Rubber Stamp Show

Today a friend and I went to Syracuse to attend a rubber stamp show. Several years ago I went when it was at the Fairgrounds and had a phenomenal time. There were tons of make and takes (you get to make a small project and take it home with you, trying the products and techniques). There were a lot of exhibitors and while the place was packed-there was still room to see and experience and make things. A year or 2 later I went again. It had moved to the convention center. The place was a mad house. You couldn't get near anything to make-people were 5 deep at the stands. It was awful. But, I thought I'd give it another shot this year, going on a Sunday (as I did the first time) when there are generally less people. Well, there certainly were less people. Hardly any one. Unfortunately, there were hardly any make and takes and few demos. Actually there weren't too many exhibitors either. Still, I had a good time and did learn some new things. This one place made paper jewelry that was simply exquisite. You'd never believe it was paper based. I did get a stamp for that, but held off on getting the findings and crystals. They used Swarovski crystals, which, obviously are a tad pricey. There was also a thing with this flowery flock type stuff. It adds dimension and looks like dried flowers. Really cool. I'm kind of wishing I had gotten some of the stuff, but I didn't...however, the plus to going to a rubber stamp show with someone who owns a rubber stamp shop is that she plans on stocking the stuff, so I can eventually buy it from her if I want. All in all a good time, but doubtful I'll be attending that particular show again.

Nuthin'

Why is it that sometimes you just don't want to do anything. Even fun things. Sigh. I need to get gas for tomorrow's trip and clean out the car. Now those aren't fun things...but I don't feel like stamping for doing anything else really. A nap sounds nice. Car first though!

Photo Phriday - Iris

I saw a group of Canadian Geese with their babies on the way home from the grocery store. Unfortunately, I was driving and there was lots of traffic and I couldn't get a photo. Instead, here's a photo of my Irises; some of the ones given to me by a friend last year. These are around one of my Ironwood trees. There are others around the maple in front. The ones like these are blooming, but the dark purple ones I got from a neighbor haven't bloomed in 2 years. The leaves are lush-but no flowers. I don't know what the issue is.

Rain

The rain finally arrived. Actually thunderstorms started last night and I awoke to a deluge outside. I let Barrett out to do his business, he took 2 steps turned around, looked at me as if saying, "not on your life" and came right back in. It stopped a few hours later. Now it's humid and sunny but I can hear thunder in the distance. Barrett did go out once the rain stopped, but returned quite quickly. No wet toes for my boy! All the kids have been napping all day. The rats had fun free range time as I cleaned cages and I plan on going back in their room to try and arrange the fabric I have there. But I figured I'd better get back online now, in case thunderstorms come back full force. The yard is quite grateful for the rain and I have plenty to do inside, so I'm happy it's raining. As long as the power stays on, we're good!

Cooking Up Murder

Cooking Up Murder. Isn't that a good name for a website dedicated to culinary mysteries? If I can make a free website, other than a blog, I may just make one. I got the idea as I started a new book. It's actually an anthology, Candy Cane Murders, with stories by Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine, and Leslie Meier. Yes, it's Christmassy, but since I'm dependent on libraries for my reading...Plus it's always nice to read Christmas themed stuff. Joanne Fluke is the featured author here and I do like her Hannah Swensen series...but I must admit, I like her recipes better. There's just something about her characters that annoys me. I have a high tolerance for the willing suspension of disbelief (yes, I apply it to more than theatre) but just how they go about solving these murders. . . ugh. And something about the people is just annoying. Still, I do enjoy the books. And the recipes are mouthwatering. Right now I'm craving a drink. She gives a recipe for a Peppermint Martini and I think I'll have to go to the liquor store for some white creme d'menthe and peppermint schnapps. I have the vodka! I also plan on making the lemon whippersnappers. Mmmmm.

