercise!! Maybe I need to take that up again? Tap dancing isn't artificial exercise - it's very taxing and good for the whole body! (Please try not to notice the weird spacing here - I have no control over it.) I'd hope, if I took up tap dancing again, that they wouldn't make me wear a costume like this....lol. It was baby blue with silver edging and a lot of ruffles. It was for one of my dances at the yearly recital, titled "Three Little Girls in Blue."  One of those girls is deceased now, and I never knew what happened to the other one.    

I saw some interesting license plates this week:  One said "SNAAAB" and it was on a very fancy Saab convertible. The other one was on a big SUV and said JNKNTRNK.

 

 

 

Here's a good quote: 

What a pitiable thing it is that our civilization can do no better for us than to make us slaves to indoor life, so that we have to go and take artificial exercise in order to preserve our health.

George Wharton James, journalist, author, and speaker (1858-1923)

Odds and Ends

I've had this fish for years. The tag said it was made from oil drums somewhere in the Carribean. This year, it graces my pump house.

This guy is new; I thought the fish needed company. I should have bought the BIG one when I saw it. It was almost three feet tall and would have looked terrific on the pump house all by itself.

I bet my poison ivy is bigger than yours. The vines going up the oak tree really are poison ivy, and you can see the "leaves of three", on the lower right side, under the oak leaves.  We have it sprayed every spring, but this one has never fully succumbed to the spray. About ten years ago, before I knew what the vine was, I touched it. BIG mistake. I had never caught poison ivy before, but this vine is some sort of super ivy, I guess, and I was covered with it. That's an ouchie I hope never to have again.

My rambler rose is performing quite well this spring. Just wait until the Japanese beetles come back - hard on the heels of black spot. It never fails.

Weeds are better than nothing, right?  I have not been in the mood to buy plants (or seeds) this year, so I have let the weeds take over this (and a few other) pots. Some green is better than plain dirt, isn't it?  Do you know what kind of weed I'm cultivating here? 

 

 

The plumber is here now, along with some house cleaners. I had to put my high school Spanish to good use today, while leaving the cleaners a note: 
En dos banos, yo tengo agua caliente solamente; no agua frio.* Considering that I haven't had a Spanish lesson in 53 years, I think that's pretty good.....lol     We hope that the plumber will be able to repair the leak today, so they will be able to do the necessary wet cleaning. Have a good weekend!




*In two bathrooms, I have only hot water, no cold. 

Did You Know?

The "Great Tornado" of 1925 still holds the record. It's estimated that the tornado stayed on the ground for 219 miles and over 2 1/2 hours, affecting 3 different states and leaving ruin in the aftermath.

Horses can't vomit and pigs can't look up in the sky.

The national anthem of Greece has 158 verses.  (Whew! I'm glad I don't have to sing that at every ball game!)

The state with the longest coastline in the U.S. is Michigan.  (I didn't believe it either.)

A large swarm of locusts can eat 80,000 tons of corn per day.

If the sun stopped shining suddenly, it would take eight minutes for people on earth to be aware of it.

The setting sun is redder than the rising sun because the air at the end of the day is generally dustier than it is in the beginning of the day.

Fluorescent lights are much cooler than incandescent bulbs. Consider using those in the hot summer months.

Use Listerine as a spray to ward off mosquitoes by putting some in a spray bottle and spraying it on your deck, seating, etc.

Quiet...

It has been quiet around here for several days, and that was sorely needed. On Sunday, our younger daughter, mr. kenju and I went to a local Marriott for the Easter Brunch, which was excellent in variety, taste and presentation. They served roast beef, ham and chicken, four or five chafing dishes of  different types of vegetables, rice, potatoes, etc., and salads galore. There was also a table of fresh fruits, cheeses, breads and a multitude of yummy desserts. I managed to eat just enough, but not so much that I was uncomfortable (which I tend to do.)

