Random Dozen

To participate in Random Dozen visit Linda here 

1. How do you feel about the marshmallow Easter Peeps?
They are not my favorite kind of Easter candy.

2. Chickens are notoriously nervous creatures. When you are nervous, what is the best way to calm down?
Petting a fuzzy chicken sounds like a good way to calm down, but in the absence of a chicken, probably a walk with my dog.

3. People say, "April showers bring May flowers." Do you enjoy Spring rains?
April showers are good. A good thunderstorm is even better.

4. When I was randomly flipping through TV channels this week, I saw a show in which tattoo parlor employees received tattoos of a co-worker's face on their bodies. I can't imagine having a portrait of a colleague tattooed on me. But if someone forced you to receive a portrait tattoo (face only) of anyone, who would it be? Why?
I guess a little tat of my dog, Dodger. He has a very cute face. Where? That would be another question.

5. Would you rather have a tattoo (any kind) or a nose ring?
I would choose a tattoo of the Chinese character for hope.

6. Do you have any special plans for Easter?
I will dye Easter eggs with my grandkids, probably on Friday. We will have brunch and an egg hunt here on Sunday.

7. Cadbury Eggs or Reese Eggs?
Unfair question....how can I choose? It's sort of  like asking which one of my children I love the most.

8. What was the last thing/person you took a picture of?
According to my camera it was the table full of liquor bottles in my last post.

9. What book are you reading now, or what was the last one?
According to my Kindle, I have recently read "the Lacuna" by Barbara Kingsolver.

10. What do you think is the most difficult task when it comes to Spring cleaning?
Getting Doc to get started on it.

11. How many pairs of flip-flops do you own?
At least a dozen.

12. Which color makes you happiest?
The color purple. I'm not sure if that is really true, but I loved the movie.

An old cartoon, but it always makes me laugh

We Need To Have A Party....A Big One

It was cold and windy outside yesterday so after some babysitting and going out to lunch I had a brief out of body moment and decided to do some cabinet cleaning. I started  (and finished) with the pantry. The top shelf of our pantry serves as our liquor cabinet. The picture is just a sample of what I found up there. I might talk big sometimes, but we are not big drinkers. Doc drinks beer and a sip or twenty of Grey Goose on special occasions. I like a cosmo or margarita from time to time, but I prefer them served up ready made by a handsome bartender.

I'm not sure where it all came from...bottles never opened from past parties, gifts, a lonely couple's need to be prepared for the predilection of any new friend they might someday make. There was an unopened bottle of Glenfiddich, a scotch we always kept on hand for a friend who is no longer alive.

I poured out as much as I kept....I just couldn't dust any more bottles. There were also plenty of mixers, jars of onions, olives and marachino cherries. If we add the beer in the beer fridge in the garage, the wine coolers and hard lemonade from the other fridge in the garage, the  bottles of Grey Goose and the homemade limoncello from the freezer,  and the wine from the wine rack, we are ready for quite a party.

Come on over whenever you can. The party will start when you get here.

Six Word Saturday

But a drawstring might be nice

photo from Google images

I have never seriously considered any kind of cosmetic surgery and I probably never will. It's not that I don't have some parts that could probably use a little work, but any bravery I have doesn't lean toward things that involve sharp objects and long periods of healing.

What I would like to see and would seriously consider is a drawstring. You know, something that could be installed somewhere up high and could be tightened just a little from time to time. I would want one that would give just a little lift to everything from somewhere around my knees up through my forehead. Any little sag or droop could be fixed a easily as tightening a pair of gym shorts. It would be great until I got so saggy and droopy that I ended up with my belly button on my chin.

To participate in 6WS visit Cate here

My Error and a Gracious Response

graciousness

courteous kindly consideration, generosity of spirit

It sometimes seems to me like graciousness is a lost art in today's world.  I was shown today that this is not totally true, at least in the blog world.

I made a typing error in a comment that I left on my friend Betty's blog A Glimpse Into Midlife. She wrote a wonderful post about her Mennonite heritage and the part that heritage plays in her community today in Filadelfia, Paraguay. A part of my comment was meant to say "I know you play a 'big' part in the life of your community. I instead typed "I know you play a 'bit' part in the life of your community. A "bit" part is defined as a small or insignificant role.....far from the truth about Betty.

