Carole's Thoughtful Spot

37 Reasons Men are Seldom Depressed

2012-09-28T08:11:00.001-04:00

I have told my husband (and father!) many times that it is a lot of work and very complicated being a woman. I got this list from a friend and it's so funny (and SO TRUE!), maybe the men out there will appreciate how easy they have it, lol... :-)

37 Reasons Men are Seldom Depressed

#1 - Your last name stays put.

#2 - The garage is all yours.

#3 - Wedding plans take care of themselves.

#4 - Chocolate is just another snack.

#5 - You can be President.

#6 - You can never be pregnant.

#7 - You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park.

#8 - You can wear NO shirt to a water park.

#9 - Car mechanics tell you the truth.

#10 - The world is your urinal.

#11 - You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky.

#12 - You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.

#13 - Same work, more pay.

#14 - Wrinkles add character.

#15 - Wedding dress $5000. Tux rental $100.

#16 - People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them.

#17 - New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet.

#18 - One mood all the time.

#19 - Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.

#20 - You know stuff about tanks.

#21 - A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.

#22 - You can open all your own jars.

#23 - You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.

#24 - If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.

#25 - Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack.

#26 - Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.

#27 - You almost never have strap problems in public.

#28 - You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.

#29 - Everything on your face stays its original color.

#30 - The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.

#31 - You only have to shave your face and neck.

#32 - You can play with toys all your life.

#33 - One wallet and one pair of shoes -- one color for all seasons.

#34 - You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.

#35 - You can 'do' your nails with a pocket knife.

#36 - You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.

#37 - You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.

No wonder men are happier!

The end.

More Thoughts Too Short for a Whole Blog Post

2012-09-20T13:37:00.001-04:00

Look at those cat toes!! :-)

One of the Husband's tires blew on the way to work. Luckily it blew with just a loud "PSSSSSSSSSSSS" and it happened at an easy spot for him to get off the highway and change it, rather than with an explosion, skidding, crashing and the like. (THANKS, GOD!!!!)

My Dad is getting married this weekend!

When we were on top of Gore mountain the other day, they had a short "Interpretive Trail", which we walked. It led us into some deeply forested areas which were beautiful. There were a lot of balsam trees, and you could actually smell their scent just walking close to them - it was beautiful. I've never smelled balsam trees like that in nature - only up close to them at like, Christmas Tree farms. It was so lovely. I could have sat on a little curved garden bench and just enjoyed nature's perfume for hours. Sometimes you really have to seek out unspoiled nature, but when you come across it, the beauty of God's creation is breathtaking.

Our daughter is in 8th grade, but she is taking 9th grade Regents Math this year (Algebra), which I know I took in high school (in 9th grade, and yes I passed it). I'm looking at her homework today, and one of the answers was, "-6 square roots of 6". I'm like, "That is not even a number!" She said that it is, and that it's in simplest radical form. Thank God she knows what she's doing because to me it may as well be hieroglyphics. Clearly that section of my memory banks has been erased completely. Probably written over with episodes of "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" or something, ha ha.

Have you ever watched the show "Chopped" on Food Network? I LOVE that show, but I get so stressed out watching it. I find at the commercial breaks that I've been practically holding my breath. I am pretty good at guessing who gets "chopped".

We have still been continuing on our goal of finding at least one geocache every day for one year. Currently we are on day #317 of consecutive finds. Crazy, I know.

My allergies this year have been worse than they've ever been in my entire life. Spring was horrendous. It went down a notch during summer to just "horrible" and now I am back to horrendous. I suspect it has something to do with the mild winter we had - the weeds, or grasses or trees or something must be growing like gangbusters and putting more allergens into the air than usual. The Husband says once we have a good, killing frost I should be able to breathe again. Is anyone else suffering terribly from allergies this year??

The end.

The Top of Gore with No Snow

2012-09-18T18:36:00.000-04:00

We had some free tickets to ride the gondola to the top of Gore Mountain (known for it's fantastic skiing in the winter) this weekend. The views were amazing although it was reallllllllly cold and windy!

While we were riding up we noticed a small spider on the Husband's coat. Just before we got out of the gondola, he flicked it off (into the gondola). The daughter and I took note of the number of the "spider gondola" (#8) and we made sure we did not get into #8 with the spider on the way back down, lol!

I was very happy to ride the gondola back down, rather than try to imagine skiing down the steep slopes in the winter! I don't likes skiing. I would much rather sit in the lodge all day with a good book!

The end.

Fat Jeans, Thin Jeans and In Between Jeans!

2012-09-11T21:22:00.001-04:00

I have not been to the gym alllllllllllllllllllll summer. School has started, so I have started going back to the gym. Of course we've had summer weather, so all I've been wearing are shorts and capris. FINALLY we are having some nice, cool, dry, fall-ish weather and it was time to break out the jeans.

Only, will they fit?? Exactly how much weight crept back on over the summer...Drank an awful lot of mimosas up at the cabin and ate a lot of fabulous breakfasts made by the Husband...not to mention lots of great summer food like ice cream, hot dogs, cheeseburgers, etc. etc.... :-O

I kid you not, I took out like, my whole stack of jeans to see what (IF ANYTHING!) was going to fit. I mean, ladies, you know we have our "fat jeans", "thin jeans" and "in between jeans" depending on how fat or bloated we feel on any given day, right? I daringly chose an "in between" pair and WHEW - a little snug but not bad at all. Seriously, I was relieved!

