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Red Hot Poker gone to seed.I love it!

The only variety of marigold I like.

Garden Phlox.

My first sunflower getting ready to bloom.

Daisy and verbena.

Your career choice

If I could have any other person in the world's career I would have to choose the career of the Travel Channel's Samantha Brown.

True, travel gets tiresome and I'm sure she's sacrificed a lot over the years--I don't think she has children or even ever been married--but she's seen the world, stayed in fabulous five-star hotels and destinations, and dined on the finest foods.

What a terrific career! Whose would you choose?

summer assignments

I've been insisting that LP read national, local and international news, then write a paragraph about each story.

Here's a recent entry:




International: Is Osama Dying? (Hell I hope so)
Osama Bin Laden, a name recognized for being a wealthy man’s son, not to mention his terror-network and thoughtless brutality towards anyone who opposes his religious beliefs. But recent news from CIA analysis and 2002’s Pakistani President claimed that Bin Laden has suffered from kidney diseasse and supposedly has only two to five months to live (as if!). Evading capture from U.S. Troops and other allied forces have people wondering, could it be a hoax? A hoax is no joax. (get it?) Not to mention recent videos put out in the Arabic Al-Jazeer news network show videos of Bin Laden looking healthier than ever! If what the CIA is saying is true then it’ll be a sad day for justice in America if he dies of naturally causes and was never brought to justice.. So Bin Laden may or may not be dying but I do know some people who are you brothers and your sisters and my brothers, so support the ttroops and do your part as an American and vote Barack Obama for President.This Liam, your son, doing as assigned. Back to the studio.

in bloom

Frankie hanging out with the coneflowers.

Two shots of my garden.

In bloom 2

1. Orange lily and purple coneflowers
2. Pineapple sage. This doesn't look impressive but it smells heavenly. I use it in iced tea. Hummingbirds love the blooms.
3. Monarda bee balm. Bees/hummers love it.
4. Yellow lily and the ever present coneflowers
5. Red lily

My Trip to Dayton

Some tidbits about my meeting:

• The Dayton meeting was productive. I was shocked. However the travel back to Indiana was horrible. I got caught in a torrential rainstorm on US 70 and c0uld not see ten feet in front of me. I pulled ovcr onto the shoulder with my flashers on and sat there hoping that no one would run into me. Cars were still moving, but some put on their flashers. It blew over in about 15 minutes and I was on my way again. I hate driving in bad weather.
• We went out for drinks and dinner on Wednesday. Since it was on the company's dime, I ordered a margarita with Patron tequila and then ordered a second.
• During the meeting Wednesday afternoon I felt this awful stabbing beneath my right breast. I went into the restroom and found that my underwire in my bra had popped out and the thing was poking me. I didn't bring an extra bra to an overnight meeting (would you??) and I tried to pull the damned thing out but it wouldn't budge so I twisted it the best I could so it wouldn't hit skin and continued on. As I hit US 70 (before the awful rain) I undid the bra hooks and remove it via the armholes of my shirt and chucked it outside the car going 65 MPH. Yes, I littered. But I hope some poor creature finds it and takes it back to their nest, home, etc and uses it in good health.

Today it looks rainy but I'm going to go run some errands (Post Office, Panera Bread) before it gets too bad.

I'm back, i'll write more after work.

Spidey, nuttin' I wasn't able to shop.

Spidey,
Tomorrow morning I'm going to Dayton, Ohio for a business meeting. I do not want to go to Dayton, Ohio for a business meeting, but there you go.
I'll be back Thursday.

This is the pink rose, catmint red hot poker, lambs ears, Shasta diasies, and lollipop lilies with a scattering of white coneflowers, and daylilies

This is another landscape pink rose mixed in with the catmint. I like the combo pink and blue.

These are orange asiatic lilies and coneflowers

This is a shrub/landscape pink rose

This is a plain old yellow lily that just bloomed

Hot 19

If you know these phrases, who says 'em and the shows that they're from, you're a reality show, HGTV lover too (I threw in one from a sitcom).
(Sorry Meme & Clanky . . .you may not know them)


1. Padma’s scar


2. “Hot tranny mess”


3. “Your show has been canceled”


4. “Oh, Clivey”


5. Introductions by Bill Bellamy


6. “Expect the unexpected”


7. “The tribe has spoken”


8. “You need to work on your shoulder position.”