I noticed my error a day after I made it when I went back to read the other comments left on this very interesting post.  I was embarrassed and felt awful and immediately sent Betty an e-mail to apologize. Her very quick response was full of graciousness and humility. She called it a little mistake and said she knew what I meant. She allowed me to go from feeling awful to feeling good about our friendship.....the ultimate in graciousness.

Blog comments can be a slippery slope. Between typing errors and misunderstanding of the written word with no immediate exchange or explanation offenses may at times be taken. I hope we all benefit from the lesson of Betty's graciousness and continue to give one another the benefit of the doubt.

I'm Not Looking For Sympathy, But.....

Spring went on a bender around here and we woke up to about a foot of snow this morning.

The "blob" in the middle is a lilac bush that is (was) about 15 feet tall

A springtime winter wonderland

The five foot fence looked about 3 feet tall

I'm really not looking for sympathy, at least not too much. There was a lot of sunshine and melting today.The  melting will continue for a couple of days until another storm predicted for the weekend shows up. Then I will be looking for sympathy.

Handwriting

I wrote a post a while back about signatures and what, if anything, our signatures say about us. I found the following at  Cate's  blog,  Show My Face which goes a little farther and looks at a full handwriting sample. I don't know what it tells us,  but I think is fun to show something a little more personal than typed text.

The Rules:


write the following

1) Your name/blog name.

2) Right-handed, left-handed, or ambidextrous?

3) Favorite letters to write.

4) Least favorite letters to write.

5) Write “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.”

6) Write the following words in capital letters:

- CRAB

- HUMOR

- KALEIDOSCOPE

- PAJAMAS

- GAZILLION

7) Write your favorite song lyric.

8) Tag people!

9) Any special note or picture.

My Sample

9. I wish I could write like this

or this

My writing is neat enough and readable, but not particularly pretty or distinctive. I usually write too fast to make it very pretty. I don't know what else it says about me. Do you? If you want to play along let me know that you have played.....I would love to see this peek into who your are.

Doo Wop Lunch

Gunther Toody's

   

We took a little trip back in time when I had lunch today with my son Rob, my daughter-in-law, Leah, and Wil and Anna. We went  to  Gunther Toody's, a 1950's style diner, one of those fun places that is really more of a caricature of a 1950's diner with a black and white checkerboad floor, the hostess dressed in a poodle skirt and saddle shoes and the waitresses wearing bright red lipstick that matched the shiny red vinyl booths. Their name tags had them named Bitsy, or Babs, or Susie-Q. Not today, but in the past I have seen them all stop what they are doing and do The Twist when  the Chubby Checker hit played over the sound system (though the song was not a big hit until 1960). Modern TVs play cartoons from the '50s. I'm amazed the kids from that era didn't all kill each off other with mallets or blow each other up with TNT as violent as some of those cartoons are. It's a kid-friendly, fun place with a good sense of humor.

There's lots of neon

and memorabilia

A very large menu heavy on burgers, fries and shakes.

Even the ceiling tiles are decorated

Wil  liked his macaroni and cheese

and so did Anna

An of course there is a juke box

I wish they had done  The Twist today. I would have done it with them.

Weatherpated

I don't even know if weatherpated is a word, but it's how I feel today. When I walked the dog last evening it was sunny and in the 60s.

When I walked the dog this morning it was snowing and in the 20s.

I was so confused I wore my flip flops inside my snow boots.

My Mother Knew......

.

It was the summer of 1960, the summer I turned 13. I went several days a week to a swim club to meet my friends. My mother drove me there and picked me up every time I went. I would go across the street to a toy store to use the phone to call my mother and wait there for her to pick me up. The owner of the store was nice to me. He made me feel grown up. He talked to me and said nice things. I started swimming and hanging out with my friends less and hanging out at the toy store longer before I called my mother.

At some point during the summer he asked me if I wanted to work for him there a few hours a week. I asked my mother if I could and she said no.  She told me that I could not go to the toy store any more to use the phone. I was mad. I thought she was being unfair. I wrote "I hate Mother" on pieces of cardboard and put them all over the house. She turned them all over and wrote "I love Jeanie" on the other side and didn't come close to changing her answer.

