This, That, and a Squirrel

Last night THGGM and I went out for dinner. He ask what I had done all morning. Not in a judgemental sort of way. Just asked (he is capable of both).

Seriously? I could not remember.

So, today I thought I would write down what I did this morning. You know, so if he asks tonight I just might remember to check my blog for clues.

One of the very first things I did this morning was drink a cup of coffee. One wasn't enough so I went back for more. I was watching a taped episode of "That's Clever" and rested my second FULL cup of coffee on my knee. Then, I got an idea and stood up. Significant effort was devoted to changing clothes, wiping up a couch and throwing in a load of laundry. That all took time.

Next, I finished a book I've been reading. "The Final Season" by Tom Stanton. It's about Tom Stanton's experiences attending every home game the last year the Detroit Tiger's played at Tiger Stadium. It's also about a lot more than that, and I enjoyed it VERY much. Youngest Son recommended it. I would recommend it to anybody who develops deep attachments to places, whether you care for baseball or not. Finishing up the book didn't take long, as I only had a few pages left to go.

Next I made my yummy breakfast of V-8 mixed with organic apple cider vinegar and a pinch of black coarsely ground pepper. I also ate dry steal cut oats and some frozen blackberries.


It really isn't as bad as it sounds.

By now my load in the washer is ready for the dryer so I headed downstairs. Of course, since I am already downstairs I opened the secret door into my rooms of creative messes to retrieve some Scrabble letters. Those I can assure you, are carefully placed alphabetically in a tool drawer unit. Wafts of hope came out of each of the four drawers as I happily thought, "HEY! I DO know how to be organized!"

When I got back upstairs I plugged in my hot glue gun and added the Scrabble letters to the little wooden easle I found for 49 cents at the thrift store.

I wouldn't be me if I did not immediately grab my camera and take pictures of it. Before THGGM and I had children, we took pictures of pies and other things we baked.

Yes. Love letters. I love them. The white cube letters I did not glue down. Then I had to rearrange EVERYTHING and add more hearts and Valentine-type thingies to everything. This takes time, people. This takes time.

Oh. And that cool old heart-shaped candy box in the top picture? THGGM grandmother gave me that also. It came from Fred Kruger in 1949. Hmm. THE Freddy Kruger? Does make me wonder. Every year.

I've had this idea about replacing my pantry door with a wooden screen door. So, I felt obligated to spend some time standing in front of my pantry with the door open wondering if there would ever be a day in my life when I would WANT someone to know what it looks like in there. Maybe I should rethink this. Or, become a bit more like a neat and tidy person.

That required more thinking and/or action than I was willing to give it, so I went back to taking pictures of things.

Just because I didn't know what to do with it, I dropped this simple Valentine postcard into the gold bells that wrap my lampshade (what? you don't have gold bells wrapping your lampshade? why ever not?), and low and behold if I didn't LOVE how it looked. I don't have many Valentine postcards, but now I have an actual reason to go out and look for more.

Then, on my way to download (or is it upload? i can never remember. off load?) my pictures to the computer I passed the kitchen table with it's still plugged in hot glue gun. When I leaned over to pull the plug I saw a squirrel outside eating the seeds that the sparrows had scattered.

Eeeww. There is something nastily wrong with this squirrels back. A bald looking wound runs from between it's shoulders almost to the base of it's tail. It doesn't seem to be having much of an effect on it's appetite or mobility, but that doesn't stop me from worrying about it.

Somewhere in my morning activity I talked to Daughter, Jonge and Famke on the phone, twice.

And so, without further adieu, I give you my morning.

This afternoon I plan to clean out the refrigerator which still harbors some holiday fare.

A headache has begun to call out my name, but so far, yelling GO AWAY is holding it at bay.

It Was a GOOD Saturday

Jonge and Famke spent the night with us.

They sleep well here, which is truly a bonus!

Of course, I could not resist the morning light!

And, I love to catch Famke still looking like a baby.

In three short months, she won't BE the baby anymore.

Somedays she looks scornfully upon her bottle. Others, she adores it.

Yesterday, it was lunch at Old Country Buffet for Pa's 83rd birthday.

Today, it was breakfast at Arnie's for Youngest Son's 25th birthday.

They were both happy little shoppers at the thrift store, too.

On one of the many trips around the block on the new (second hand) scooter, we discovered a tiny little fairy door on a tree.

Jonge now has an idea that maybe THIS is where the snack fairy comes from who fills the snack bowl with a treat each day.

