Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Nothing Accomplished

I wanted to get up early and do some chores. Perhaps mow part of the lawn in this beautiful cool weather, or clean a rat cage. I got to bed a tad earlier, and set my alarm a bit earlier....but I couldn't get out of bed. I was sleeping good! And had an interesting dream. So...nothing accomplished today. Sigh.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Fixed

I was having more problems with my temporary crown. Saturday night it came out. (Tip-don't eat a tootsie roll when you have a temporary crown.) I shoved it back on and went to bed-hoping I wouldn't choke to death on it in my sleep. I didn't...but the next morning it came out again. I called Monday to have them cement it back in, since I wouldn't get my permanent until July 7th-more than a week away. They said to come in Tuesday at 2. Yuck sleep wise for me, but doable. So I got a few hours of sleep and went in. They had good news-my permanent crown was in! So they got me all set up with my new crown and I came home and went back to bed. The only down side-today was a glorious day weather wise and I missed it all by sleeping and going to the dentist.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Pockets

All pants should have pockets...including lounge pants. I carry a pedometer and when I'm lounging, I'm still walking and want every step to count. I can change the back of the pedometer to a clip-but that makes it annoying when I have a pocket, and doesn't help when I'm in a night shirt. In winter all is fine, as my robe has pockets-but it's certainly too hot for that. I need pockets!

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Magic Wand

I wish I had a magic wand that would clean and also find missing items. If I can't have that (and it doesn't seem likely) I wish I could completely empty 1 room at a time, then create storage and organization for it, then move things back. I guess I'd need 1 of those POD things to store everything. And about a month off...for each room.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Bird's Nest

I was out looking in at my crops when I did a double take at my grapes. An enterprising bird has decided that my grape vine would be a pretty good place to live and has built a nest in my grapes! It's kind of hard to see-but there it is. I guess she's looking forward to breakfast in bed!

Friday, June 25, 2010

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Auto Registration

I got my form to renew my automobile registration today. Since the state apparently has no money and the idiots can't pass a budget to save their lives, the pseudo-governor (I can't call him a real governor since no one voted for him; he just got the position as the last one resigned in a sexual scandal.) said that everyone had to get new plates when they registered, whether they needed them or not. Fortunately, the hew and cry was such that the plan was ditched. So I can pay my $62 and be done with it. However, I have the options to get new plates (new/old that is, we're going to a retro plate). Get this-for a new plate with new numbers I'd have to pay $87, BUT if I want to keep my same plate numbers (which I would, as I like it) I'd have to pay $107! What a scam. Glad I can keep what I have...for now!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Earthquake!

I slept through it. I called my mom this evening only to discover there was an earthquake this afternoon. I guess the epicenter was in Ontario, Canada around Quebec, but it was felt in 17 states. She said animals were reacting-I wonder how Harley took it? Mine at home didn't let me know anything was going on. Callie and Aleister were sleeping with me! Seneca did stay downstairs-which was a bit unusual-I figured she was just mad at me for making her take her pill. Did you notice anything?

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Lawn Tractor

I bought a new lawn tractor this morning. I love my old Murray-but it was developing even more problems, and there was no point putting more money into it. It served me well-almost 8 years and it was reconditioned when I got it. When you consider I only paid like $400.... I paid a heck of a lot more for my new John Deere this morning; but my parents are helping me out with it and it should last til I can't mow anymore. (I can hope anyway!) It'll be delivered Thursday morning. Hopefully, the rain will stop and the ground will dry out my then. The grass is OK, but the weeds need mowing!

Monday, June 21, 2010

Tendinitis

I went to the doctor this morning. He's not sure, but thinks I've got tendinitis. He's sending me to a specialist. However, the first available appointment is July 13th! So I noticed my foot bothering me June 11 and may get it all sorted out a month later. And why is it spelled tendinitis when it's a problem with the tendon?

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Happy Father's Day!

To all the dads out there: have a wonderful day. I especially wish those non traditional fathers a joyous fathers day. "Normal" fathers have a hard enough time getting recognition-so to all dads, including those whose only kids have fur, feathers, scales, and so on, I raise my glass in honor of you. Happy Father's Day!

