Here we are, hitting March already.
The economy is still in the toilet, just nobody has had the manners to do a courtesy flush yet.
The Middle East has turned into Chaos, Inc. with protests in about half the countries going on.
Applications for Food Stamps are up, housing sales are still down.
New construction, one of the driving forces of the economy when it comes to construction is WAY down.
The Army is deploying yet still more troops to Iraq (oh, no, children, we aren't done there by a long shot!) and assume my Darlin' Man is champing at the bit to go as well.
Wait...what?
He put in his RETIREMENT papers, you idiots! As in; He is LEAVING. No, NOT leaving for Iraq...leaving the military!
What's more, he has a Doctors Note saying he isn't fit to go. That's right, a DOCTORS NOTE...one of YOUR doctors saying he CAN'T go!
But the Army is ignoring that....they expect him to go.
Needless to say, I am having a bit of an internal hissy fit about the situation.
I am sure that everything will work out and the Darlin' Man will remain stateside, but I am feeling a bit stressed by the hoops they are making hm jump through, nonetheless.
In better news, th weather has smoothed out here after that icy beginning to the new year and a couple of minor sand storms.
Helpful Note: Do NOT hang wet clothes on the line before a sand storm hits. Not. Good. Jus' sayin'...
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Welcome to 2011
I post in this blog infrequently, but it has been about a month, so I decided to welcome in 2011 here.
2011 arrived here with a blast of Arctic air and a bit of snow. I enjoyed it, but the fella and the kids bundled up as if they were embarking on an expedition to the South Pole! I was walking around the house in shorts and a tee shirt and gave a nod to the weather by adding a pair of knee socks to my ensemble when I ventured outside.
Man, some people get cranky when they are cold! Just my lack of 32 layers of clothing seemed to annoy them!
"How can you wear THAT!?" was the comment I heard every morning and several times a day.
My Darlin' Man's freaking out point came one morning while he, under a sheet, a blanket, a quilt, a down comforter and another comforter--while wearing long underwear and pajamas over those, saw me calmly slip on my bedroom slippers and go out to feed the livestock in my light cotton sleeveless nightgown.
"Are you INSANE!!???" was the blanket muffled query I heard as I went out the bedroom door.
It was a rather mild 35 degrees...I could not understand the issue.
I fed the livestock and wandered back inside after enjoying the brisk morning air and watching the sun rise.
The fella had migrated to the sofa, still wrapped in a comforter, but had added a parka (!) to his sleep attire.
We keep the heat in the house at a relatively balmy 62 degrees....
"Could you fix me a nice hot breakfast?", he asked...although I fix him a hot breakfast EVERY morning.
I fixed it...and had a nice cool cup of yogurt for my breakfast while he eyed my choice with something akin to horror.
The final straw for the cold weather haters in my household came when the power went out during a strong windstorm.
"We'll FREEZE!" they wailed.
I filled up some empty 2 liter bottles with scalding hot water and wrapped them in dish towels and put a couple in each bed. About a half hour later, everyone crawled into warm comfy beds for a good nights sleep.
I ended up kicking off about half my covers that night...felt like I would suffocate! The Darlin' Man was more than happy to take my excess covers...he is a true blanket hog!
Why are some people so cold natured and others hot natured?
I dunno....
But check back with me in the summer when I start my whining!
2011 arrived here with a blast of Arctic air and a bit of snow. I enjoyed it, but the fella and the kids bundled up as if they were embarking on an expedition to the South Pole! I was walking around the house in shorts and a tee shirt and gave a nod to the weather by adding a pair of knee socks to my ensemble when I ventured outside.
Man, some people get cranky when they are cold! Just my lack of 32 layers of clothing seemed to annoy them!
"How can you wear THAT!?" was the comment I heard every morning and several times a day.
My Darlin' Man's freaking out point came one morning while he, under a sheet, a blanket, a quilt, a down comforter and another comforter--while wearing long underwear and pajamas over those, saw me calmly slip on my bedroom slippers and go out to feed the livestock in my light cotton sleeveless nightgown.
"Are you INSANE!!???" was the blanket muffled query I heard as I went out the bedroom door.
It was a rather mild 35 degrees...I could not understand the issue.
I fed the livestock and wandered back inside after enjoying the brisk morning air and watching the sun rise.