My mother never went into the toy store, never met the owner who was nice to me, but she knew. He was being nice to me for a reason. He wanted me to work in the store for a reason.  His reasons were not good. It was not until I looked back on the toy store owner's  behavior years later that I realized what my mother knew when I was 13.

The 12th of this month would have been my mother's 96th birthday. She died at 51 when I was 18. I didn't get to have her long enough, but I was lucky to have her as long as I did.

Tired, Sore and A Fun Time Was Had by All

I had my first and probably last ski day of this season today with my daughter, Jill, and her two boys, Jared, 9, and Justin, 6. The day started out bright and sunny, but by around 10 a.m. it was snowing hard and that snow turned into icy pellets flying through the air. The weather drove me inside a time or two, but Jared and Justin kept their mom going all day.

We also got to ski some with my son-in-law, Brandon, my grandaughter, Hope, and Brandon's dad, stepmom and his two little brothers who are visiting them here from Albuquerque.

I am tired and I will be sore, but it was a very fun day.

Getting ready is the hard part

The big smile on Jill's face is there because I landed on my bum trying to take this picture. She would have been laughing even harder if she had seen how long it took me to get up.  She accused me of using picture taking as an excuse to take a break (and she was right)

Justin

Jared

In action

We all got together at the top of the lift with the snow coming down sideways.

I should have had Jill take a picture of me in action. You'll have to take my word for it, I was good.....or at least I didn't come home with any broken bones.

Six Word Saturday

Last ski day this year Sunday

Sunday will not only be my last ski day this year, it will be my first ski day this year.  I'm going with my daughter, Jill and her two boys, Jared, 9, and Justin, 6. Their dad is healing from a torn Achilles tendon so I am going with them to keep the one on one ratio. I have skied a lot, but I have not skied a lot lately and keeping up with kids that age who have no fear is a challenge. I hope I am up to the challenge. It is not looking good so far.....I can't even find my ski pants. Wish me luck.

To Participate in 6WS visit  Cate here

                                                       

What I Need Is An Emotifont

In a recent post  PJ at Seens From The Back Of My Eyelids  expressed the wish for a "sarcasm" font to use for those times that you really want the reader to know that what you have said is, indeed, sarcastic. A very good and creative idea. I am not so good at sarcasm, but my comment to her question of what fonts we would like to see was that I'd like a "sorry that what I am saying sounds so lame, but I really mean it from my heart" font. That would be so great for when I want to leave a comment but even the right words don't  express the full meaning of what I want to say.

It happens to me all the time when someone has posted a really beautiful picture, shown a creative craft project, shared a picture of their precious grandchild or written a really good piece of prose or poetry.

 I may think the picture is really beautiful, the craft project very creative, the grandchild a real little darling or the prose or poetry an excellent piece of writing. But just saying "beautiful" or "stunning" or "amazing" or "precious" or "very creative" sometimes sounds so lame or at least much less expressive than what I am feeling or else it has already been said a dozen times in comments before mine. How great it would be to have a font that tells the reader that there is a heartfelt feeling behind the words.

That same font would be useful when I say "I'm so sorry" when someone is going through a difficult time or "that's so funny" when someone has posted a good cartoon or a joke.

I guess what I am wishing for is an "emotifont".  This new font would be just the thing for those times when words just aren't enough when I'm leaving a comment.

There were some great comments left on PJ's post  about fonts that others would like to see. I wish I had an emotifont to use to tell you what a good idea it would be to go read them.

          

Random Dozen

To participate in Random Dozen visit Linda at 2nd Cup of Coffee

1. How old is the oldest pair of shoes in your closet?

I should go look, but due to a recent clean out, probably 4 or 5 years old, but there are still way too many.

2. Did you buy Girl Scout cookies this year? If so, what variety?

My granddaughter is a Brownie and my daughter is a troop leader....so lots of cookies and lots of kinds, but I gave some away.

3. Do you know how to ballroom dance? If not, would you like to?
Yes, but it is not something I do a lot of these days.

4. Were you a responsible child/teenager?

Yes.....my brother was the bad kid and I was the good kid....he however turned out just fine and I'm not so sure about me.

