That's It ... They're all outta here.

... any remaining CFL's (compact squiggly .. government approved .. I mean forced upon ... poisonous light bulbs) ... and things that go bump in the night. See the below post before reading this one. All is calm. It's 3 AM and not a mouse is stirring .. not even my dawg or Nathan .. both are sound asleep. So why, oh why do my ears hear a CrAsHing sound ... splat ... breaking glass ... Could it be a burglar? No. Oh ... it's a table lamp that has toppled over landing on my hardwood floor. A lamp that got knocked over by a nice summer breeze .. by leaving my windows open to save energy .. not having to use my air conditioner .. on a warm summer night. Crash .. a CFL shattering all over my wooden floor. Only yesterday I posted about needing a hazmat suit when cleaning up a broken CFL. You also need to find a drop off location to keep these bulbs out of the landfill .. remember, they contain a small amount of mercury. Toxic mercury! One is actually supposed to open all of the windows and VACATE the premises .. remembering to remove small children and pets as well. It's 3 Am and my wild child, Nathan, that gets mom and dad up at all hours of the night needing assistance ... a special needs child .. And the dawg ... Miss Holly ... as pretty as she is now from just having gone to the groomers this week ... she's also a ''special needs dawg" needing drugs to survive a thunder and lightening storm and/or things that go bump in the night from living out in the woods. It's 3 Am and all is not well according to the government. I have decided NOT to vacate the premises. Said special needs creatures are sound asleep .. where I should be .. only I'm now worried about mercury vapors in my home. Send help!

Later today I'm off to dispose/return all of the other crappy cfl bulbs in my home/storage room.
I shall make a run on purchasing every incandescent light bulb I can find at the big box home repair store. Enough bulbs to last my entire lifetime. Enough to outlast the stupid push of the government's plan to force people to use toxic, harmful to the environment, ugly light emitting, did I mention ugly looking light bulbs. I may be gone for a while.

The Summer Hump .. er .. maybe Slump

Here it is midway through the summer. Heatwaves are happening all over the country and world in the Northern Hemisphere. While I do believe we, the human race, can do a better job of taking care of our environment, I don't believe in all the hype of the global warming fanatics. Does it really make sense to replace standard light bulbs with ones that give off terrible light, contain a small amount of mercury, and a person needs a hazmat suit on to clean up if it accidentally breaks. Does it make sense to import said bulbs from China and burning all of the fuel it must take to ship them overseas? Bulbs that are supposed to last for years and years .. when in reality, I've already had to replace three in my kitchen pantry just this year after six months of use. What about the cost? What about using the bulbs in lights that can be dimmed? Not happening unless you fork over even more money for dimmable CFL's. Our planet is in a state of flux ... could be from solar storms .. but such conditions have existed even before man invented the industrial age. In the 1970's the scientists were talking about the coming ice age. Global warming is big business. And just who/whom stands to profit from all of the change? Does our government think that money grows on trees? Have you really turned in your older vehicle .. a clunker .. for cash (a tremendous amount of a cash rebate) for a 'government' approved .. energy efficient new car model. Do you really want to buy a car from Government Motors (I mean GM)? There is so much nonsense going on that the 'smart' people in Washington .. look pretty stupid. They are printing and distributing money that will have to be paid back by our great grand kids. Some of you people voted in CHANGE last November. Not that new leadership wasn't welcomed .. but is this dramatic change what ya bargained for?

In defense of incandescence .. read here all ye poets!

Disclaimer: This post was written while sitting up in my very hot bonus room. I take no responsibility or credit for offending anyone that reads here ;) ... especially YOU!

Photo: Mr. Nathan at his best ;)

Dog Days of Summer

... when it's hot ...




In winter I get up at night
And dress by yellow candle-light.
In summer quite the other way
I have to go to bed by day.
~Robert Louis Stevenson

Pics .. top to bottom:

1. Ann with her pet .. goldie Holly
2. Lake Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
3. My 'home rigged' ice cream churn
4. Homemade potato bread (what do you expect from Idaho?)
5. Mrs. Mac's gardening bonnet (a thrifty find I embellished with silk flowers)
6. (son) Nathan & (grandson) Jacob enjoying homemade waffles laced with raspberries
7. Jars of homemade strawberry jam
8. simmering jam
   
9. Nathan & his dawg, Holly
   

"When The Dog Bites ...

... when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad .. I simply remember my favorite things .. and then I don't feel sooooo bad"

This has been a normal for us .. but unusual ;) week!

