Category: This & That

I decided to write a list of sevens to tackle an array of things. None of it really goes together, but it tells a little bit about me.

7 things I can do:

1. Cook things from scratch (Love to cook!)
2. Raise sweet doggies
3. Be a loyal & loving friend
4. Make people laugh
5. Write small stories for kids
6. Sing
7. Acquire useless bits of trivia (trust me. This is a curse. No one really wants to know how Vivien Leigh was cast as Scarlett O’Hara, or what Billie Bird did every day of her married life to Florence Zeigfeld.)

7 things I cannot do:

1. Snowboard (I can barely ski on two skis!)
2. Math
3. Drive large vehicles
4. Change the oil in my car
5. Chop wood (heck I live in the woods, this is important)
6. Sleep on the ground (well I can but don’t want to)
7. Believe in myself (although I am working on this)

7 things that attract me to the opposite sex:

1. Good personality
2. Loyalty
3. A good heart
4. Sense of humor
5. Blue eyes (I’m a sucker for blue eyes)
6. Strength of character
7. Sense of fun

7 things I say most often:

1. Ya know
2. Where’s Lili?
3. What do you want for dinner?
4. Sh#!
5. whatever
6. Oh, really?
7. Ya think?

7 Celebrity Crushes:

1. George Clooney
2. Jude Law, (although he is a schmuck)
3. I like Hugh Laurie for personality and those eyes!
4. Colin Firth
5. Hugh Grant (eye candy, not substance)
6. Tom Brady from the NE Patriots
7. Bradley Cooper

Saturday was one of those quiet days. We woke to dark, damp, rainy skies, that really never cleared all day. I took this to mean I should sit back a little and perhaps have a slow day.

Friday I did a ton of housework, which included floor and carpet washing, dusting, laundry and 3 meals! So today I just felt like doing nothing too important. And that is exactly what I did.

I did watch three movies I have seen before. We watched, “Under The Tuscan Sun”, “The Fault In Our Stars” and “About Time”. It’s good that way, because I was able to write, wrap a gift for tomorrows birthday party, and play Words With Friends. My newest passion, and yet still follow the movie.

But really, all of Saturday was sort of a loss, and that was just fine.

Tomorrow is the ninetieth birthday for my former mother in-law. This is a woman I have known and loved since I was 15 years old. I am so happy to be included in the party.

Monday was kind of a crazy day. Not that I was really busy, but that I got bogged down doing things like laundry, changing sheets and general household stuff. Mundane crap, but it must be done.

I watched quite a bit of the Wimbledon Tennis and I have really been enjoying that. Direct TV has a sports package that we subscribe to and so we get all the matches. I love this!

The sunsets here have been amazing the last few nights. Bright pinks, red, and oranges!

I hope you are having a great week, Everyone!

My back slipped out on me on Saturday. About 15 minutes before I was leaving for a Memorial Service, out it went. I decided that I was going no matter what, and so I took some Tylenol and off I went.

I made it through the service, and my part of it, where I spoke about my friend, Laura. I stayed for a while visiting with her family, and then I came home to my heating pad.

Now the good news was, that while I took things slowly so my back could rest up, I got to play with my Smart Phone. I have now determined that the phone is smarter than me!

One thing I am loving (and I always said I would never do this), is playing Words With Friends. I’ve been playing with my daughter and my sister, but if anyone out there wants to play, let me know. It is so much fun!

I also have been testing the camera in the phone, and it takes great pictures too!!! This was sunset on Monday night.

The back is getting better, and I should be back to full power by the end of the week.

The Sunday Edition

Yesterday we watched American Pharoah with The Triple Crown! I was jumping up and down, and crying. Oh, I felt so emotional, because the last time a horse won The Triple Crown, I was sitting in the living-room at my childhood home, with my six month old baby, (Mandy), my parents, sister, and grandparents! So, it was very exciting!

I did get all the cucumber plants, purchased yesterday, planted. I hope these will take, and that we will have some good cucumbers. Next year, I will start my own seeds. I’ve been so disappointed this year with the store bought ones.

I still have not done the silly ironing, but today is the day, I promise! I simply have to get this done or have nothing to wear!

I have finally decided on a Smart Phone. I want to buy the Galaxy S5. I weighed all the comments I got from family and friends, then I went to Consumer Reports. After that I looked at what I need the phone to do, and the Galaxy seemed to be the one for me!

Yesterday, one of the dearest women I know from Weight Watchers passed away. Laura had Down’s Syndrome, but she never let that hold her down. She was sweet and happy and kind. Often wearing her chunky pearls to class. She just loved those. After my first facial surgery I went to class, and she hugged me and told me I looked beautiful, even though I didn’t. I will miss her, but will think of her often with a smile. Rest in peace, Laura.

We’re planning on a huge shopping trip on Wednesday. Motorcycle Week starts on Friday and during that week I try very hard to stay out of the stores and off the roads in this area. Last year, about 320,000 visitors came to New Hampshire for the annual rally and organizers say they anticipate about the same number of people this year.

The weather is due to be good, so hopefully the crowds will enjoy themselves. In recent years it has become a more family event. I really hope this is true this year.

The Saturday Edition

I planted my garden last week, and all was well. Then we had close to three inches of rain, and yesterday Hubby and I agreed, all the cucumbers (pickling and regular) are dead! I think today we will go out and see if we can find replacements, but I am slightly annoyed.

