Storms and a guerdon for a Geeky Kid

Holy crappola. We had S_T_O_R_M_S last night. Thunder and lightening and more lightening and tornado warnings. Our poor, poor kitty spent the whole night either under the couch or under the green chair. She came out once to go to her litter box and that cat was "low-crawling" across the floor.
In between the going to the basement because of tornado warnings, I watched the Scripps Natioshnul Speeling Beee. Those kids ASTOUND me! They must just study and study and study the dictionary and other word books "Is there an alternate pronounciation?" "What is the origin of the word?" "Can you use it in a sentence please?" The same questions over and over. The winner was Sameer something from West Lafayette, Indiana!!! YAY Sameer, you adorable nerdy geek!!!! You won!!! I think last night the print in front of his name said he wanted to be a neuro-surgeon. YAY for you Sameer! He won on the word "guerdon" which means "reward." Very appropriate. http://www.jconline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080531/NEWS/805310323&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL

yesterday's project

BP & I went to Menard's yesterday for a few things he needed and I saw this ugly plain wood and plastic chair in the markdown aisle for $20. I bought it, a can of "Jade" spray paint and one of "Key Lime." BP took the chair apart so that I could paint the slats and here it is--no longer plain, no longer ugly. A piece of functional garden art which I can sit down in when I'm out there working and get tired. I like it. I was going to paint each slat a different color, but BP reigned me in a little.

genetic mutant

My white lupines

Miss Kiki Marie

A little background: LP has designated the big green chair in the living room as Nesta Miss Kiki Marie’s chair. LP loaded it with comforters and a big old pillow.

Nesta was in the room with me yesterday when I was watching HGTV’s Househunters. She must have thought they said Mousehunters because she was staring at the TV in awe. Her hind-end was down in between the back of the chair and its cushion so all that was visible is her head and two front legs. She’s an odd little thing but we love her.

Plants and that sexy Frenchie

We had planned to go to Sanibel Island this summer for vacation, but since we owed a boatload Federal taxes that put the kibosh on those plans. But I still want to go somewhere—even for a few days. A long time ago I went to visit the Indiana Dunes on Lake Michigan and I fell in love with the area. So I’m researching it. I’m also looking at the touristy towns along Lake Michigan in Michigan itself.

Did I tell you that I’ve got two white Russell lupines blooming? I’ve had pink lupines for several years but I can’t figure out where the white ones came from—unless I threw out a package of seeds a few years ago. That might have happened.

My mother-in-law called me this afternoon and asked if I want some yellow-striped foliage irises. She and her master gardeners’ club take care of a public area in the town she lives in that she planted several years ago. She said they’ve outgrown the space and she’s going to divide them. I told her that I needed to divide my irises this year—probably in October-- because the clump is just massive. So I’m going to take some of the yellow-striped stuff and I offered her some of mine this fall. She visited here a few weeks ago when I was working and told me that my garden looked great and I told her that I was really into amending the soil this year. I told her that she needed to get some of the agastache I had gotten from High Country Gardens. Since she lives on a farm I’ll bet she has zillions of hummingbirds around there just dying for that plant.

I’m taking off a few days this week—just because. I need to weed and I still need to cut down the old growth from my ornamental grass. I’ll probably get started on that tomorrow.

When BP comes home, LP & I will take him to see the new Indiana Jones movie.

The Oxygen Channel was showing that sexy Diane Lane movie Unfaithful. Damn! That Frenchie man is sexy with a capital SEX. Richard Gere aint too shabby either.

Sing It Sister

BP is in Arizona on business so LP and I are going to my oldest sister’s house today where she is hosting a cookout. I’m bringing a Greek salad, with my homemade lemon, olive oil and oregano dressing.

It’s supposed to be a spectacular day weather-wise so I’ll probably get roped into helping her with her yard work (which I don’t mind in the least.)


I’m also going to cut some flowers and put them on my Dad’s grave


I was in Kroger’s the other day . . . in the dairy section, when The Beatles’ Ticket to Ride came over the store speakers. I was groovin’ on it when I heard an older lady behind me just belt it out along with John, Paul, George and Ringo. I looked back, smiled and said, “Sing it, Sister!” She shrugged and smiled and said, “Might as well . . . can’t dance!”

Are you doing anything fun this Memorial Day weekend?

The sidewalk's edge

LP did something punishable by being grounded to the house/yard for a week.

He's told me for the thousandth time that he's "bored--there's nothing to do." Big deal---you made your bed, Buddy.

Anyway he told me that he was going to go outside and sit. So I catch him dragging a chair to the very edge of the sidewalk so he could watch "hot females drive by and wave to me."

Not much to post about today, but I'm thinking about opening a Roth IRA! But I bet most of you had already heard something about that.

I'm in the process of researching the most ghastly, druggie, air-polluting, water-polluting companies to give my money to. Any suggestions?

We had a good rain last night. That's my first iris in full bloom. And my first orange poppy---love that color! And the first picture is dame's rocket which is really a "weed" but I love it in bloom so I let it live in my garden. Meme my lupines are in bloom too.

Stolen cheesecake

We picked up my mother on Thursday and she’s been staying with us for a few days. Other than the fact that she’s very hard of hearing and refuses to get hearing aids, so you have to repeat everything at least twice, she’s been a very good guest.

