Good night!

I almost forgot to post today. I was going to ask for a final vote for Snickers...but it's a bit late for that. The contest ends tonight. Last I looked we were tied with one other for 1st. It's annoying as that's the other one from my rat group. I wish she'd have picked another month to compete-I said I was competing this month months ago-I probably would have had a much wider lead. Oh well. I'm battling a migraine. I need to do the dishes-folks coming in the morning-but I need to go to bed. Good night!

Lawn Fete

When I was a kid one of my favorite summer thing to do was go to a lawn fete. My parents and I, and oftentimes my Aunt Bert, would go to these church festivals throughout the summer. Today I drove to Buffalo and my parents and I went to the Saint Barnabas lawn fete. It was a big one with 2 bands, midway rides, and games. My dad hung out in the beer tent listening to the Polka band while my mom and I walked around. We played I Got It! I guess I used up all my luck at the Erie County Fair-neither of us even came close. I played Indian Dice-haven't played that in decades. No luck there either...nor at the money wheel in the casino section. Maybe the luck is just holding out til the big drawing-$10,000-that'd be nice.

Nielson Household

I am now a Nielson Household. I don't have the TV bit though, instead they look at all the products I buy. It could be seen as Big Brother watching...but I think it's kind of neat. I got my scanner yesterday and did my practice run. It's pretty easy. I bought some things today-so I need to scan them in, then I transmit once a week. The only thing is that I shop at unique places and a lot aren't entered in my scanner. They gave me a list of local shops, plus more general ones. Sadly, the places I go to a lot aren't listed. We'll see how it all works out.

Photo Phriday - Green Hydrangea

As summer comes to a close my green hydrangea takes on a pink tinge. This is a truly lovely plant. If you have a garden, be sure to get one of these beauties!

Vote for Snickers!

Don't forget to vote for Snickers. It's an extraordinarily close race. There's less than a week left-so please, vote every day. Go visit The Agile Rat photo contest, scroll down until you see his picture and vote for Snickers! Thanks.

Craft Time

I finally got some crafting done today. Not much...but something...5 somethings, actually. I thought I'd get further ahead-maybe even getting Halloween cards done while I'm off work. Well, I have a week left. Let's see what I get done.

Recipes

I love reading and one of my favorite genres is the mystery novel. I follow a great many series, mostly cozy mysteries. Actually, it's amazing how many genres and sub genres exist in the mystery field. I guess you could say there are even sub sub genres. There are also a lot of what I call "how to mysteries". These are books that also give tips on certain things. There are craft mysteries that give tips on soap making, beading, some even give needlework designs. Some gardening mysteries give gardening tips and you can even find information on interior design and teddy bear making. Of course the field of culinary mysteries gives us plenty of wonderful recipes to try. While you might expect to find some recipes in books such as the White House Chef mysteries and the Gourmet Girl mysteries, you may find them in other series as well. The Glassblower mystery series gives recipes as well as information about glass and the Craft Corner series shares recipes as well as crafting tips. I guess it just proves how important food is to people...and how popular the subject is. So go check out some good mystery books and you may just find a good recipe with it!

Mystery Plant

I got this gorgeous plant from an Amish lady...and I don't remember what it's called. I didn't think it had flowers-then I got this beautiful blossom. It loves to climb. Can anyone tell me what it is?

Erie County Fair

Today I went to the Erie County Fair with friends I haven't seen in over 19 years! We had a blast! It was great fun-even though we did get rained on...repeatedly. At times it was quite a heavy rain too-but what fun we had. Of course we had fried dough and I had a monster sized lemonade. We got to see cows-including one mom who had her calf at 2:03 this morning. What a sweet baby! We saw pigs, sheep, ducks, chickens, horses, cats, and reindeer. I made friends with Molson, a mustang. At one point when the rain really started coming down we went into an I Got It! tent to play. I won! I won 4 times! Two of those times I was the only winner too, so I got 2 prizes (I got free games for the other wins). It was great to reconnect in person with my old college friends too. All in all I had a fantastic day.

