Thursday, August 23, 2012

1938 and 1945 and 1954

I really must get my old photos scanned. Maybe this winter.....

I have many and, perhaps one day, my kids might like to see them.

Age 2 1938

 Age 9 1947


 Age 46 1982


Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Bad Bad ME!

But it was sooooooo good!

I knew I had a can of the stuff in my cupboard. I wanted something sweet. I wanted something satisfying to bring back memories of long ago when I indulged in this habit - often.

I knew it was decadent and indulging. I am worth it!

Tonight I got out the "churchkey" from the utility drawer and poked two holes in the top. One was large, one was just a prick on the opposite side. I sucked the wonderful stuff from the larger hole. It is way less messy to suck directly from the can top than any other way. I know this from past experience. UMMMMMMMMM!


I couldn't finish it all in one sitting so I found a plastic dog food can cover for cans and hid it in the back of the refrigerator for the next time. That will be tomorrow night when all are in bed and it is quiet. It's my secret (I think).


The stuff is so good at room temperature that I will have to let it sit out somewhere a bit for my last annihilation of the stuff. 


Maybe there will be a next time. 

Another version of my camera blog...




Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Last Legs

Yes, my camera is on its last legs. I love that camera and will keep taping it together until it will be impossible to use.

I have said many times before that I don't like change. I'm also afraid that it will take me too long to learn how to use a new one; (fear of the unknown).

In addition, most of all...   I have NO money to buy a new one! Will "make do." Always have, always will.





By the way, I think I'm pretty clever figuring out a way to take a few pictures of it! My brain just kicked in - it does that once in a while!



Another List...


 List making is just something I do and have always done. 
 It sometimes can be revealing, especially if honesty is applied. 
 It is interesting when we compare them.  

Another friend made her list and I made comments (IN RED).

Things I love: (and when I say I love it, I mean I couldn’t live without it)

1. My family (I would be nothing without them)
2. Music (all kinds) (except rap....I don’t consider it music, anyway)
3. Laughing
4. Hugs
5. Good movies (funny clean ones or ones that make you cry or good action movies....without all the blatant gore or a really good suspenseful horror movie (and no gore)
6. Forgiveness
7. Kisses

Things I like: ( I almost love these things, but COULD live without them if I had to)

