brown m&m

My Snow Angel

2009-12-12T15:19:00.002-06:00

There is this man I know...
He giggles.
He gives good hugs.
He comes over to do snow removal when I tell him NOT to.
And then he shovels the deck which I again told him NOT TO DO.
This man doesn't listen to me.
He is very stubborn.
And giving. Even to the point of risking his own health.
And this man? Grrr... he makes me angry for doing all those things he should NOT be doing!
And just when I think I am gonna give him a piece of my mind for doing so,
I see a snow angel.
And the sweetness of that gesture brings tears to my eyes.
I just love this man.
I am so glad this man is my friend. My life is better because of him.

Plans A,B,C, and D

2009-12-09T15:55:00.006-06:00

Soooo.... this is what I woke up to this morning:

I actually could not even open my front door.

I had night class last night and drove home around 9:30. The conditions were horrible. I don't think they had plowed because I couldn't even find a lane! And when I could find a lane, I could see only about 10 feet in front of me.

I made it home alright. To my house that is. The Toyota doesn't like snow.

1st try up the driveway = total fail
back down, try again = total fail
back waaaaaaay down, try again = fail (by this time the only window I could see out of was the front)
back waaaaay down, go up the road, turn around, and come at it again = well... judge for yourself

At least I didn't hit the telephone pole.

And,at least I was off the road and home safely!

My school was canceled today and I was THRILLED beyond measure. I loathe that place lately for multiple ~~students~~ reasons which is an entirely different blog post. Anyway... it had stopped snowing and it actually didn't look too bad. I actually thought to myself, "We could have had school today."

PLAN A:

Get the Toyota UNstuck.
Start the Toyota to warm it up.
Shovel just enough to get the Sebring backed out of the garage a bit to remove the snowblower.
Snowblow the driveway.
Shovel just a little bit around the car to give the wheels some traction.
Shovel the deck.

3 (yes ONLY 3) passes of the snowblower later, enter PLAN B:

Wonder why in the heck the snowblower stops when I try to blow the snow. It moves forward and backward just fine, but when I push the lever to 'blow', the motor quits
Turn the snowblower upside down and look for possible reasons. Did it swallow some string? A bag? Was something stuck in the tube thingie? Negative.
What to do, what to do? Ahhhh.... use the snowblower as a push shovel! Even though it cannot blow the snow, it can PUSH the snow.
Push snow until snow is so high the snowblower gets stuck.

Here is what a snowblower looks like after it has 'pushed' snow and been stuck/unstuck all day. What a piece of crap.

PLAN C:

Put on my big girl panties, suck it up and start shoveling
After being poked in the face multiple times, do a little lilac bush "landscaping"
Push the snow. Shovel the snow. Push. Shovel. Curse. Grunt. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat...
Decide that my new objective is to make a small path to get up and down the driveway. Which, by the way, really hurts my pride. I really like getting all of the driveway cleared off. Then I clear off the entire deck. When the snowblower works it's not a big deal. The deck has always been hard work.

Finally, after THREE hours and a bag of 40# rock salt I have unstuck the Toyota, made a place for the Toyota, shoveled a path to the road, and a path to get into the house.

Note the Sebring which is still in the garage. It will not be coming out any time soon because even downhill, it won't make it through 10" of snow.

Future thoughts, and the development of PLAN D:

I don't WANT to spend 3 hours shoveling snow. I choose NOT to. I will pay to have it done for me.
Get the snowblower fixed. It functioned A-OK this summer, and I thought I was being a real Wally Workshop by making sure it did.
Embrace the mantra, "it will melt!"
Decide that the deck can rot in hell before I shovel the snow drifts off from it.
Sell the house and move into a place that does snow removal for me.
Leave this place. Forever. Get the heck out of Dodge to a place where there is no snow to shovel. Ever. Again.

Judging from the pics below, I am thinking choice #6 is a no brainer.

Thanksgiving Pies

2009-11-26T00:09:00.004-06:00

My first, and hopefully last, diet pumpkin pie. Only for you, LB...

It's 12:00 AM on Thanksgiving morning and this is what I am still doing...

MANY thanks to my sister Pam for the spoke idea. They actually look a tad professional. Or, is it my imagination/lack of sleep?

Sucking

2009-11-20T09:44:00.007-06:00

So, LB says:

This class is sucking the life out of me.

And, I can soooooo relate. Thus, another countdown begins:
MySpace-Countdown-Clocks

Just for the Record...

2009-11-11T10:36:00.002-06:00

1) Found my birth certificate.

2) Filled out the passport form electronically.