And, since the weatherman is threatening that we shall have snow yet this weekend, we picked some of these beautiful flowers for mommy!

I'm so very impressed that flowers still come up in my yard.

I Won!

i won, I won, I Won, I WON!

THGGM and I did our errands by the 'divide and conquer' method today.

He went to Michael's Craft Store - which saved us A LOT of time, as I could spend an hour and leave having forgotten what I went in for - and I went to Barnes and Noble. I could live there if it wasn't for the odd music they sometimes play (one particular female vocalist sounds like a cat in heat but with more shrill moaning).

As we left The Mall we drove past the strip mall with Cold Stone Creamery.

THGGM said "Hey! Let's go there! (he is on a diet and hasn't had anything sweet since March 1st. i, you may recall, am diabetic.)

"Okay!", said I, already imagining myself ordering the Coffee Lover's Only.

He said, "We can't".

I pouted. Of course, he had no way of knowing I was pouting, as he is driving and not looking at me. Also, my face is in a continual pout these days.

So I had to verbalize. I think I said something about him not being a man of his word. Anything to get me to the Coffee Lover's ice cream.

Now, obviously, I know that neither of us can have ice cream. It's obvious because if we COULD we would not want any. We are both immature that way.

We are both immature in so very many ways that I haven't enough band width (is that still applicable? IS there still band width?) to note them all here. But, I digress.

Anyway...

On our early morning adventures in the car THGGM was listening to "The Carpenter's". THGGM thinks that Karen Carpenter has the best voice, ever. Do not argue with him over this, like if you think that Celine Dionne, Carrie Underwood or Madonna have better voices. I like Karen just fine, but am still having trouble with getting songs stuck in my head, which presently has "I Can Dream, Can't I?" holding hands and dancing with The Wiggles version of "Old Dan Tucker".

For me, he turned off The Carpenter's CD.

So, a song came on the radio,

THGGM looked at me and said, "If you can name who is singing this, we will go to Cold Stone."

There are only a few artists who's voices I recognize and presently I cannot think of any of them, except Frankie Valli. When THGGM and I were dating, we once went to a Frankie Valli concert at Calvin College. Maybe that is why I remember him. Or, maybe it's just because he has an odd-sounding voice.

So, I blurted out,

"Justin Timberlake!"

And, I was correct.

I could not name you even ONE Justin Timberlake song. Not one.

Just a lucky guess.

We went tonight.

I had the Coffee Lover's Only.

Tonight, I will not even bother to check my blood sugar.

The ice cream, Coffee Lover's Only, was GOOD.

Thank you, THGGM, for spending a bit of your blood plasma money on ice cream.

And, thank you, Justin Timberlake, whoever you are.

(i won!)

Why Red Thread?

Okay. I'm done with this banner now.

I love the color. It's pulled the room together. And, it's meaningful. Notice the meaning?

"His banner over me is love".

I thought we could (he we, not me we) easily move a long white peg shelf from one side of the room to over the bed, but it is about a foot too long.

A foot? One would think I could 'eye-ball' something to within a foot, but I cannot.

I'm curious to know if I am the only one who notices tiny weird things but cannot estimate to within a foot.

Today I sat in an office and noticed how tastefully decorated everything was. Creative, classy and comfortable.

But what is it that I remember most?

I remember that the impeccably dressed doctor had four buttons on the sleeve of his sport coat. Three were sown on with matching brown thread and one was sown on with bright red thread.

Is that the signature of any particular designer?

If I had my druthers (what ARE druthers?) I would rather be able to eye-ball the length of a shelf than to wonder if the reason the one button was sown with red thread had anything to do with the lack of a wedding ring on the doctor's finger.

Rainy Saturday

Rain fell all day today. I wonder what someone visiting West Michigan for the first time would think. Every parking lot has piles and piles of well-insulted snow and filth. Filthy snow is hideous.

Thursday I picked up twigs and branches that had blown off the tree. THGGM found it curious that I was choosy about which branches I actually picked up. That's easy. I picked up all the curvy, knobby magnolia branches. I've plans to make some more crepe paper bouquets with those. White ones, this time. I'd hoped to complete that today, but sadly, I did not.

What did I do? I'm trying to remember. The day started with our blood plasma donation. I'm sure it's because we are both weird, but THGGM and I actually ENJOY doing this. He finished reading "The Shack" and Philip Gulley's "Front Porch Tales". I'm having trouble reading, so lately have opted to look at inspirational pictures in my vaste collection of Somerset Studio magazines.