1. Carbonated drinks...practically any sugar-free kind
I always stir out carbonation
2. Cheeseburgers
No cheese on my burger
3. Macaroni and cheese (the kind my grandmother made from scratch where she baked it and put cheese on top and browned the cheese...yummy!)
I make the BEST. Several layers with extra sharp cheese
4. French Fries (homemade)
YES! I like skins left on
5. Ice cream....practically any kind
Ice cream doesn't thrill me
6. Big Sexy Hair hairspray (it is expensive, but just a little holds your hair however you place it without it making your hair feel dirty)
What is hair spray?
7. Sunsets
Sunrises
8. Birds, butterflies, dogs, cats, horses, cows
ALL critters
9. My Canon camera (it’s amazing)
My poor old Fujifilm camera held together with duck tape and scotch tape. Wish I could take a photo of it to show you!
10. Picasa ( I love cropping my pictures on there and I love the way they organize your pictures by face for you....cool!)
Shutterfly - They make great prints, cups, wall pictures and books for me
11. My computer
YES YES YES!
12. My blog
I like to write blogs and other memory stories. Always have written.
13. My blogging friends
My beach friends and 2 others who blog
14. Understanding
To be understood
15. Patience
Persistence
16. My Saucony walking shoes....best things I ever did for my feet and legs.
Bare feet - I don't know anything about Saucony shoes!
17. A good concert....and I have been to hundreds of them in my life....George Strait, Reba McIntyre,Heart, Neil Diamond, Madonna,Billy Joel,  John Denver, Alan Jackson, Katy Perry, and Taylor Swift top all the ones I have been to....I would pay to go see them again in a second....been to see Madonna twice and George Strait four times.)
Only went to live shows as a teen, no concerts
18.Six Flags Over Texas.....as I have gotten older, I love the scenery around the park as much as the rides....but I still love a good ride!
NO rides except Ferriswheel and carousel and I love carousel music
19. Enchiladas
Never had one
20. Chocolate meringue pie
Never had one but like lemon meringue homemade pie
21. Firm, soft pillow
Soft soft feather pillow
22. Soft tshirts
The older the better - cotton
24. Bracelet watches
I don't wear a watch but have 4, one I won from Reader's Digest Magazine
25. All In The Family
YES!
26. I Love Lucy
YES!
27. Barbie and Ken
NO!
28. Clarinets ( I played one in band for 6 years)
I played mellophone and French horn in school bands and orchestras (grammar and high)
29. Pianos (I had one for about three years and missed it terribly when it was taken away)
Disliked and feared teacher who used to rap my knuckles with ruler
30. Clouds
Rainbows
32. Flowers...petunias are my favorite because of their aroma in the evening....smells like Adams Clove gum, which my Mamaw always had for me when I went to her house.
Love all flowers. Grandpa gave me Wrigley's Spearment
33. Train whistles in the distance
Really like train whistles and train sounds, especially steam
34. The smell of damp leaves
NO!
35. Mud between your toes
Sand and wet grass on my feet
36. Walking in the street barefoot when it’s raining gently
Popping tar bubbles on street in hot weather
37. Thunderstorms at night (if there is no chance of a tornado)
Thunderstorms anytime
38. Surprise visits from my cousin
No surprise visits
39. Surprise visits from my kids
No surprise visits
40. Good poetry
Rhyming poems
41. Biographies
No
42. Learning how to do something new that I didn’t think I could do
Teaching myself without following instructions
43. Painting the inside of the house
NOI!
45. Cross stitching
Can do, boring
46. Floating on my back in the swimming pool when there is no one else there
Floating on noodle in pool never mind who is there
47. M&M’s (peanut, of course)
Marzipan
48. Snickers (frozen are best...let it sit just inside your teeth for a few seconds and let your saliva melt it just enough to bite it.)
Milk chocolate covered cherries - must be juicy and sticky
49. Holding hands
NO
50. Cooperation from co-workers
Worked alone most of the time
51. Reading a good bedtime story to my kids.....when it’s good enough for them to ask me to read it again.
Read to husband often so he will "get it"
52. Having my kid tell me they love me when they don’t want anything and I didn’t tell them I loved them first.
Having my kids ask me how to do something and I know how
53. Having my parents call me on my birthday and sing Happy Birthday to me and ask me if they were first at wishing me happy birthday.
I always called them
54. Best friend
My best friend died and want no other to take her place
55. Scented candles
NO!
56. Body wash
Plain old soap bar is fine
57. Hot soaking  baths when my legs are hurting....the heat seems to ease the pain.
No bathtub hot shower does it
58. Spring
YES!
59. Fall
No, it means winter is coming
60. Making flower arrangements
I don't like picked or bought flowers 
#61 is missing
62. Rearranging the furniture
       I Like things to stay exactly the same EXACTLY
63. Cars that don’t break down
Dependable cars at all times
64. Soft to the touch throws in the winter
Lots of heavy quilts and socks to bed
65. Kisses from my dogs when they know I’m sad
Kiss dog and he kisses back when I go to bed
66. Good teachers....the ones that take an interest in the students and make a difference in their lives and are not just there for the pay check
AMEN!!

Things that I don’t like:

1. Intolerance
Racism
2. Speeding
OK
3. Gore
DITTO
4. Reality tv shows (they pretend it’s real)
DITTO
5. Drinking water
I never drink plain water
6. Cake
Only if has lots of tasty icing
7. Rap
DITTO! Can't stand it
8. A bad haircut
Never notice
9. Saggy pants on guys
Plumber pants
10. Beards
LIKE
11. Having to wear glasses
NO problem I have 4 pair - reading, computer, distance, prescription sunglasses - I would feel naked without them
12. Crowds (concerts are the exception to this rule....they make the concert more fun)
NO CROWDS or GROUPS for me - ever
13. Waitresses that ignore your empty glass (they won’t get a tip)
I don't let them ignore me 
14. People who run yield signs....and never even touch their brakes
Lawbreakers!
15. Tailgaters (not the ones who have tailgate parties, but the ones that stay on your bumper trying to get you to move out of their way when there is a fast lane open)
I just tap my brakes to scare them
16. Going to the doctor
Once a year is enough
17. Being sick
Being waited on when sick
18. Spinach, cauliflower, asparagus, broccoli, squash
WHAT! Those are all the best vegetables!
I abhor the word, "veggies"
19. Breaking glass
Breaking anything
20. Dusting
No problem, sometimes I wash stuff in sink to dust them
21. Ants
Carpenter ants - no! Others..mmmmmm
22. Roaches
Palmetto bugs? We spray in SC
23. Having cramps during a period
Never had cramps then
24. Headaches
Don't have headaches
25. Leg cramps
Don't have leg cramps
26. Stickers in the yard
Pickers? Brambles? NO
27. Tattle tales
DITTO