3) All ready to go to the PO after school today to get my picture taken and apply.

4) WILL expedite. :-)

Dancing

2009-11-08T17:28:00.001-06:00

Epic Moment: John Every & Love Shack

Fall

2009-11-07T16:13:00.002-06:00

It was a gorgeous day today for the "last mow"

Not gorgeous enough however to revive this.

Spring is in 7 months.

I'm Ready

2009-11-06T21:43:00.001-06:00

SO ready for the adventure..

Merry Christmas to Us!

2009-10-27T22:37:00.003-05:00

We three ...

Are going here

An Open Letter to Compassion International

2009-10-16T14:49:00.000-05:00

I was wondering if you could do something for me. Could you please post an ad similar to this?

RETIREMENT OPPORTUNITY:

Is God telling you that He wants you to work for Him? Is your faithwalk yearning for an opportunity to serve Him in a real way? If you have answered yes, Compassion International may be your answer.

If you will commit to a year of service at one of Compassion's ministries in the Dominican Republic, you will be given a position and [free] lodging. You will be able to work with underpriviledged children (maybe even the child you sponsor!) You will have an opportunity to make a difference in children's lives. You will be able to share the Word of God. And, your life will be Blessed tenfold.

We are especially looking for volunteers who are knowledgeable in computer programming, databases and web design. Older women who love children are preferred. Speaking Spanish is a bonus, but will be taught as necessary. Lodging is guaranteed to be free of bugs, bats, snakes and other reptiles.

If God is calling you, please call us at 1-800-for-kids.

Maybe.

2009-10-04T19:32:00.004-05:00

I am thinking about this:

Watching virtual tours like this:

And spending an incredible amount of time doing this:

That is what I am doing.

Who Needs a Truck?

2009-09-25T09:56:00.002-05:00

Hi ho, hi ho, it's to GoodWill I go...

4 bags of shoes - 1 bag of clothes.

And then when I get home, I get to work on this:

LB's coming home today!

Tired

2009-09-24T21:02:00.004-05:00

I've come to the very sad conclusion that there is nothing for me to blog about. My life consists of work. Work at home. Work at school. Work. Work. Work. I need to work evenings to be ready for the next day of work. I need to work weekends to be prepared for the next week of work. It's only Week 4 and I am t-i-r-e-d.

It's a fact that:

I have 5 classes this semester
Each class has 20+ students
Each class has approximately two assignments per week

Let's do the math... 20 * 5 * 2 = 200!

200 assignments to wade through every week. And 100 students to deal with. And five classes to prep for. Dang, no WONDER I am tired.

Sooooo - maybe I'll talk to you again come December 23rd.

AppleFest 2009: Monday Update

2009-09-21T17:14:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was the Applefest Parade - which is also close to my house.

One more night for the beer tent. What a gorgeous sunset, huh?

And today, aside from a handful of port-a-potties, an ice wagon, and one lone carnival food trailer, the party is definitely over.

I will be honest. I am glad to not see that big tent anymore.

Goodbye Applefest 2009~!

AppleFest 2009: Wednesday Update

2009-09-16T19:13:00.005-05:00

Generator? Check.
Beer trucks? Check.
Noise level? A tad annoying; not too bad.

Snow fence? Check.
Band Stage? Check.

Bar Area? Check.
Port-a-potties for those that use bar area? Check.

Camper for 'royalty' to hang out in? Check.

-- CG would know exactly what is done in the camper)

People preparing? Check.

-- (although I think they are also using the Bar Area and therefore the port-a-potties as well)

FYI? You wouldn't believe some of the 'happenings' I've seen going on behind the King Apple Tent. To tell you would be TMI.

Tomorrow, the fest begins!

AppleFest 2009: Tuesday Update

2009-09-15T11:49:00.003-05:00

Tuesday

10:30 am

the tent arrives

Tuesday

11:30 am

the tent is UP

That tent is three times bigger than my house.

AppleFest 2009: Tuesday AM

2009-09-15T09:42:00.008-05:00

7:30 am

The carnies arrived yesterday while I was at work all day.

7:30 am
The garbage cans, some picnic tables and snow fence are here.

9:30 am

This morning, the electricity.

He didn't like that I was taking his pic. And yes, he IS in my driveway.

More changes are coming - even as I "speak".

Project: How Stupid Am I?

2009-09-13T19:48:00.003-05:00

Project: How Stupid Am I?

Project Purpose: To inform IT Web & Software Developer students regarding the relevancy of General Studies courses/Soft Skills to our core curriculum

Project Implementation:
This will be a "real life" practical application of the soft skills that are needed in the workplace.

