Coming Soon ... In The Mail To You

Well, I've gone and overextended my brain once again with a goofy idea about a traveling scarf game for some of my lady blog friends. The details are yet to be hashed out ... but, hopefully by next week I'll have the plans all in order. It's loosely based on the movie, The Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants. Now we all know that 'Hollywood' had much to do with a bit of movie magic to have one pair of pants travel around the world to different friends and fit each of their various sizes as though said pants were custom made for each gal. My silly idea is to buy a nice light weight neck scarf, wear it on an outing, taking a picture wearing it, of course. You can post the picture on your blog with a short story ... but also send it on to the next 'blog sister' in an envelope with a postcard from your area and a short journal entry. I figure, if we passed the scarf around two or three times a month beginning in November, this will allow 10 to 15 participants to play along well into spring. Just imagine the 'shared journey' we can take to far off lands. I already have a few interested participants. If you would like find out more about this journey, please email me privately at: sillyoldme@yahoo.com.

Rise And Shine (like it or not)

You know it's going to be a long day when:

1. ... you're awoken from bed to change a stinky/poopy kid at 2:45 AM and hubby assists.
2. ... it's 4:00 AM and you are starting a second load of stinky/poopy kid laundry!
3. ... it's 4:15 AM and you decide to make a pot of coffee and enjoy the 'aloneness' one has in the house at that time of day.
4. ... just thinking about being up half the night knowing that you will be providing 'granny day care' services about noon time.
5. ... you get up before the birds.
6. ... you eat breakfast twice.
7. ... you're finished blog lurking and decide whether or not you should make a stupid post before 5:00 AM.

I'm in for a very long day!

Yes, 'Tis Me

Just imagine: Floppy hat with chin strap, long sleeved white linen blouse, bike shorts, white gloves, white socks and white oxford tennis shoes. Scent of sunscreen lotion ... and don't forget the sunglasses. What you might see me sporting while riding my bike around the lake this summer. Gosh, I'm turning into one of those delicate ladies that hides from the sun while out in the sun. I'm turning into my grandmother. Wait a minute. I am Jacob's grandmother. Oh joy!

Something Is Screwy

I did not disable my comment section in my previous post ... but I'm too busy to copy and paste it to a new page. My day has been spent cleaning up (and I'm still not done) the yard ... tons of debris and dirt ... I was side tracked and started pulling weeds . Meet me in the garden ;)

What I Found In The Garden

Can mighty pine trees grow tall without soil? Can luscious tomatoes flourish without water? Blossoming flowers look great before they're cut or picked, but without soil or water they wither more quickly than grass. That's what happens to all who forget God— all their hopes come to nothing. They hang their life from one thin thread, they hitch their fate to a spider web. One jiggle and the thread breaks, one jab and the web collapses. Or they're like weeds springing up in the sunshine, invading the garden, Spreading everywhere, overtaking the flowers, getting a foothold even in the rocks. But when the gardener rips them out by the roots, the garden doesn't miss them one bit.
From Job 8 (The Message Bible)

Jewels ... floral gems of multicolored violet, blue, orange sunburst, pinks, chartreuse. Some gems are as big as saucers; others are as tiny as diamonds. The colors of nature harmonizing and meshing into a floral 'song'. There's even a 'toad' snoozing in the hammock. What's in your garden?

Oops, I Did It Again

Last night I had high hopes of watching the movie, National Treasure, Book of Secrets. Popcorn was made ... surround sound on ... It takes a lot for me to sit down and watch a movie, period! Once in a blue moon I even make it to a theater. Last such occurrence was to see the Narnia flick a few years ago ... before that ... Pearl Harbor ... and before that the Star Wars 'prequel' ... That's three movies (out) in about eight years and they all put me to sleep. My track record for most movies is: ZZZZZZZzzzzzzz before the plot thickens. I even drank a few cups of java around 8:00 PM to give me a nudge. From what my family tells me, the movie was great. Maybe I'll revisit the movie later perhaps in fifteen minute intervals.

Why Oh Why?

... am I gravitating to senior citizens magazines? Maybe there are just more such periodicals on coffee tables at doctor's offices ... or arriving in the mail now that dh has retired. I don't feel 'senior' ... but the geriatric crowd is breathing down my neck everywhere I turn. I am having a few senior moments (but don't tell dh). One such magazine I picked up today had an interesting idea about supper clubs. A group of 3-4 couples rotates hosting a themed dinner (think of traveling abroad and what you might eat while dining out). I'm halfway between the baby diaper bag set and the other diaper bag set ;) Is this what people with too much time on their hands do??? Feedback please.

Update on going gray: My children now call me Calico.

