Writers are Artists

Uh Oh

Yesterday I happened upon this 3D spring screen saver.  So realistic looking.  Almost like peering out of a window instead of watching a computer screen.

It was lovely with its slowly blooming pink flowering trees that swayed in the breeze.  I had myself convinced I could feel the breeze too.  I heard the chirping a second before the birds flitted though the branches.

There was a family of ducks floating around the pond.  I was so engrossed in the ducklings’ play that I nearly missed the daffodils coming into bloom.  The butterflies seemed to love them.

It was then I noticed the mama rabbit.  She was watching me.  Seriously, she was.  Oh she’d look away when I turned toward her but every time I averted my glance I could feel her eyes on me.

The longer I sat there, watching the petals start to fall, the bolder she became.  Soon she was outright staring at me and she did not look at all happy.  When she started hopping closer I switched off the monitor.  I don’t know what she had in mind but I suspect it was something evil and not at all cute and fuzzy bunnyish.

Perhaps I will go back to it again to see if she is still there.  Not for long, of course.  I wouldn’t want to be the one to allow her to escape from the screen.  Who knows what havoc she might wreck out among us?  I don’t really want to find out.  Do you?

Happy weekend all and stay off the path.  She's right beside it.

There Really is a Spring This Year

I went for a little stroll yesterday and look what I found.  Yes, there is still melting snow too but this gives me hope.

Dear Microsoft

Please do take it personally when I tell you how much I abhor your business practices.  I am a longtime user of XP.  I love it!  I know how everything works and have always been able to do exactly what I needed to do with it.  Your upcoming abandonment of it is despicable.

Due to your total lack of consideration I will be forced to abandon my nearly seven year old Dell computer which I also love.  Why?  Because when I surfed to see if there was a fix for this I found your new and shiny and not necessarily improved operating system is not compatible with my machine.  Your advice?  Buy a new computer.

Had I unlimited funds that might not be such a bad thing however I do not.  Nor would I randomly purchase another when the one I currently have is perfectly functional.  You may live in a disposable world but I don’t.  I believe in things that last.  Unlike you.

I have decided to make it my goal to never give you another cent as long as I live.  No big deal to you, I’m certain but perhaps I can gather others to make this a common goal for all of us.  Trust me, I am angry enough and displeased enough that I will find a way around you.

Lacking all respect for you since you lack any caring for the rest of us,

Barbara Huffert

Learned Something

I have no natural affinity for cement work.  No, concrete is definitely not my immediate forte.  However, I am certain, with some practice and proper equipment, I could master it if I chose to.  I do not.

What am I yammering about?  This morning was to be a DIY morning.  My steps are in need of repair, thanks in part to the gas company jack-hammering up against them last fall and the winter we’ve had.  They are also old.  Extremely old.  They were worn when I moved in 25 years ago.  Age does not become them.

I know they will need replacing eventually but I hoped to postpone the expense by sealing them to halt the crumbling.  Excellent idea in theory.  In actuality, not so much.  To begin with the scraps of wood I was sure just had to be tuck away in the basement were not.

On to plan B for form construction.  In case you’re wondering, no, chicken wire and duct tape are not an acceptable substitute.  But I gave it the proverbial college try anyway.  It is not anywhere close to smooth and square but that wasn’t really the intent.  I was going for functional. 

No clue if I accomplished that.  There is currently plastic covering the glop.  Hey, I’ve seen cementing done.  They always cover up the area with plastic once they are finished.  Bet they don’t apply sun-in before they begin as I did.  Multitasking at it’s finest!

Yep, That About Sums it Up

Heh

I was surfing an old file this evening, looking for something I thought I tucked away there, only to be distracted by this pic.  It is from the 365 picture a day challenge some friends set up awhile back.

I remember that day.  It was hotter than the hinges of hell, as my grandfather would have said.  On days like that I put my hair up instantly once I'm home from work.  Usually it ends up as an off-center ponytail but not that day.  Then it turned out like I always want it to when I attempt to put my hair up to go out.  I really like it like that.  Never managed to duplicate it.