Bad Horse

Harley was a VERY bad boy today. I went to the barn after my dentist appointment (no cavities, but a chipped tooth which will need a little filling to repair). Harley was in his stall and I saw the other boys outside. I asked if he was in because he was bad and the answer was a resounding YES. Apparently they let ALL the boys out together, including Dusty and Bear. Bear had been recuperating and Dusty has movement problems so they had been going out alone. Well apparently Harley had his ears back and was after Dusty. Harley was trying to ram him into the fence and looked as if he were out for blood. They were surprised no one got hurt. I took him into the indoor and worked him hard, longeing him, making him work, hoping to get that energy out of him. He's never behaved like that. IN fact he had been one horse they could put out with any other horse. Sigh. My horse is becoming a delinquent!

Memorial Day

I went to Buffalo to celebrate Memorial Day with my parents. Actually Memorial Day was first celebrated near me in Waterloo, NY. My dad did serve in the Navy, but I see Memorial Day not only as a time to remember our veterans, but all who have died. So I brought flowers and Mom and I went to the cemetery. I was glad to see the cemetery was crowded with people (live people) cleaning graves and honoring those who passed. Although it was mainly elderly people there were a few younger people and some brought children as well, so I hope the tradition will remain with them. I put flowers (a nice red, white, and blue mix as well as a shiny thing with tiny flags on it) on the graves of my grandparents (my dad's parents), Aunt Bert, and my brother. Mom and I did stop by her Mom's, mainly to make sure our Aunt got her name up. They're inside a mausoleum and I do not like those places. I'm not going on a shelf in a stinky building and if you want me to visit, make sure they plant you in the ground! Back at my parents we had potato chips and dip and champagne and watched A Shot in the Dark. Soon after we had ribs from the grill. Good stuff. I ate and drank so much I had to have a little nap to make sure I was fresh for the ride home. It was a good day and nice to be able to actually have a holiday where I'm not working!

My Eye

I don't know what's going on with my eye. Friday evening I noticed that my right eyelid was sore to the touch, but it looked fine. I woke up Saturday morning and it hurt as I opened my eye. When I looked in the mirror it was swollen and hurt to the touch. It hurt all day, but looked better as the day progressed. When I woke up this morning it looked horrible. The lid was really swollen, the eye not opening much at all. I don't think it's a sty as I don't see a lump and I've had sties before and don't remember them hurting this much. It hurts to close my right eye. I hope it just gets better fast, whatever it is!

Iron Island Museum

Today I drove to Buffalo to go to the Iron Island Museum. Built as a church in the late 1800's, turned into a funeral home in the 1950's the museum is located in the Lovejoy District of South Buffalo and keeps the memories of this once vibrant neighborhood alive. The museum was having an event called Spirits and More Spirits. They invited several local wineries who gave wine tastings, then there was a tour of the museum based on it's hauntings. Yes, the museum is haunted. TAPS even did a solid hour on the museum for Ghost Hunters. (A great episode, they had a lot of activity and were able to catch a lot of evidence as well.) The event was a huge success. The place was packed. So much so that I have to go back to check out all the exhibits-it was just too mobbed while we were there. I was able to climb the ladder to the attic where Grant had a shadow rush at him and they caught an EVP clearly saying, "Leave me alone". I saw a weird light up there, but eventually figured out it was coming from the floor below me and when I moved my arm it caused the blob to move, disappear, and reappear. During the tour while in the military room, the guide kept talking about people's clothes being tugged in this area. As we were leaving the room I felt a tap on my shoulder!!!! But it was my mom wanting to get my attention. She got it all right. While waiting for the rest of the group Mom and I got to talking with a member of the Buffalo Paranormal Investigators. He was very nice and shared some of his experiences in the museum. The place is very active. Although I didn't witness any spooky spirits (although I have something a little odd in one of my photos-probably just a reflection) I did imbibe many other spirits. It was a fun event and I highly recommend the Iron Island Museum to anyone visiting Buffalo.

Photo Phriday - Phlower

Isn't this flower unique? I got it from a neighbor last year. It didn't do much when I planted it-but this year it's gorgeous with lots of blossoms. Now I just have to try and remember what it's called!

