Ok, after having my yahoo email hijacked by a virus - do not open any email from me that says something about New Life New Shopping or something like that. I was hijacked, and everyone in my email address book was sent the viral email.
It then deleted ALL of my email addresses from my address book.
So, send me an email so I can get your address added back into my book. I have asked yahoo if they can recover it from their servers, but have not heard back from them.
Ok, onto the weekend.
Snuggie brought me a young snake today. Yippeee.
Jaz is good. Tashi is fine.
Friday night my friend Mandy and I had dinner with my mom, and we watched a movie.
Saturday mom and I went to a recycling seminar, then went to SunWatch to a Native Flute Gathering - it is only about 3 miles from my house. She had a buffalo burger and I had a "native" taco which was taco fixings on fry bread, but not the large frybread I am used to. This was smaller about the size of a taco shell but about an inch thick. Not bad.
We left there and went to an indoor flea market that was a really great flea market. I snatched an antique phone stand in excellent condition for $45, an old metal toolbox in excellent shape for $10 and a really sturdy metal snow shovel for $4.
Today, we met Mandy downtown at Carillon Park for the first annual "Green Fest" put on by the local transit, RTA.
It is a start. I was "amused" by the fact that the ONLY recycling containers I saw at the Green Fest were the 2 that were part of the Waste Management's company's booth. 6 garbage cans placed around the festival area (it was a small fest - 1st year) and none of them had a recycle container next to it. That is one "green" festival.
We left and went to Panera for lunch. It is chain that serves sandwiches, soups and salads and has a bakery. My sandwich was awesome - Turkey Artichoke -- Smoked turkey, spinach artichoke spread, Asiago-Parmesan cheese, tomatoes & caramelized onions, grilled hot on our Focaccia. mmmmm.
Dad - Being his typical silly self...
We miss you dad!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
1 "incomplete" is Complete!!!
Whoooooooooooooo
Hooooooooooooooooooo
I just submitted a proposal for the creation of a Youth Entrepreneur Center for Montgomery County.
Now, I just have to create and complete an ethnographic field study, and prepare a summary presentation to finish the other incomplete.
Fortunately, my best friend is the Stacks Manager at the local state university and can get me pretty much any book my little heart desires.
I was a heavy user of the link+ library system in CA and she has access to an Ohio program like it where you have access to the libraries at most public universities in a large geographic range.
Since she is staff, I am able to hang onto the books longer than students are allowed to. A perk of living in Ohio.
Jaz - he is doing just fine and is back to his normal self. Momma is relieved!
Well, got the normal summer quarter homework to attend to...
See ya!
Hooooooooooooooooooo
I just submitted a proposal for the creation of a Youth Entrepreneur Center for Montgomery County.
Now, I just have to create and complete an ethnographic field study, and prepare a summary presentation to finish the other incomplete.
Fortunately, my best friend is the Stacks Manager at the local state university and can get me pretty much any book my little heart desires.
I was a heavy user of the link+ library system in CA and she has access to an Ohio program like it where you have access to the libraries at most public universities in a large geographic range.
Since she is staff, I am able to hang onto the books longer than students are allowed to. A perk of living in Ohio.
Jaz - he is doing just fine and is back to his normal self. Momma is relieved!
Well, got the normal summer quarter homework to attend to...
See ya!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
The Bread Quest
I have a bread problem.
After buying 3 different types of sliced loaf bread, in 3 different price/quality categories, I still want to cry.
Being a bread-aholic, this may be a good thing, as I am much less inclined to eat it.
I just doesn't taste, or feel right on the palate.
It is too sticky and glutinous.
When it is combined with melted cheese, or anything hot/warm and slightly moist, it looses any hope of backbone and collapses into what tastes, and feels like, a thin layer of gooey glue. Eeew.
Toasted or grilled, it is dry and tastes like what I imagine some styrofoam tasting like.
I am buying whole grain, and typically whole wheat or multi-grain varieties, or so the packages have said.
I keep thinking I will eat X, and then realize it involves bread...then I begin to lose interest in eating it.
I did not expect my beloved bread to be a casualty of the move.
The hunt is on!
After buying 3 different types of sliced loaf bread, in 3 different price/quality categories, I still want to cry.
Being a bread-aholic, this may be a good thing, as I am much less inclined to eat it.
I just doesn't taste, or feel right on the palate.
It is too sticky and glutinous.
When it is combined with melted cheese, or anything hot/warm and slightly moist, it looses any hope of backbone and collapses into what tastes, and feels like, a thin layer of gooey glue. Eeew.
Toasted or grilled, it is dry and tastes like what I imagine some styrofoam tasting like.
I am buying whole grain, and typically whole wheat or multi-grain varieties, or so the packages have said.
I keep thinking I will eat X, and then realize it involves bread...then I begin to lose interest in eating it.
I did not expect my beloved bread to be a casualty of the move.
The hunt is on!
America's Fastest Dying Cities - Forbes 8/05/08
Well,
It isn't the notoriety one would hope for.
Apparently 4 of the top 10 fastest dying cities in America are located in Ohio and, of course, Dayton is right on that list...
check it out by clicking on the post title.
According to other Forbes' lists, Dayton is:
#4 for cost of living,
on the list for the 20 worst cities for jobs, with a 5 year annualized job growth rate of -.6%,
64th for allergies,
the flighst at Dayton airport arrive and depart on time about 50% of the time (46% arrivals & 52% departures) - SFO is 86 & 65 respectively...
one of the Best Minor League Baseball Parks - Fifth Third Field - Dayton set a Midwest League attendance record in 2004 by drawing over a half million fans, leading its league to a high water mark of 3.3 million. The team has sold out 427 consecutive games.
ok, back to my econ dev homework!
It isn't the notoriety one would hope for.
Apparently 4 of the top 10 fastest dying cities in America are located in Ohio and, of course, Dayton is right on that list...
check it out by clicking on the post title.