9. “My mother is drinking her box of wine.”


10. “Make it work!”


11. “We’re apple-picking people in my family!”


12. “You shined and made it your own.”


13. “Mose works on the family beet farm.”


14. “Which house will they choose?”


15. “Will you accept this rose?”


16. “Who do you think should pay for your mistake!? Me? Byrd?”


17. “You threw me under the bus!”


18. “This journey has been so phenomenal!”


19. “Best dishes from my house to yours.”

more plants/no sex

I went to Meijer's this evening for some OJ, milk, red peppers, pretzels, frozen stuff, fattening stuff andshampoo when I spied a plant sale in their gardening area. Pincushion flowers, agastache, and creeping phlox in gallon containers for $2.54 each! Who could resist? So without knowing where I'd put them, I bought three of each. So that's my weekend chore.

LP's out on a date with a girl named Amy. I haven't heard about her so I asked some questions and got this:

She works at a local restaurant, her mother is an alcoholic so when her parents divorced she got to live with her Dad. They get along great, but her mother is pretty much out of the picture. She doesn't smoke. She doesn't drink or do drugs. She texts LP a lot. She's cute. She's nice.

They're double dating with one of LP's best friends and I told him, "Please do not have sex with this girl unless you wear a condom. We don't need little LPs running around when you're only 17 and don't know what you want to do with your life and don't even have a job."

"Mom, we're not going to have sex."

Famous last words.

She looks like Julia Roberts

So last night I went in to Family Video with the LP. I was looking around and this couple (around age 60) were looking at Becoming Jane about Jane Austen (played by Anne Hathaway)
Man: Who plays in that?
Woman: I'm not sure.
Man: She looks like Julia Roberts. Is it Julia Roberts?
Woman: No, it isn't.
Man: It sure LOOKS like Julia Roberts. What's it about?
Woman: Jane Austen.
Man: WHO?
Woman: Jane Austen.
Man ( I KID YOU NOT): Who the hell is Jane Austen??

(sheesh!)

The woman answered, "A dead writer from a long time ago."

His Left Foot

This is what I get . . .I left my camera unattended and my ten year old nephew photographed his foot

Sunday

We went to my sister's today for a birthday party for my four year old nephew and my six year old niece. It was all Hannah Montana and High School Musical for her, and Diggers and Dump trucks and Fire Engines for him.

I helped my B-i-L with the garden weeding. They've got about twice as much yard as we do and it was some chore--better than listening to Hannah Montana CDs with my niece though.

I've Been Shunned!

I tried to post an article about this museum patrons paying to get the restrooms named after themselves, but wordpress says I do not exist and since I don't exist they cannot send me another password.

Speaking of Password, have you seen Regis Philbin's new Millonaire Password?

Celebrities: Rosie O'Donnell and Tony Hawk (I don't care what is printed about Rosie, I just love her crazy ass.) One of her passwords was "Trump" and she looked pissed and rolled her eyes. haha

Then Betty White was a celebrity last week---with Susie Essman of Curb Your Enthusiam. Both were outstanding! Betty must be close to 90 and she's still smart as a whip. Her dead husband Allen Ludden was the original host.

Oh, another thing---Kathy Griffin is coming to Indy in August and my sister and I will probably go and see her.

ghost plant

One of my alliums looks like a ghosty plant!


By the way, my assistant (who is funnier than hell) came into my office looking all somber. She asked me if I felt, like the Mayan calendar says, that the world will end in 2012.

I asked "Why?"

"Because if it will, I'm going to quit my job now and just hang out for 3 1/2 years until the Big Showdown."


"But what if you do that, and the world doesn't end on that date?"


"Then I'm screwed I guess and I'll be back here asking for my job back."


"OK. Let me know what you decide."

Sex and the City

While BP was in seeing Iron Man, I was seeing Sex and the City.
I both loved it and hated it.

LOVED IT:

Loved seeing the Girls again! It was like a reunion.
Loved the clothes.
Loved the old Carrie quips/puns.
The Charlotte-shitting-her-pants-in-Mexico was funny.
Loved the soundtrack


HATED IT:

That fucking meatball Big. A fucking loon. Big damn baby. Man up. So you’ve been married three times: CARRIE HASN’T and she shouldn’t feel guilty—or that she was contributing to his Assholiness—by wanting a big wedding in the New York Public Library.