The fella had migrated to the sofa, still wrapped in a comforter, but had added a parka (!) to his sleep attire.
We keep the heat in the house at a relatively balmy 62 degrees....
"Could you fix me a nice hot breakfast?", he asked...although I fix him a hot breakfast EVERY morning.
I fixed it...and had a nice cool cup of yogurt for my breakfast while he eyed my choice with something akin to horror.
The final straw for the cold weather haters in my household came when the power went out during a strong windstorm.
"We'll FREEZE!" they wailed.
I filled up some empty 2 liter bottles with scalding hot water and wrapped them in dish towels and put a couple in each bed. About a half hour later, everyone crawled into warm comfy beds for a good nights sleep.
I ended up kicking off about half my covers that night...felt like I would suffocate! The Darlin' Man was more than happy to take my excess covers...he is a true blanket hog!
Why are some people so cold natured and others hot natured?
I dunno....
But check back with me in the summer when I start my whining!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Sometimes Men Just Don't "Get It"
Having a frustrating week here...sigh.
Why don't men "get it"?
We women demurely drop hints...then we leave demur behind and make strong hints...we then progress to telling a man right out what we need/desire/require. If all else fails, we hit them over the head with with our request (which has usually escalated to a blatant demand at this point!)
And then they look at us and say "Huh...what?"
Head + Brick Wall
My Darlin' Man has been particularly obtuse lately.
I love him. Really, I do. He is sexy and smart and funny and adorable and dependable and everything I want/need in a partner in life.
But, he is male and suffers on occasion that male brainlessness and clueless behavior.
It has to be a gender related thing, as I have never seen a female suffering from it.
Call me sexist, I don't care!
Give a man a grocery list...maybe 6 items on it.Explain to him that is all you need AND the food budget can't be stretched any further this month.
I GUARANTEE he will return from the store with about 80 bucks worth of stuff, a lot of stuff you don't need and didn't want---and he will neglect to get at least two items on your list!
Oh, and those two items will be crucial to your cooking/baking in the next week!
He'll buy 40 pounds of flour...and forget yeast. Buy 15 bucks worth of produce and neglect to get the salad dressing you requested. Sixteen pounds of chicken ("It was on sale, baby!") but no ziplock freezer bags or aluminum foil or plastic wrap so you can freeze it.
Yes, been dealing with that lately....sigh.
Some days, I wish I drank......
He will return from the store
Why don't men "get it"?
We women demurely drop hints...then we leave demur behind and make strong hints...we then progress to telling a man right out what we need/desire/require. If all else fails, we hit them over the head with with our request (which has usually escalated to a blatant demand at this point!)
And then they look at us and say "Huh...what?"
Head + Brick Wall
My Darlin' Man has been particularly obtuse lately.
I love him. Really, I do. He is sexy and smart and funny and adorable and dependable and everything I want/need in a partner in life.
But, he is male and suffers on occasion that male brainlessness and clueless behavior.
It has to be a gender related thing, as I have never seen a female suffering from it.
Call me sexist, I don't care!
Give a man a grocery list...maybe 6 items on it.Explain to him that is all you need AND the food budget can't be stretched any further this month.
I GUARANTEE he will return from the store with about 80 bucks worth of stuff, a lot of stuff you don't need and didn't want---and he will neglect to get at least two items on your list!
Oh, and those two items will be crucial to your cooking/baking in the next week!
He'll buy 40 pounds of flour...and forget yeast. Buy 15 bucks worth of produce and neglect to get the salad dressing you requested. Sixteen pounds of chicken ("It was on sale, baby!") but no ziplock freezer bags or aluminum foil or plastic wrap so you can freeze it.
Yes, been dealing with that lately....sigh.
Some days, I wish I drank......
He will return from the store
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Adjustments, Compromises and Adapting...
So, I have moved in with my Darlin' Man.
New situations call for new adaptations.
Sometimes you have to compromise.
Some things only require a bit of *tweaking*, minor adjustments to smooth out a slight bump in the road.
Laundry for example. My fella is in the military, so his laundry must be done a certain way.
I also found out that he *has* to have his socks, t-shirts and boxers folded a certain way.
Okay---minor adjustment.
My Darlin' Man has two kids in his custody. Teen agers.
Compromises and adapting are the watchwords there!