According to other Forbes' lists, Dayton is:
#4 for cost of living,
on the list for the 20 worst cities for jobs, with a 5 year annualized job growth rate of -.6%,
64th for allergies,
the flighst at Dayton airport arrive and depart on time about 50% of the time (46% arrivals & 52% departures) - SFO is 86 & 65 respectively...
one of the Best Minor League Baseball Parks - Fifth Third Field - Dayton set a Midwest League attendance record in 2004 by drawing over a half million fans, leading its league to a high water mark of 3.3 million. The team has sold out 427 consecutive games.
ok, back to my econ dev homework!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Pill Poppin' Jaz
Jaz went to the vet today. We did not have an appointment, so they had to work him in. I dropped him off at 8, drove Mom to her dental appointment, we came back and they still hadn't seen him. We went to the grocery and came back and he had been seen.
The vet said he should make a full recovery. I didn't think he had any serious injuries, but wanted to be more sure, since I only play a vet on tv and am not qualified to chime in on internal injuries and such.
Well, Jaz came home with an Rx for pain pills, and is now snoozing on the bed.
He was not as wobbly this afternoon, and the vet said he should regain his stability over the next few days.
We are very, very lucky.
My absolute biggest concern about living here. I hope I can keep them all alive and in good health until we can relocate to a farm type property on a quieter road.
Of course, I want the next house to have a wrap around porch (or at least one on 2 sides if not all 3), a chicken coop, garden plot, shade trees, and a barn. A creek or naturally occuring pond would be good too...
That'll cost more than a Kia Rio. Maybe it will be the Flying Spur Farm...
Anyway, was not able to focus much on school yesterday, so now that he is starting to conk out on the bed (the pain killers are not making him as sleepy as I thought they would) I will get back to the homework.
Catch you all later.
The vet said he should make a full recovery. I didn't think he had any serious injuries, but wanted to be more sure, since I only play a vet on tv and am not qualified to chime in on internal injuries and such.
Well, Jaz came home with an Rx for pain pills, and is now snoozing on the bed.
He was not as wobbly this afternoon, and the vet said he should regain his stability over the next few days.
We are very, very lucky.
My absolute biggest concern about living here. I hope I can keep them all alive and in good health until we can relocate to a farm type property on a quieter road.
Of course, I want the next house to have a wrap around porch (or at least one on 2 sides if not all 3), a chicken coop, garden plot, shade trees, and a barn. A creek or naturally occuring pond would be good too...
That'll cost more than a Kia Rio. Maybe it will be the Flying Spur Farm...
Anyway, was not able to focus much on school yesterday, so now that he is starting to conk out on the bed (the pain killers are not making him as sleepy as I thought they would) I will get back to the homework.
Catch you all later.
Monday, August 18, 2008
It was Jaz...
I thought he seemed a bit disoriented.
He is lethargic at the moment. Ok, for those of you who know Jaz, you are wondering how I can tell he is lethargic. Well, it is the intersection of movement and food.
I noticed that he had not been eating when the others came in to eat, so I got the treat bag out and rattled it. He did not respond from his spot on the loveseat. I rattled again. Opened. Put treats loudly on the kitchen floor. No Jaz. I went into LR and he had jumped down to the floor, walked about 4 steps and laid down.
I brought the treats into the LR and laid them a foot in front of him. He did not move. I moved them right in front of him. He put his nose down, sniffed and turned his head.
Huh???? Not my Jazzy.
He slowly got up, walked to the bedroom and looked at the bed and just sat there. I went to get somethings to make him a ladder and he walked around to the other side of the bed and sat there. I picked him up and put him on the bed.
He did drink some water I brought to him and then had some soft food. He is holding his left eye somewhat closed, his breathing may be a little noisey, but he is a loud breather anyway, so this one is tough.
He is on close supervision. I will be doing my homework from the laptop while on the bed with him.
Called the vet my mom and dad use and they told me what to watch for and where the pet ER is (really close to me) if things take a turn, and that if he still was acting a bit off in the morning, to bring him in at 8.
So, I'll update you when there is more to tell. I don't think he is in immediate danger. Might have a dislocated jaw which can cause swelling at the back of the mouth, could have a minor concussion or could have some bruised/cracked ribs etc.
Thank goodness my neighbor was in his yard and saw it happen.
More to follow on Tuesday or Wednesday.
He is lethargic at the moment. Ok, for those of you who know Jaz, you are wondering how I can tell he is lethargic. Well, it is the intersection of movement and food.
I noticed that he had not been eating when the others came in to eat, so I got the treat bag out and rattled it. He did not respond from his spot on the loveseat. I rattled again. Opened. Put treats loudly on the kitchen floor. No Jaz. I went into LR and he had jumped down to the floor, walked about 4 steps and laid down.
I brought the treats into the LR and laid them a foot in front of him. He did not move. I moved them right in front of him. He put his nose down, sniffed and turned his head.
Huh???? Not my Jazzy.
He slowly got up, walked to the bedroom and looked at the bed and just sat there. I went to get somethings to make him a ladder and he walked around to the other side of the bed and sat there. I picked him up and put him on the bed.
He did drink some water I brought to him and then had some soft food. He is holding his left eye somewhat closed, his breathing may be a little noisey, but he is a loud breather anyway, so this one is tough.
He is on close supervision. I will be doing my homework from the laptop while on the bed with him.
Called the vet my mom and dad use and they told me what to watch for and where the pet ER is (really close to me) if things take a turn, and that if he still was acting a bit off in the morning, to bring him in at 8.
So, I'll update you when there is more to tell. I don't think he is in immediate danger. Might have a dislocated jaw which can cause swelling at the back of the mouth, could have a minor concussion or could have some bruised/cracked ribs etc.
Thank goodness my neighbor was in his yard and saw it happen.
More to follow on Tuesday or Wednesday.