Strangely enough, THGGM and I have a competition of sorts over the whole donation process. It's a race. Yesterday, I was the winner. My entire process took only 45 minutes. A record for me. This means that from my appointment time until they unhooked me from the machine took only an hour. And I made thirty dollars. I like to think this is pay back for that day we both spent four looooong hours there and neither of us were able to donate.

I can't bare to hear anything more about the economy. The only bright spot is that I keep hearing that it hasn't been this bad since the early 1980's. Really? It was bad then? I thought it was just us.

Daughter has finished her full-time training for her new job. I don't know who is more relieved. Her, me, or Jonge and Famke who dearly missed her. By Thursday, Jonge could not take it anymore. He had a major melt down of "I want mommy". I felt so bad for him. I love seeing Famke hurry over to him to give him a hug, pat his back and tell him, "I 'ove you".

That reminds me.., Famke's little fiesty personality is such a joy to watch! She isn't as a 1 1/2 year old AT ALL what I thought she was going to be. She was such a calm, quiet, complacent baby - at least around me. Now, she is a bubbly little personality who is always running away, turning around, gesturing and saying "Come on, guys! Come on!"

I realize that I post A LOT about my grandchildren. So sue me. :)

Thursday while I was changing Famke's diapers, Jonge disappeared into the bathroom. He is totally potty trained so this isn't news. The diaper ended up being a bigger deal than normal, and soon Jonge appeared with a toothbrush in his hand. He happily announced to me, "First I used MY toothbrush, then I used Pake's toothbrush, and now I am using YOUR toothbrush!"

(note to self. purchase new toothbrushes for everyone.)

Friday I also realized that I seriously underestimated how far it is to go from my house to the nursing home in Hudsonville and then to the doctor's office in East Grand Rapids. The entire event took four hours - round trip. If it weren't for the fact that it is officially 'pot hole season' it would have been pleasant. My dad was very talkative. I'm expecting that when I take him home on Monday he is going to dance a gig out the door, do cartwheels in the parking lot and insist that HE be the one to drive his own car home.

Does anyone who reads this enjoy embroidery? Vicki, at Turkey Feathers www.turkeyfeathers.typepad.com has been offering a free download on her blog. She also has put out a book that I would love to own someday. Visit Vicki. You will NOT be disappointed.

After our blood donations today we made a quick stop at the thrift store. I came in WAAAY under budget at $2.25. I was happy to pick up two books that I used to own but can no longer find. www.simplythrift.blogspot.com

I'm now the proud owner of ten pair of white socks with my dad's first initial and last name emblazoned across the souls in permanent black laundry marker. They cut off the circulation in his bad ankle. Since the first initial and last name is my maiden name, I shall wear them proudly, and try to bring back that 50's greaser look with the white socks. I'm such a fashion trend-setter, you know.

Oh. And lunch today was at Hunan. My favorite.

Then a quick trip to THE MALL. It has a name, but I can never remember what it is. I only went to Barnes and Noble and used some of my blood money to purchase the new Somerset Studio magazine. Since I've quit being so obsessive/compulsive about owning EVERY magazine, I spent awhile perusing it before I determined that it was worth every drop of my plasma. It was, as long as I used my Barnes and Noble discount.

That brings us to tonight. My hope is to rewind HGTV and fall asleep to the sound of home improvements. OTHER people's home improvements. I'll seek to improve MY home after I catch up on some much needed rest.

Why can't the time change suck an hour out of the work week? I need my sleep.

My Friday of Too Much Sitting

What a day today was. Mostly, I just sat. Sitting has the power to make me very tired.

Explaining this to THGGM who has worked all day is difficult.

Yet, I try.

Today I planned to leave the house at 9:30 to get my dad to his eye appointment at 10:10. At the appointed time, he was not here yet. So, I called him and woke him up from a nap. We did manage to make it in time. Although, I did go through two red lights. Not because I am the speeding daredevil sort. But my first attempt at stopping caused his ABS to go on and the thunking of the brake pedal freaks me out. Although I do believe that my going through red lights freaks my dad out, a little bit anyway. It wasn't so bad on the way back because his eyes were so dilated he couldn't see much.

The appointment took three hours. Three hours of sitting. Three hours of hearing an eye chart being read repeatedly. The eye doctor's waiting room usually allows for great 'people watching' but today seemed a slow day there and the people all unusually usual looking.