The Louise character felt like a throwaway—just so that they could cast Jennifer Hudson. She added nothing to the storyline.

That big dummy Samantha. Can’t a woman tend to herself AND be in a relationship?? She’s just a pussy who wants always to be the one who ends the relationship.

SEX AND THE CITY: The TV series A

SEX AND THE CITY: The Movie B+

Rain, Rain go away.
Go and visit
Doris Day.

my new purchase

Are donuts worth it?

So I was waiting in line at a local donut shop this morning waiting to buy some breakfast for my staff when the only employee (she looked about 60) was talking to the lady customer (she looked about 40) before me.

I was getting irritated because a) it was after 8:00 already, and b) she couldn't actually get the woman's order AND talk, she'd stop to talk then continue fulfilling her order, and c) the customer didn’t give a rat’s ass about the employee and wanted to get the hell out of there too.


Employee: Did you see the woman who just left? That was my sister, and I had a foot surgery a few weeks ago and she doesn’t even care! She’s always on my case and dresses me down.

Customer (disinterested): Yeah?

Employee: She always did and now it’s even worse and when I don’t do something she wants she says “I’ll get Mom on you!” and then I go ahead and do it. If my foot didn’t hurt so much I’d take her down!

Customer: Your grown woman of a sister siccing your mother on you—another grown woman?

Employee: Yeah, and my sister does! She tells Mom on me!

Customer: Why should you care what your mother says about you two bickering? You’re a grown person.

Employee (looks like she’s thinking about it): Hm, I dunno.


I was saying beneath my breath “Oh good God already!”

I just wanted some freaking donuts and I wander in on a fucking Dr. Phil session.

Bling

I was reading InStyle magazine and there was an advertisement for this watch "The Manhattan" by Jacob & Co.,. It's a limited edition and I can't even find the price--it's 18K with 50 million diamonds so I'm sure it's pricey. You can't tell from this particular picture, but the watch has words like "5Th Avenue" "Park Avenue" "Wall Street" and "Times Square" on it. I'd like to see it in person. It's described as a man's watch, but hell, if you want to buy it for me, I'll wear it. Thanks.

It's Sunday and I didn't do a damned thing.

Got up at 9am and read the paper on the porch. Didn't even make coffee or go for coffee.

I saw a lot of open houses listed and was going to check out a few just for the heck of it, but was too lazy.

LP got up at 11, and BP finally got up at noon and went out to fix the Kia--it was running rough.

I washed a load of towels.

LP & I went to the grocery store and I made tacos for dinner. We also bought stuff to make milk shakes later.

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.

-------------

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

The world can rest easy: Baller won $500,000 on Big Brother. He's giving $100,000 to an autism charity to help the same kids he called retarded.

Orent-licker

I got a lot accomplished on my day off. I have bags of mulch and mushroom compost and peat and potting soil heaped in my yard. I moved around some yard things to make room for the family of gnomes coming to stay for the summer.

Boy is Indiana ever popular with the Democratic candidates, but we haven’t seen McCain which doesn’t disappoint me any. Hillary and Obama are running constant television and radio ads. It feels so special to be courted.

One local politician-guy caught my interest just because of his name: David Orentlichter. Pronounced Orent-licker. I looked up his website and seems he’s both a physician and an attorney. I wonder if he’s ever sued himself for malpractice. Anyway, the pictures on his website are pretty bland: One of him, his wife and their 2.1 children looking all “Ideal family.” One of him with two hard hat-types—this is probably to impart the fact that he’s pro-jobs. And one of him reading to African American kids (one’s looking bored as hell.

I think it would be refreshing to hear a candidate say “I have no new ideas. I’m dumb as a post. I just want to go to Washington so I can get free haircuts, free postage, free health care, a kickass retirement, and get wined and dined by people wanting my vote on legislation.Vote for me! I’m John J. Dumbass and I approve this message.”

Day Off

I've decided to take off work tomorrow to head to Menard's and get my Spring order of mulch, peat moss, and other gardening accoutrements.

I might insist that BP take off too and go to Panera's with me before Menard's. He's not a coffee person--he loves tea.

We had a wonderful Sunday. We grilled hamburgers, hot dogs and corn on the cob. It was (as Racheal Ray would say) "yummo."

I tok a shower and am headed off to read.