BIG Panic at Kia Rio
Well, I was sitting in the office about 11:30 am this morning, minding my own business and working on the incomplete for the MS in Org Mgmt when I heard a noise in the living room.
It didn't really sound like Jaz when he comes slamming through the cat door at full tilt and then slides across the hardwood floor, stopping just shy of the love seat.
I went to check it out. It was my neighbor, Lee, knocking on the door. He asked if my cat just came running into the house. I am not sure, why??? I am thinking one of his dogs got in a whirl and really got after one of them.
Lee hesitated, and then asked if I had a grey one with kind of long hair. Well, I could see that someone might see Jaz as grey, especially if they are not good at colors. I said yes, I had two cats with longish hair.
He said the cat had been hit by a truck, rolled twice and ran straight into my yard. He thought it ran up to the house.
Well, I was a head spinning mess. I thanked him, ran in the house looking for Jaz and Tashi. Went outside and called around, crawled under the shrubs, called and then went back into the house. I threw on jeans, gym shoes and a long sleeve shirt and plunged into the Impenetrable Forest. I came out after about 15 minutes, with no sign of Jaz or Tashi. Snuggie has been humped up on the wool blanket on the chaise in the office all day.
I grabbed the phone, called mom and asked her to come over so I would have some help going to the vet, if needed. I got the cat whistle and started calling. Got the rose pruning shears and headed back into the IF, spiderwebs, spiders, brush and branches, fallen trees. It is "au natural" in there, except for the debris along the edge that consists of basic garbage, a car door, soccer ball and other odd items.
Still no sign of either cat. I am sweating like crazy and my heart is racing. My back is a tad bit stiff from walking around hunched over in the IF.
I go back in the house for a bottle of water, and the cat treats. I come back out and keep calling. Jaz pokes his head out of the bushes along the back of the yard. I call, he does not move. I can see his head and front legs only. I worry that his back legs are damaged. He normally runs to me. He sits still as I approach him. Odd for him. He is looking at me in a weird way. I have to pick him up out of the bushes. His back foot is a little dirty. I carry him back inside the house and inspect him. He does not appear to be hurt. I gently investigated his underbelly to see if there was any tenderness. He seemed fine.
I locked the cat door to prevent his going out, but to allowing Tashi to come in. I go out the door calling for Tashi. I head back into IF and then hear mom pull up. I come back out. She goes inside to see Jaz and then comes out to help me look for Tashi. It is now almost an hour after the accident. I worry that if he is really hurt, he is hiding and I may not find him.
I head back into IF and after about 10 minutes I see Tashi, standing up along the edge just about 3 feet inside th IF. He is normally skittish, so I am careful not to go toward him. He is standing up, that is a really good sign. I am hopeful. I make a wide berth around him and go into the yard, get the treats and try to coax him to me. Mom goes in the house so she doesn't scare him. I lose him.
I find him a few minutes later. He is a few feet away, meowing and looking at me weirdly. I hold out treats. I advance a few inches and he flees. He can move good. I go out to the steps of the house, put the treats on the bottom step, call him and I move up to the porch. After about 15 more minutes, he comes up and eats the treats. I inspect him from afar, and see no obvious signs of injury. He is eating, and that is a real good sign. He will not come to me or come inside. I watch him and feel that he is not in immediate danger.
Mom and I sit inside and talk about the cats and the garden. I feel relieved they both seem ok. I wash the IF spider and bug yuck out of my hair and towel off. I decide the boys are probably fine but I will keep a close eye on them.
I took mom down to Possum Creek and we look at the community garden plots. Only about a dozen out of 130 spaces are in use. One garden has beautiful veggies in it, the others are either sort of maintained or forgotten, and most of the plots were not used this year. The garden plots are free, yup free. We walk around, butterflies, moths and grasshoppers galore. We decide we will get a plot apiece next year and put our corn, some popcorn, and the beans at Possum Creek and use her garden spaces for the more finicky plants that need more TLC. We will stage the planting so we don't have all the things coming on at the same time. Beans take quite a while to pick, then they need to be washed and broke and then the canning takes a while. Corn is a bit easier to deal with, but we don't want the whole crop maturing at the same basic time.
We come back to the house, she leaves, and just as I am fixing my lunch, Tashi comes in the living room. I give him a treat of soft food and then pick him up and inspect him. Seems perfectly fine.
I am relieved, very relieved, but haunted because there is a significant chance that next time will be a much sadder tale.
After lunch, I got on the mls and was looking at farm type properties. I am going to start paying attention to what is out there, and for how much. I'd like to get off Route 4 in the next 2 years, rent Kia Rio out, and put the boys on a farm much farther off the road.
Well, my heart rate is recovered, and I must now get back to that incomplete I was working on hours ago...
Whew.
It didn't really sound like Jaz when he comes slamming through the cat door at full tilt and then slides across the hardwood floor, stopping just shy of the love seat.
I went to check it out. It was my neighbor, Lee, knocking on the door. He asked if my cat just came running into the house. I am not sure, why??? I am thinking one of his dogs got in a whirl and really got after one of them.
Lee hesitated, and then asked if I had a grey one with kind of long hair. Well, I could see that someone might see Jaz as grey, especially if they are not good at colors. I said yes, I had two cats with longish hair.
He said the cat had been hit by a truck, rolled twice and ran straight into my yard. He thought it ran up to the house.
Well, I was a head spinning mess. I thanked him, ran in the house looking for Jaz and Tashi. Went outside and called around, crawled under the shrubs, called and then went back into the house. I threw on jeans, gym shoes and a long sleeve shirt and plunged into the Impenetrable Forest. I came out after about 15 minutes, with no sign of Jaz or Tashi. Snuggie has been humped up on the wool blanket on the chaise in the office all day.
I grabbed the phone, called mom and asked her to come over so I would have some help going to the vet, if needed. I got the cat whistle and started calling. Got the rose pruning shears and headed back into the IF, spiderwebs, spiders, brush and branches, fallen trees. It is "au natural" in there, except for the debris along the edge that consists of basic garbage, a car door, soccer ball and other odd items.