Update: It is Bachelor's Buttons-Mountain Blue.

Yard Work

A day of yard work with my folks. The property looks so nice when it's freshly mown. The lilacs are in full bloom and the backyard smells wonderful! Barrett's out there now enjoying the day. There's still a ton of gardening to do. My mom brought me some lovely herbs and a Juneberry shrub. We didn't plant that yet, as there's poison ivy where we want to put it. We doused the poison ivy with round up-hopefully it'll all be gone soon. I have a ton to do in the front little garden and then I need to weed around all the trees and enlarge the area around the Mountain Ash. Still, as much as I need to do, the place sure looks good!

Every time

I finally remembered to take all my bottle returns with me when I went grocery shopping today. I even remembered to take them out of the car and into the store with me...along with my reusable grocery bags (I'm actually getting quite good at remembering that!). I put the recyclables in the proper machines and gave the glass bottles to the worker behind the counter and got my little money coupons to redeem when I checked out. I proceeded to shop-I even had a list. I got everything I needed, including the 2 things I forgot to write down, and just a few extras. So I get in line, get rung up, swipe my shoppers card, credit card, sign and off I go. Only then realizing I never used my bottle return credits. Sigh. I do this every time. Every time.

Pasture Pictures

I went out into the pasture with the boys and took a bunch of pictures today. Some came out quite well, though I'm not sure if any of these will make it to the stamping photo contest. The one above looks pretty good, though. That's Harley looking at the camera with Storm grazing next to him, Jeter mostly hidden behind Storm, and Liam at the back left.

Contest

Rubber Hedgehog makes great animal rubber stamps and they're having a photo contest. The winner will have her pet made into a rubber stamp! Isn't that the coolest thing? I can submit up to 12 entries, up to 3 each for each animal. They've given some photo tips, which will help. Unfortunately, a lot of my pics are somewhat artistic-with ears chopped off, tails, and other parts, while they suggest a full body, as the artist will be drawing the image from that photo. So...I'll probably be taking more pictures. Thank God for digital cameras! Looking at past winners-I didn't see any horses, so I'll be sure to enter Harley. I'd love to get one with his tongue hanging out as well as a classy one. Barrett and Josef are very photogenic, so I'll probably send a few of them. Callie can look truly regal. We'll see what the others can do.

70

Today is my dad's 70th birthday! He says he's just glad he's still above ground! This evening he's playing a gig in Buffalo-not a bad way to celebrate your birthday. Happy Birthday Dad, may you have many more!

You Go Girl!

Yea, Rachel Alexandra, congrats on the Preakness win. (The picture is of her winning the Kentucky Oaks.) You are indeed a champion and I am proud to have been able to watch your win. There has been a lot of talk about her running against the colts. Her previous owner would not have raced her in the Preakness, he didn't run her in the Kentucky Derby saying that the triple crown races were a showcase for stallions and that girls should run with girls and boys with boys only. Bullshit! That prejudice is complete and utter horse shit. As retired jockey Gary Stevens said, "champions should run with champions" and that's the case. There is no legitimate reason that fillies and mares should not run with colts, stallions, and geldings. (Hey, if triple crown races are a showcase for stallions, what about geldings.) It's not even an issue in Europe, heck it's not even an issue in other equestrian events-this years Rolex winner was a mare, second place a gelding. Those that don't want mares running make it seem as if they are so much more fragile than males. Nope. While some may be smaller and more dainty, it's not even the case. Heck, Rachel Alexandra is bigger than Mine That Bird...much bigger! So, let champions run with champions and all you fillies and mares out there-You Go Girls!!!

Calumet's Birthday

Today is Calumet's 4th birthday. Happy Birthday!!!

Photo Phriday - Lilac Festival

Today I went to the Lilac Festival. Although I've been in the area over 7 years (that's hard enough to believe) this was the first time I've been to the festival. Unfortunately, none of the crafters were there, apparently that's a weekend thing. But today was a glorious day and tomorrow it's supposed to rain. I had some festival food, walked around and around then found the Master Gardeners and bought some Lemon Balm and Greek Oregano. I then came home and planted herbs.