Lesson for the day

BP got the mower ready for this season and the LP mowed the lawn yesterday.
Remember: Do not scalp your grass! Set your mower at about three inches high so your grass can get thick and remain healthy. Set too low can cause bare spots in your lawn and invite disease and weeds to sprout.

Having said that, why not get rid of most of your lawn and plant some native plants. Lawns are old leftovers from English lords and ladies and palatial estates to show how wealthy you were. Nowadays with gas prices so high, we don't need vast expanse of lawns. Lawns require fertilizers and water and gas for mowing whch releases god awful chemicals into the air.

Once established native plants (easy to research what is best for your area of the country) require very little care and water and fertilizer. Plus you'll be doing all the little birdies, butterflies, ladybugs, earthworms and other beneficiary buggy boos a massive favor by providing food and shelter.

Google "(Your State name) native plant list" or email Ded---I'm sure he'll be happy to help you. :)

Survivor

I'm watching Fans Vs Favorites Survivor, and while she's not my favorite to win, Cirie is excellent at strategy--booting out Ozzy tonight with his immunity idol unplayed. Great move!

Jason's growing on me--he's naive but a good game player.

For my affection, no one can beat that muscley gravedigger James. He's so very purdy!

People please

Who first started saying "at the end of the day"?

Also "It is what it is"?

I'm sick of both of these sayings.

Is it Dr Suess-type philosophy?

What gives?

My daffodils are blooming








The fence, which is probably four inches on our side of the property line, plus today she was on her ass putting down those planks and marble rocks which encroaches even more.

Defend the Line!

I got up early this morning and washed clothes, cleaned the bathroom, fed the birds, cleaned the bird bath and read the paper. Now I’m enjoying my coffee.
Weird Spring: Today it’s colder than a witch’s tit, but my daffodils and hyacinths are blooming and look spectacular.

You may remember the nasty neighbor I told you about . . the Gladys Kravits nosy parker. The block gossip. The one who crawls around (literally) on her lawn, picking the crabgrass, paints her walk three times each summer. The one who hated us sight-unseen because the old lady we bought the property from wouldn’t sell it to Frieda’s mother. Anyway. She had a company put up a fence between own properties.

She’d hate it if she knew that she actually saved us money, because we had planned on doing the same thing in two years. I noticed she had the company put the “face side” in toward her own property, and the unfinished side towards us. Having researched fencing ordinances in anticipation of our future project, I knew this was against code. In our area, the face side of a fence goes out to the public side.
I went over to her and politely (yes, politely) asked her if the fencing company was finished with the project. She said, “Yes” in that icy Frieda-tone. I told her that the face side should be out facing our property and she said, “I told them I wanted the nice side facing my property.”
Me: I’m sure, but ordinance says that it should face out toward the public side.
Frieda: I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Me: The fence company should know the local ordinances, but you’re going to have them come back and redo the fence.
Frieda: Like hell!

A few days later I called the Zoning and Building Inspector and asked them to go and take a look at the fence, and last week the fencing company was back and faced the fence on our side.

BP said that now the fence encroaches about four inches onto our property. He wants to call again and she’ll probably have to take the whole fence down and redo it completely.
I don’t really care that it’s over, but BP says, “We have to defend the line! When we go to sell, it’ll be an issue.” I don’t know how this will play out.

Rag's Luck

I just read old Rags' blog and it puts me in the damnable position of defending her—which I do not like at all.

Apparently someone posted in that Zag Wiki Shelf thing that Rag was in a cult, and since she uses the name Ragmuffin in her photography business (only God knows why) a potential client Googled her name . . up pops the Zag thing and now this would be client doesn’t want a cult member to photograph his whatever. Rag’s out $700 big ones.

I always knew that Wiki thing was a bad idea and a place that people would go to shit on others, that’s why I wasn’t a fan of it. Not to mention I wasn’t a fan of Zagglossus….I thought he was a pedantic blowhard. But I digress.

Anyway, if Rag wasn’t such a rag I’d consider sending her $700. That is, if I had an extra $700 bucks. Or I could sell one of the purses my sister’s given me over the years. But I won’t do that either.

But I’m sorry about her luck.

A creep goes out of his way to make derogatory and mean comments when a post merely laments the untimely passing of a kid. There was no cause for it whatsoever, and I'm hopeful that he'd change his tune if his kids had known a murder victim. But maybe not. Maybe he's just a creep, plain and simple.