Things I hate: (I would wipe these off the face of the earth if I could)
ALL of the below! Plus rape

1. Cruelty
2. Killing
3. Hatred
4. Lying
5. Cheating
6. Whiskers growing on my face (and I have sympathy for any woman who does)
7. Alcohol (too many people’s lives are destroyed by alcohol....you wouldn’t believe the number....I see it all the time where I work)
8. Drugs ( too many people’s lives are destroyed by drugs....you probably would believe the number....I see it all the time where I work)
9. Cancer
10. Car wrecks that take lives
11. Devastation
12. Injustice
13. Chaos
14. Death of a child, no matter the reason
15. Droughts
16. Fires that destroy
17. Child abuse
18. Trouble makers
19. People who judge someone else without walking in their shoes first
20. Smoking (cigarettes took my dad away) not so much
21. Greed, especially when it hurts others
22. Biting the inside of your mouth and the sore that results 
If it doesn't feel good, don't do it!
23. Spousal abuse
24. Hangnails
25. Paper cuts

Foggy and Misty Morning

This view is seen only one time of the year. The lake in front of our cabin cools down and the steam rises up and over everything. You cannot see your hand in front of your face - well almost! When I go outside to snap pictures, I have to let myself and my camera dry out before replacing the lens cap. 

Over the past few years I have taken several photos of this and it still surprises me, when, one morning it happens! Then, for several days thereafter, it continues, but the first day is always the mistiest!

(click on photos to view larger)
2004

 2010 August Sunrise

2011 August Sunrise

2012 No Sight of Sun

2011 August Sunrise

 2012 Can't see Sun!

2011 Just before Irene took out the Willow

2011 Just before Irene Moved the Log

2012 All Boats and Floats UP-Winter's Coming!

Mouse Invasion


It is that time of the year! We will leave Pennsylvania on Sunday and head to our trailer in a campground in South Carolina. We do this three times a year and the trip is long and gets harder each time. We stay for two months there and then return to Pennsylvania for the winter. We have to prepare the cabin for our vacancy before leaving, and this is what my story is about. I wrote it five years ago but it never was on my blog.

It was November 4 and the couple had just returned from their SC place at the beach to their cabin in the Endless Mountains of PA. After driving the truck for thirteen hours, the husband unloaded several boxes, bags, storage tubs and coolers. He turned on the water and turned up the propane heater.The wife fed the dog and prepared a bite for them to eat before unloading and storing the edible provisions and other items that were brought back. She noticed that the bar soaps, which were left out on the kitchen sink, showed nibbling bite marks and other traces of mice were evident.

Now, you should know that all boxed, bagged and opened foods were brought south when they left in September. The trash cans were totally empty and clean. The toaster was crumb less, the sugar bowl was emptied and washed, and only canned goods remained in the under-counter cupboards. A dozen rodent poison boxes were placed on shelves in the kitchen cupboards, the bathroom linen closet shelves, both bedroom closets and all bureau drawers. A list was even made to remind the couple exactly where the toxic pellet boxes were placed so they could be discarded after they returned. This was due to having a dog who eats everything he finds on the floor. Also a small child might come across them. You see, there have been a couple of mice visits to the old log cabin in previous years when the abode was empty of residents. Every one of the boxes was empty - every one! How many mice were there?

It was soon discovered that multitudes of the critters had visited, and quite recently. There was only one belly up on the hearth rug, though. That evening, the wife decided to clean up the mess and restore order the next day. Only cold foods were put away and medicines were unloaded for immediate use.

And so the cleanup began.The first plan of attack was to pull out all pots, pans, iron kettles, roasters, mixing bowls, plastic storage containers, and other things from the cupboards, vacuum the debris, wash the wooden plank shelves with a bleach and soap mixture and let it all dry. Then everything that was removed was washed and dried before being replaced. This meant crawling around on the floor and stretching into those very deep under-the-counter cupboards. Wow! What a job! There were droppings on top of the refrigerator and on the little shelf above it too.