Ann girl has been laid up from having four wisdom teeth removed. She is nearly twenty .. but has a mouth the size of a ten year old .. body not too far off either .. she's very petite and could blow over in the wind if not careful. Last night she went to visit a friend to watch a movie .. she got more than she bargained for and was attacked by their German shepherd dog. A bite to the backside/bottom, scratches, bruises, a ripped purse used to defend herself, panicky phone call to Mom telling me not to be upset ... (that's usually not good news when a sentence comes out of her mouth beginning with those words) ... damage: puncture wound, emotional distress, ripped purse, dvd (from Netflix) with fang bites, trip to the urgent care, tetanus shot, antibiotics, another reason to stay on the couch for a few more days. Mr. Mac has stepped in and taken care of reporting the incident to the proper authorities .. good ole dad.

artwork credit here

JPN - Thunderstruck!

Just Plain Nuts!

Last week ended rather nicely with a lake cruise.

This week has been up and down with nutty things happening. There was a rather wicked storm that blew through several nights ago. I found Nathan 'holed' up sleeping in the bathroom .. on the floor .. near the toilet .. with a few towels and his pillow .. exhaust fan and lights on .. Why? Was he sick?? No, just trying to drown out the thunder and lightning that had him in a tailspin meltdown. Of course, that meant the dawg went nuts as well. She was pacing back and forth in the garage .. the likes of a mad dog. I put up a baby gate to block her from coming up the steps leading into our home .. gate now has bent wires. Said dawg was put in her kennel (willingly) .. but proceeded to paw and tooth her way out .. chipping off her top canine teeth (her nickname is DAD .. dumb a$$ dog). We have a sedative to use for such 'events' .. fireworks on the Fourth .. etc. I had already given her a few doses the past few weeks so didn't want to have her 'pop' so many pills. The effect is pretty much a triple margarita hangover (so the vet says .. not from my prior experience and lasts for an entire day. I'm taking up a collection for the vet bill should anyone wish to contribute ;)

Out And About

Saturday was a most perfect day. Warm temps, blue skies, a lake boat cruise with Nathan. Now this trip was to observe osprey birds and their nesting habitats. I forgot Nathan doesn't like birds. Think Alfred Hitchcock's, The Birds, movie ... and you have a picture of Nathan's terror. We went with a neighbor and her visiting little grandson. All was well until birds were mentioned. Nathan balked and found a quiet little niche away from the display and caged birds brought on board the cruise. He somehow managed to enjoy the sights (minus the screech sounds) from his
own little perch.

Photos: Mrs. Mac and little friend taken by Nathan, osprey in flight, lake shore, old 'binocular eyes' Nathan, eating a cinnamon roll & watching birds .. Nathan

Life Happens

Edit .. update of Nathan with proof of liking his bath :)
The past two weeks have been a nice mix of milestones for Nathan. The child has had his ups and downs in life ... and I have developed much patience. He recently acquired the gumption to bathe himself! After 13 years of ME having to give him a bath, a chore much like giving a cat a bath, he has decided that being a clean teenager is more conducive to having a little gal pal ;) Just the mere mention of her name makes him stand up and pay attention! He is quite smitten and is not ashamed of his affection for a certain girl. It's not as though they see each other often. In fact, not since the first part of June have they had contact. But, he holds her in his heart strings and that seems good enough for him (a good thing by me). Whew!

About a week or two ago, I heard an unfamiliar sound from the bathroom. It was Nathan in the tub not sure how to set the water to the perfect temp for his bath. He was able to wash and dry himself off. His maturity in self grooming has greatly improved. Now he is capable of putting on his jammies and brushing his teeth as well. To say I'm ecstatic is an understatement.

Whatever Happened To: Lazy Days?

I think 'lazy days' are a fond memory from my youth. I can remember at a very young age having the freedom of roaming the neighborhoods with my siblings and little friends. Our parents didn't have to worry about anybody kidnapping us ... we just made sure we behaved decent and came home for lunch and dinner. Some days we'd go to the local appliance store and snag large appliance boxes sitting out in the back alley. These boxes made the perfect fort in a vacant lot just down the street from our apartment. Imagination was the key ingredient to having fun as a child. Being outside in the fresh air, roller skating down the sidewalk, making our own scooters from discarded parts, attaching playing cards with clothes pins to our bike's spokes to make engine noise. Even digging in the couch cushions for the spare change that was always there to walk to the store for a frozen ice slushy. My grandpa would often spring for treats for all the neighborhood kids when the ice cream truck would make its rounds. We played in the gutter water and never got sick! It made the perfect canal to float large leaves. Not one of my friends was overweight ... we ran around all day long ... and slept sound at night. What a different world it is today. We had common sense ... something lacking today.

Ann is returning this afternoon so I'll be making a run to the airport later. DH is heading back to work keeping the world a little bit safer. Nathan ... well, he will be exploring the great outdoors with his pooch and playing ball. I'll be weeding the flowerbeds, cleaning house and tending the garden. Have a wonderful day.