Abigail

One of LP's grade school acquaintances was murdered last night. She and two friends (one is still in critical condition at a local hospital; the other was treated and released) were somewhere they weren't supposed to be, doing something they weren't supposed to be doing, and they suffered tragic consequences.
People in general do stupid things, and teenagers do stupid things a lot. You can't tell them anything, because they tend to know it all.
My heart goes out to her parents and friends.

Hello

Hi. I'm back. This week in Florida was boring as hell.
I'm glad to be back.
Free booze though. Still. I'd rather pay for my own booze
rather than sit through boring ass seminars.
That's all.

I bought a cardinal "windy wings" outdoor mobile and it's cute.
It's hanging outside on my porch alongside my windchimes.
Cardinal is the Indiana State Bird. Do you know your State Bird?
Clanky & Mems, does England have an official bird, like the
U.S. has the eagle?
In case there is doubt in anyone's mind, I have officially crossed
over to "old lady." Not quite on the par of the woman who has thirteen
house cats, but close. However, I do talk to the butterflies and birds who visit my birdfeeders.

It figures

My periods have been very spotty lately---hahahahah "spotty" get it???
And I'll go two or three months without having one. Well, I'm leaving for Florida on Sunday and guess what?

Yep.

Mostly for Spidey

Spidey Puddin,

I'll be on a business trip to Orlando next week so don't worry.
I'm not leaving until Sunday so I'll be around until then.

Love ya

Emma's Plan for Economic Renewal

It's Tuesday.

I'm going to campaign that America adopt a 30 hour work week. We'd probably be more productive and there's be less sick time.

A 30 hour work week.

A mandatory 10 weeks of vacation time per year.

A minimum of 10 dollars per hour.

Meetings cannot last more than 30 minutes or the caller of that meeting gets beheaded.

Free Panera coffee and bagels every morning.

If a person wants to come into work in flannel pajamas, I say go for it, however any man who comes to work dressed in khaki pants and a blue shirt gets beheaded.

I will be issued a Taser gun and and am free to use it on people that I dislike and who I do not want to hear from in the office. First offense, get Tasered, second offense, get beheaded.


That will do for starters.

Easter

We had a nice Easter. LP and I joined my sister , Mom, my sister, husband and their three kids for an Easter brunch in Indy. BP was on a business trip and didn't make it home for Easter.
This place had a groovy three-piece instrumental group who played while we ate.
Here are some of the brunch items:

eggs
omelets
potatoes
bacon/sausages
waffles
cereals
pastries


All kinds of lettuces and salad stuff



antipasto:
salami,
*spiced ham,
*olives,
*herbed mozzarella cheese balls,
*peppers,
*fennel & orange salad,
*grilled asparagus with feta,


scalloped potatoes
seasoned rice
grilled fresh mixed vegetables
*poppy seed fish with asian sauce
*jumbo shrimp cocktail
*pork loin with thyme dressing
roast beef


chocolate cake
three kinds of *cheesecake
fruit tart
chocolate fountain with marshmallows, graham crackers and crisp cookies to dip
coconut pie
coconut cake
carrot cake



The starred stuff is all the stuff I tried (oink) but it was so good!

Enchanted

I bought myself an early easter present: Disney's Enchanted on DVD.
What a wonderful movie! Amy Adams is just charming as a cartoon come to life--she's a got a good singing voice too. The group song of How Does She Know That You Love Her in Central Park was one of my favorite scenes.

Patrick Dempsey was good. And I loved that the casting person casted a real-looking little girl as his daughter Morgan. She wasn't cutesy. She wasn't blonde. She didn't over act. She wasn't bratty. She was a little chubby and looked like a real six year old.

Only my sweetie Susan Sarandon was a scenery chewer as the evil stepmother. She should have scaled it back a bit, but I forgive her--she's Susan Sarandon for cryin' out loud.

Even my poor black gangsta child watched it with me and enjoyed it in spite of himself!~

A Day in the Life

Yesterday in Indiana:

The rain stopped, the clouds parted and the sun shone a little brighter. I think it was because Hillary Clinton visited our fair State!

Tuesday is my good news day.

I took today off. We're supposed to get rain, rain, and more rain today, tommorrow and into Thursday.