From diet and my cooking, bedtimes, entertainment, house cleaning, etc.
I could let some things become battle grounds--if I wanted to go that route.
But I prefer a calmer journey...
So, I give the kids choices.
Get up and get out the door to school by a certain time OR get up EARLIER the next day.
Eat what is put on the table at dinner time OR make yourself a sandwich.
Clean your room OR I will box up all the stuff on your floor and tuck the box away in a closet.
They have adapted, as have I.
I had to compromise on closet space (ACK!) as the fella has a huge amount of uniforms that HAVE to be on hangers. It is a walk-in closet with oodles of hanging and shelf space...of which I have about 2 feet of closet space out of about 8 feet of hanging space...Yup...BIG compromise. But since I don't excatly have a huge wardrobe, that's okay.
My fella has had to adapt to my sewing fetish...I sew, I quilt and I have a massive amount of fabrics, notions, patterns, etc. Plus, my sewing machine, of course.
So, one corner of the bedroom is now my sewing nook.
He's adapting...
We finally hammered out an agreement on our books. I am a confirmed and certified book whore. I moved in with several boxes of books. Today, I will finally have a place to put them! It took a few weeks to figure out where they would go--as the fella has a few hundred books of his own and his small bookshelf is bulging at the seams!
After much discussion, we finally figured out a compromise and both of us are happy with it.
My beloved books will be unpacked and placed on the *breakfast bar* ---that is never used as such---and his books will be joining them there.
It works!
New situations call for new adaptations.
Sometimes you have to compromise.
Some things only require a bit of *tweaking*, minor adjustments to smooth out a slight bump in the road.
Laundry for example. My fella is in the military, so his laundry must be done a certain way.
I also found out that he *has* to have his socks, t-shirts and boxers folded a certain way.
Okay---minor adjustment.
My Darlin' Man has two kids in his custody. Teen agers.
Compromises and adapting are the watchwords there!
From diet and my cooking, bedtimes, entertainment, house cleaning, etc.
I could let some things become battle grounds--if I wanted to go that route.
But I prefer a calmer journey...
So, I give the kids choices.
Get up and get out the door to school by a certain time OR get up EARLIER the next day.
Eat what is put on the table at dinner time OR make yourself a sandwich.
Clean your room OR I will box up all the stuff on your floor and tuck the box away in a closet.
They have adapted, as have I.
I had to compromise on closet space (ACK!) as the fella has a huge amount of uniforms that HAVE to be on hangers. It is a walk-in closet with oodles of hanging and shelf space...of which I have about 2 feet of closet space out of about 8 feet of hanging space...Yup...BIG compromise. But since I don't excatly have a huge wardrobe, that's okay.
My fella has had to adapt to my sewing fetish...I sew, I quilt and I have a massive amount of fabrics, notions, patterns, etc. Plus, my sewing machine, of course.
So, one corner of the bedroom is now my sewing nook.
He's adapting...
We finally hammered out an agreement on our books. I am a confirmed and certified book whore. I moved in with several boxes of books. Today, I will finally have a place to put them! It took a few weeks to figure out where they would go--as the fella has a few hundred books of his own and his small bookshelf is bulging at the seams!
After much discussion, we finally figured out a compromise and both of us are happy with it.
My beloved books will be unpacked and placed on the *breakfast bar* ---that is never used as such---and his books will be joining them there.
It works!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Lovely October has arrived!
In 4th grade my teacher, Mrs. Miller, made each of us memorize a poem about our birth month. I was an October baby, so the poem that follows is the one I chose to memorize.
On Oct. 28th, I will be a glorious 54 years old!
Oh suns and skies and clouds of June, and flowers of June together, you cannot rival for one hour October's bright blue weather!
When loud the bumblebee makes haste, belated, thriftless vagrant, and golden Rod is dying fast, and lanes with grapes are fragrant;
When Gentians roll their fringes bright, to save them from the morning light, and chestnuts fall from satin burrs without a sound of warning;
When on the ground red apples lie in piles like jewels shining, and redder still on old stone walls are leaves of woodbine twining;
When all the lovely wayside things their white-winged seeds are sowing, and in the fields, still green and fair, late aftermaths are growing;
When springs run low, and on the brooks, in idle golding freighting, bright leaves sink noiseless in the hush of woods, for winter waiting;
When comrades seek sweet country haunts, by twos and twos together, and count like misers, hour by hour, October's bright blue weather.