The next day the linen closets and bedroom closets and bureaus underwent a similar cleaning. The good thing was that droppings were found only on the shelves and floors and not on the contents. If the mice traveled over objects in those areas, they didn’t leave indications on them (at least not obviously).

Now for the windup of the extraordinary mouse invasion. What a grand finale is coming!

The wife finally had time to start up the computer, which is in her bedroom. There were those same little black things all over the keyboard and desktop! She dumped them, cleaned up the workspace and did some computer web research. After finding all information on her search subject matter, she prepared to print it so several copies could be mailed to a few friends down south who don’t have e-mail. The printer wouldn’t print. The printer kept sending error messages to the computer. Investigation of this problem was needed. It had worked fine just hours before the couple left to head south. All wires and plugs and such were then checked. A reboot of both the computer and the printer was done. Several other procedures were performed. Nothing worked.

After opening the lid of the printer and peering inside with a powerful small MagLite, the reason for operational failure was discovered. There was a hoard of little green pellets piled up behind the circuit board and all over the bottom plate. A straw was attached to the vacuum tool with duct tape and they were sucked up - to no avail - the printer still wouldn’t function, but it did hum a bit!

Oh well, at least the spiders weren’t as busy this time. Very few webs were encountered during the cleanup process... and that is unusual.

A small hole around a hot water heater drain pipe was found in the bottom log by the back door. The only other way they could have immigrated might be that they lined up and waited to enter as we were loading up to leave! Yeah!

GMR November 9, 2007

Monday, August 20, 2012

Lists...

A very dear and personal friend has shared with me her personal list and I have bounced back to her my comments. We are both "list-makers." Do YOU have YOUR list made yet?

Her list is in the red ink and mine is in the blue.


Things I really like…………   
Things I really like...comments by GMR
By the way...I like snakes and other critters.

Fresh pineapple
NO! I like canned
My morning time sitting outside listening to the birds, and praying 
I never sit outside unless am at the beach on the porch 
Clean linens 
Definitely - hung out on the line to dry 
Elderly people 
Never thought about it 
Freshly cut grass 
YES
Gardenias
NO, sicky smell too heavy 
Chocolate & Black cherry ice cream
Only black cherry - none other 
A fresh cold cigarette 
No longer, but still like the smell of a freshly lit one 
Foot massage
Yes
Hot bath
Haven't had one in 14 years!
Fans
I like the white sound 
Ocean/beach 
Still         
2 dollars in my pocket
Empty pockets 
The bird art Aunt Mae made me 
ALL home/hand made gifts 
The glass rock I found when I was nine  
Sea glass 
The building Bobby gave me to work on my art, etc…
The old cabin in PA where I live 
My gold locket 
My grandmother's bead necklace 
My gold cross 
My mother's abalone pin
My books, buttons, shells collection
My photo collection 
My baby book
My mother's baby book with her hair 
Piano music is my great passion
Piano Ragtime is my favorite  
My camera
My computer 
Prescription Sunglasses Clay gave me
Mine too 
Mom’s Wedding band
Ditto 
Pearls 
YES! Only real ones 
Pork Chop w/bones
I like the bones only 
Country ham
To make split pea soup only 
Oyster stew
New England Clam Chowder 
Oil Painting
Scissors
Skype
Don't have that 
Cussing (respectively)
S O B , shit and damn only 
Shrimp
YES!
Noodles
YES!
Potatoes
YES! and ALL pasta 
Perfume, Oh do I love Stella!
NO, only apple blossom fragrance 
Puppies
Yes, and kittens 
Tree frogs
Never thought about the peepers - like katydids and locusts 
Cinnamon …my favorite!
Yes, and nutmeg 
Drudge Report !!! drudgereport com
????? don't like news or politics
Walking in country
used to love riding horses and motorcycles
Growing plants & flowers from seeds
Saving seeds and giving away 
Sitting inside an empty church (I love this so much) 
Exploring abandon barns and shacks 
Boat dock
Lake float 
Creeks
Logs and small waterfalls
Blueberries
No, Bing Cherries 
Cards
Chess, dominos, checkers 
Cryptoquote 
???
Fishing
Boating
Gibby 
Awesome person?
Swimming for exercise
No exercising 
Sketchers & Nike
Barefeet 
Casinos
Never have gambled 
Dr  Pepper
V8
Sweet Tea
Strong coffee
Cocoa w/marshmallows
NO
Sweet peas, Lima, Butter, Pinto Beans
YES
Brick homes
NO
Wind chimes
YES
Art Museums
Never experienced
Warm weather
Cool weather
Sign Language
Body language
Being a grandmother
Being a daughter
Jaguars & Lincoln Town Cars
VW and Ford anything
Tractors
Wagons
Early History
Civil War History
Hats with feathers
Hate hats
Law
Justice
Investigation
Prosecution
Sunflower seeds
Salted UNBOILED peanuts
Front porches
YES
Peanut butter
YES
Jam
Homemade only except for marmelade
French bread
All bread
Jalapenos
NEVER - NO!
Baseball caps !!!
Hate hats
Sand
Only fine and white or light tan
Lips
YUK
Sesame seeds
NO
Two seat bicycles
NO
Fresh pepper
All black or white pepper, no hot or green
Cotton nightgowns
No nightgowns - EVER
Slippers
Moccasin style only
Garlic
NO-onions only
Golf carts
Older small ones
Sundays
Saturdays
Rain
Thunder and lightning storms
Flowers
YES! ALL!