Walk This Way

.... getting with the routine. Dh has unknowingly kept me in stitches as he learns the ropes around here. So far this morning (his first at home on a school day morning after retiring) Nathan's closet doors have gotten off their track ... the little fellow's shoes have been misplaced and I almost had to send him to the bus stop wearing his snow boots (84F outside today). A week ago this man was toting a gun at work ... now he's gone from jailbirds to wanting to put out food for the bluebirds ;) ... what a life ... this morning when hubby mentioned something about needing a dumb waiter I had to bite my tongue very hard ... (to be continued)

My Last Few Days of Goofing Off

Hubby is supposed to arrive home in three more days (Friday). That means I have only three (make that 2 and a half) days before I have to get accustomed to living with him full time once again ;) ... Tsk, tsk ... it's been a long two years ... only seeing each other every few months ... how will I ever adjust ... can I cope??? Right now I'm sporting four shades of hair ... that's right FOUR colors: There are silvery streaks in my bangs ... salt and pepper on the crown area and natural brown near the neckline. Then I have the outgrowth of brown with coppery auburn highlights waiting to grow just a wee bit longer to cut off. I'm a mess ... no really, I am. He may take one look at me and want to run back to his mother's home ... that's where's he's been living the past two years. Pity the poor person just dropping by my blog without having any prior acquaintance ;) ...

Now to the weather report: According to the weatherman, it's supposed to be in the 80's by Saturday. We'll, I'll just believe that when Saturday rolls around. So far this year, we've only had two days in the 70's ... April and now the beginning of May have been on the chilly side. After nurturing my seedlings indoors for weeks, I finally set them outside last week ... and yep, they got frost nip. Just a few will pull through. Why, oh why, did I set them out and forget to bring them in at night? I'm going to head over to Walmart and buy some tomato plants as mine are toast.

This week I sanded the top railing of our front porch and re-varnished it. The hanging planters are just waiting for some flowers (but I'm going to wait a few days) ... my bird feeders are in business ... I even spotted a humming bird last week ... but he hasn't been back. Maybe next week, eh. I think the one I saw was a 'scout' ... just checking out the dining fare before settling in for the summer.

Enough of this nonsense ... I have housework to do.

Image: similar style of a new hat I'm sporting to cover my mop :)

I did not fall off the face of the earth. This is Spring Break, formerly called Easter Vacation, but with Easter falling so early, the schools are out now. But with winter still here, I'm not sure why it wasn't postponed until next month (lol) ... really now, spring is trying hard to arrive ... but the 'old man' just won't go away. My parents are visiting for another week ... so my presence will be scarce (should anyone inquire).

Gotta run. It may be cold out ... but I'm still gonna act like it's spring. BBQ is raring to go and there's a peach pie in the oven. ttfn

Going, Going, Gray

Some of you will think I'm nuts ... but I'm about to embark on a journey that will find out what the true color of my hair is. Of course, I know it's got a lot of gray in it ... but I'm curious as to HOW much gray there be! I'm a bit tired of keeping up with the continuous touch ups ... not to mention the drain in my wallet. Hollywood has been knocking at the doors of the everyday housewife and career woman young and old for the past fifty years ... youth has run amuck and I'm crying foul. Slavery was defeated years ago and I'm going to put down the box of Lady Clairol in preference for my natural state of age. This does not mean that Mrs. Mac is going to "let herself go." I've seen plenty of stylish gray haired women that can pull off the graceful aging gig. I don't plan on sporting pink or blue hair ... nor shall I cut it short and have a perm. Just wait and see ... along with me. If I never post a picture of myself again ... well, you will know that this experiment has failed! ... stay tuned, maybe not, eh?

Recovering From Blog-Fest '08

Attending the blog-fest yesterday was comparable to living in the cartoon version of Alice In Wonderland. Not many, if anyone, used their real or complete names. There was the Toadman, Stickman, Rocket Brains (dressed as Lt. Columbo or a flasher). Cis and Dogwalk Musings ... just to name a few. Cops and outlaws shared the same food and drink. A rather bizarre moment trapped somewhere beyond the looking glass. Here are some pics to prove my point.

Blog-Fest 2008

Yes, I'm attending a blog-fest this afternoon. What is a blog-fest? It's a gathering of bloggers in my area that are going to meet face-to-face. I'm a bit nervous about meeting on-line strangers ... so please, (if my mom is reading this today) if you don't hear back from me that means I've been abducted or worse. If I'm a goner, please make sure to lay me out in my finest pair of blue jeans, my cute brown sweater with the faux fur collar, my Bible in my hands, and a smile on my face ;) .... OK, I'll be back later with pictures (maybe).