New Card

I got a letter in the mail with a new credit card with a note, "your account number may have been illegally obtained as a result of a merchant database compromise and could be at risk for unauthorized use". So they gave me a new card. Now this is great, in that I don't want charges I didn't make on my card. But it stinks for many reasons. I don't like the new card-it seems flimsy and fake and doesn't have my signature on the front. (It is a real card, I did check.) Now I have to change accounts that have my old number, I had to call and deal with the new card and basically it's a big annoyance. Where's my compensation for that? It's a pain in the neck and I worry about recent transactions with my old card. What a pain the modern world can be.

Josef's Loot!

I'd like to thank everyone who voted for Josef during the March photo contest at the Agile Rat. We received our goodies today! I made poor Josef wear the dress. Unfortunately, the dress is made for a svelte lady and Josef is a tad chubby...and a boy-we didn't even come close to getting the velcro together, LOL. But my Mom happened to be here so she took a picture of me holding him, in the dress, in the not quite blooming yet lilacs. Josef got some chicken after I took the dress off-so he was happy.

10 cents

10 cents doesn't sound like a lot of money, however when you drive past the gas station and see the price is a full 10 cents higher than it was the day before, you get a little irked. Come on people-10 cents in less than 24 hours?!? Of course, the gas is exactly the same. And of course it's more expensive now that I'm planning a few long drives. Grrr.

Half Lease

Almost a year ago the woman with whom I co-owned Harley told me she couldn't afford to keep him anymore. A few months after that she stopped paying and left me with all of Harley's bills. Obviously, it's been difficult, financially, but I wanted to keep him. I made a commitment to him and I was keeping it. Today, however, I just made an agreement with someone to half lease Harley. I still own him, but she will pay half of his bills and, in return, get to ride him 3 days a week. Due to my back injury, I haven't been able to ride him, so now he will get more attention and be worked more, which is something he needs. I hope everything works out.

Happy Mother's Day

Today I toast all of the mother's out there with a special wish given to those who choose to have babies with 4 legs and tails, or feathers, or fur. Have a wonderful Mother's Day!

Niagara Wine Trail Blossoms

Today I went on the Niagara Wine Trail Blossoms Tour. I had a nice time. It was similar to the Cayuga Lake Wine and Herb Trail in that you got a glass and an herb at each winery, along with lots of wine-but they didn't feed you on the Niagara Wine Trail. No wonder it was less expensive. I hit 11 wineries (there are 13 on the trail, but 2 weren't open yet.) had some good wine and got some interesting herbs: catnip, orange mint, fernleaf dill, bulb fennel, lavender, marjoram, golden lemon thyme, arugula, chamomile, anise hyssop, and cardamon ginger. It was nice seeing the different wineries. Prior to today I had only been to Marjim Manor, so it was 10 new wineries for me. My favorite on the Niagara Wine Trail is still Marjim Manor, but I also really liked Leonard Oakes Estate Winery and Niagara Landing Wine Cellars. Most of the others were nice, some quite small with limited offerings, but nice people-some not so nice. All in all it was a great day-even with the rain and then high winds!

Photo Phriday - Chicks & Ducks

I stopped by the feed store today and saw these cuties. I want chickens!!!! And Ducks! What did you see today?

Finish up!

The sun finally came out today. It's been rainy and gray all day until now. I need to stay inside though. I need to finish my recipe cards for tomorrow's meeting. It's our last one-so I'd like to finish my recipe book as well. I got a late start today, so I really need to get cracking. It's amazing how quickly time can pass!

Crafting

I need to get crafting. This Friday will be the last meeting of my recipe exchange group. I have not finished those cards yet. I need to finish my mom's Mother's Day card. I need to work faster on my dad's birthday project. There's lots to do-I need to get crafting!