Still no sign of either cat. I am sweating like crazy and my heart is racing. My back is a tad bit stiff from walking around hunched over in the IF.
I go back in the house for a bottle of water, and the cat treats. I come back out and keep calling. Jaz pokes his head out of the bushes along the back of the yard. I call, he does not move. I can see his head and front legs only. I worry that his back legs are damaged. He normally runs to me. He sits still as I approach him. Odd for him. He is looking at me in a weird way. I have to pick him up out of the bushes. His back foot is a little dirty. I carry him back inside the house and inspect him. He does not appear to be hurt. I gently investigated his underbelly to see if there was any tenderness. He seemed fine.
I locked the cat door to prevent his going out, but to allowing Tashi to come in. I go out the door calling for Tashi. I head back into IF and then hear mom pull up. I come back out. She goes inside to see Jaz and then comes out to help me look for Tashi. It is now almost an hour after the accident. I worry that if he is really hurt, he is hiding and I may not find him.
I head back into IF and after about 10 minutes I see Tashi, standing up along the edge just about 3 feet inside th IF. He is normally skittish, so I am careful not to go toward him. He is standing up, that is a really good sign. I am hopeful. I make a wide berth around him and go into the yard, get the treats and try to coax him to me. Mom goes in the house so she doesn't scare him. I lose him.
I find him a few minutes later. He is a few feet away, meowing and looking at me weirdly. I hold out treats. I advance a few inches and he flees. He can move good. I go out to the steps of the house, put the treats on the bottom step, call him and I move up to the porch. After about 15 more minutes, he comes up and eats the treats. I inspect him from afar, and see no obvious signs of injury. He is eating, and that is a real good sign. He will not come to me or come inside. I watch him and feel that he is not in immediate danger.
Mom and I sit inside and talk about the cats and the garden. I feel relieved they both seem ok. I wash the IF spider and bug yuck out of my hair and towel off. I decide the boys are probably fine but I will keep a close eye on them.
I took mom down to Possum Creek and we look at the community garden plots. Only about a dozen out of 130 spaces are in use. One garden has beautiful veggies in it, the others are either sort of maintained or forgotten, and most of the plots were not used this year. The garden plots are free, yup free. We walk around, butterflies, moths and grasshoppers galore. We decide we will get a plot apiece next year and put our corn, some popcorn, and the beans at Possum Creek and use her garden spaces for the more finicky plants that need more TLC. We will stage the planting so we don't have all the things coming on at the same time. Beans take quite a while to pick, then they need to be washed and broke and then the canning takes a while. Corn is a bit easier to deal with, but we don't want the whole crop maturing at the same basic time.
We come back to the house, she leaves, and just as I am fixing my lunch, Tashi comes in the living room. I give him a treat of soft food and then pick him up and inspect him. Seems perfectly fine.
I am relieved, very relieved, but haunted because there is a significant chance that next time will be a much sadder tale.
After lunch, I got on the mls and was looking at farm type properties. I am going to start paying attention to what is out there, and for how much. I'd like to get off Route 4 in the next 2 years, rent Kia Rio out, and put the boys on a farm much farther off the road.
Well, my heart rate is recovered, and I must now get back to that incomplete I was working on hours ago...
Whew.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Kia Rio - First Critter Award
The first critter, dead or alive, to be known to be brought in by the TumbleFur Gang, was proudly deposited by none other than,
drum roll please...
Snuggie!!!!!!!!
The critter, a mole pup, (http://flickr.com/photos/24163310@N00/429212920/) was just a tiny bit larger than this one.
Snuggie began his “victory and notification dance” in the living room. I followed him to the kitchen where he proudly went to the food dishes, and looked up at me for approval.
I looked down, and found the mole pup hunkered up between the wall and the ceramic food bowls. It appeared to be relatively unharmed. These moles have no vision, and it is thought they “might” have a perception of light and dark.
Well, since we try to be “catch and release” here at the ranch, I gathered some napkins and attempted to pick the pup up. It was a squirmy little one, and I was worried I would have to grab it too tight to hang on. So, I went in search of an animal collection container and ended up emptying a little container and pushing the mole into it.
I deposited the pup at the edge of the Impenetrable Forest, and luckily, none of the TumbleFur Gang followed.
Hopefully little mole pup made it.
Well, the weekend was a good one. The neighborhood garage sale was not as chock full of garage sale items as I had hoped. I told myself this was a good sign, and that perhaps we were moving away from the culture of conspicuous consumption. Ok, when you stop laughing, you'll note the conflict in that whole thought process.
Anyway... we shopped. Mom did most of the buying, and among other things, bought a nice leather chair and ottoman (I helped to spur her on - her cat, Xena, the one that nearly died around the time dad was ill, has a bit of a leather fetish and lays on my leather bag every time I go over there) so, I thought she would love that chair. It was only $35! It is exactly like this one, but black. http://www.uptownleather.com/product/1730. Mom said I had barely left the house before Xena jumped up on the new chair to take a nap. BTW, she is looking good! Her health has recovered, she has a full butt of hair and her tail is filled out, she is steadily gaining weight and she is playful. Yeaaaaaaa!
After shopping, we went to the Oregon District and I got my hairs cut, well, it was a bit of a sheep shearing, but at least the near mullet is gone. Wayyyyyy too short, but it looks like the cut is a good one as far as quality of work goes. She was nice and quick. We'll work on the length thing on the next two visits and if she does not have it down by then, I'll need to move on.