I think I'll paint today and read and clean the bedroom. What a day-off agenda.

Happy St Patrick's Day

I've decided to go to work today and take off either Turesday or Wednesday. But I'm not wearing green so you can pinch me.

I'm debating on whether or not I should take Monday off.

Arguments For:

1. It's St. Patrick's Day.
2. I don't have any meetings set up for Monday.


Arguments Against:
1.
2.

On another note, in an effort to jump start a bad, sagging economy I will once again offer the Emma Powerball Jackpot Extravaganza. Powerball drawing tomorrow is $275 million. If you'll email me a number between 1 and 55, I will go and buy a ticket. If that ticket wins the Jackpot, the ticket's participants will split (Dr Evil dramatic pause) One million dollars.
Email your number before NOON Saturday to emmawrites@aol.com

Lewis Black

You guys know Lewis Black? He’s had his own comedy shows on Showtime & Comedy Central, and he’s a contributor on The Daily Show.

On a recent TDS segment he wondered about the Elliott Spitzer thing and asked why someone would spend $4300 for sex? “For $4300 you could buy a used Honda and go FUCK IT!!" You know the way he gets all manic and his faces screws up? The line was hilarious.

But maybe you had to be there.

A Nugget

I'm reading a book called "I Never Knew that About Ireland" by Christopher Winn

Here's a nugget:


"The word 'quiz' was invented in Dublin. In 1780 a Dublin theatre manager, James Daly, made a bet that he could introduce a meaningless word in to the English language within 24 hours. He hired a posse od schoolboys to chalk up the word 'quiz' on every available wall or surface in the city and soon Dublin was agog to know what was going on. And that is how we came by one of the most commonly used words in the world."

Old meds

The buzz is that now pharmaceuticals are ending up in our drinking water. People get rid of their old and half-used perscriptions by flushing them down toilets--they end up in wastewater treatments and come back through our faucets. Blech. My community has a program where you can take old 'scripts and even expired over-the-counter meds and aspirin, etc. and they will dispose of them in an envirnomental safe way. They have specialized containers and empty them under police and medical supervision.
Find out if you can do it in your own community.

Peeps are here

Another reason to welcome spring!

Saturday

Hesh up Dear Mems. You can suffer through my green blog for a bit. It's to signify Spring and all green things to come.

Spidey Lou: I drift in and out of my Bliss.

Today BP, LP my Mom, Sis and I are driving up to Midway Airport to drop off the BP so he can fly to Texas to pick up a vehicle he bought from a friend. I'm telling you it thrills me to no end to give up a Saturday to have my ass in a car for hours and hours, but it's a request from the husband so I'll suffer in silence.

Schell: Did you like Lost. Ben gets creepier and creepier. I'll bet you a Powerball ticket that his "contact" on the freighter is none other than MICHAEL! I read where he's supposed to come back this year.

OOOOOMMMMMMMMMM

Nothing really new or exciting here.
We're under another winter storm watch
for Friday and Saturday which thrills me to no end.

Damn. I'd forgotten how gorgeous this song was until Jason Castro sang it on AI tonight.
Here's Jeff Buckley's version of the great Leonard Cohen song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AratTMGrHaQ

Now I've heard there was a secret chord
that David played and it pleased the Lord,
but you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this: the fourth, the fifth
the minor fall, the major lift;
the baffled king composing Hallelujah!

Your faith was strong but you needed proof.
You saw her bathing on the roof;
her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you.
She tied you to a kitchen chair
she broke your throne, she cut your hair,
and from your lips she drew the Hallelujah!

You say I took the Name in vain;
I don't even know the name.
But if I did, well, really, what's it to you?
There's a blaze of light in every word;
It doesn't matter which you heard;
the holy, or the broken Hallelujah!

I did my best; it wasn't much.
I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch.
I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you.
And even though it all went wrong,
I'll stand before the Lord of Song
with nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah!

This woman's name is Patti Stanger. There is a reality show on Bravo about her and her Millionaire's Club. She accepts millionaire male clients and finds them their "ideal woman." She calls herself a matchmaker.

I've seen this show a few times and it is awful. Needless to say she rejects women who are ugly, fat, too highly educated, and opinionated. Most of the women she uses are between 25 and 35, straight-haired blonde, thin, with huge tits and not a lot on the ball upstairs.