But, next came lunch. I was incredibly hungry. Normally I don't even start getting hungry for breakfast until about noon. But, I've been cooking oatmeal for THGGM and myself every morning and for some reason, whenever I eat oatmeal I am so hungry three hours later that I would eat anything. Or everything. Whatever.

So, my dad graciously offered to take me to Old Country Buffet. For some reason, and I am sure it was the oatmeal that did it, EVERYTHING looked wonderful to me. Having already spent three hours talking to my dad in between having his eyes dilated and the reading of the eye charts we had nothing left to say and took our lunch eating very seriously. OCB is a great place for recreational 'people watching' too. Although today everyone seemed incredibly normal.

Then it was on to the nursing home. Friday is BINGO day and my mom was waiting for us. She can no longer actually 'play' BINGO. There was an incident when she told me off for pointing out to my dad that she had a BINGO chip in her mouth. But, we won a few games for her and she does like to win prizes. The rest of the visit was lovely. She was happy. But, again, there was a lot of sitting involved in the afternoon also. Even 'people watching' at the home was anticlimactic, which is always a good thing at the nursing home.

Seven hours later when I arrived back home all I could do was sit. All that sitting made me soooo tired.

Really. I haven't found a way to explain this to THGGM, yet.

I've already had a nap, and now I'm on my way to bed.

Well. First I will tell you that the stuff written above isn't what I set out to write.

No. I was going to tell you how Jonge helped me decorate for Valentine's Day. The boy has a good eye for color and gave me some great suggestions that I took. But, later when I was looking at old pictures, I came to realize that he just remembered exactly how it all was last year and wanted it the same way. How can he remember that? Kids have amazing minds.

I was also going to tell you how yesterday I was FINALLY able to donate my blood at the blood plasma place. At my first attempt I needed a doctor's approval first. At my second attempt I had a fever and did actually end up being very sick. At my third attempt everything would have been fine but it took soooooo long (lots of sitting that day, too) that I couldn't donate because of how long it had been since I had last eaten. The fourth attempt went very well and I was in and out in under two hours. That I can handle. So, to sum up my experience this far, the only real pain is the prep work of getting all the little ducks in a row BEFORE they actually remove any of your plasma.

Okay. Now I'm going to bed. Tomorrow I shall try to donate for the second time.

Because I Don't Own a Pair of Boots

I know. I know.

I have lived in Michigan for 50 years. I know better.

Anyway...

While I stayed snug inside and baked gingerbread men, froze bell shaped ice to hang on my door, sewed, cooked chicken for the cat, and tweaked things around here,

THGGM was out battling the elements. He stayed at it all day. A kind neighbor with a plow widened our driveway, which was a blessing.

Yeah. I'm pretty sure that I will never own boots again. It works for me. ;)

All the gifts I so carefully prepared all year have hit the point where they just look plain old stupid to me. Everything seems to be missing just ONE important piece. THIS is the part of the Christmas 'feeling' that I get every year. That feeling of failure.

I DID complete the cashmere dress for the doll I'm making. Now her shoes no longer match. For 25 cents I got a nice scrap of gray wool at the thrift store. Tomorrow morning I shall awaken early and get right at those shoes.

Today I spent a little bit of time remembering all that I used to accomplish in the Decembers of 'yore'. Tired me out just thinking about it.

Last night I read a short Christmas story by Bess Streeter Aldrich. I LOVE how she wrote.

(i can no longer complete a thought. goodnight!)

On Tuesday Morning, Remembering Monday Morning

Mornings are quiet here, for now. Well, except for Friday which is garbage day. I do like to be up in time to watch the truck drop it's hooks around my trash receptacle. I'm weird like that. Amazed by how that works and disturbed that it eliminated someone's job. Someone who was generally quieter than the drop-hook-thingy will ever be. But, I digress. Hmmm. Digression is my middle name. And, isn't it also the better part of valor? No, wait. That is discretion. Of the two, that would be the better middle name to have (mine is lynn, for the record).

Anyway, back to mornings being quiet here, for now. Soon school will begin and noise will come earlier to my little world. I love to sit on my porch and watch the parents come around our corner to drop off high school students, and think, 'hey, that used to me!'. Then, I return to sipping my coffee and flipping through my magazine. Well. Actually, once I did that.

Yesterday in the hours before Jonge and Famke arrived I was perched on the end of my squeaky chair trying to figure out how to add to my sidebar this great quote that I found. Why things cannot work the same from blog to blog I shall never understand (don't try to tell me, i really do not care all that much). I still cannot get it to work.