After dinner, we went to our daughter's house and watched Toy Story 3 on her big TV, which I loved. Mr. kenju couldn't believe he had to watch an animated movie (the horror!) but I think he enjoyed the parts he didn't sleep through. They both made fun of me for tearing up at the end, but I blamed it on being sad about my friend and my cat. Truth be known, I'd have cried at the ending anyway.

Monday was spent running errands, and keeping busy is good for my mind - especially when I am sad. But when I went to the veterinary office to pay the bill, I was met with what I thought was a horrible amount under the circumstances, and mr. kenju ranted until he nearly had a heart attack over it. When my other cat dies, I'll know to bring her home and bury her in the woods instead of agreeing to cremation (which I thought was mandatory.) Lesson learned.

Today I cleaned out my closet and thus I have a whole laundry basket full of clothing to give to Goodwill. I had three sizes of pants and I finally admitted that I will never wear the smallest size again, so it is best to give them to people who can.

Tomorrow starts the rat race again; mr. kenju says he needs new slippers and new boat shoes (we don't own a boat and never will) so off we go. I will be working Thursday through Saturday, so I may not be around much until next week. Have a good one!

Rain, Rain, Stay a While and other Odds and Ends

Today is the first time we have had much rain to speak of for weeks. We are in a deep deficit for the past year and it will take a long time to bring it back to normal, if ever. I need to grocery shop, but I am putting it off until tomorrow, when I have to go out for a dental cleaning anyway. 

Picasa has a glitch of some sort; it won't let me post photos to the blog. A friend emailed me with the same problem, so I know it isn't just me.  It's a pity, since I have many pix to show you from yesterday's wedding at The Grand Marquise and also some from our most recent trip to A Southern Season in Chapel Hill. I hope the problem will be cured soon. Since mr. kenju's computer got fried by a virus, I am "dead in the water" when it comes to photos. You'll just have to deal with having nothing pretty to look at for a while.

When I went to work yesterday, one of Mel's cats was ill. We both worried about her all day, but as of last night she had perked up and was no longer barfing and other unmentionable things. That's a relief. A few years back she had a big hairball that required surgery to remove, and it was very costly. It's nice to know that won't be necessary now.

UNC beat the pants off Duke last night and that always makes my immediate family happy. I really enjoyed that game; especially since they beat UNC in the other game this season. I have a cousin who is married to a man who went to Duke, and they go to as many games as they can during the year (meaning all of the ones at home.) I suspect they were sort of glad they weren't at UNC last night.

Odds and Ends

I saw some interesting things on my way to and from the flower shop last week:

1. It was 59* and teenagers were wearing tank tops, shorts and flip-flops. The next day it was 70* and they were dressed for winter. Now today, it is back in the 50's again. We are on the proverbial weather yo-yo again.

2. I saw someone jogging off in the distance and as she came closer, I saw that it was a "little person". I have never seen a little person jogging, before and I would have thought it was a painful process for them, seeing as how their legs are badly bowed. But she was persevering  (if at a snail's pace), and I was proud for her.

3. While stopped at a train crossing, I saw a series of five linked railroad cars with a tractor on top that had a large claw on the end of a long  "nose." They were moving slowly, about 20 feet each time and stopping, after which the claw reached into a cargo car and pulled out 8-10 massive railroad ties and dropped them on the side of the tracks like they were "pick-up-sticks."  I thought back to when men most likely had to do that by hand, or use horse-drawn carts to transport the heavy railroad ties and I decided this way was much better!

Working as a florist on Valentine's Day in a busy shop can be extremely  stressful, even when you only work four hours a day (as I did.) One of the ways in which I amuse myself is reading the cards that people specify for their orders. One I got a kick out of was..."I fooled you because these are not for Valentine's Day, they are because I forgot our seven-month anniversary."  I wondered if he had sent another arrangement for the 14th, because he is likely to be in trouble if he didn't....lol. Another one was ordered for her mom by a young girl...."I ordered these for Dad; he taught me how to use the credit card."