She told this red haired woman that men don't like red hair because it's too matronly. "Can you dye it lighter?" She rejects women who send her head shots because men think women who post head shots on internet dating sites are all fat. She tells curly haired women to "straighten it!" because men want to run their hands through long straight hair. Let me tell you--this woman is not so hot herself. She's like a cross between Elvira and Bill O'Reilly. Do some women actually do a 180 in order to atract a man with money? They must--evidentally her business is booming. She also is mean to her staff.

We've got a new tenant--a retired lady who seems very pleasant if not a wee bit persnickety. We have to move in a refrigerator this week because the previous tenants had their own. BP got the scathingly brilliant idea that we would put our fridge in the rental house and we'd get a new one. Sounds good to me, so I'm thinking of taking Tuesday off to go to Menard's and buy a fridge with BP. All appliances are 10% off.

Tomorrow we're going to our Tax Lady to figure if we owe, or if we're getting a refund. I get a boatload of taxes taken out of my check each month but 2007 was a very strange year for us so it's anyone's guess. Ces't la vie.

We had our Girls Night Out last night. I had a dirty martini and a Mexican chicken dish (not Bert.) Fun was had by all.

The lowly white man

I sat at a lunch table today with several casual work acquaintances.
We were chit-chatting about this and that--mostly politics-- and then one middle-aged fellow proclaimed, "The group in America that is most discriminated against today is white males."

People looked really uncomfortable, but no one said anything. Well, you know me.

Me: Please. Don't make me choke on this lovely tuna surprise I'm eating. Either you're just incredibly stupid or your brain's lost oxygen after all those years wearing that fucking white hood over your head.

The lady next to me laughed so hard she had Pepsi coming out of her nose. Hand to God.

Dinner for Sis

I'm making a dinner tonight for my generous sister as a means of thanking her for her generosity.

spicy cucumber salad
jasmine rice
thati basil chicken with peppers
bananas foster for dessert
tea
----------
still loathing the Big Brother houseguests
----------
all the American idol girls sucked last night
----------
looking forward to Lost later tonight

Tomorrow we're supposed to get more snow.

We're having a lunch pitch in tomorrow at work. I told them that if they expect me to cook then I'm not coming in until 11:30. I'm supposed to bring the deli sandwiches and macaroni and cheese. I'm trying Ina Garten's Grown up Mac & Cheese with three kinds of cheeses and basil and stuff. The recipe is on www.foodtv.com

I'm sleepy since I stayed up until midnight last night watching the Oscars. I had to explain three times to LP the difference between the Oscars, the Emmys and the Grammys. He wasn't too interested. I didn't even mention the Sag Awards, the Golden Globes and the People's Choice Awards. He would have just rolled his green eyeballs.

Anyway, being the young black thug that he is, he liked seeing Denzel. He liked American Gangster but told me that I wouldn't like it--it was too violent. He's right. I wouldn't even want to watch that movie--or a lot of the others this year that were very graphic and/or violent--No Country, or There Will Be Blood. Blech.

I did buy Ratouillle (misspelling there) What a good movie. I did however get grossed out when those fifty million rats came pouring ou of the house when the ceiling caved in. Blech.

Earlier I ate some popcorn and some Laffy Taffy I got 1/2 off the day after Valentine's Day. My sick feels woozy now. Blech.

When is Enchanted due out on DVD? That's my speed

It may cause you to develop a second vagina

I love Tina Fey

As you may already know, I love Tina Fey. She's a great comedy writer. I love 30 Rock, and when I saw she was hosting Saturday Night Live, I taped it. Hilarious. Here's one of their fake ads. It's for "Annuale"--pills that give women only one period a year. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdExnHM33kQ.

Read the warning at the end of the bit!

She was also guest commentator on the SNL Weekend Update. I wish someone had YouTubed that--because it was awesome. She did a pro-Hillary piece that included, that some people were worried that Hillary and Bill would be "co-presidents" she said "imagine that . . this country being run by two highly intellegent people!"

and (paraphrasing) "Some think Hillary's a bitch. of COURSE she's a bitch!. I'm a bitch. This one's (pointing to Amy Poehler) a bitch too. Bitches get things done. That's why they have nuns and not priests teach Catholic school. Those dried up old clams could hit you. By graduation you were bruised, bloodied by those bitches, but you knew the capitol of Vermont!" I snorted and snorted!