It's a fabulous quote from a poem by William Cowper, but of course I could not just add the quote without learning about the poem it came from, and it's context. No one hates things taken out of context more than I.

So, I read the great Cowper poem about John Gilpin, and still felt the quote was worthy of a spot in my sidebar, in my blog read by Two everyday. www.simplythrift.blogspot.com. One of them being me. The other, ME (no, really ME is someone other than me).

The name William Cowper did seem familiar to me, but I did not want to quote from someone who was perchance extremely evil or something, so I continued on in my quest to find out more about this person who died in 1800.

It never surprises me to find poets who have bouts of serious depression. Actually, it never surprises me to find ANYONE who has bouts of serious depression. I have bouts about that. Doubts too, but mostly bouts (what's that about?).

And, yes. Cowper falls into that category. Armed with the fact that he was human like the rest of us, I continued on in my googlious search on Cowper.

Oh, William Cowper, I DO know you! You wrote one of my favorite hymns (i'm not talking to the dead here, just adding emphasis).

"There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood". I love that hymn. It even has a verse I'd not heard before.

One of the side effects of my personality is that I cannot stop researching things. I know many things now about William Cowper, things that I bet he wished were never going to be known. But, for someone like me 'those things' help me to appreciated his poetry even more. Especially how "There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood" was written after a time of immense pain.

Yet, he could still write a nice little quote like this:

"Though on pleasure she was bent, she had a frugal mind." - William Cowper.

My Plans Changed

Surprise! Tonight I did a little bit of rearranging. I'm looking forward to fall.

Not too much, yet.

I thought I would be spending the evening in the delightful company of Famke, but Jonge took ill and their evening plans changed. This little tablecloth was a dollar. I found it at a thrift store. It still had it's original price tag and label on it.

I'm finding it impossible to get the text to fit with the picture, so bear with me... The top left picture shows a very nice tablecloth I thrifted. It was two dollars. I realize it isn't Dutch, but I love it's vintage-ness and the colors should work with my kitchen plans.

The top right picture shows the two thrifted Fostoria plates that I glued to glass candlesticks. I never run out of ideas for things to display on them!

The old cheese grater was 69 cents. I love how it looks with a candle in it! My candle is a battery operated votive I bought when we were on vacation. Now I need to gather up all of my old cheese graters (what?) and look for a deal on the battery votives.

And the tablecloth to the right? It is actually a square pillow sham.

While we are on the subject, pillow shams make great sleeping bags for tired dollies.

Summer Afternoon

While THGGM is doing the deep reading, I am enjoying reading "The Borrowers".

It's perfect reading for a summer afternoon while attempting to recover from a migraine that just won't let go.

Notice how I brought out matching tablecloths and a granite ware pitcher for flowers.

Even with a headache, one can still bump up the atmosphere a tad.

Tomorrow, THGGM will go back to work.

I do not know how I will explain this to Jonge, who very much enjoyed having a playmate all week.

I love shadows. Did I ever tell you about the time I noticed a great shadow of lace curtains on my wall? The picture came out dark, so I used the flash.

Funny, how the shadows disappear when one adds a flash.

While THGGM basked in the sun, I occupied a shady little corner.

Now I am on my way to bed, hoping to read more of the exciting adventures of Arrietty, Homily and Pod Clock.

Come Saturday Morning...

I went away with Daughter and Daughter-in-law.

We went to the Fulton Street Market.

I haven't been there in decades. If I remember correctly, the last time I went I had to hold my dad's hand.

Oh, the wonders of a farmer's market! Do we truly appreciate that someone actually toils for the food that appears on our tables? I'd like to think that I do.

My purchases were humble, but oh, so lovely to behold!

I came away with zuccini, summer squash, blueberries, raspberries, tomatoes, red and green peppers, two bunches of dried lavendar, two bars of beeswax and a jar of raspberry jam.

We shall eat like kings and queens this week!

Of course, I WANTED more than I actually bought, so I just may have to go back later in the week. The green beans looked good. I also found someone with bags of roving. But, can I really start another craft? I think not. But at least I know where to go to get it if I change my mind.

After the farmer's market it was on to breakfast.

Then, thrift shopping. For two dollars I happily walked away with a bag of 'vintage' Fisher Price Little People furniture, several of them 'nursery' pieces. Now, if only I could find the baby I bought on eBay. He hasn't been seen since we moved. I'm anticipating Jonge's excitement, as he will now have MORE seats and MORE beds for his little friends.