Again, I wondered if the mom would be happy at that - or mad because the dad didn't do it himself. We'll never know, will we?

Odds and Ends

I can blame it on being sick, I suppose, but semi-weird things keep happening. For example, I took some cold medicine too soon last night (or this morning - it was 5:30am). I shouldn't have taken it until 8:30 am, but having gotten up in the middle of the night (3am, unable to sleep) I couldn't wait to be relieved of the  stuffy nose and headache, so I took it - not remembering the time until it was too late. It was no problem; all that happened was that I took a 3 hour nap, which was sorely needed. 

A couple of days ago, I bought a huge bag of cat litter and then discovered after opening it, that it isn't the clumping kind. Darn! I was so ticked at myself.  The cats hate it too, so now I have partial bags of three different kinds of cat litter - and they hate all of it. And then today, going out for stamps, medicines, and some groceries, I bought something in powder form that I usually take in capsule form. Of course, I had already opened it too, so it can't be returned. It cost $25, so I can't just toss it. I guess I need to be more careful and look before I leap.

There were at least three good things today, though. I had $17 worth of coupons at the grocery store. That's nothing to sneeze at (although I've been sneezing and coughing all day, despite the medicines.) Plus the line at the Post Office was so small I was in and out in 2 minutes and it was nearly the same at the camera/photo shop, where I had some prints made. We are getting some good weather this weekend; today it was 52* and the weather people say we will have temps in the 60's by Sunday.  YAY!

Santa Claus is Coming......

whether you're ready or not. I hope you are!

I'm ready, except for buying two fresh turkey breasts, which I'll do tomorrow.  We are duplicating our Thanksgiving meal on Christmas Eve this year, since it was so yummy. Everyone outdid themselves, and we hope to do it again. We always have our family gathering on Christmas Eve, so that our children and theirs can go back to their homes and celebrate Christmas morning, and the arrival of Santa.

Eight of our neighborhood women gathered here in my home Monday night to practice singing carols, and afterward, we walked across the street to sing for our friends and their visiting son and granddaughter. Our dear neighbor Kerstin has been almost completely housebound for over a year now, and will have to have surgery again in 2011. We caroled for her last year when she was in a rehab hospital, but luckily, this year she is at home. I thought I would accompany them on the organ. Since I had not played in over three years, I decided a practice session was in order. Boy, am I ever rusty. I used to play decently and my hands flew over the keys, but the old fingers have forgotten more than they ever knew. After playing for several hours, I reached a point where I thought I could do it justice.  I was not called upon to demonstrate that. The ladies knew the songs well enough that they didn't require music to lead them. I suppose that practicing wasn't really wasted time, but now  I sort of wish I hadn't bothered. I had made mulled cider; orange slices studded with cloves and a long piece of cinnamon steeped in apple cider for several hours. It was very good - but a bit sweet for my taste. Next time I think I'll look for unsweetened cider, or mix it with unsweetened  orange juice.

Dinner was good tonight: London broil with Darby sauce, mashed potatoes and a new broccoli recipe. I say "new", but I think I've had that recipe for at least 15 years and never made it until tonight. I had to substitute chopped regular onions for green onions, but it turned out well anyway. It's called "millionaire's broccoli"  - I have no idea why. Let me know if you want the recipe.

Bah Humbug?

Well, not yet....but I'm getting there quickly.

We decorated a restaurant yesterday. I won't post photos of it because it is rather ordinary looking, and the interior is so dark that good photos are hard to come by. The parent company chose decorations in their home state years ago and there is little budget for additions or refurbishments to the old garlands and table-top trees. I fully expect some of them to fall apart the next time we take them out of the storage boxes.

People are rather crazed about Christmas this year, and it seems to be coming earlier than usual. I just saw some stats on the news about the amount of the average purchase on black Friday - and it made me glad that I worked that day and didn't spend that (or any) amount of money. We are drawing in our belts this year, throughout the family. We drew names at Thanksgiving and as a result, I will be buying 2-4 presents rather than 10-12. That really helps the old budget, dontcha' know? 