Mandy and I went to the Beaver search, I told her I expected we would be the only adults there without a 5 year old in tow. I was wrong. Lots of adults and some kids. We saw 2 or 3 beavers and it was generally a good time. We also heard a distant pair of screech owls - (http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Eastern_Screech-Owl_dtl.html#sound - you can see them and listen to them on this site...) they were verbally battling for the territory, that is, according to our nature guide, Joshua. The "sturgeon moon" was beautiful as it rose over the ponds. To learn about Native American moon names...http://www.farmersalmanac.com/full-moon-names
Well, on Sunday mom and I went on the historic barn tour at Carriage Hill park and we saw 5 barns from the 1800's. A couple had to be restored or rebuilt. We saw piglets and chickens along with the barns. In one of the barns, I felt like I could hear the hoedowns of days gone by. A hoedown for those of you who may not know, is essentially a party (after the hoes are put down) that generally included some form of square or folk dancing and live music. They were often held in barns.
We got the Mountain Days festival too late to help with passing out campaign literature, so we just went out and bought some canning jars and lids so mom could "put up" the tomatoes we are unable to eat up before they spoil. We went home and just hung out for a bit before I headed home. All in all, it was a real nice weekend.
I am really glad I moved back. I am having such a good time hanging out with mom. I know winter will be real hard, but we’ll make it through and spring will bring renewed outlook on life.
drum roll please...
Snuggie!!!!!!!!
The critter, a mole pup, (http://flickr.com/photos/24163310@N00/429212920/) was just a tiny bit larger than this one.
Snuggie began his “victory and notification dance” in the living room. I followed him to the kitchen where he proudly went to the food dishes, and looked up at me for approval.
I looked down, and found the mole pup hunkered up between the wall and the ceramic food bowls. It appeared to be relatively unharmed. These moles have no vision, and it is thought they “might” have a perception of light and dark.
Well, since we try to be “catch and release” here at the ranch, I gathered some napkins and attempted to pick the pup up. It was a squirmy little one, and I was worried I would have to grab it too tight to hang on. So, I went in search of an animal collection container and ended up emptying a little container and pushing the mole into it.
I deposited the pup at the edge of the Impenetrable Forest, and luckily, none of the TumbleFur Gang followed.
Hopefully little mole pup made it.
Well, the weekend was a good one. The neighborhood garage sale was not as chock full of garage sale items as I had hoped. I told myself this was a good sign, and that perhaps we were moving away from the culture of conspicuous consumption. Ok, when you stop laughing, you'll note the conflict in that whole thought process.
Anyway... we shopped. Mom did most of the buying, and among other things, bought a nice leather chair and ottoman (I helped to spur her on - her cat, Xena, the one that nearly died around the time dad was ill, has a bit of a leather fetish and lays on my leather bag every time I go over there) so, I thought she would love that chair. It was only $35! It is exactly like this one, but black. http://www.uptownleather.com/product/1730. Mom said I had barely left the house before Xena jumped up on the new chair to take a nap. BTW, she is looking good! Her health has recovered, she has a full butt of hair and her tail is filled out, she is steadily gaining weight and she is playful. Yeaaaaaaa!
After shopping, we went to the Oregon District and I got my hairs cut, well, it was a bit of a sheep shearing, but at least the near mullet is gone. Wayyyyyy too short, but it looks like the cut is a good one as far as quality of work goes. She was nice and quick. We'll work on the length thing on the next two visits and if she does not have it down by then, I'll need to move on.
Mandy and I went to the Beaver search, I told her I expected we would be the only adults there without a 5 year old in tow. I was wrong. Lots of adults and some kids. We saw 2 or 3 beavers and it was generally a good time. We also heard a distant pair of screech owls - (http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Eastern_Screech-Owl_dtl.html#sound - you can see them and listen to them on this site...) they were verbally battling for the territory, that is, according to our nature guide, Joshua. The "sturgeon moon" was beautiful as it rose over the ponds. To learn about Native American moon names...http://www.farmersalmanac.com/full-moon-names
Well, on Sunday mom and I went on the historic barn tour at Carriage Hill park and we saw 5 barns from the 1800's. A couple had to be restored or rebuilt. We saw piglets and chickens along with the barns. In one of the barns, I felt like I could hear the hoedowns of days gone by. A hoedown for those of you who may not know, is essentially a party (after the hoes are put down) that generally included some form of square or folk dancing and live music. They were often held in barns.
We got the Mountain Days festival too late to help with passing out campaign literature, so we just went out and bought some canning jars and lids so mom could "put up" the tomatoes we are unable to eat up before they spoil. We went home and just hung out for a bit before I headed home. All in all, it was a real nice weekend.
I am really glad I moved back. I am having such a good time hanging out with mom. I know winter will be real hard, but we’ll make it through and spring will bring renewed outlook on life.
Friday, August 15, 2008
The Grave Marker
Well, I drove mom out yesterday morning to order the marker for their graves.
If you are thinking that bites, it does.
It is real pretty though. All the markers in the cemetary are flat like this. I like it much better than those big above ground stones. It doesn't have that scary feeling that people often associate with cemetaries. In fact, the night we were there to watch the shooting stars, it was peaceful and beautiful.
Here is a picture of the sample grave marker:
There will be small image under dad's name with a "gone fishin" sign, a tackle box and a fishing rod and reel. Mom's side will have a hummingbird on it. Their wedding date will be above the last name and below the flower vase.
The marker is due to arrive sometime in October.
The first day we go out and it is there, it will probably be the absolute hardest day of all for mom. I hope another one of my sisters can be here when we go the first time.
This is a picture of the cemetary from many years ago. The trees are big and mature now, and it is really very beautiful there. There is a small circle in the center of the back section. There are now 3 tall evergreens right behind that circle and dad is just behind them. The trees are all full grown now and that circle has 3 large crosses in it. There was a fountain there when they bought the graves, but the owner felt it was dangerous with kids coming in there and took it out.
Well, guess that is enough for now. I really do need to concentrate on school work.
If you are thinking that bites, it does.