Next it was naps, coffee and lunch. This renewed our strength and I dragged THGGM along on a trip to my favorite antique place. We had not been there for some time, so there were lots of new delights for me to rummage through. There I found a lovely little pitcher for my pink bathroom.

I think I will require an additional nap to propel me through the remainder of this day.

(while i napped, thggm washed sheets and hung them on the line to dry. the neighbor ladies are impressed!)

Rainy Days and Mondays...

I do believe that I have a minimum of 20 blog post ideas bouncing around in my head.

Someday, I may get to them.

I dare not spend too much time online, since it ties up my phone line. I do need to call DSL, but I'm waiting for a bunch of doctor calls. A whole bunch.

Jonge and Famke came today. They were sweet and cuddly all day long, and both slept for two hours. The two hours overlapped somewhat, which is something I hope for but never expect.

Last night I went to my dad's and we met with the nurse from Visiting Nurses. He has always needed to be on a low sodium diet, but that need has greatly increased, so his sodium intake must greatly decrease. No more "Meals on Wheels". Instead of concentrating on what he CAN'T eat, I've decided that we just need to concentrate on what he CAN eat. Fresh stuff. Yum.

I certainly have become adept at reading labels. I've been reading them for the carb/fat counts for years now. And, since my cat was declining rapidly two months ago and seemed at death's door, I've even been known to stay up late to cook a piece of chicken for his dinner. I've yet to go the route of having freshly ground rabbit sent to my door, but he does get some tasty morsels. He looks pretty healthy, now.

But, since I've been reading the sodium contents of all the packaged foods in my pantry I've been severely stressing. Do you know how much sodium is in ONE teeny tiny serving of instant sugar/fat free pudding? THREE HUNDRED MGS! Do you know how close that brings me to becoming the salt of the earth? Well. That got me so upset that I actually stood in the doorway to my pantry and ate two servings of extremely stale potato chips.

I try. Really, I do.

I did notice that there wasn't any sodium in any of Famke's commercial baby food lunch. So, if worse comes to worse I suppose I could buy my dad an interesting assortment of baby food.

Since I last reported, our backyard sink hole has gotten bigger. Just for the record, I did not know it was a sink hole when I stood Famke in it. I thought it was just a convenient place to store Jonge's soccer ball when not in use. The first storm caused a depression which sank the ground into itself. The storm yesterday afternoon pushed all of the sunken grass deeper into the hole and left a deep mushy circular hole in the yard. We dare not get close to it until things dry out around here. If it is an old septic tank hole I am certain I could find enough junk around here to fill it up. Is that legal? We have an old piano in the basement...

Oh. And just for fun, rain came in over our living room window. Neither THGGM nor I want to talk about that. At least not with each other. I almost wish I hadn't pointed it out to him.

I haven't used my sewing machine yet. Nope. I have talked to it. It seems nice enough.

I did find time to play though a music book of lullabies I found in Traverse City last week. It has lullabies on one side of the page and illustrations by Bessie Pease Gutman on the other. I tried playing them today with Jonge and Famke. Famke LOVED it, Jonge asked me to stop and announced "NO NIGHT-NIGHT!"

Speaking of which, while I was tending to Famke and Jonge was delighting himself with the tea set, I didn't notice that he was actually dipping his tiny cup into my coffee mug and slurping down the contents. I do hope he is sleeping okay tonight.

And, even though I know the EXTREME and UNNECCESARY sodium content of my white chocolate sugar free pudding, I made some tonight. Don't tell ANYONE this, but I made it with 1/3 2% milk, 1/3 half and half, and 1/3 leftover coffee. It was wonderful. Why is it that it doesn't taste salty? For all that sodium it seems I ought to at least be able to taste it.

Well. Before I go to bed, I must wash the dishes. By hand.

I am so glad to list myself in the ranks of those who suffer in silence and keep my troubles to myself.

Aren't you?

Random Is As Random Does

Today I made it to the hospital in time to talk with the doctor. So far, they have removed two quarts of fluid from my dad each day he has been in the hospital. From what I've seen, they walk out with at least that much blood, too. The good news is, he should be home sometime this weekend.

I fondled my new sewing machine today. Even took a picture of it. A picture which refuses to post. I hate that.

Let's see...

What HAVE I been doing since I haven't had a computer? Not as much as one would think. I've done some hand sewing, and have five lovely stitched pears. I have no idea what I shall ever do with them, but they worked up quickly and easily out of thrifted napkins.