The point?  You think there is one?  I'm sorry but no, not today.  Just a good hair moment picture. 

It's Time

And my own fault.  I've been very irresponsible lately with my meals.  Yes, pretty much eating anything and everything I wanted.  Bad Barb.  Bad, bad Barb!

Now it is time to pay.  If you've been around for a long time then you will know that I used to suffer from terrible migraines.  I finally cured them on my own.  By juicing.  No more drugs that could kill a horse at twenty paces.

Or so I thought.  Last week I would have killed for some of those drugs.  I had a choice to make.  Go back to the whole doctor ritual, including a slew of drugs or have some more juice.  I chose juice.

You may be wondering why I even hesitated.  Simple.  The juice that works best includes kale.  Have you ever had raw kale juice?  Trust me.  It's truly nasty!  As in one tiny sip is enough to make my skin crawl for three minutes.  Drinking a whole glass is a true challenge.  But still, in the long run, it is better than endless migraines.

So here, on the outside of the pic are my breakfast and lunch tomorrow.  Kale, cucumber, celery, ginger, apple and a splash of pure, natural orange juice.  I've discovered that OJ makes it slightly more palatable.  Tonight's dinner is a treat.  Kale, cucumber, celery, banana and super sweet pineapple!  Much better but not really as effective when it comes to eliminating migraines quickly.

One interesting thing I learned with tonight's dinner combination - Banana brings out the taste of celery.  Had no clue it would do that but I'm eternally grateful it didn't enhance the kale.

Did You Know?

Opossums are exceptionally good groomers.  I can hear you thinking, "So?  Why should I care?"  You should and I'll tell you why.

I realize that we're still in the midst of an extended deep freeze here but believe it or not, spring really is coming.  And with spring comes tick season.  Ticks that carry Lyme disease.  Nasty stuff, that.  I recommend avoiding it if at all possible.

That's where possums, cute but nasty buggers that they are, come in.  Being so fastidious, they gobble up an extremely high percentage of ticks that attempt to feast on them.  As in every tick they eat is one less that will eventually find its way to you.

Ah, now you get it.  So although I don't necessarily recommend that you invite them to nest under your porch it might not be such a bad thing if they live in your neighborhood.  Keep areas they might decide to seek shelter in closed up and your trash out of reach and you can coexist, no problem.  Unless you have neighbors like mine but that was a topic of an older blog.

Bittersweet

A million years ago, when I first moved into my house I decided I needed a place to go.  You know what I mean.  Someplace comfortable.  Someplace where I was known and could go without worrying about anything.  Someplace to hang out.

Back then the Pike hadn’t begun its metamorphoses and was still pretty much of a dive.  It was definitely not a place where I could go alone.  So I roamed my new neighborhood and stumbled on Ronies.  A few blocks from home.  Back then it was safe to walk at all hours so it was perfect.

Ronie was a character.  If he liked you, he delayed taking your money so you were unable to leave.  If he didn’t, you never got served.  I was fortunate.  Ronie and his wife, Donna liked me.  One of the early years I ended up with way too much vacation.  I used it up one Friday afternoon at a time, at Ronies, eating fresh sliced Delmonico cheese steaks with spicy fries.  By the time the summer was over I was family.  Over the years, I stored up a lot of memories from there.  Mostly good, a few not so much.

A month ago a for sale sign appeared on the railing.  I hadn’t been there in quite some time but that didn’t stop me from feeling a little sad.  After forty-eight years in business Ronies was closing.  The end of an era.   One less place for me to feel at home.

Today some friends and I went for what will be the last time.  There is a deal pending.  Someone else will step in and change things.  No, there is nothing wrong with change.  But in this case even if the new place is fantastic it still won’t be good.   Ronies was an old fashioned corner bar that I’m sure is very similar to how it looked the day it opened, only not as shiny.  Ronie and Donna are much the same as the first time I walked in.  They’re not as shiny either but then neither am I.

I’d like to say thank you for all the time I spent there.  And wish them both all the best in the world.  Cheers!