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Waste

Working night shift I always feel the first day of my days off is a waste. I got an OK amount of sleep, did some computer stuff, did the dishes, took a bath and now I'm ready for bed again! My TV shows will be on in an hour and I need to fix something to eat. I really just want to sit and veg!

Friday, June 18, 2010

Photo Phriday - Phlowers


I'm glad I left all those weedy stems alone-they were indeed the butterfly bush returning.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Best Laid Plans...

I had good intentions, but it didn't work out. I planned to mow the yard this evening; the front and side, at any rate-stuff that can be readily seen. It's been raining and it's going to be raining all weekend-so today was a good day. Plus the weather is absolutely gorgeous. So I got the lawn tractor out of the garage. I've been having problems with the blade carriage-a bit fell out, so it keeps dropping-but I got it OK. I started it up and off I went. However, I only made 2 passes of the side when it quit. And wouldn't start. It tried to turn over, but couldn't manage it. After trying for quite a while, I just pushed it back into the garage. It also looks like it has an oil leak (although there is oil in the tractor-yes, I checked). Add the blade issues and the fact that Dad can't drive it anymore, and the fact that it's like 7 years old...I guess I'll be lawn tractor shopping this weekend. Sigh.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Crown

My temporary crown caused more problems last night. It hurt to do anything that required opening my mouth-speaking, eating, drinking. Ugh. As soon as I got home from work I called the dentist. Then I had to wait a half an hour until the office opened. Then I called again and demanded I be let in so they could, "Get this thing out of me!" They said they could get me in at 2. Sigh. So I got 4 hours of sleep, got up, and went to the dentist. The assistant apologized and got the crown out. Boy, there is a nerve right there-so there were some painful moments, but she filed down the temporary crown, and put it back in. All good. My mouth is still sore-but I'm sure I'll fully recover soon.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

All Good Things Must End

Alas, my vacation has come to an end. It ends on a rocky note. I got a crown this morning. The area was near a nerve, and was a bit painful. Of course, there was the God awful impression to be made as well. Now the area is slightly throbbing, but what's worse is the temporary crown has this ledge that is bugging the heck out of me. My tongue keeps finding it and its most annoying, and slightly painful. And I won't get my full-time crown til July 7! If I don't adapt by tomorrow, I may have to call and see if they can do something. My foot is still a mess-who knows what's up with that. At least my back is a bit better. I got a call from work. I have to go to a class on Friday. That's actually good news. I'll work tonight and tomorrow, be off at night Thursday, go to class in the day Friday and work that night, then 2 days off. I may try to see my doctor on Monday to see what's up with my foot. I'll wait to see if there's any improvement before I call. It kind of sucks getting old.

Monday, June 14, 2010

A Threat Works

It's nice when your horse understands English. Harley was being lazy, and I couldn't ride long as my back and foot hurt...plus it was humid. I stopped by the door and looked to see if I could spot anyone in the barn, I called out, "Hey Kim, if you get a minute, could you bring me a crop". She said, "Sure". I then asked Harley to trot. Harley is a smart boy. He understands many English words. Crop is one of them. He took off at a very good pace. I still took the crop when Kim, brought it to me, but I never had to use it. Just knowing I had it (even just knowing I could get it, apparently) was all the motivation Harley needed. He kept a great trot and cantered well-even doing a beautiful simple lead change and cantering circles without breaking. After our workout, I gave him his first bath of the year, then let him graze a bit. He also got a treat. He is a good boy, even if I do have to threaten him at times.

For any non horse people-using a crop properly does NOT hurt the horse. As long as it is used properly, it is just an extension of your leg, giving a cue to go faster, or a tap to get his attention.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Planting

I love being able to go out in my yard and pick fresh lettuce and herbs to make a salad. I did a lot of planting today. I finally moved the pumpkin and zucchini out of their pot and into the ground. I hope I wasn't too late. I also planted the cucumbers (pickling and regular) in the soil as well as some parsley. I put rosemary, more thyme, nasturtiums, 2 more types of basil and peppers (sweet and jalapeno) in pots. I just have the pineapple sage, lemon balm, and baby geraniums to go!