Tina Fey, I love you.

Larry David's Curbed It

I bought the Season five DVD set of my favorite show that I don't get to watch in real time, Curb Your Enthusiasm. I've watched three episodes so far and I am not loving it.

So far LD and Cheryl have intentionally stopped by a friends' house a night after a planned party and played as if they had forgotten the real date only to be trapped into staying. A gigantic black penis and balls cake had a featured roll in that episode.

Another episode had Larry accuse a house guest of masturbating on one of their blankets, only to discover it was his pal Jeff. Jeff got horny when he was over at the David's for Passover. "I wouldn't have done it on Yom Kippor! I wouldn't have done it on a high holiday! But it was only Passover."

Have LD and company lost their magic?
I'll let you know when I 've finished the whole season.

------

Spidey: We got another three inches of snow yesterday.

This morning I was patiently waiting in line at Panera, preparing to order a large coffee and everything bagel, well toasted, with two butters.
A cute little black boy and his mother were ahead of me in line.
He looked back at me and I smiled at him.
He tugged on his mother's coat sleeve and in a loud stage whisper told her,
"Mama, that white lady is smiling at me!"
She told him, "Smile back at her."
He looked at me and said in a loud voice, "NO!"
It embarrased his mom, but it made me laugh.

BB Til Death Do the Viewers Puke

I thought I told someone to tell me not to watch Big Brother. well, no one did and I started watching it and man, where do they get these jacked up contestants?

Parker looks like the Staples' rubber band man.

Amanda's squeaky voice rivals last season Jessica's voice for most annoying sound on earth.

What happened to the gay guy's partner?

According to the one of the fan sites, the live feed caught "good Christian girl" Natalie giving her partner Matt a blow job on Day 2.

I hate Jen.

I hate Chelsia's eyebrows.

Why does Joshua have an extra "h" in his name? Joshuah.

And is there time to go into why both "Sheila and Adam" are just plain wrong/stupid/nasty/hillbilly? Adam looks like the Love Child of James Caan and Marty Feldman.

Yoko Ono is 75 today. She was listed in our paper's "Celebrity birthdays."
They put a description in front of everyone they list. For example, "musician John Mayer"
"actor Paul Newman" "Lost's Matthew Fox."

Yoko was described as "vocalist Yoko Ono." That made me laugh. VOCALIST!!? haha.
I wouldn't have even put a description for her. Who doesn't know who Yoko Ono is? I'll bet even JulieReneeB and elu have heard of ole Yoko.

It's Bill Paying Day today.

Also laundry.

Also I taped the new Jamie Oliver cooking show this morning and I plan to watch that.
I adore that potting shed type outside kitchen he cooks in. I want to live there--surrounded by his herb garden and the stray chicken or two. I like the way the Irish and the British pronounce the herb OREGANO ---O RAY gan o.
We pronounce it O ray GA no.

People sure do talk purdy over across the Big Pond.

A few people pet peeves

1. People with no backbone.

2. People who think having all students armed with weapons would have prevented the latest Campus Shootings.

3. People who talk loudly on their cell phones from one end of Meijer's to the other. Talking to an unseen guy named Ed about all of her real estate clients and how stupid they are, while she's blocking other people (me) from the red bell peppers.

4. People who are weird . . but not in a good way. There are good-weird people in this world--those don't bother me. The weird-weird ones who make no sense but think themselves worthy of note are the ones I'm talking about. Get it?

5. People (co-workers_ who expect you to drive to lunch week after week and offer not a note of thanks for driving. I've had it with these people. Next week it's "I'll meet you at the restaurant."

Happy Valentine's Day

We received a six dollar and thirty-three cent rebate check in the mail today from our insurance company after I cancelled the policy on BP’s ratty old van we no longer have. Yippee! Of course better than that was the ultra cute Valentine’s Day card I received from Spidey. It featured the Office gang. Thanks Spidey-Lou.
Since my loving husband is in Phoenix on business he won’t be here to shower me with love, affection and gifts. Woe is me.
My LP however has informed me that he wants chocolate for his Valentine’s Day gift.

“And what will you get me?” I asked.
He answered, “You have a great son, what more do you need?”
What more indeed.

WINNER:

Pop Collaboration With Vocals: "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)," Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

They may have won a Grammy, but their video still sucks

love this angle on the columbine