Hemlock Pioneer Days

Today I went to the Hemlock Pioneer Days. It was a really fun event. Sadly, the dog trials were cancelled-the dogs just never showed up. But they did have a draft horse show. I watched the whole thing. These horses are amazing. They had several classes for horses and ponies. Only one group had Haflingers-so the pony classes were just them. The show started with 6 horse teams. It's amazing to watch these big guys go. There was a team of Clydesdales and one of Belgiums. Aside from the 6 horse teams, they had 4 horse, unicorn, 2 horse, tandem, then ladies horse and cart and gentlemen horse and cart. The only problem occurred during the horse tandem event. The lead Clydesdale kept trying to back up and stand to the left of the rear horse-probably his usual place in the team. They had to leave the ring. There were also some Percherons. I love the big guys. One Belgium was huge. I doubt Harley would come up to his shoulder. I love watching them get ready-their people stand on ladders. Aside from the draft horses there was lots of farm equipment-mainly tractors. It's interesting to note than whenever there are lots of tractors there are a lot more men...men not looking bored and wishing they were someplace else. I also had a nice talk with a master gardener, I got tips on needle punching (which I haven't been able to get right), and had a great talk about wine history with a woman from the York historical society. All in all a nice, albeit very hot day.

Photo Phriday - Lil Pumpkin

This lil pumpkin decided to come through the fence and grow on the inside. This little guy will grow into a mini white pumpkin, as long as Barrett doesn't try to eat it.

Sore

I am sore today. Like I did too many sit ups or crunches. Of course, I haven't done any of those-but at PT I am doing exercises that work on my core. I guess it's working. It's funny-these exercises are exhausting, even though I'm barely moving. I'm skipping my Wii Fit tonight-I still have to do some more of my PT exercises, but I did do some already and I worked Harley. Actually, it was funny...I had Harley in the cross ties and I was getting pain in my leg-so I went over in front of Jeter's stall and lay down on the floor and did my one exercise. I looked up and had to laugh. Jeter had his face out of his stall and was staring at me in wonderment and Harley had turned to face me looking at me as if I'd gone insane! Oh well, it amused the horses and my leg felt a bit better.

New Brain Age Result.

I had my mom try Brain Age, but she was having problems so I retook the test to see what the problem was. Well, I think I may have figured out why I scored so poorly on my first attempt. I was taking more tests, tests I had not tried before. I don't know what the problem was...maybe my mom and I are even more alike than I thought. At any rate, I got a new brain age-39! That's better!

Please remember to vote for Snickers. This morning we were in a 3 way tie for 2nd! Thanks.

Writing Can Be Frustrating

I had a lot I wanted to do today...but not much of it is getting done. I've spent most of the day working on an article that just isn't shaping up. It's very frustrating. I think I'm going to let it go for a while and do my Wii Fit, then have dinner and watch a Ma & Pa Kettle film. Hopefully, when I return to it the article will look better.

Don't forget to vote for Snickers!

Brain Age

I know that it's important to keep your brain active, especially as you get older. I got the Wii Fit to try to help my body and now I got Brain Age for my DSi to help my brain. While I know my body is in trouble, I thought my brain was doing quite well. I pride myself on my intelligence. I read constantly and I write. I also do creative things. I started this new game with a test to get my Brain Age. To my dismay I discovered that my brain is 69! My Wii Fit Age is MUCH better than that-last check I was 36! Good heaven's. Well, I'm training my brain every day now. I still can't believe my body is in better shape than my brain-I'm in trouble!

A Day of Chores

I decided not to try to brave the heat, so I did not go to The Riesling Festival. Instead, I stayed in my air conditioned home and tried to get some things accomplished. I did pretty well, aside from killing the mini shop vac. It had been acting weird when my mom used it a few weeks ago. It was super loud. I changed the filter and started cleaning around one of the litter boxes. It was super loud and didn't sound right. Still, it sucked up stuff, so I went to the other litter box. It was loud, then it made like a coughing sound. I turned around and saw that it was smoking. I quickly unplugged it and opened it to make sure nothing was on fire. Nothing was...but I shan't be using that machine again! At least I got both areas relatively clean. Plus I scrubbed the litter boxes, bleached them, and let them dry in the sun. I also cleaned Ollie's cage, did some laundry, sent some e-mails, paid some bills, did my Wii Fit, and Brain Age. Now I'm cooking dinner. A good day, if rough on my back.

Too Hot for Me!

It was too hot for me today. I'm not sure exactly what the temperature was-but mid 80's and high high high humidity. I went to the Churchville Country Fair, but the hear just was getting to me. I had a cheeseburger and some great salt potatoes and that was about it. There wasn't much in the way of craft vendors and the sweat was just pouring down me, so I didn't even bother checking out the tractors and corvettes. I went to the grocery store and on the drive home had the bag of ice in my arms. I don't know how I managed all those years in Texas!

Photo Phriday - Rats & Watermelon

Nothing beats a slice of watermelon on a hot summer day. Josef and Snickers agree!
Don't forget to vote for Snickers!