It is real pretty though. All the markers in the cemetary are flat like this. I like it much better than those big above ground stones. It doesn't have that scary feeling that people often associate with cemetaries. In fact, the night we were there to watch the shooting stars, it was peaceful and beautiful.
Here is a picture of the sample grave marker:
There will be small image under dad's name with a "gone fishin" sign, a tackle box and a fishing rod and reel. Mom's side will have a hummingbird on it. Their wedding date will be above the last name and below the flower vase.
The marker is due to arrive sometime in October.
The first day we go out and it is there, it will probably be the absolute hardest day of all for mom. I hope another one of my sisters can be here when we go the first time.
This is a picture of the cemetary from many years ago. The trees are big and mature now, and it is really very beautiful there. There is a small circle in the center of the back section. There are now 3 tall evergreens right behind that circle and dad is just behind them. The trees are all full grown now and that circle has 3 large crosses in it. There was a fountain there when they bought the graves, but the owner felt it was dangerous with kids coming in there and took it out.
Well, guess that is enough for now. I really do need to concentrate on school work.
Birthday, Speedometer, Deadbolt, Butterflies & Beavers
Ok, for some reason I am feeling kind of productive. I have my theories which intersect between the female cycle, weather worthy of Northern CA, and a little bit of time.
Jaz is licking me crazy. That cat has an oral issue. Freud would love him. I seem to spend a fair bit of time trying to get him to stop licking within arms reach. Perhaps he is obsessive/compulsive?
Onto the posting title. Just cannot wait any longer can you????
Birthday. My little "meeper," Tashi, turned 3 today. Ok, today is an approximation, work with me people! Now they are all 3. No longer young enough to be little kitties. All are big boys now. Sniff, sniff. They grow up so fast!
They have all assumed, what I believe to be, what will be the "usual" positions. We are in the office. Snug Bug is curled up in a small box in the corner just behind my left side. Jaz is incessantly licking himself while lounging on top of a stack of 2 moving boxes in front of the window to the back yard, which is just behind my right side. Birthday boy is curled up in his blue baby rocker (see picture on side panel), which is in front of the desk. The rockers are lodged under the front of the bookcase to keep it from slipping around on these wood floors.
So...for those of you in the betting pool, if you put money on the speedometer being the next replacement part on the Jeep, you might come up a winner. If you haven't yet, here is an inside tip - go for the speedometer.
I was on the way over to my hometown of New Lebanon today and just after I pulled out, I looked down and was puzzled by the speedometer reading of 5mph, since I was going about 40. Well, at stop lights and stop signs I tapped on the dash, fiddled with the reset knob for the trip meter and then started to work on how to "not piss the drivers behind me off" while ensuring I didn't get a speeding ticket. Ohio cops are nearly as bad as the ones in Tennessee, if that is possible. Well, I kept tapping and turning and low and behold, the thing started to work again. Just a matter of time, folks.
Betcha thought I used the deadbolt to fix it! Wrong. That is a yucky name for something. Deadbolt.
Anyway, yesterday Mom and I went to the 3rd in a series on butterflies given by the local parks. Before we went, we went to the evil Homo Depot so I could look for some great clearance deals. My dear sister and her hubby (I call him Stubbie - jackass cut some of his finger tips off ignoring the safety on his saw) sent me a very nice gift card for the Homo Depot. Well, I need lots of stuff and so I thought we might find some deals, so we went shopping. Mom bought a deadbolt for one of her doors.
I went over today to install it, thinking it would just replace one she already had. No. Nope. Nada. Her doors have the old style hardware on them and she was unable to get the deadbolt on it to work, so she bought a new one. Well, with 30 minutes of fiddling around, I discovered that the deadbolt had been painted shut, the strike plate was on upside down, backwards, and was about 1/2" too far towards the outside, the old push button lock on the side was partially activated, and the handle was not turning the regular latch properly. Pretty much every problem you could have with a door handle and deadbolt. Fortunately, I got everything fixed with the deadbolt and strike plate so she can actually lock the door. The door handle still doesn't turn, but I'll do some research and see what might be the solution - it is a real simple mechanism so may need to get a new one...
Well, that is the exciting news from here.
We have a full weekend in store. On Saturday I am going with mom to the suburb of Kettering for a 60 family neighborhood garage sale, getting my hair cut, doing some homework, then on Saturday night I am going on a "beaver search" with my best friend, Mandy. Now, get yer mind outta the gutter. This is looking for the critter http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/beaver.htm . Not chicks... We will be going around the corner to Possum Creek - dad's favorite fishing place. Here is a link to some flickr photos taken at Possum Creek, a whopping 1/2 mile from me: http://www.flickr.com/photos/habfam/tags/possum/
I did not take these. These are the lakes dad fished at.
On Sunday, Mom and I are going on a "historic barn tour" and are also suppose to be passing out campaign literature for Jane Mitakides at the Mountain Days Festival, which is a 2 day celebration of Appalachian heritage. Sarah, this happens annually, so start making yer plans to come on out an' set a spell next sum'r.
Back to Jane, she is running for for Ohio’s 3rd Congressional District, and my mom's friend who is a trustee of the township, has asked for us to help. He helped me unload the moving truck. Totally cool fellow. So, that is life in Ohio. Looking forward to this weekend and just relaxing a bit.
Oh, progress on the house? Nil. It is coming. As the weather gets more like CA, I will rocket into gear and get things done. For now, just hanging with the homework and with mom. Oh, mentally thinking about how and where to put native plants in the yard. Toooooooooo much grass to mow.
Ok, gotta get back to the homework and get in bed so I can shop myself silly in the morning.
Catch ya later.
Jaz is licking me crazy. That cat has an oral issue. Freud would love him. I seem to spend a fair bit of time trying to get him to stop licking within arms reach. Perhaps he is obsessive/compulsive?
Onto the posting title. Just cannot wait any longer can you????
Birthday. My little "meeper," Tashi, turned 3 today. Ok, today is an approximation, work with me people! Now they are all 3. No longer young enough to be little kitties. All are big boys now. Sniff, sniff. They grow up so fast!