I am also giving up Christmas cards. At the current postage rate, sending more than a few would be prohibitive anyway. I used to love sending cards to people whom I don't see often, and writing a newsy note inside. But it seems that cards have gotten so impersonal over the last few years, and cards with printed names inside and no personal note  are so cold as to be insulting. Why bother? And don't get me started about those bragging Christmas letters masquerading as family news. Luckily, we only get a few of those each year. I think if the people who write them knew how much derision they cause they wouldn't send them to us any longer.  (Say....that gives me an idea.....LOL)

Have you given up sending cards too?

Odds and Ends

They aren't as lush as they are in the spring and summer, but I just can't get over having blooming roses in late November!

My pretty grand daughter holding my grand dog, named Snoop. It was hard getting him to sit still long enough for a photo.

The newel post at the Cardinal Club in Raleigh. We decorated there today. I posted photos on Facebook, but I'll put them up here in a few days.

Raleigh, from the 29th floor.

Odds & Ends

No, I don't have agitation, nor does mr. kenju (at least at this moment, he doesn't.... LOL) I saw this old ad in an email and thought it was funny. Current employees of GSK will notice the former company name.

This is a corner of a fireplace surround; one I saw at the Thomas Day exhibit at NCMH. I can appreciate the quality of the carving - but would you want this sad face staring out at you every day? I surely wouldn't!

Even if your chandelier isn't as fancy as this crystal beauty, you can add a fancy bow made with glistening ribbons and spice up your dining room. This one belongs to a woman for whom I did Christmas Decor. I thought it was 2006, but she says it was 8 years ago. I guess time flies when you're having fun! She thinks it might be time to take it down and dust it off. I tend to agree.

Leaving a restaurant in a local shopping center after dinner recently, I saw this interesting and colorful sky and of course, I wanted to share it with you.

I will be working today and starting on the day after Thanksgiving, I work almost 14 straight days. Posting and visiting may be slim to none during that period. I know, I say that every year, so we will see.....

Good News/Bad News

Good news:  Bloglines, the feed reader service I use - that was going to be closing on 11-1 is staying open! While I was using google reader in the interim and found it okay - I still like bloglines better, so I'm happy about that. I just wish I hadn't deleted my "subscribe with bloglines" button.

Bad news:  I wore my new pajamas all day long. They are black jersey, allow for ease of movement and very comfortable - just what I need to wear when I'm cleaning house. I poured bleach into the washer this afternoon and a bit later I saw two red polka-dots on the top of the pjs. I am so mad at myself. You'd think I'd be smarter than that by now.


Bad news:  it may freeze tomorrow night. I'll have to bring my potted plants indoors, and I still haven't gotten my warm clothing out.

Good news: warmer weather is on the way back!! I can put the potted plants back outside, and I can wait a few more days to get out the warm clothes! 

Broken Glass, Blooming Flowers and Utter Frustration

This is how it looks when your glass-topped deck table blows over and shatters into a kazillion tiny pieces. The photo below show some of it in the chairs, too. It was a mess to clean up, and lots of small pieces lodged in the spaces between the deck boards and need to be removed with a screwdriver.

At least, it's my tool of choice. Sure is hard on the back, though, even when I

sit down. The photo below shows some it in the chairs. I had to remove that very carefully, to avoid cutting the chair fabric.

My lantana and geraniums are still blooming, and since this photo was taken, the geranium has burst into full blossom - a veritable flag of neon color! I should photograph it now.

I went shopping today. I had bought mr. kenju a belt which proved to be too small, so I returned it and looked for another. Apparently, his size is very popular,  since there were only a few available, especially in black. Had I wanted a brown belt, there would have been no problem at all. I finally found a reversible belt, and I think they are a good value. He also wanted a turtleneck sweater to replace the ratty old one he's worn out over the last ten years. Apparently they are out of style, since the closet I could come to it was a mock-turtle with a partial zipper at he neck. When I asked him if he liked it, he offered a resounding NO, so tomorrow, I am going to retrace my steps and return that. As of then, I am finished shopping for him. If he wants something, he will have to shop for it and buy it himself! 