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Travel Misdirection

I had a bit of adventure with my Mom today. The heat was too much for Dad, so he stayed home while Mom and I went to the Polish Heritage Festival at the Erie County Fairgrounds. Now, I've been to the fairgrounds several times...but I've never driven. We hooked up Dad's new Gamin to help us get there and off we went. Unfortunately, darn thing wasn't always clear and we had some weird goings-but we got there. And I drove the Skyway; one scary piece of roadway that I don't even care to be a passenger on. Once we got to the Fairgrounds we almost couldn't find the place where the festival was being held. The entry wasn't the same as the last time we attended and there were lots of other events going on too. We finally found it, hidden behind other buildings with lousy signage. One handmade sign right at the entry gate-nothing to get you to the gate! There wasn't much there-but Mom got what she came for...plus a Christmas gift for me! I got a winter hat-but that was it. We did have a great meal-roast beef with salt potatoes and a dill pickle. Yummm. Mom had a Polish beer-but it was so hot and I had to drive that Skyway-so I just had a pop. We got home-but with more redirection. After the Skyway Mom told me I'd have to take a right exit to get to the 190, then the Gamin told me to take a right, I knew I had to take a right-so I took a right. Than that damn Gamin started in again, "recalculating..." I turned too soon. So I took the first exit. We decided to not try and get back on to the 190-and go a different route. We did-then that route had a major detour so we took another way. We finally got near home, when we were stopped again. A huge accident completely blocking the road home. So...back we went and around another circuitous path. We finally got home-hot and tired. Did I mention the AC wasn't really working? But, we did it. Mission accomplished!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

It's My Birthday!

Today is my birthday! I realized that now a person half my age can legally drink. I guess I'm getting old. However, I'll go with what the t-shirt I wore today said, "I'm not old...I'm vintage" as it showed a bottle of wine. Other sayings also fit: aged to perfection, well aged, ...I'm sure there are more-but I'd better save some for the years ahead! My folks came up and we took a drive. We stopped at Feltfrish Market, an Amish bakery and deli. I stocked up on breads, cookies, and a raspberry pie, as well as some slab bacon and cheese. Then we drove through Lyndonville and went to Leonard Oakes Estate Winery where I got their lovely Cerise (a carbonated cherry wine), some sour cream cookies (to die for), and a few other goodies. On the way home we took a different route passing under the Erie Canal. Yes, under. This tunnel, built in the 1800's actually goes under the canal. Pretty neat. After a rest at home, my folks picked me up for dinner. My favorite restaurant, The Johnson House, did not disappoint. I had my usual meal-and it was perfection. I adore real chefs who know the meaning of the word rare. My filet mignon was exquisite! Everything was great. Now I'm relaxing at home in my pjs. A wonderful birthday-here's to many more!

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

TV-All or Nothing!

Why is it that either there's nothing to watch on TV-or multiple shows I want to watch are all on at the same time? Yesterday was nothing. Tonight I have the choosing of the 10 finalists on So You Think You Can Dance, the finale of Top Chef Masters. and the season premier of Ghost Hunters Academy. Also the new Kate show is on-but I really can't stand her and I think she really needs to get off the air. In any case, I'm thinking I'll watch the first half of Dance, then flip during the second half between that and Top Chef Masters. Sorry-I'm not that thrilled with Academy anyway.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

A Zoo Visit

This morning I decided to pay a visit to the Seneca Park Zoo. My departure was delayed a bit, the plumber called and wanted to come out first thing. He replaced one of my outdoor faucets-so that's taken care of! I left only a half hour later than I planned-not bad at all. All the animals seemed to be lazing around, enjoying the sun and relaxing. The hyenas and sea lions were sunbathing and Nikko and Luna, the Arctic wolves, were napping. I decided to bypass the long walk to see the elephants and went back to watch the otter training session. A zookeeper worked with Admiral, showing some training exercises. Admiral was very good-he's 19 years old and only started training 2 years ago. He rolls over and lets the keeper touch his feet-something a vet may have to do. He did other things too-and ate lots of fish as a reward. I have a painting Admiral created. I also have one from Anna, the beautiful cougar I photographed above. Isn't that a great shot? Thank goodness the Plexiglas was clean! I decided to leave after that-too many noisy kids, plus I had lots of other things to accomplish. I'll have to go again soon, and this time go down to see the elephants too!