They have all assumed, what I believe to be, what will be the "usual" positions. We are in the office. Snug Bug is curled up in a small box in the corner just behind my left side. Jaz is incessantly licking himself while lounging on top of a stack of 2 moving boxes in front of the window to the back yard, which is just behind my right side. Birthday boy is curled up in his blue baby rocker (see picture on side panel), which is in front of the desk. The rockers are lodged under the front of the bookcase to keep it from slipping around on these wood floors.
So...for those of you in the betting pool, if you put money on the speedometer being the next replacement part on the Jeep, you might come up a winner. If you haven't yet, here is an inside tip - go for the speedometer.
I was on the way over to my hometown of New Lebanon today and just after I pulled out, I looked down and was puzzled by the speedometer reading of 5mph, since I was going about 40. Well, at stop lights and stop signs I tapped on the dash, fiddled with the reset knob for the trip meter and then started to work on how to "not piss the drivers behind me off" while ensuring I didn't get a speeding ticket. Ohio cops are nearly as bad as the ones in Tennessee, if that is possible. Well, I kept tapping and turning and low and behold, the thing started to work again. Just a matter of time, folks.
Betcha thought I used the deadbolt to fix it! Wrong. That is a yucky name for something. Deadbolt.
Anyway, yesterday Mom and I went to the 3rd in a series on butterflies given by the local parks. Before we went, we went to the evil Homo Depot so I could look for some great clearance deals. My dear sister and her hubby (I call him Stubbie - jackass cut some of his finger tips off ignoring the safety on his saw) sent me a very nice gift card for the Homo Depot. Well, I need lots of stuff and so I thought we might find some deals, so we went shopping. Mom bought a deadbolt for one of her doors.
I went over today to install it, thinking it would just replace one she already had. No. Nope. Nada. Her doors have the old style hardware on them and she was unable to get the deadbolt on it to work, so she bought a new one. Well, with 30 minutes of fiddling around, I discovered that the deadbolt had been painted shut, the strike plate was on upside down, backwards, and was about 1/2" too far towards the outside, the old push button lock on the side was partially activated, and the handle was not turning the regular latch properly. Pretty much every problem you could have with a door handle and deadbolt. Fortunately, I got everything fixed with the deadbolt and strike plate so she can actually lock the door. The door handle still doesn't turn, but I'll do some research and see what might be the solution - it is a real simple mechanism so may need to get a new one...
Well, that is the exciting news from here.
We have a full weekend in store. On Saturday I am going with mom to the suburb of Kettering for a 60 family neighborhood garage sale, getting my hair cut, doing some homework, then on Saturday night I am going on a "beaver search" with my best friend, Mandy. Now, get yer mind outta the gutter. This is looking for the critter http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/beaver.htm . Not chicks... We will be going around the corner to Possum Creek - dad's favorite fishing place. Here is a link to some flickr photos taken at Possum Creek, a whopping 1/2 mile from me: http://www.flickr.com/photos/habfam/tags/possum/
I did not take these. These are the lakes dad fished at.
On Sunday, Mom and I are going on a "historic barn tour" and are also suppose to be passing out campaign literature for Jane Mitakides at the Mountain Days Festival, which is a 2 day celebration of Appalachian heritage. Sarah, this happens annually, so start making yer plans to come on out an' set a spell next sum'r.
Back to Jane, she is running for for Ohio’s 3rd Congressional District, and my mom's friend who is a trustee of the township, has asked for us to help. He helped me unload the moving truck. Totally cool fellow. So, that is life in Ohio. Looking forward to this weekend and just relaxing a bit.
Oh, progress on the house? Nil. It is coming. As the weather gets more like CA, I will rocket into gear and get things done. For now, just hanging with the homework and with mom. Oh, mentally thinking about how and where to put native plants in the yard. Toooooooooo much grass to mow.
Ok, gotta get back to the homework and get in bed so I can shop myself silly in the morning.
Catch ya later.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
The Impenetrable Forest
Kia Rio has her very own Impenetrable Forest!
Yup, dense thicket of trees and vegetation that is increasingly gobbling up the “grounds” of Kia Rio.
The IF does an amazingly good job of blocking the wind that comes from the west and southwest, which is where most of the wind and weather comes from. When I say most, yes that means that on the hot days that actually have a breeze, I don’t get a single bit of it.
Nope, I talk to mom, 4 miles away and she says “boy it sure is windy” or “there sure is a good breeze out” and I say, “go ahead, rub it in bitch, I don’t have single leaf moving!” She laughs. Ha ha.
I am going to attempt to breach the IF this fall to try to contain it a bit for next summer. I have not investigated techniques or approaches yet, but I need to reduce the thick bushy vegetation. I hope that I can free it up enough to allow some air movement.
The IF has at least one family of raccoons. Here is a link to some cute pictures and some sound clips: http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/raccoon.htm.
If you scroll down to the sound file “Raccoon distress call” or the “Raccoon complaint” you can hear some of the night-time noises I hear after I have thrown out fruit and vegetable scraps to them.
Now, I walk down Route 4 and throw them towards the middle of the IF, so as not to attract the raccoons towards the grounds of Kia Rio. I love raccoons. Really. They scare the bejezus out of me when I am out at night, but in general, if they are not attacking my cats, or me, I am a fan.
I don’t want to modify the IF so that it negatively impacts the biodiversity, but I do need a freakin’ breeze of some type in the dog days of summer. Hopefully, I will find a way to reduce the thicket some!
The edge of the IF has some wild blackberry bushes, and every time I go to pick I end up with 1 mosquito bite per half dozen berries.
Tashi spends his days under the cover of the IF, or on the porch lying in dad’s blue lawn chair. I like that he has made Dad’s chair his own. I cannot sit in it for the layer of cat hair, but, it sure is nice to see him in it.