We had early company this morning. Mr. kenju's brother stopped by on his way home  after playing golf in Pinehurst over the last four days. We got up very early (6am, which may not be early for some of you - but is for us!) Our younger daughter came over with a coffee cake she had made, and we all enjoyed cake, coffee and conversation for two hours. Then he had to get on the road for his eight hour trip - and we went back to bed for a nap. It was too short a visit, but we're planning for a better one next year.

It's a beautiful, breezy day in the neighborhood; sunny and warm, but with a hint of fall in the air and leaves dropping into the pool at an alarming rate. Sometimes we leave the pool open until October, but this year I don't want to chase leaves and clean the pool out daily, so we have the closing scheduled for the 22nd. I hate looking at the pool cover all winter - but it beats skimming the pool four times a day.

 I took two frogs out of the skimmer this morning, and they seemed paralyzed by the coolness of the water. Both of them sat for along time in the place I set them down before hopping away. The cooler nights have lowered the water temperature to the mid 70's. I only know one person who wants to swim in water that cool - my granddaughter "G" - who never seems to mind the cold as long as there is water to swim in.

Free to a good home.....one handicapped frog; missing one foot and leg. When I was cleaning windows on Saturday, this one slipped out of my hand and fell into the kitchen sink.

Trying to upload photos is tiresome business, especially since Blogger is not cooperating with me. It took four minutes to get this one up. Bah!

When I left the flower shop in Cary yesterday, it was 96* and the forecast for today and the rest of the week shows it hovering around 98*. ENOUGH already!! (A voice crying in the wilderness.....)

Overnight temps are in the 70's, so that means that the swimming pool has already cooled to below 80* - even though it is hotter than Hades during the day. I won't get anywhere near the pool unless the water temperature is over 83*, so that's it for the remainder of the season for me. My grandchildren don't mind, though, and one of them will swim until the water gets down to 70*. Too bad they don't live a bit closer so they can swim more often.

I'm working every day this week except Tuesday.....and grateful for it!  The economy may not have picked up where you are, but around here, people are buying flowers for weddings, birthdays, illness, etc. The shop was really busy yesterday - especially for Monday. Mr. kenju doesn't like it much when I am gone, but we need a break from each other now and then....and the pay doesn't hurt either.

Are you looking forward to your favorite shows coming back in the fall?  I am, and a wee bit interested to see some of the new ones as well. Dancing with the Stars will start its 11th season, I think. Why they had to ask that Palin kid to come on the show is beyond me. She's NO star!! They must be scraping the bottom of the barrel at this point. I'd almost rather watch Kenny Mayne dance....LOL!  (Edit: after watching the announcement tonight of the "stars" on the show this season, I am singularly unimpressed!)

American Idol will come back with new judges (at this point we don't know who, for certain). Will you miss Simon? I do hope that whomever they choose to replace Simon doesn't think he/she has to be just as nasty as he was sometimes.

Survivor will have oldies facing off against young people. The last time they tried that it wasn't very interesting. Maybe these groups will be different. Can you tell I watch a lot of reality TV?    I love fictional dramas, nature shows and science/medical stuff too, but I enjoy watching "real" people and seeing the psychology of it all (even though they are sometimes obnoxious!)

What's your favorite TV show? 

Odds, Ends and a Quote

"I hate with a murderous hatred those men who, having lived their youth, would send into war other youth, not lived, unfulfilled, to fight and die for them; the pride and cowardice of those old men, making their wars that boys must die."

