Musings of Nothing Much

Do you ever run across people

in the stores that you wonder about

day's later and shake your head in dismay?

Last week in Costco,

I was waiting to turn into an isle

that was blocked by two seniors

of an older generation than I.

One man stopped the other man

who was wearing a Navy ball cap,

and then he went on to say derisively:

"Take that Navy hat off.

All it is, is a birthing station.

All those women getting pregnant."

The other guy lamely said yea.

I couldn't believe it as I walked between

the two men. 

  

I stopped further down the isle to write

down what I had just heard on

my grocery shopping list.

I wanted to accurately repeat 

what he had said to Rick.

We're a retired Navy family and I 

  resented what that elderly man had said.

I kind of wished I had been brave enough

to say something to him.

But I don't like confrontation,

and besides what good would it have done?

I ended up behind the offending senior

in line to get our receipts checked at the door.

He turned back to me and said:

"Don't ever buy furniture here.

I bought a rocker and it only lasted one year.

Made in China."

He still had that attitude...

I swear I've heard him in Costco before 

saying the same thing about the furniture.

I don't agree with him at all. 

I just "love" it when someone 

is highly opinionated and is willing

to tell everyone and anyone what's what.

Oh well,  

It's been stuck in my brain off and on 

ever since.

Okay, rant is over.

The enormous tent.

I shampooed the carpet

 (thanks to dusty paws Liberty)

a couple weeks ago. 

It took two days to dry

because it was so awfully humid at the time.

Once it was dry, and since the 

furniture was off the carpet,

I decided that we should put up the tent

in the front room for a trial run.

Oh now that was a hot idea.

We had to open the windows to get

some airflow.

The tent covered the entire room

from the bar stools against the kitchen counter,

 to the couch on the other side of the room.

In the other direction it covered the room

from the brick wood stove area to where 

the furniture was up against the other wall.

There's plenty of room for the cots  

to be placed in an L shape inside.

We'll probably go camping later this fall.

So far, there's no definite plans to go.

This is the black petunia that I purchased earlier

this spring.  I can't believe how black/purple it is.

The worms finally stopped munching on this

petunia and so it's filling out a bit.

I don't use pesticides, so sometimes 

we loose out to the bugs and such.

Here's an idea I wanted to save from 

a garden show back in early June.

One of the ladies selling stuff  had

handcrafted several of these boards with 

canning jar bouquets attached.

I only like the canning jar idea.

They were wrapped 

with wire  and included buttons,

 stones, beads, marbles and beach glass.

Some of them were very pretty,

although I only got a photo of this one.

I think some small pieces of

driftwood, sea glass,

 and shells would be pretty.

We have to wait until Friday before 

Rick's car is hopefully ready at the body shop.

  We found out that they

are redoing part of the paint job

because they weren't happy with the results

on the first try.

It's taking much longer than we expected

but it's going to look fabulous again

when we get it back.

Let's just hope it can stay that way

for a long time.

Sunflowers and Such

These are awesome little sunflowers.

I bought sunflower seeds 

from Renee's Garden  earlier this spring.

I love their seeds and the varieties they offer.

These sunflowers are for container gardens,

 but would do well as an edging 

for the garden or flower bed also.

They grow just 2 1/2 feet tall.

These are called 'Junior'.

The blooms are just 4 to 5 inches across,

with multiple buds on each stem.

Little goldfinches think the leaves are mighty tasty

and are taking bites of the leaves daily.

The plants are looking a bit ragged now.

  I took the photos before the 

birds started dining on the leaves.

They also love the zinnia leaves.

Some of these first blooms are seed 

heads now.

I'm glad the birds haven't developed a taste for

basil leaves, because those are for us to eat.

I made a batch of pesto this morning.

I have three little jars of the green gold,

tucked away in the freezer.

We enjoy our own pesto on pasta,

pizza, and sliced tomatoes.

In a couple of weeks I should have enough

basil to make another batch.

I use a recipe from

 Susan Branch's Heart of the Home

cookbook.  I do make a small change though.

I use roasted garlic instead of raw.

Rick's car was vandalized at work

last week.

All four doors were keyed.

We suspect it was one of

 their mentally unstable clients. 

She was hanging out in the parking lot

when Rick got to work.

He went inside, but had forgotten his glasses.

So he went back outside to get them.

In that short amount of time, 

the damage was done.

She was still in the parking lot,

sitting on a curb rocking herself back and forth.

No one else was around.

Rick parks (he no longer does) away

from the building in some shade that's

the farthest spot from the building.

I think she must have been living in 

the dumpster nearby and his arrival 

disturbed her.  Poor thing.

So, that car is getting the damage taken care of,

at a body shop we've used before.

It's taking a bit longer than we expected

but it's all good.

Meanwhile we have a rental car to use

in it's place.

My car needs another passenger side

 airbag replacement.  

Apparently the parts they used

to replace the original one on recall

 was defective as well.