The instructor (me) will do many things wrong SPORADICALLY throughout the semester with the idea of:

a) [hopefully] having students call me on it
b) emotionally involving the students to trigger a serious learning experience
c) involving students
d) providing relevancy to other courses
e) teaching them to be aware and take things seriously
f) exposure to how it FEELS when they are in a room where there is a confrontation - I would love to make them squirm
g)
h)
i)
...

Project Materials: Only 1 so far. A DUNCE CAP that says, "How Stupid Am I?" to don after project idea implementation. Ha!

Project Ideas:

send email with typos (written communication)
steal company supplies (ethics)
show and discuss a bogus website (critical thinking)
Facebook inappropriate materials (ethics)
stage a confrontation with a student (psychology)
comment re women: "you know guys, there is a good reason there are no women in your classes. We just don't Have It when it comes to math/programming." (sociology)
come to class late looking like I just got out of bed with a BAD attitude (psychology-bad attitude affects everyone)
more
more
more

Friday Fill In

2009-09-12T00:55:00.003-05:00

[stolen] From Violet:

1. I cannot stand you and your boneheaded ways
2. You're headed in the wrong direction if you cheat in my class.
3. meat or cake are two very different food choices.
4. Beef stew reminds me of fall.
5.if you don't ask you will never know.
6. She loved sitting on the porch, looking out over a field of beautiful and colorful flowers.
7. When I drive my car I am escaping from my life, sitting, driving, talking to myself, and not counting the miles, if I don’t stop I may end up being able to dip my toes in the Gulf of Mexico!

bees (1)

2009-09-07T19:51:00.003-05:00

My life is nothing but exciting. Truly. Can't you tell?

A few weeks ago as I was mowing, I got stung by a bee. QUICKLY I ran in the house and had LB remove the stinger. It hurt. A lot.

When I settled down a bit, I went out to finish mowing and saw more bees. Upon further inspection I realized I had discovered [da da daaaaa] an u n d e r g r o u n d b e e h i v e. Quickly I had LB google what to do. Gas? Fire? Bleach? Ahhh, let's think about it.

Meanwhile, my sting was feeling like someone was continuously sticking a pin in my arm. I applied a poultice with baking soda and water. I SHOULD have had meat tenderizer to take the venom out.

That sting swelled. And it swelled. And swelled. And it got hot. Very hot. That thing was hot for 5 days. And it swelled to at least five times it's size. Thank heavens LB was there to quickly remove the stinger or I am sure it would have been much worse.

Well, I don't go out in the back yard much now that I don't have a dog, so I kind of forgot about the underground bee hive. Until Saturday when I mowed. The hole had doubled in size. Bees in and out, in and out all day. I didn't mow near it.

The time had come to take action. After more research I decided to forgo the gas/torch method. Oh how I would love to see them burn. But the nest is about five feet away from my bedroom window and I was afraid I'd torch the house. What next? Well, it seemed the simplest solution I found was just placing a glass jar over the hole. I guess the glass makes the bees think they can fly so they won't dig. And within a couple of days the trapped bees are supposed to DIE.

Last night was the night. Never EVER try to deal with bees during the day. Wait until night time when they are not flying around, and when they are all in their nest (waiting to die bwahh ha ha ...)

So, here I am - armed and dangerous:

I expected to wake up this morning hearing a LOUD buzzing noise outside my window. At 7:30 AM, there was no activity at all. I guess too cold and too dark. What a disappointment!

When I came home this evening, here's what I saw:

They are trapped, although I had visions of a bee-coated jar. This just isn't as exciting as I imagined.

Maybe tomorrow ?

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-02T15:48:00.014-05:00

Updated 9/7/2008 (6:15 PM) - ugh it's been a busy weekend. I am tired. But PRODUCTIVE~!
Updated 9/6/2009 (9:00 PM)
Updated 9/5/2009 (4:50 PM)
Updated 9/4/2009 (5:20 PM)
Updated 9/4/2009 (1:50 PM)
Updated: 9/3/2009 (8:36 PM)

I will be laboring on Labor Day weekend. To be honest, I cannot wait to:

~~clean myroom~~
clean LB's room (this isn't gonna happen)
clean CG's room
~~clean kitchen~~
~~recycleables~~
~~mow grass~~
~~weed wack~~
kill underground bee hive (IN PROCESS)
[resurface driveway?] (this isn't gonna happen this weekend either)
~~garden~~
get two weeks ahead on class 152-144 (one week?)
get two weeks ahead on class 152-155 (one day?)
get two weeks ahead on class 152-114 (one week?)
prepare packages for Ingrid
send one package to Ingrid
get the notary signature I need
~~laundry (lots~~ and lots)
stuff to Goodwill
dig into the basement. Ugh. This will be baaaad. (maybe later on this month?)
redo the bathroom:

paint
~~new shower curtain~~
new flooring (purchased)
new ???
decorate

Wish me luck?