Always Something

It's always something. Last evening I started feeling this pain behind my left ear. It got worse and the pain made it very difficult to even get to sleep. After 3 hours and some Tylenol I finally nodded off-only to be woken a few minutes later by Barrett, who needed to go outside. Sigh. I did finally fall asleep and consequently slept much later than usual getting a late start to today. It still hurts. I can feel something behind the ear and touching it really hurts, but not doing anything hurts too. I can't see anything-but it's there. I just hope whatever it is goes away soon!

Longeing

I'm still pretty lousy at longeing. I worked with Harley and had the usual problems. I was about to just give up and call it a day when a more experienced person said not to let him win. So we brought him back in and she worked him. Then I took over and it went much better. I just have to be more aggressive with him and push him out where I need him to be so we can do it right. He worked up quite a sweat today, as did I. I also got quite dizzy. I can't wait til I can ride again.

Guitar Hero

Quite awhile ago I was browsing through Target when I saw a Special Edition Aerosmith Guitar Hero Bundle for Wii. Cool. Saw the price...not so cool. Time passed and I periodically thought of that game. Recently I was even considering splurging on it for my birthday. Thursday I was browsing around Target again and saw the Aerosmith game only on clearance, but I'd need the guitar. I kept going and there on an end cap-the Special Edition Aerosmith Guitar Hero Bundle for Wii on clearance. Ooohhh. Should I? They had a bunch. Maybe I'd wait and the price would go even lower. I asked the guy working how long they'd been on clearance and he said about a week and a half. Hmmm, maybe I should wait. Then he said electronics never goes more than 50% off (which the game was). Sold. Yes, I now have Guitar Hero. My first attempt was not pretty. First of all I couldn't figure out how to get the guitar strap on. OK-who needs that. So I started without it. Then, after playing a bit, I realized I was playing left handed. (Unless every other person I saw playing guitar was left handed.) Hmmm. Swapped it around and was even worse. Joe Perry kept shaking his head in disgust and walking away. No wonder I was always the singer in the band. Then I happened to be watching Moonlight on TV and saw Logan Playing Guitar Hero. From him, I figured out how to get the strap on and then I started to improve. I actually got through the whole of Uncle Salty! I really enjoy the game-but I can only play a little bit at a time as my hand starts to hurt. I've made it through Uncle Salty at 90% and have made it through All The Young Dudes. So far I haven't managed to get through the end of the Cheap Trick song and haven't tried the new Aerosmith song. It helps when you're really familiar with the song and for me it's easier to go full speed, I'm even worse when I practice in slow or slower modes. Anyway, I'm really enjoying it. Any other Guitar Hero players out there?

Mine That Bird

Congratulations Mine That Bird. Jockey Calvin Borel rode an amazing race to win the 135th Kentucky Derby! Congrats to all!

The Kentucky Derby

Today's the day; the first Saturday in May. It's the Kentucky Derby, the ultimate day in horse racing in the USA. A friend and I have been competing in a Fantasy Horse Racing game leading up to today. At the moment, 2 of my horses are running in the big one. I would have had 3, but I Want Revenge (the morning line favorite and one of mine) got scratched due to an ankle problem. So go go go Fresian Fire and Chocolate Candy! The horse I really thought could win, who also had my favorite jockey (Alex Solis) is also out. The Pamplemousse was actually scratched from another race a few weeks ago due to that injury. In fact, injury has plagued my picks. Of the thousands (well, maybe hundreds) of 3 year olds with a chance for running the roses 6 were sidelined due to injury (including today's I Want Revenge). Of those 6 horses, 5 of them were mine! What's up with that? I just hope everyone has a safe trip today. At any rate, get out your fancy hat, pour yourself a mint julep and watch the most exciting 2 minutes in sports!

Photo Phriday - Phlowering Quince

Happy May Day! Here's my flowering quince. This plant really loves it here. My mom had it in her garden, but the rabbits were eating it. We transplanted it to my place where the rabbits here leave it alone and it's thriving. It blooms quite often and is quite beautiful. Have a joyous Beltane!