Everyday this week I have paused to remember what I was doing at this time LAST week. Last Thursday THGGM and I shopped in all the varied and interesting shops in downtown Traverse City. We've gone there enough over the years that I now seek out certain shop owners. There is a toy store with the nicest lady who stocks discontinued toys and games along with other interesting things. Things like the REAL Brio toys. Someday I hope to spend a lot of money in her store. I think she hopes so, too.

"Hope" is my word for the year.

Having no computer left me a little more time for reading. I've read Elizabeth Goudge's "Gentian Hill" for the second time. Somehow, the first time through I missed all of the history. Made me want to look up more on Admiral Nelson. I finished "Letter's to a Young Poet" by Rainer Maria Rilke. That one has been on my list for some time. It did not disappoint.

Presently I am reading Anne Bronte's "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall". Considering just how much I HATED "Wuthering Heights" this Bronte sister is to me the much better writer. Heathcliff and Cathy were such nasty excuses for human beings. I would not be surprised to find out that Anne Bronte wrote a book in which one of her characters tore a post from the earth and beat some sense into them (some might question whether i am truly a pacifist i suppose).

My dishwasher broke last night. Or, something connected to it did. Something that keeps water from running out from underneath it and into the basement. I have a hard time thinking of a dishwasher as a necessity. There are just two of us living here, and we barely do what could be called 'cooking'. Still. I need to whine about it a little bit. We've lived for years at a time without a dryer. Many months without a washing machine. I like line-drying clothes and THGGM likes to 'people watch' at laundry mats. I have a design book that shows the broken dishwasher of an artist. She keeps her craft supplies in hers. I'm eyeing that space differently now. I had a stern talk with my stove and refrigerator today. I really do need those.

I'm supposed to call someone before five. I cannot remember who.

Not remembering. Is it being 50? How tired I am? The early stages of Alzheimer's? On the second day my dad was in the hospital, Daughter and I took Jonge and Famke to visit my mom at the nursing home. As I pulled into the parking lot, I told her I was surprised to find a parking place, as it is always so busy on Friday. As I was parking, she looked at me and said "You do realize that it is Tuesday today."

I'm also annoyed by little things. LOTS of little things. Particularly those twirly things that have fallen off the trees in our yard. If they would be content to remain outside, I could make peace with them. But they insist on coming inside to look for opportunities to twirl around in here.

Little do they know, twirling around inside is something I do, and with wild abandon.

Oh! And those gracious people at Dell DID replace the key that I had inadvertently sucked up in my vacuum on that rare day of days that the fuzzies in my keyboard annoyed me. In fact, they did it by giving me an entirely new keyboard. A new modem too. Dell. They are good people. Not at first, but if you can get through to someone who knows more English than "We will ship you a new power cord" when that could not POSSIBLY be the correct response to the question you are asking, well, then you get to the good people who honor things like warranties.

Truly. I am blessed. I'm very aware of that.

"The great comfort of turning forty-nine is the realization that you are now too old to die young."

Oh, looky what I got in the mail!

No. Not the paint colors. I picked those up at Home Depot last night. I'm running out of 'picture room' so have decided to economize by doubling, maybe even tripling up my pictures. Must conserve space. So if you are at an event that I am at, and I have my camera, would you mind holding up something crafty that I've made, and maybe a grandchild or two? Then I can take your picture, a picture of something I've made and the grandchildren. Makes sense to me.

See that card I was sent? It is from AARP.

That stands for The American Association for Retired People.

Oh for crying out loud.

RETIRED PEOPLE?

Last I checked, I hadn't even decided on a career yet.

Except for raising puppies.

I want a Jack Russell terrier named Eddie. Eddie works well with our last name. I am always delighted to bring a pet to the vet and hear them called back using our last name as theirs. Well. Except for the cat we have now, whose name is Barb, and he is a male.

I don't feel well today, so I've been watching reruns of "Frasier". Of course, that is why I want a dog named Eddie.

From one of today's episodes I have the song "Heart and Soul" stuck in my brain and it will not leave. I can't pass a piano (i have two, one up and one down) without sitting down and playing it. But, I can no longer play both parts at the same time. THGGM will be surprised when he comes home to discover that our evening will include a piano duet. He owes me. He sang "Butterfly Kisses" at Daughter's wedding and made me play THAT song for him for an entire year before I was able to convince him that I could NOT play it.