Happy 20th Birthday LB!!!

2009-08-21T14:12:00.021-05:00

Here's the Question:

How did this cute little baby girl ----

Grow up to be this beautiful young woman?

The story is below....

....

She didn't start out with blonde hair. As a matter of fact, when LB was born on August 15, 1989 her hair was brown and curly.

Obviously, that changed.

LB has always been a curious little nature girl. Bugs, worms, dead animals - not a problem.

This pic was taken during LB's "Michelle Look Alike" stage.

Dang - that sensitive light skin has always been somewhat of a problem...

Here's a classic LB expression - "I think I can, I think I can."

Her favorite food? Peanut Butter and Jelly. All. The. Time!

The tom boy type who also liked to foo foo.

That hair kept getting lighter and lighter, and those eyes bluer and bluer.

Bib overalls were a great way to "catch" her as she was always running.

And now changing fast from the toddler to little girl stage.

Here is evidence of LB's love for music - even from a very young age.

And, could this pic be any more precious?

LB - very athletic from the get go. And brave. And risky.

LB's face covered in mud. A tom boy moment.

First day of school.

Every girl goes through those awkward fluffy years, right?

Oh geez - and getting glasses didn't help matters!

Ahhh - a few years more and gorgeous again!

LB's classic dreamy-eyed "I am boy crazy" look.

LB has gone through several "looks" through the years.
And, several bad hair days/moments as well.

But she always emerges a beauty!

Then came, bad hair + ATTITUDE!

Here's the classic LB "You are sooooo annoying" look.

Along with the, "I am really a nerd" look.

And then the discovery of her super powers. Please note the "ROCK STAR" fake diamond necklace?

In her teen years, LB became a bit of a pain in the patoot. I know that is my hand. And I know it was there for a good reason.

More High School teenage-ness.

... and less makeup! No more blue mascara and blue liner. ha!

Prom.

Graduation.

Happy 2oth Birthday to my LB.

You will always be REMARKABLE to me.

And, you will ALWAYS be my baby.

xx oo

Mom

denial

2009-08-20T18:01:00.005-05:00

I am in denial ~

that summer is ending
that school is starting
that LB is leaving
that I will no longer be able to sleep in
that I will no longer be able to stay up as late as I want
that I cannot take off on a whim to go anywhere I want
that soon I will be owned by 100+ students
that my evenings at home will be spent responding to emails and correcting assignments
that I haven't learned JAVA good enough
that the days are getting shorter
that fall is coming and my flowers will wither and die
that I need to get a new furnace asap

de⋅ni⋅al /dɪˈnaɪəl/ [di-nahy-uhl] –noun
1. an assertion that something said, believed, alleged, etc., is false: Despite his denials, we knew he had taken the purse. The politician issued a denial of his opponent's charges.
2. refusal to believe a doctrine, theory, or the like.
3. disbelief in the existence or reality of a thing.
4. the refusal to satisfy a claim, request, desire, etc., or the refusal of a person making it.
5. refusal to recognize or acknowledge; a disowning or disavowal: the traitor's denial of his country; Peter's denial of Christ.
6. Law. refusal to acknowledge the validity of a claim, suit, or the like; a plea that denies allegations of fact in an adversary's plea: Although she sued for libel, he entered a general denial.
7. sacrifice of one's own wants or needs; self-denial.
8. Psychology. an unconscious defense mechanism used to reduce anxiety by denying thoughts, feelings, or facts that are consciously intolerable.

Here's for my very CONSCIOUS anxiety-reducing defense mechanism - denial.

Denial? Today you are my friend.

Not all are paved

2009-08-19T11:12:00.003-05:00

“I love your hands, Ga-Ga,” I said.

She looked at her hands and laughed
quietly. “Do you know why my hands look like this?” she asked me.

“Arthur Itis?” I asked. It’s the kind of joke only the daughter of an
orthopedic surgeon appreciates.

“No,” Ga-Ga answered. “It’s because I’ve
been down many a road in my life. And not all of them were paved.”

Then
I laughed. Then I hugged her.

I couldn’t possibly love a person more.

from: The Pioneer Woman

blech

2009-08-18T14:59:00.003-05:00

BLECH - that's all I have to say.
BLECH!!!