Things I really don’t like……
Things I really don't like... comments by   GMR

#1 on my list is WASTE and GREED
#2 is fancy clothes and too much makeup, extravagance and ostentatiousness
#3 is misspellings, incompetence and carelessness
Lazy people
Ditto
Hyperchondriac
Ditto
Most alcoholic beverages (thumbs up to straight crown)
Vodka and (Sam Adams beer once in a while)
TV
I like some
Traffic
Doesn't bother me
Liver
LOVE it
Chicken (just started eating it about a year ago )
Breast meat only
Mushrooms
LOVE them
Cranberries
Ditto
Air condition
Like a lot
Pepsi
OK if carbonation stirred out
Cold weather
Hot weather
Cigarette smoke in my face
DITTO and on people's clothes when they are in my space
Burning leaves
Love 
Barking dogs
DITTO
Nosey neighbors
Laughable
Cheating of any kind
DITTO DITTO DITTO
Liars
DITTO DITTO DITTO
Salesmen
DITTO 
Customer service 
No problem
Small Underwear 
DITTO
Spiders
Not a problem
Fox 21
No Opinion
Big dogs
No bother
Decorative Flags
DITTO
Real Trains
LOVE trains
Crossword Puzzles
DITTO
Too much furniture
DITTO
Sun in my eyes 
DITTO 
Dark lighting
Love the darkness
Snow
OK
Alligators
Love all Nature
Sharks
Nature
Fast Boats
No opinion
Politics
HATE
Figs
Like
Sage
Like
Cilantro
No opinion
Cold pasta
LIKE a lot
Margarine
HATE
Coffee
Like
Hot tea
Like
Cashews
Like
Jelly
Only green mint home made
*****************


I am not afraid to die 
I'm not either
People scare me 
I don't like people in general, but they don't scare me
I trust no one completely 
DITTO
There is only one person that knows almost everything about me 
DITTO
If you don’t care, then I don’t care 
DITTO
I am not afraid of change  I can adjust 
HATE change
When I am tired to the point where I just can’t do anymore, I do one more thing 
I quit
I have been wrong a lot 
DITTO DITTO DITTO
I have no patience for ignorance 
DITTO DITTO DITTO
I don’t break bread with you one day, and talk about you behind your back the next day 
DITTO
It is easier for me to walk away than you think 
No, I dwell and linger
I will not be controlled 
DITTO DITTO DITTO
I know how to play the game but I don’t always play 
I play often
Just because I like you a lot today, doesn’t guarantee I will like you a lot tomorrow 
That upsets me!
When I am done, I am done 
DITTO DITTO DITTO
I don’t steal 
DITTO DITTO DITTO
I am trust worthy 
DITTO DITTO DITTO
If I say I will, then I will 
DITTO 
I rattle on way to much these days 
DITTO
I can and will figure you out if I choose to 
I can't
My mind is my most powerful tool 
My mind is me
I am blind in my left eye 
I'm deaf to problems
I have extremely painful arthritis
I live in nagging aches and pains not extreme 
I hate no one
I strongly strongly dislike a relative 
If I don't like you, most likely you wont know it  
You will know it if I don't like you
I am forgiving but I never forget
I am neither 

What goes around always comes around in His time  Funny thing is most people don’t realize it when it comes around 
Fate rules


Okay, I am done… I think  LOL dina Aug. 2012
Me too, G. Aug 2012