Now to the paint colors. I thought I might want to have the half bath painted cream with thin stripes of tan. I'm not so sure about that anymore. It's nice how people give so many different names to such similar dull colors. It's nice, but it doesn't help. Cream is the COLOR of cream. You know, that stuff one adds to coffee. Tan is the color I want my coffee to be before I will consent to drinking it. Who made it all so complicated? Anyway, I'm just not so sure anymore. How would that look so close to a yellow kitchen, which of course, isn't yellow - yet?

(the quote in the title is from paul dickson)

WELL, Well, well

I was flipping through my archieves, and found that it was last March 17 that I purchased these little what's-its at a thrift store.

Amazing how it takes me a year to finally find something to do with them.

Even more amazing is the fact that I actually FOUND them.

There are a very few things that I still haven't found yet.

While looking at back tax records, THGGM found my Bible. It was in the box marked "important papers". Now if that isn't the truth! So, I can quit using the 'devotional' Bible which tends to distract me with all of the extras.

Today, while looking for something else, I found a box full of old calendars. My life is in those. Right on the top was the one from 1998.

We were SO busy then. I cannot begin to imagine how I survived 1998. Really. No wonder I am tired all the time.

I need to go lay down.

You, You Light Up My Bird Cage

The entire family is coming for Easter dinner.

What, you may ask, did I do today?

I put a lamp into a bird cage.

Had I only know that the top came off (it didn't used to, someone must have messed with it at another time and did not share this helpful tidbit with me) it would have gone smoother and quicker.

For the record (there IS a record, isn't there?) I vacuumed out all of my couches and chairs (found things that had been missing since, oh, say, Christmas? i'm happy to report that i found the missing 'y' to my joy.)

The new shower curtain for the pink bathroom came, and I immediately stopped everything and hung it up. It does look very nice. While polishing in there I also moved more stuff around. But, I'm SO over THAT bathroom and have moved on to the half bath off of the kitchen. All of the shiny-shimmery butterfly wallpaper is now gone. Well. The vinyl part is gone. The pasty part is still there, and will have to wait until the next time I have coffee with Daughter after 4:00 and am wide awake late into the night. Honestly, I like the color of wallpaper paste, I guess. It looks better than it did. Once that comes off, the underneath paint color is what can only be called "High Gloss 1960's Elementary School Hallway Green". Still. Better than the butterfly paper.

Jonge came tonight. He comes to stay with Pake, not me. But, while Pake was across the street buying treats, I did have to deal with a nasty diaper. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but my house has a laxative effect on people.

We watched the "Mr. Roger's Neighborhood" episode I had recorded from this morning. It was an opera. I LOVE Mr. Roger's, but those operas. I do not like those. This one was from 1984. I was convinced that I had seen EVERY episode of Mr. Roger's numerous times, but I had never seen this one. Hope to never see it again. But, it was all about grandparents, and we are all about that (which makes me wonder...did anyone see yesterday's episode? did mr. roger's REALLY call his grandfather 'ding dong'?)

So. Aside from having floors left to mop and vacuum, I think I got everything else clean. That leaves me tomorrow to make quiches.

Oh. I also closed all of my blinds today so I did not have to see the foul weather going on outside my windows. While they were closed, I dusted those.

Lest I Forget...

I have been meaning to write a post about my new favorite beverage.

Daughter bought a 'limited edition' diet pop (soda, if you do not hail from Michigan).

She tasted it, and knew that it reminded her of something, so, she asked if I would try some and see if I could figure out what it tasted like.

The next time I was at her house, I tried it.

The drink is diet Dr. Pepper Chocolate Cherry.

Have you ever tried it?

It taste just like a cherry Tootsie Pop sucker.

Really. If you are a fan of the Tootsie Pop, run out to see if your neighborhood grocer carries this. If it doesn't ask them to order a case for you.

Then invite me over, and I will drink it. With you, or without you, it matters not to me.

While Daughter is at work and her kids are napping, I throw back a few of these and dream of happy times of yore. The best part? No sticky stick.

And now, I must agree, Dr. Pepper is TRULY the joy of THIS girl. Although I cannot vouche for every boy and girl.

(today i shared a bit of it with jonge, who is sick. he wanted a bottle, but is a big boy now and mommy says 'no bottles' so beppe must also. mommy did NOT say 'no diet dr. pepper chocolate cherry' although i believe she would have if she knew i were going to give the dear boy some. be forwarned. it turns teeth, lips, cheeks, sippy cups and baby sisters red. it also contains caffeine. jonge felt much better after he had a few sips. danced. sang. giggled with fevered glee. all he needed was a visit from the dr.)

It's the most original soft drink ever in the whooooole wiiiiide world.

Really, truly.