Back Update

Today started with physical therapy, then, a bit later, a visit with the neurosurgeon. Since I can live with the pain...that's what Ill be doing. If it gets worse, we'll talk surgery. It's possible there's a lesion causing problems with the nerve. I'll continue physical therapy then return to work on night shift starting September 2. As for restrictions..."if it hurts, don't do it". And I can only work up to 12 hours. He asked if I was sure as that seemed a lot for him...but I'll try. So, I'll enjoy the time I have left...as Lord knows when I'll ever have time off from work again!

Nintendo DSi

A few years ago I realized, belatedly, that you could actually get stuff for free with points from using your credit card. I signed up and have gotten some great things: enough gift certificates to get my Dyson Animal vacuum cleaner, a video iPod, gift certificates that I used to get videos and a gift for my Dad, and just now, a Nintendo DSi. I had been waiting for that one. I saw that I had enough credits for a Nintendo Lite, but I was advised to wait and get the DSi as it had lots more features, including a camera. What the heck, it wasn't as if I NEEDED the thing. So I waited and yesterday I saw that I had enough points. So, about 11AM yesterday I ordered a black matte Nintendo DSi (they had blue, but it was a funky looking blue-so I got black) using the standard shipping included in the points. Today at about 10:30AM I heard the backdoor. (Barrett who moments earlier barked his head off at a dog 300 yards away gave no indication that there was a man at out back door.) It was the UPS Man who had left a package. The Nintendo DSi. Talk about quick! I got it in less than 24 hours. When I later checked my e-mail I found one from about 1PM saying that the game had shipped. Shipped? It had shipped, arrived, and been played with! Thank you Thank You Network!

Samba de Amigo

I reason I wanted to get the Wii gaming system was so that I could get Wii Fit and do some exercising. Heaven's knows I need to exercise and I figured this would be a good way to get some more movement in my life. I was right I love the Wii Fit. The only issue I have is that just a few days after I started, I herniated 2 discs-so I was unable to do anything for a few months. I'm doing a bit now-but there are lots of exercises I haven't tried due to my back. Still, I'm doing something. The thing I love about Wii is that it does get you moving. Consequently, the games I look for are fun things to get me moving. I had heard great things about Outdoor Challenge. So I got it. Sadly, it's a bit too challenging for me. Hopefully, in time I can make use of it. I recently got Cardio Challenge. I haven't even tried that. That's OK, I got it since it was on sale and once I'm better I'll give it a shot. The other week I went across town to the great mystery library. They also have Wii games. The few times I've been there they've all been checked out, but this time I was lucky. I was extra lucky in finding the one game: Samba de Amigo. What a fantastic game; for me at any rate. The game is the story of Amigo, a monkey who plays the maracas. You become Amigo (or eventually his sister or other friends) and use the Wii remotes as maracas. There's a great Latin beat as you dance and shake your maracas in certain patterns. I love the music-you can't help but dance along. You also work up a good sweat. It's a great, fun workout and I intend to buy the game as soon as I can find it in stores!

Also, please, don't forget to vote for Snickers. You can see his picture here, and vote here. Thanks!

Julie & Julia

Today I did something I haven't done in about 2 years. I went to the movies to see Julie & Julia. I rarely go to the cinema. The last movie I saw at the movie theatre was Over the Hedge...and that had to do with food too. I see a pattern here. Anyway, I couldn't resist a film about Julia Child, food, and blogging so I decided to go. I'm glad I did. It was a wonderful film based on not one, but 2 true stories, both turned into memoirs: My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme and Julie and Julia by Julie Powell. The movie is divided into 2 overlapping sections. One is the story of Julia Child from when she and her husband move to Paris until her book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, is published. The other is the story of Julie Powell, a woman floundering until she decided to make every recipe in the aforementioned French cookbook and blog about it. It's a story about the journey of both women, and it's a story about food. I say "Brava" especially to Meryl Streep for her performance as Julia Child. Julia was a person who was larger than life and it would have been very easy to make her into a caricature, but Meryl Streep didn't fall into that trap. The character was played with gusto, and with love. For those unfamiliar with Julia Child, her portrayal made it easy to see why Julie so admired the woman. The movie is, at times, laugh out loud funny...and I wasn't the only one to think so, the whole theatre burst out laughing many times. There was also a good turnout-I'd say there were about 50 people for that Monday 12:40 matinee. I highly recommend this film, but I think the comment I overheard as people were leaving gives the highest credit, "I want to go home and cook". Bon Appetit!