Jaz occasionally ventures into the IF, but mostly spends his days leeched onto me, or sleeping somewhere in the house or on the porch.
Snuggie is still adjusting to Kia Rio. He spends a fair bit of time in the IF, some on the porch and increasing amounts of time in a cardboard box by my desk. I now spend some time luring him to the great outdoors. He’ll relax, but he is being a slow adapter. I think the smell of raccoon around the house each morning makes him, wisely, nervous.
I still have not bought a new camera, so I will get mom’s and post a picture of the KRIF. You can also get a sense of it by putting my address in google maps or google earth.
Yup, dense thicket of trees and vegetation that is increasingly gobbling up the “grounds” of Kia Rio.
The IF does an amazingly good job of blocking the wind that comes from the west and southwest, which is where most of the wind and weather comes from. When I say most, yes that means that on the hot days that actually have a breeze, I don’t get a single bit of it.
Nope, I talk to mom, 4 miles away and she says “boy it sure is windy” or “there sure is a good breeze out” and I say, “go ahead, rub it in bitch, I don’t have single leaf moving!” She laughs. Ha ha.
I am going to attempt to breach the IF this fall to try to contain it a bit for next summer. I have not investigated techniques or approaches yet, but I need to reduce the thick bushy vegetation. I hope that I can free it up enough to allow some air movement.
The IF has at least one family of raccoons. Here is a link to some cute pictures and some sound clips: http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/raccoon.htm.
If you scroll down to the sound file “Raccoon distress call” or the “Raccoon complaint” you can hear some of the night-time noises I hear after I have thrown out fruit and vegetable scraps to them.
Now, I walk down Route 4 and throw them towards the middle of the IF, so as not to attract the raccoons towards the grounds of Kia Rio. I love raccoons. Really. They scare the bejezus out of me when I am out at night, but in general, if they are not attacking my cats, or me, I am a fan.
I don’t want to modify the IF so that it negatively impacts the biodiversity, but I do need a freakin’ breeze of some type in the dog days of summer. Hopefully, I will find a way to reduce the thicket some!
The edge of the IF has some wild blackberry bushes, and every time I go to pick I end up with 1 mosquito bite per half dozen berries.
Tashi spends his days under the cover of the IF, or on the porch lying in dad’s blue lawn chair. I like that he has made Dad’s chair his own. I cannot sit in it for the layer of cat hair, but, it sure is nice to see him in it.
Jaz occasionally ventures into the IF, but mostly spends his days leeched onto me, or sleeping somewhere in the house or on the porch.
Snuggie is still adjusting to Kia Rio. He spends a fair bit of time in the IF, some on the porch and increasing amounts of time in a cardboard box by my desk. I now spend some time luring him to the great outdoors. He’ll relax, but he is being a slow adapter. I think the smell of raccoon around the house each morning makes him, wisely, nervous.
I still have not bought a new camera, so I will get mom’s and post a picture of the KRIF. You can also get a sense of it by putting my address in google maps or google earth.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
EEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeek!
Ok, click on that title for a link...
Things are going, slow, but going. Grieving is impacting my cognitive functions and my overall productivity a tad bit more than I anticipated.
I was out mowing the grass and discovered a wee baby frog in the grass. I studiously mowed around it as it made its way to safety.
I thought it had a sibling for a second, but no, it was a gianormous spider. OK, I did not stick around to take taxonomic data, but, it seems it might have been a "wolf" spider. The fucker was nearly 2 inches long. This is not, I repeat, not, Texas.
Gads. I should not have read about it on the attached link page http://entoplp.okstate.edu/ddd/insects/wolfspider.htm
This may test my pesticide resolve. I know that spiders have an important part in biodiversity, but I don't want biodiversity in my garage, basement or house if it looks like that and tends to crawl all over the place...
Eeeeeeeewwwwwwweeeeeee.
I have to go finish mowing the grass...
Well, last night mom and I attempted to watch the meteor shower. We decided that the cemetary was probably the best place for field of view, lack of car lights and sufficient distance from a large city. So, we went to see dad. We fixed his fish decoration which blew down in the last storm and found that the solar lantern does work. We sat in the cemetary - in the car - it was uncharacteristically chilly for Ohio in August, and waited. I saw a small one about 9:20 and we left at 11 having not seen any more.
We are going to a park tonight to watch again. Hopefully we will have better luck. It was good to get dad's fish fixed and to just hang out there for a while. It really is a very pretty place.
OK, back to the spider yard.
Things are going, slow, but going. Grieving is impacting my cognitive functions and my overall productivity a tad bit more than I anticipated.
I was out mowing the grass and discovered a wee baby frog in the grass. I studiously mowed around it as it made its way to safety.
I thought it had a sibling for a second, but no, it was a gianormous spider. OK, I did not stick around to take taxonomic data, but, it seems it might have been a "wolf" spider. The fucker was nearly 2 inches long. This is not, I repeat, not, Texas.
Gads. I should not have read about it on the attached link page http://entoplp.okstate.edu/ddd/insects/wolfspider.htm
This may test my pesticide resolve. I know that spiders have an important part in biodiversity, but I don't want biodiversity in my garage, basement or house if it looks like that and tends to crawl all over the place...
Eeeeeeeewwwwwwweeeeeee.
I have to go finish mowing the grass...
Well, last night mom and I attempted to watch the meteor shower. We decided that the cemetary was probably the best place for field of view, lack of car lights and sufficient distance from a large city. So, we went to see dad. We fixed his fish decoration which blew down in the last storm and found that the solar lantern does work. We sat in the cemetary - in the car - it was uncharacteristically chilly for Ohio in August, and waited. I saw a small one about 9:20 and we left at 11 having not seen any more.
We are going to a park tonight to watch again. Hopefully we will have better luck. It was good to get dad's fish fixed and to just hang out there for a while. It really is a very pretty place.
OK, back to the spider yard.
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