Oh suns and skies and flowers of June, count all your boasts together, love loveth best of all the year October's bright blue weather!
by Helen Hunt Jackson
On Oct. 28th, I will be a glorious 54 years old!
Oh suns and skies and clouds of June, and flowers of June together, you cannot rival for one hour October's bright blue weather!
When loud the bumblebee makes haste, belated, thriftless vagrant, and golden Rod is dying fast, and lanes with grapes are fragrant;
When Gentians roll their fringes bright, to save them from the morning light, and chestnuts fall from satin burrs without a sound of warning;
When on the ground red apples lie in piles like jewels shining, and redder still on old stone walls are leaves of woodbine twining;
When all the lovely wayside things their white-winged seeds are sowing, and in the fields, still green and fair, late aftermaths are growing;
When springs run low, and on the brooks, in idle golding freighting, bright leaves sink noiseless in the hush of woods, for winter waiting;
When comrades seek sweet country haunts, by twos and twos together, and count like misers, hour by hour, October's bright blue weather.
Oh suns and skies and flowers of June, count all your boasts together, love loveth best of all the year October's bright blue weather!
by Helen Hunt Jackson
Monday, August 30, 2010
People Just Piss Me Off Some Days
Grouchy me.
People have really irritated me in the past few weeks.
To wit:
Slow people at ATMs. Look, swipe your card, get your damn money and GO already! Don't stand there and check your checking balance. Check your savings balance. Check you checking balance again. Look at receipts carefully for at least 3 minutes. FINALLY decide to take out money.Swipe card again. Forget pin (apparently).Swipe card again, get pin right, take out money. Examine receipt like a diamond evaluator in Amsterdam. Swipe card again and check balances again. Finally leave. I want to stab you in the head with a spoon.
Late people. You told me to meet you at such and such place at such and such time. You are not there. I wait. And wait. And wait.You finally show up and breezily offer some sort of (non) excuse. This is NOT the first time you did this.Trust me, it will be the last. Look, being late is RUDE. It is telling the other person that YOUR time is more important and valuable than THEIR time.
Cashiers that have *important* things to do (other than waiting on customers). Talking to other salespeople. Rearranging merchandise. Talking on phone. Doing nails. You get the idea. Look, you got a job in the *service industry*, lets provide some damn service, already!!!
People using cell phones in public.Okay, I can understand calling your spouse while in the grocery store to make sure you are getting the right brand of beer or whatever. I do NOT appreciate standing behind you in line while you go into the details of your last trip to the gynecologist! C'mon...I am planning dinner in my head...I do NOT need to hear about your "cervical discharge". And using a cell phone at ANY sort of performance should be punishable by public flogging! Turn those bastards off in the cinema, the theatre, the concert venue!
Just trying to vent a bit...
People have really irritated me in the past few weeks.
To wit:
Slow people at ATMs. Look, swipe your card, get your damn money and GO already! Don't stand there and check your checking balance. Check your savings balance. Check you checking balance again. Look at receipts carefully for at least 3 minutes. FINALLY decide to take out money.Swipe card again. Forget pin (apparently).Swipe card again, get pin right, take out money. Examine receipt like a diamond evaluator in Amsterdam. Swipe card again and check balances again. Finally leave. I want to stab you in the head with a spoon.
Late people. You told me to meet you at such and such place at such and such time. You are not there. I wait. And wait. And wait.You finally show up and breezily offer some sort of (non) excuse. This is NOT the first time you did this.Trust me, it will be the last. Look, being late is RUDE. It is telling the other person that YOUR time is more important and valuable than THEIR time.
Cashiers that have *important* things to do (other than waiting on customers). Talking to other salespeople. Rearranging merchandise. Talking on phone. Doing nails. You get the idea. Look, you got a job in the *service industry*, lets provide some damn service, already!!!
People using cell phones in public.Okay, I can understand calling your spouse while in the grocery store to make sure you are getting the right brand of beer or whatever. I do NOT appreciate standing behind you in line while you go into the details of your last trip to the gynecologist! C'mon...I am planning dinner in my head...I do NOT need to hear about your "cervical discharge". And using a cell phone at ANY sort of performance should be punishable by public flogging! Turn those bastards off in the cinema, the theatre, the concert venue!