Today is the Belmont Stakes horse race. Do you think American Pharoah will win the Triple Crown? It would be thrilling to watch! Also I think Bob Baffert, who trains the horse (and has trained so many in the past) would be thrilled to see this horse do it all!

Meanwhile, the French Open tennis tournament ends this weekend. I’m pretty sure Serena Williams will win for the women, but who will win the men’s match, now that Nadal is out? I really hope it is not Andy Murray, as I find him generally annoying.

The Weight Watcher diet continues to go well. I am writing down everything I eat, and trying hard to make good choices. I would like to be at least half way to my goal by my birthday in November. That would be so nice!

Medical Report: Anneliese is doing much better today. She has not cried once in pain, and was able to go out to do her business without being carried. Very happy! Still keeping her quiet.

In other news, I have continued to write down everything I am eating, and make good choices, RE: no fried food, no junk food, and lots of vegetables and fruits, all weighed and measured. I mention this because I weighed myself this morning and I swear to God, I have not lost an ounce! Discouraging!

Yay, the French Open Tennis Tournament has begun! I love the summer because of all the Grand Slam Tennis matches! I cannot play worth a darn, but I do love to watch! It’s like Ice Dancing. I’m never going to be Meryl Davis, but I do so love to watch her and Charlie White skate!

I have started to look at cruises for either very late 2015 or 2016. There is one I saw out of Texas, and it goes to a few places like Key West (fun!) and the Bahamas (also fun!). We shall see. As in all other parts of our life, we only sign on with a good sale!

Today is also crystal cleaning day. I noticed that after a long winter’s nap, the crystal glasses I hang in the bar area of the kitchen need washing. The dishwasher is full of the wine glasses and I hand washed the champagne flutes.

As always, there is laundry to be done and today, my least favorite chore…ironing. Does anyone actually like to iron?

Off I go into the world of home-making. Have a great Sunday, everyone!

1. The other day when I was driving down to meet up with my cousin and her sister’s in-law, I drove passed an obviously dead, and frozen creature on the side of the road. It was fierce looking and rather large. It haunted me all day, and once I was home I looked it up and this is what I found.

2. This is a Fisher.

3. Fishers (locally called fisher-cat, although they’re not related to cats nor do they eat a lot of cats) have long, slender bodies with muscular, short legs similar to their cousins — weasel, mink, marten, and otter. Their thick, grayish-brown to brownish-black glossy fur tends to be darker on females. White-tipped hairs on older fisher give a grizzled appearance. Fisher have strong claws for climbing and a long, bushy, black, tapered tail. Males average 4-12 pounds, about twice the size of females.

   Don’t let their furry body fool you. Don’t let the cute fur fool you, these suckers have very sharp teeth and long toe nails and can kill an animal quickly by eviscerating it.

   

   Occasionally they will go after a human, and have been known to seriously injure men, women and children!

4. We have ice jams in our gutters. Hubby has started to break it up, but it is a tough job. Now I know what an ice pick is for!
5. While driving home in a heavy snow storm I was driving slowly on the highway, when I witnessed another car go airborne and land on its roof! I later read that the driver was treated at a local hospital and released.
6. I’ve become a “Blue Bloods” TV show fan! Hubby has watched it since day one, but it is on at 10 PM, and I am usually in bed.
7. My mouth is doing well since the root canal. The discomfort I have is from the jaw being open for so long, and the gum tissue is also a little sore. But, I am doing well.
8. I ordered earlobe cell phone hands free headsets. I ordered 4, and today they arrived. They were all broken! So, back they go. And yes, they were all made in China! Beware!
9. I’ve been making lime gelatin, with pear halves and maraschino cherries. It makes a great low calorie dessert. It also makes me think of my youth, when at every Christmas, Mom would make this.
10. Quiet weekend planned for us. I need to go out and look for a new washing machine. I know what I would like, I just have to find the right ($$$) one.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Saturday found the cold moving in, along with nuisance rain. The trouble with all of that is, no animals and no person really wants to be outside for long.

The dogs would race me out, do their business, and then race me back in! Those little devils really kept me on my toes!

Since it was so crappy and Hubby was trying to get the last of our apples picked before the first hard frost, I made him a big pot of his favorite Cabbage Soup. Poor guy was simply chilled to the bone!

Around 3 o’clock this afternoon I was struck with a migraine. I do not have them often, but when I do, it’s best to take some Motrin and go to bed in a dark room. Which is exactly what I did. I think I slept about an hour and I woke feeling quite a bit better.

Tonight I will start working on my 2015 calendar. Each year I put together a calendar through Walgreens, with all my favorite pictures from the past year. This is going to be a fun one because of my girls!

I hope you all remembered to turn your clocks back last night. Time to fall back!

I’m thrilled to announce that I now have a new faucet in the kitchen, a new shower handle in my bathroom, and new toilet innards in my bathroom! I’m am high with the glory of these things!

And then I turned on my dishwasher and guess what? If you guessed that it is acting funky, then you would be correct. How long I can baby it and keep it going I do not know, but since I just went broke today I am not in any hurry to get another expensive device. Although I did see a dishwasher at Lowes for $299.00.

The new kitchen faucet is nice. I need to be careful though because it seems like the hot water is hotter than the old faucet. It must be something in the mixer valves.

Making a nice dinner tonight of butternut squash, baked potatoes and slowly simmered chicken and mushrooms!

A nice way to end the day!