Mary Roberts Rinehart, novelist (1876-1958)

                     ***

Because I am going on a short trip soon, and will have no one in the car with me, mr. kenju asked me to get the car checked out before I leave. That's always a good idea, so Monday I took the car to my trusty repair shop. Three hours and $430 later, I was able to drive home. I feel better about the brakes, etc. now, but my wallet is crying. They also told me that I need to replace the front tires very soon, but since I had an alignment and rotation today, I can put that off until after the trip. Wasn't THAT good news?!  It's always something.

***

We had two or three days of respite from the suffocating heat and humidity, but it has returned, to stay around for another week or so. Back when it was so hot in May and June, we asked ourselves how on earth could it be as bad then as the usual heat in August? Now we know....August will be even hotter. I was told by a friend recently that she knows a couple of people who think that there is no such thing as global warming;  that it is a hoax being perpetrated on us for some nefarious reason. Sheeesh.

OOPS! Almost midnight and no post in sight! Let's see what I can do to remedy that.

Several days ago, my cat fell into the pool. She was very surprised - as was I. I'm not sure what happened, but I think I pulled the water hose too hard and caused her to jump when she was standing too close to the edge. I heard a splash; saw something black in the pool and it took me a few seconds to process what had happened. I ran to lift her out, but by the time I got there she had already heaved herself out of the water by pulling herself up and over the side. I can hardly believe she was able to do that on her own, seeing how fat she is and how she has a hard time getting up into my recliner without help. I guess she had extreme motivation! This cat has never had a bath (that I know of) and I don't think she ever wants another one.

Mr. kenju asked if I got a photo of her while she was wet. I didn't. The first thing I ran for was a towel, and I wrapped her in it and dried her as best I could while holding her in my arms. The poor thing was so bewildered.

There was a silver lining to it though (you knew there would be, didn't you?) She bathed herself all over. It took her more than 35 minutes to do it and when she was done, her fur was much softer than it ever has been. I've about decided that I need to throw her into the pool about 3 times per year!

***

A license plate I saw yesterday: MNKYSHTL

I took it to mean Monkey Shuttle, and since it was a van, I imagined hordes of children being picked up from school. And it also reminded me of some friends who have a newish dog named Monkey. It would make a fine chariot for that!

***

We had some glorious rain storms tonight, the first real rain in weeks. It apparently left havoc in its wake all over the area; trees down, power lines down and leaf debris blown everywhere. We had no damage, but as we were eating dinner, lightning and thunder were so bad that mr. kenju jumped a mile when one particularly loud boomer hit. Next thing we knew, two fire trucks were flashing their lights on the street behind us. I don't know if anything caught on fire, but mr. kenju swore he smelled smoke when he opened the kitchen door. Since he had a stroke, his sense of smell is greatly heightened (or so he says). I can't wear cologne, and he objects if I spray air freshener or use scented candles. And of course, passing gas is out of the question....LOL

Introducing......

My favorite new kitchen hand soap!! I bought this at TJMaxx; it has the most delightful fragrance - so clean and fresh! $4.99 for a huge bottle.

***

Mr. kenju indicated recently that he'd appreciate some new recipes served from my kitchen, so tonight I made green chicken enchiladas, from a recipe I found on the web. I served them with corn on the cob and Mexican rice. It was okay, but I'm not jumping through hoops about it. (I don't think he was either....lol) Better luck next time - is what I'm saying.

***

In early June we ordered a new set of wall ovens. We were limited to a very few choices, because our current ovens are only 24" wide, and nothing else would fit without extensive renovation to the cabinets - something I was devoutly avoiding. As much as I might like a whole new kitchen, it isn't going to happen. So we ordered the new set, and they were supposed to be installed on Monday. The guy didn't show up and didn't call. After many calls to the store we were assigned a new installer. I got rescheduled for Tues - and then the new guy called to change from Tuesday to Wednesday and then to Thursday. At one point I was ready to tell them to stick the new ovens where the sun don't shine - but that would be counter-productive - so I'm trying to be patient. We hope that by the time some of you read this on Thursday, we will be well into the installation process. Wish us luck, won't you?

Oh, and pray that we don't have any electrical issues either.