Just trying to vent a bit...
Friday, August 13, 2010
Yeah...But I'm a GROWN UP Now, So I CAN!!!
Remember all that crap you got yelled at for doing (or not doing) when you were a kid?
I yelled at my kids for some of the same stuff....my bad.
Now, my kids are grown, I am more or less on my own...and I realized a couple of weeks ago that there were a few things I had never done since becoming an adult. (Okay...in my case, maybe quasi-adult would be better terminology).
I made a list and tried out a few things, so here is my report:
Playing ball in the house. Pretty fun. Probably because my dog ended up being an enthusiastic partner in crime.
Drinking milk out of the carton. Rather enjoyable.I am the only one here that drinks milk, so now I have one less glass to wash.
Running with scissors. Doesn't have the charm I thought it would.
Drawing on the wall. AWESOME! I have a field of poppies on my bedroom door now.
Leaving my shoes in the middle of the floor. Bad idea when you trip over them in the middle of the night.
Leaving the t.v. on all night. In my case, it was my computer -- which I watch movies and t.v. shows on. This one gets a mixed review. I lined up several *conspiracy* documentaries on youtube...6 hours worth or so.Went to sleep during "From Freedom to Fascism". Not bad...but sometime during the night, a David Ickes documentary came into the mix. I was jolted awake by "Alien lizards---the Queen of England among them!!!" Now granted, the woman is no beauty queen, but I am not quite sure she qualifies as an alien lizard. My advice on this one...choose the programs carefully. I had a difficult time getting back to sleep.
Going outside barefoot and no jacket in the rain.I HIGHLY recommend this one! Yes, mud squished delightfully between my toes and my hair was plastered to my head and my clothes were soaked through, but it was an utterly delightful experience!
Eating dessert FIRST. Yes, yes and YES! Do it.
Not sharing your crayons. Got myself the Crayola BIG box. Mine...ALL MINE!!! Used them to color on the wall. Very. Cool.
Jumping on the bed (or other furniture). Kind of a let down. This probably because I only have a mattress on the floor. Will re-do this experiment after I get a proper bed. Did get the dog pretty excited, though.
All in all, I had a good time.
I suggest everyone out there try breaking a childhood rule or two your parents had for you and see how it feels!
I yelled at my kids for some of the same stuff....my bad.
Now, my kids are grown, I am more or less on my own...and I realized a couple of weeks ago that there were a few things I had never done since becoming an adult. (Okay...in my case, maybe quasi-adult would be better terminology).
I made a list and tried out a few things, so here is my report:
Playing ball in the house. Pretty fun. Probably because my dog ended up being an enthusiastic partner in crime.
Drinking milk out of the carton. Rather enjoyable.I am the only one here that drinks milk, so now I have one less glass to wash.
Running with scissors. Doesn't have the charm I thought it would.
Drawing on the wall. AWESOME! I have a field of poppies on my bedroom door now.
Leaving my shoes in the middle of the floor. Bad idea when you trip over them in the middle of the night.
Leaving the t.v. on all night. In my case, it was my computer -- which I watch movies and t.v. shows on. This one gets a mixed review. I lined up several *conspiracy* documentaries on youtube...6 hours worth or so.Went to sleep during "From Freedom to Fascism". Not bad...but sometime during the night, a David Ickes documentary came into the mix. I was jolted awake by "Alien lizards---the Queen of England among them!!!" Now granted, the woman is no beauty queen, but I am not quite sure she qualifies as an alien lizard. My advice on this one...choose the programs carefully. I had a difficult time getting back to sleep.
Going outside barefoot and no jacket in the rain.I HIGHLY recommend this one! Yes, mud squished delightfully between my toes and my hair was plastered to my head and my clothes were soaked through, but it was an utterly delightful experience!
Eating dessert FIRST. Yes, yes and YES! Do it.
Not sharing your crayons. Got myself the Crayola BIG box. Mine...ALL MINE!!! Used them to color on the wall. Very. Cool.
Jumping on the bed (or other furniture). Kind of a let down. This probably because I only have a mattress on the floor. Will re-do this experiment after I get a proper bed. Did get the dog pretty excited, though.
All in all, I had a good time.
I suggest everyone out there try breaking a childhood rule or two your parents had for you and see how it feels!
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