5. How many of this year's Oscar-nominated movies did you see?

Maybe one....lots of good intentions, but not much follow through.

6. If you're going to have a medical procedure done, such as having blood drawn, is it easier for you to watch someone else having the procedure done or have it done yourself?

I don't really have a problem with either one.

7. What is your favorite day of the week and why?

Saturday because I go to work on the week days and on Sunday the next day is Monday.

8. Do you miss anyone right now?

Since I can't come up with a good way to answer this I think the answer must be yes.

9. Do hospitals make you queasy?

No, though I don't have any experience as a patient, other than having babies.

10. At which store would you like to max-out your credit ?

I'm pretty sure I could max it out at Anthropologie in the blink of an eye.

11. Are you true to the brand names of products/items?

Somewhat, but more out of habit than loyalty.

12. Which is more difficult: looking into someone’s eyes when you are telling someone how you feel, or looking into someone’s eyes when he/she is telling you how he/she feels?

Easier for me to be the teller, I think.

The Pictures Aren't So Beautiful, But What They Mean Is

I know that Spring here has not yet sprung, but after a week of sun and some 60 degree weather we can finally see grass again after several months of having everything covered with snow. We will have more snow, maybe a lot, but it will melt fast. These pictures are not so beautiful, but what they mean is....the worst of winter is past and Spring is on it's way.

The snow is melting

There's a hint of green in the grass

and flowers are beginning to grow

A little Madness in the Spring Is wholesome even for the King.

Emily Dickinson

An optimist is the human personification of spring.

Susan J. Bissonette

Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush.

Doug Larson

"Who" Will I Wear?

Oscar

                                                                                  

The Oscars are coming up on Sunday night and I have been very remiss in planning "who" I am going to wear for the big event. I probably would have planned better if I had seen more than a couple (maybe one) of the nominated movies. Time is short now, so I really must decide.

There is this creation from Juicy. I like the color and the hood makes a nice statement. The coordinated flower treatment on both the top and the pants adds a nice designer touch.

This creation from  Twisted Heart features a lovely heart motiff with added ruffles. The velour fabric adds a cozy element., and it comes in several colors.

This offering is from Nike. It looks like it would offer both style and comfort, but the pink and grey is a little too '80s to offer the forward looking fashion statement I am looking to make.

Juicy again, but, well, probably not exactly what I am looking for.

I think this from DKNY may be just the right look. Basic black is always a good choice and it has just the right amount of glitz across the front for a special occassion.

I will pair it with black sweats with maybe a shiny satin stripe down the side of each leg. I'll make sure that the pants feature a comfy elastic waistband because Oscar night could possibly feature some popcorn and libations fitting with the celebratory nature of the evening.

Now I need to go find just the right shoes to complement this perfect outfit, or maybe just some socks.

I think even Joan Rivers will approve.

These Are Great, But What I'd Really Like To See.....

I've read about a couple of "new and improved" items lately that I'm sure will result in an improved experience for those who have a need to make use of them.

One is the new modesty hospital gown. It features a wrap style and has several discreet "entrance points" that allow medical access.

I'm sure the time will come when I fully appreciate this change, but as yet, I've only been in the hospital for childbirth and there is no modesty at all involved in that activity. I guess I do appreciate that it will spare me this sight.

Another is this new shoe scanner which will help us avoid

this at the airport.

I do like to travel, but it is not something I do everyday. I always forget to wear socks and I will appreciate not having to go barefoot on the icky airport floor. If I'm traveling with Doc, he takes forever to get his shoes off and back on, so that will be an improvement for me.

These things are great and I do appreciate the effort that went into bringing them into our lives. But, what I'd really like to see the geniusy types that brought these things to us do is come up with a couple of things that would help me on a more regular basis.

There are two things that I can think of. First, I would like to see a cereal box that I can open without tearing the top to pieces and a bag inside that I can open without spewing half the cereal in the bag all over the kitchen. That would be an improvement I could really get excited about.

Next, I would like to see someone come up with a way to package toys that doesn't require tools to unpackage them. I'm not good with tools.

While they're at it, maybe they can figure out a way to make Toyotas that only speed up when we want them to.

What "New and Improved" would you like to see?