So we need to go to the dealer again

and until then no one should ride in 

the front passenger seat.

I was expecting a package from Amazon today.

It did arrive.  It has my name and address on it.

Inside the package there's

 three jars of protein powder,

 two jars of some other 

muscle building powder,

 and two boxes of workout vitamins. 

 I looked online and all that stuff

adds up to $171 on sale.

 It's not mine... ha!

My $30 order must have gone to the body

builder...  He's good to go if he wants 

a repair part for a lawnmower and a 

Kindle cover. I think he's going to be mad.

 

I called Amazon and they're sending

a label to ship their box of

 muscle man goodies back to them.

Meanwhile my stuff has been reordered.

  Hakeem the Amazon representative

 was laughing at such an odd mix up. 

 He was fun to talk to.

It's all good,

 and my stuff will be on it's way soon.

Meanwhile we can't mow the half dead lawn,

but that's okay.  We don't have neighborhood

busy bodies to complain.

Dry Conditions

It's been dry.

We've had two storms this winter.

A snow storm earlier in December

and just this Saturday when got a

whopping .07 of an inch.

The lake level is down 131' from the crest.

The photo above shows the lake level this

past weekend.

This is the same location from a photo taken

in April 2010.  Note the trees just above the lake

on the far left. Those are the same trees that are 

in the center of the first photo.

Sigh,

Back to reality for this year.

 These blue skies are not welcome

at this time of year, but what are we 

going to do ~~~ we'll enjoy it anyway

and hope for rain!

 We recently had our photos taken

for new passports.

Oh for goodness sake,

who are these old people... (smile).

I was worried about having a blemish

on my nose ... but guess what?

It didn't even show up in the photo.

What does really show

 are the dark circles under my eyes.  

Who knew 

you have to take your glasses off

for the photos?

Imagine waiting for the clerk

to finally find the correct button to click

on the camera ... and meanwhile

you're getting super self conscious

and just know you're getting that darn

deer in the headlights look.

Um, yeah with dark circles underneath.

Sigh

Our old passports expired years and years

ago.  Gosh I remember when we first

got those passport photos taken. 

 We had orders to be stationed

in Misawa, Japan.

This was back during our Navy life.

The day came to have our 

photo's taken and we had no choice

but to go when they tell you to.

We were sick as can be and 

the photos showed 

how miserable we all were at the time. 

I shouldn't have been surprised

that the new photos for something

so important,  and long lasting,

would once again turn out to be

so ... so ... uncomfortably revealing

of the truth... (grin)

Stuff Happens

Hi there,  It's five in the morning as I write

this, so... Good Morning!

Saturday we went to the dump.

It's not my favorite thing to do, but

we did bring back a yard of compost

for the gardens around the front deck.

So that was good.

I usually try to avoid going to the dump.

Gee, I wonder why. (laughing)

Rick knows this...

So on our way he asks

"Are you alright?"

Me: "I'm going to the dump."

Him: "Then you're ecstatic!"

Um, OK.

We also stopped at the vets

for Liberty's checkup and shots.

Guess what she weighs.

66.6

Rick started laughing when 

he saw the numbers.

It's a sign.

Liberty: 

 "What?  Play Ball!  Squirrel!"

Remember this:

Liberty 'accidentally' knocked it over,

shattering the red glass.

She also chewed up that plastic lizard

which was actually a water emitter for the 

irrigation system.  It added water to the 

bird bath when the porch garden 

got watered.  Ah well.  

This happened quite awhile ago,

and actually Liberty is getting less destructive.

The worst thing she does now

is jump up on visitors... 

which has been very difficult to handle.

We're probably going back for more training.

She really is turning into a good dog,

but there have been trying times.

Rick's dad, gave us this bowl

several years ago,

and it fits perfectly into the bird bath frame.

The bird bath has been moved

into a fenced off garden where it's 

safe from Liberty... I hope.

Yesterday, I was fertilizing the potted

plants and some of the garden with fish emulsion.

It's nasty smelly stuff, but the plants love it.

I accidentally doused myself with it,

face and all.  Oh my.

Then later,

my new iron started smoking.

Now that's just wrong...

Today's got to be better.

I'm heading downstairs for coffee.

Talk to you soon.

Halloween 2012

Hey there,

it's a chilly and rainy afternoon.

I haven't started a fire in the wood

stove yet, but probably should have

a few hours ago.  I'm getting cold.

The house smells delicious and welcoming.

I just baked a wonderful spicy

pumpkin gingerbread cake

and poppy seed muffins.

The pumpkin gingerbread 

is loaded with cinnamon, allspice,

ginger, cloves and fresh grated nutmeg.

It's perfect for this season

and it's better the second day

after the spices and pumpkin have

blended. 

 It's for a family dinner tomorrow. 

The poppy seed muffins

are for this welcome basket

that I'm placing in the fifth wheel

for our guests that are due in this evening.

I did wrap the muffins in plastic

once they were cool.  I left them 

unwrapped for the photo op..