Monday, June 7, 2010

Baby Plants

More plants! I got more plants today-all for free! These are little babies grown in the forensic unit! I stopped by work and picked up a bunch this morning. I got lettuce, oregano (so tiny!), parsley, jalapenos, sweet peppers, cucumbers, sunflowers, and geraniums! I really have to get my veggie plot going!

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Livid!

I am absolutely livid. My fury has calmed a little bit-there's nothing I can do now, but boy am I mad. I paid a guy to mow my lawn and weed whack. Just to get it under control and looking good for when my folks come up. This morning I discovered that the idiot chopped down my beautiful Weigila shrub. The little beauty was 3 years old and in full bloom-now it's gone. It was also a present from my mom. I could have killed him. I knew I shouldn't have hired this guy...but I just wanted the job done. I knew I should have pointed out areas in which to be careful, but I didn't. I'm sure kicking myself now. It took 3 years to establish that plant. He'll be buying me a new one-but it'll be years before I can enjoy it-he'd better be able to find the right variety. This is why I didn't want to hire anyone. I'll just do it myself and take some care with my work-not wield the weed whacker like a maniac, killing anything in my path! If things get overgrown...oh well, at least the plants will still be there!

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Race Day

Today is the running of the Belmont Stakes, the last leg of the Triple Crown. Alas, there is no chance of a Triple Crown winner this year, in fact neither the Kentucky Derby winner (Super Saver) nor the Preakness winner (Lookin at Lucky) will even be running. Still I've enjoyed watching all the pre-race coverage. No horse really stood out for me (unlike the Acorn Stakes, an earlier race at Belmont today. I should have bet, because I knew Champagne d'Oro would do it...and she did...at 39-1.) Congratulations to Drosselmeyer and Mike Smith on the Belmont win! Also prayers and good thoughts go to my favorite jockey, Alex Solis, who was taken to the hospital due to high blood pressure. Hopefully, he'll be fine and back in the saddle soon.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Oil Spill Disaster

The BP disaster keeps getting worse. What's almost equably appalling is the fact the media doesn't seem to care. This oil spill is a major disaster which friends of Big Oil are trying to mitigate. The destruction is mindboggling, as are the consequences of ill conceived drilling. Here's an article on what we can do about the situation: Six Things To Do About the BP Gulf Disaster — YES! Magazine
It's shameful that this leak has been gushing for over a month with no fix in site. BP and all of Big Oil need to pay-although restitution for the death and slow dying of the animals can never be possible.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Josef

Josef
December 25, 2007 - June 2, 2010

Josef died in the early hours this morning while I was at work. He'd been gamely fighting nasty respiratory issues for some time now, but he was always happy and ready for a cuddle or a treat. He loved his graham cracker with echinacea, as well as yogies, watermelon, and almost anything else. He was my photogenic boy-winning the Agile Rat photo contest. I know we shouldn't have favorites, but Josef had that something extra and he was my special boy. He will be greatly missed.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Auto Issues

When the phone rings, waking you up, and the mechanic says, "you're not going to like this" it's not a good prelude for the day. My first thought was, "Oh God, they found something else and the bill will be over $1,000." "Then, you can't have your car back today"-how will I get to work? Fortunately, neither of those was the case. The mechanic was working alone, so things were going slowly, then he discovered he needed a part. It hadn't arrived by 2:30-so he figured he'd stop and try again another day. So I got up and picked up the car. I'll drop it off again Thursday. Hopefully, they can fix the leak then!