She loves the coffee I make, and the Entenmann’s donuts I buy.

We went out to eat last night. The three of us (me, LP & BP) ordered desserts—she said she didn’t want any—but when they came, she told the waitress that she’d ordered the cheesecake and proceeded to eat every last bit. In reality THE CHEESECAKE WAS MINE!! LP laughed and laughed and thought that his Grandma pilfering my dessert was the funniest thing ever.

bad news/good news

Bad News:
I was in a meeting today from 9am until 3pm

Good News:
I received three free autographed books.
The Seventeen Traditions by Ralph Nader
The Riverkeepers by John Cronin and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Dancing in the Streets: A History of Collective Joy by Barbara Ehrenreich

Bad News:
I was in a meeting today from 9am until 3pm

Dinner Conversation

With different schedules BP , LP and I unfortunately rarely have dinner together. Dinner time when I was growing up was a major production---what with 2 parents, 2 grandparents and seven kids. We almost always had political discussions—usually with my beloved grandfather railing against the Russians, whom he called “Rooshans.”

Being the outspoken dudette that I was, when I was in junior high, I remember getting into almost a knock down, drag out fight with my Dad about the Vietnam War demonstrations going on at Wabash College. Even though he was a Democrat, he was also a former Marine, and he was a “support the president, right or wrong” kind of a man. Having lived through Reagan, Bush 1 and some of Dubya, he outgrew that stance. He was almost as rabidly anti-Republican as Naggy poo and Bly are.

Well anyway, this evening BP, LP & I had a very nice dinner discussing (of all things) the Bay of Pigs invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Cold War.. LP couldn’t believe it when I told him that, in grade school, we had regular “duck & cover” drills in the hallways so we’d be prepared in the event that the Rooshans dropped the Big One on us.

I'm tired of posting stuff.

previews

I saw Baby Mama this afternoon. It was good--why wouldn't it be--it stars Amy Poehler, Tina Fey and Steve Martin.

What was almost even better was a preview of a movie opening in July: Mama Mia starring Meryl Streep, Julie Walters, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth. It looks fantastic! I can't wait.

Speaking of Meryl . . .she's starring in a biography of Julia Child. I saw her in make up and she looks like a great Julia . I can't wait for that one either.

Signature lines

Do you know someone who puts a quotation in their email signature? Most of these signatures are annoying—especially those coming from work email.
A few days ago I got this email from one of my counterparts in another department. She was pissed that I hadn’t done something she thought I should have—even though it was in her court and she got called on it in a meeting.
The email went something like this:

WHY DIDN”T YOU SAY SOMETHING IN THAT MEETING?? I CAN’T BELIEVE NO ONE SAID ANYTHING! It wasn’t MY fault that it was SCREWED UP and NO ONE SAID A DAMNED WORD! This is gonna come and BIT ME IN THE ASS Come BONUS TIME IN a few weeks. I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS SHIT!

What was funny is that her signature line was:

"I don’t sweat the small stuff, and I’ve discovered that it’s all small stuff."




You gotta admit---that’s funny.

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Many people at my workplace have gone to inserting their picture in their emails--right above their name. People should not do this.

Primary Day

I'm up.
I'm dressed.
I have my voter's ID card.
I'm ready to cast my vote for Hillary Clinton.
I'm thrilled.

blu thought I might enjoy one of these mugs. She's right!

Good luck on Tuesday Hilly!

The flu saga

This flu has been brutal. I feel I’m about 80% of capacity, but now BP has it. What is it about men that makes them awful patients? It’s like he’s the only person who’s been sick. “I must have it worse than you did, Puddin.” Umm. Noo. I just have to do some things so I dragged myself up a few hours to get them accomplished.

I made the mistake of giving him this little bell to ring when he needed something. Last night he slept in our bed and I slept on the couch—for a few reasons: 1. I didn’t want to try to sleep with his feverish, sweaty body tossing and turning all night. 2. I was still coughing a lot and didn’t want to wake him up.

By the third time he’d rang that damned bell in the middle of the night, I wanted to shove it up his ass or cram it down his throat. “Puddin, can I have some cold water?” “I need a straw.” “It’s time for my cough medicine.” “I think I need another flu pill.” “Would you run this washcloth under cold water, it’s too hot.” “I feel awful.”

Throughout the night I was worried that we'd have some kind of emergency (a fire . . a robber . . .an earthquake . . .) and I'd have to try and haul BP's sick ass outside. Thank God nothing like that happened.

I didn’t even hear the alarm this morning and overslept and was late for work. Work today was more than pleasant when I realized that the alternative was to answer that damned bell all day.

Anyway, BP is slightly better because today he’s eaten two popsicles (“Do we have any of the red ones left?”), a small hunk of French bread, an over-medium egg (“with just a tiny bit of salt and a medium amount of black pepper, Puddin”), a blueberry muffin and two Saltines. He’s also had lots of water and an orange Gatorade.

Please cross your fingers that LP doesn’t get it. Thank you.

I feel like crap. I'm sick. Chills. Fever. Coughing. My bones hurt yesterday.
But I have to go into work for at least a little while today because we're so freaking busy.
Blech