As I was taking photos,

Liberty grabbed the lens cap

and was merrily chomping away...

She's sneaky like that, and fast.

 I hadn't even realized what

she'd done until I couldn't find the lens cap.

It's not like she isn't already

in the dog house...

She broke my 

red glass birdbath yesterday.

GRRRR.

It was an accident ~ probably,

but still.

~~~

Liberty had a urine test today 

and she's free from the infection.

Yeah!

She'll have to be retested in a month,

but for now she's free and clear.

The last time we were at the vet

they asked us to  bring in her urine

sample on her next appointment

which was today.

Um, like how are we supposed to do that?

Well ~~~ 

you find a shallow and narrow dish

that you no longer care to use 

except for future dog uses...

Leash the dog, and send her out 

first thing in the morning with a husband...

When she squats,

 he slip the dish under her and hope 

for the best...

 Liberty is going to turn around

and wonder what the heck she just

squatted upon  and glare

up at her weirdo wonderful master.

She takes a few more steps before 

deciding that she NEEDS to go NOW.

Again with the dish, 

and ta~dah...

The deed was done

and it saved us an office charge,

plus what ever procedure they

use in the vet's office to 

 accomplish the same task.  

It also saved me from

waiting in the creepy small waiting

room getting all nervous and ready

to bolt like the last time.

This time I was by myself and would

have had to power through such feelings

if I had been stuck in there.

I did get her weight.

  She's now 49.7 pounds and six months old.

Mandarins are at the market.

Yeah!

 I wish we could have

an October with twice the number of days.

Wouldn't that be wonderful?

The leaves would have more time

to finish falling off the trees before 

Christmas.

We'd have an extra month of really nice

in between seasons weather.

We wouldn't be facing

 the holidays quite so fast.

 We'd finish the fall chores

preparing for the rains to come

and have time to enjoy 

fall weather...

There might be some 

crafting/sewing time.

I wish.

Please Vote!

Your ever so friendly precinct

poll workers like being busy on 

election days...

Have a great weekend!

 

Summer vs. Fall

We're at that in between stage

where summer wants to hang around

and yet the fall weather is 

saying step aside it's my turn.

My zinnias are at their most

colorful and gorgeous out in the yard right now,

and yet the oak tree leaves

 are starting to turn brown and fall from the trees. 

Just some cute fall merchandise at a favorite store last year.

We actually used our wood stove

to warm up the house one morning,

last weekend 

and then just a few days later had 

to use the cooler for awhile to 

get the house cooled down in

the late afternoon.

Liberty learned what the wood stove

was for, and that it gets hot.

She was wary of the fire 

and didn't get close.

I forgot to mention in my 

self indulgent pity party (last post)

that besides her medication expenses,  

she also got a hold of Rick's eye glasses

and they're no longer usable.

She's in the 'dog house' lately.

Who me?

We were warned that she would 

go through a spell of not behaving

and remembering what she learned 

in puppy training class.

That warning was 'spot on'.

Have a great weekend!

I think mine will include

lots of tea and rest trying

to get rid of this cold.

I have to be well by Tuesday.  

It's my volunteer day

for the Brown Bag program.

Later that afternoon we have 

training for the election board.

My friends on the election board  

  also work Brown Bag with me.

I think we're going to be tired afterwards.

Autumn Pears and Pity Party for One.

(PicMonkey altered photo)

Thursdays are my usual day

to spend time with friends.

We all try to keep our Thursdays 

clear of medical appointments,

or other obligations.

You can tell I hang out with 

Seniors...

Oh and I did get some mail

addressed to me

calling me a Senior Citizen.

Say what?

Last week I was gone and missed

out on our usual Thursday lunch

and afternoon games.

Today,  I would love

to be there, but I'm home 

instead with some extra time 

on my hands. 

Rats, I came down with a cold.

Phooey, I miss my friends.

They're there right now. 

Sigh.  

I'm having a 

pity party for one 

right here.

While I'm at it,

maybe I should tell you

that my regular camera lens 

is broken...

The camera got dropped out of the

camera bag in Reno.

I hope it can be fixed

rather than replaced. 

We don't need that extra expense 

right now.

same photo straight out of the camera

When we picked up Liberty

from 'doggy jail',

she was super excited to see us.

We weren't so excited to find

out that she needs a few more weeks

of Clavamox medication.

I had to look up how to spell

Clavamox and found out that

one of the side effects 

that Liberty has,

is normal for this med. 

I won't say what the side effect

is, but it involves cleaning up after her.

Um, yeah that's fun.

It's not so peachy keen around 

here right now.

But...

we are enjoying these 

delicious store bought pears.

Our pear tree might not be old

enough to produce pears yet.

It hasn't even bloomed yet

and it's several years old.

Maybe next year.

There's good news for us.

Next week it's supposed to rain!

Our deck is ready for it.

I'm off to make another cup of tea.
Take care.