Art Festival

Today I went to the Brockport Art Festival. When I left my house, it was drizzling and remained that way when I got on the shuttle to the event and started walking around. Soon the drizzle stopped and the humidity came. I was having a good time, but the heat got more and more oppressive. Then the sky began to darken. I had almost come full circle and saw I volunteer going to all the sellers, "a severe thunderstorm is supposed to arrive at 1:30". I picked up the last of the items I wanted and headed back to the shuttle stop. As I got there the rain started..but just lightly. Fortunately, the bus arrived fairly quickly and we headed back to the parking lot. While waiting to turn the downpour began. As I drove home the lightning began. I had perfect timing. I really like this festival and, as usual, I got lots of neat early Christmas presents. Check out the festivals in your area-it's a great way to get a head start on your holiday shopping.

Onion Festival

Today I met my parents at the Elba Onion Festival. It was well organized, they've been doing it since 1937 so I guess they have it down pat! There were lots of good things to eat, but other than that all it really had was a large midway. I don't do rides and the games were all the carnival look like they're rigged sort, so that was it. Still I had some great home made onion soup, onion rings, onion petals, a loganberry drink and a beer!

Photo Phriday-Coleus

Every summer I get a coleus for my front stoop. I love all the different varieties and wish they were a perennial. Still, every summer I get a little 4 inch potted variety of Coleus and replant it in a large container. The first year I filled the planter with other flowers as the coleus was so small. Obviously, I learned that I didn't have to do that. Here is this years coleus-Royal Glissade.

Three Brothers

Yesterday I went to Cayuga Lake. On the way home I saw a sign for a winery I hadn't heard of, so I turned and off into the unknown I went. I was driving and driving, not seeing more signs, but following the road. Then I saw a sign-it didn't seem like the same name, but I turned. And drove. I was in middle of nowhere. Well, the middle of cornfields is where I was. Then I saw a lake ahead-that must be Seneca Lake. Then I saw Three Brothers Wineries and Estates-so in I pulled. What a unique place. It was actually 3 wineries and 1 microbrewery all in one place. Sadly gone are the days of free tastings. I don't mind when you get your tasting money back with a purchase-but that wasn't the case here. You can either pay $2.50 at each of the 4 places-or get a passport for $8. Which is what I did. It's a good bit of change, especially if a group comes in-but you do get a lot of tastings-5-6 at each winery plus the brewery. The wineries are divided into dry wines: Stony Lonesome, semi-sweet: Passion Feet, and sweet: Rogue's Hollow. Each has a totally different feel, each representing a certain brother. And don't forget the beer at War Horse. I enjoyed beverages at each of the locations. They had a great Gewürztraminer, some nice blends including a great Raspberry Riesling and a super Traminette mix (Two Banger), a nice pale ale and a great root beer! All in all a very nice detour.

Rubber Hedgehog

There's yet another photo contest going on. This one is for Rubber Hedgehog, a rubber stamp company. The winner will have his/her image made into a rubber stamp! I've entered Harley, Calumet, Josef, and Barrett and I have 1 more entry that I haven't decided upon. But I got this e-mail this morning:

Hi! Be sure to check out our main page at: http://rubberhedgehog.com
- Barrett is currently featured.

I'm so proud!

This contest will be decided by judges, but, you can vote saying why you'd think the picture would make a good stamp. We'd love your support. All my kids are on page 4 and there are 2 or 3 of each of them.

Vote for Snickers

I entered this picture of Snickers in the August photo contest at The Agile Rat. We're trying to win an agility set; yes, rats can run agility courses just like dogs. Well, miniature versions. You can vote every day this month. Just go to http://www.theagilerat.com/?id=141 scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the contestants, find Snicker's picture and click on the Vote link next to it to cast your vote. It's easy, you don't even have to register. So please help out and vote often! Thanks.

Arthritis Remedy

My dad decided to try a folk remedy for his arthritis-and it's working. I decided to make some myself, maybe it will help with my back; it couldn't hurt. I got one of my pickle jars (empty) and filled it with golden raisins. They must be GOLDEN raisins. Then I filled the jar with gin. Yes, that juniper berry liquor. Now I wait a week while the raisins steep. After that the medicine is ready. You're supposed to eat 10 of the gin soaked raisins a day. Sounds good to me!

Annoyed

I'm very annoyed. I'll just leave it at that.

Minor Frustrations

Today has been a day of minor frustrations. I slept in later than usual. I went to vote for my rat-and the photos aren't up yet (even now at 6PM). Plus I found out another member of my rat group is competing as well with an adorable photo and saying she's sharing the prize if she gets it with another member. Ugh. Sickeningly sweet and bye bye to votes for my boy! I got some great cucumbers to make more pickles...but can't get any dill. I got some liquor with rebate forms, but only got one receipt. I was going to make a peach dessert, but the peaches aren't quite ripe yet. I was about to make some gin raisins, but forgot that I put salt in the clean jar I had-so I have to wash more jars before I do that. At least my good shows are on tonight. I hope.