Job Wanted

Today I was perusing the classified job section of my newspaper. You see, I have always wondered what I'd do outside the home when my children were grown and gone. There has always been this little carrot dangling in front of my nose just out of reach calling my name. I have no grand illusions to become a business owner or power broker. No ambition to put in a 40 hour work week coming home exhausted at the end of the day ... only to get dinner on the table and keep up with a large home. Just a little part time job to refresh my creative side that has been in the mommy mode for way too long. My part time job would have to be conducive to the school calendar ... and, of course, I'd like my annual vacation. I was thinking of working in a floral shop. I can see myself putting together beautiful arrangements, making corsages, spritzing the blooms with water, twisting green tape and sticks to the ends of flowers. Just think of the rush at Valentine's and Mother's Day. Ohh, I can hardly wait.

These are my skills:

Works best under pressure
tidy
good phone manners
fast learner
types and takes dictation well
good driving record
honest to a fault
sense of humor at times
light nursing skills
great cook
survived the winter of '07/08 without my husband's help

Anyone with a job lead, just leave a comment.

Sunshiny Dreaming

With six more weeks of winter (according to Mr. Groundhog, Punxsutawaney Phil), it's time to take some drastic measures and start dreaming of spring.

My Perfect Spring, by Mrs. Mac:

In my perfect spring the mornings are slightly chilly with a bit of warmth in the breeze (by warmth, I mean anything above 34 degrees F). The lush green of the forest surrounding my home is just peeking through the tiny patches of snow ... pushing up through the dense moss and woodsy floor of the great outdoors. Clean crisp air with that freshly hung laundry smell permeates the air. Mama deer and her babies make their way to my backyard for a nibble of new growth. Mr. Woodpecker reestablishes his/her nest in the dead tree ... making way for a nature show that can be viewed through early fall from my front porch rockers. Soon I will hear the whir of the neighborhood lawn mowers and waving hello to folks taking a walk. My dawg will be able to romp and roam her great expanse ... as currently she is bound to pace our driveway or battle with the sky high mounds of snow. There will be windows to wash and screens to put up. Smiley faced pansies to pot and shrubs to revive. Soon the bar-b-que will make it's way from storage and grace my back patio along with the all weather wicker furniture. Up will go my hummingbird feeders and perhaps a little bird bath. The tinkle of wind chimes soon will be heard and I may even wear sandals. My thighs will slim down from all the long walks I propose. Hubby will be home for good and he can get up with Nathan at night. Sleep, sound sleep will be mine once again. Sanity will return and all will be well. The End

Shovel This - Telegram

I'm up on the roof ... shoveling snow ... if my blog is quiet for too long ... call my neighbors to come find me .... stop.

Weekend Agenda

To Do List:

1. help finish up college scholarship applications with Ann
2. finish sewing bedroom drapes
3. clean hard surfaced floors
4. laundry (always)
5. watch the grandbaby part of Sat. & Sun.
6. take myself & the dawg for a hike
7. bake cookies
8. ponder turning 50 next month (oiy vey!)
9. decide what (career) I want to do when I grow up (& don't have kids at home) ... aah never mind
10. pray hard and devise a plan to somehow get to church ... if not ... have a Bible study at home.
11. call the folks

Are You A 'Manly" Woman?

So I'm having a conversation yesterday with my seventeen year old daughter, Ann. She is the epitome of all things girly (since birth) and is not suited for the "snakes and snails and puppy dog tails" type of existence. Having a way with word faux pases (and I having a list a mile long of the hilarious verbiage that has spewed from her mouth) she said, "Mom, have you always been a manly woman? Did you ever wear ribbons or skirts or dress up?" I, all the while flabbergasted, dropped to the floor laughing. Most days I wear comfy jeans, roll up my sleeves, mow the grass, gather firewood, put up canned goods, burn leaves, and enjoy both typical male and female type of work around the house. Her parting comment: "I don't know what dad would do without you." I love you too, sweetie.

(help me with my French .. is faux pases the plural of faux pas?)

Politicians From The Looney Bin

It amazes me how people get elected to public office. Take for example the following news stories about two politicians way, way, way left of center.

BERLIN (Reuters) - Bavaria's most glamorous politician -- a flame-haired motorcyclist who helped bring down state premier Edmund Stoiber -- has shocked the Catholic state in Germany by suggesting marriage should last just 7 years.

And then there's the nutty senator from Nebraska that wants to sue God. I wonder if he was mildly surprised when a written response from "God" appeared on the court house counter.

LINCOLN, Neb. - A legislator who filed a lawsuit against God has gotten something he might not have expected: a response. One of two court filings from "God" came Wednesday under otherworldly circumstances, according to John Friend, clerk of the Douglas County District Court in Omaha.

I hope these people get booted out of office for such nonsense.

Have a nice weekend.