Despite my "success", I really want to get back into the "thin jeans" and I am planning on going to the gym on a regular basis, so that should help knock off what I put on this summer.

I do love the gym, but I've always been interested in trying yoga. (Seems pretty expensive though...) My future step-mother (just a couple more weeks until she's my "official" step mother) does yoga and she says it can be quite a workout. I also have a friend who does some kind of special yoga and she actually works up a sweat doing it! What's cool is if you do yoga you can get those cute yoga pants, yoga mats, yoga straps, yoga pillows, etc. At the boring old gym there aren't any fashion accessories, and definitely no pillows! :-)

Anyway, I am THRILLED that the cool weather is here, and THRILLED and relieved that my jeans still fit! (Whew!) :-D

The end.

More Thoughts Too Short for a Whole Blog Post

2012-09-10T20:41:00.000-04:00

I know my close up vision is starting to go (I wear glasses every day for distance, as it is). Last time I was at the eye doctor (about a year ago), the eye doctor asked if I wanted glasses for reading, but I said I was managing fine for now. Lately I'm noticing that if I glance quickly at something, I am often misreading/mis-seeing things. (It's actually been quite entertaining so far, so I'm not in a hurry to get another pair of glasses.) A good example of this is the photo below. At first I thought it was dead mice. It's actually grilled bacon jalapeno wraps.

Things here have been very busy with the start of school. I'm usually very organized but I've already had to run back out to the stores for a pair of sneakers, a graphing calculator and an English/Spanish dictionary. I still have to find one of those pencil sharpeners that has a "cap" on it that catches all the shavings. I'm sure I've bought 50 of these so far since the Daughter started her school career, but of course she can't find one that she has two matching parts for. At least that's only going to set me back another dollar or so.

There is already talk starting in the house about getting another dog. From the Husband and Daughter. Not so much me...

Our annual block party was scheduled for this past Saturday. A bunch of us gathered at the usual spot, wondering why as time passed why some of the "regulars" were not joining us. Then a neighbor drove up and told us it was canceled due to the weather (we were supposed to get some bad storms). Apparently one of the people who usually sort of somewhat organizes it, decided it should be postponed, and texted ONE neighbor, who told one neighbor. I have no idea why the entire rest of the neighborhood was not informed of this. We're all on an email list that was used to confirm the date of the block party in the first place - it's not like there was no way to let everyone know. So, since a bunch of us were there anyway, and we had a tent, we braved the weather and partied anyway! We decided to order pizza and wings and told the delivery guy to bring it to the tent at the end of the street. It was actually one of the most fun block parties we ever had!

There is some pack of wild dogs or coyotes or something nearby that barks up a storm in the evening, and at dawn. I'd prefer an owl softly calling, or birds singing a cheerful tune as I'm falling asleep and waking up.

Gas is getting too expensive, people! $4.19 gas ain't gonna help Obama get re-elected.

I was at church this afternoon and a gentleman said to me that a "rule" he likes is to do at least one nice thing for someone else a day, but don't tell anyone about it, otherwise it cancels it out. I kinda like that. (So I'm not going to tell you what I was doing at church this afternoon then, lol. :-)

We've been watching The A-Team on Netflix. Granted, I realize people have some valid complaints about the content on Netflix, but I find *plenty* to watch for $8/month. I mostly watch the tv shows (as does our daughter) and I love it. If you have Netflix, what good shows or movies have you found to watch? (Everybody Loves Raymond was just added btw - like all 9 seasons!)

The end.

Summer is Coming to a Close...

2012-08-28T12:42:00.000-04:00

Our daughter bouncing on the Rave.

On the one hand, I sure hate the heat of summer. On the other hand, I do love going to the cabin, and I know the time we are going to be able to spend there this year is dwindling. There are so many great things about having our own place as opposed to beach rentals - we can go whenever we want (never need to make a reservation), we don't have to leave by 11:00 on Sunday (we can leave as late as we want), we can leave whatever stuff there we want, and one of the BEST things is that we can bring the pets! Another thing that is really cool is that we can leave stuff at the beach - our floats, cooler, towels, umbrella - whatever, and there is no worry of anyone stealing anything. I don't even miss being able to go other places on vacation. In fact, this is probably kind of weird, but if for some reason for the rest of my life I couldn't leave New York state, I would be fine with that. (I mean, don't get me wrong, if I won a free trip to Alaska or Europe or something, I would totally be all over that, but I don't long to travel anywhere else.) I love love love the Adirondacks, and I really like the area where our "regular" house is also.

Would you be happy to stay in your state for the rest of your life?

The end.

More Thoughts Too Short for a Whole Blog Post

2012-08-27T09:22:00.000-04:00

When was the last time you made Jiffy Pop? We made some at the cabin. The Husband has the "Jiffy Pop Touch" and always manages to catch it just right before it burns. The Husband has many talents!

(I know I just did a "More Thoughts Too Short" post, but I accumulated a lot of thoughts over the weekend.)

I have a pair of Worktunes hearing protection (for mowing the lawn that allow me to plug in my ipod) that have suddenly stopped working. The Husband took them apart and checked some things in hope of finding the problem to no avail. So I was checking out hearing protection with an mp3 player input on Amazon and I could not believe some of the picky reviews! People complaining about the quality of the bass levels or the midrange tones..... GOOD GRIEF! These are not intended to be high quality headphones for listening to Yo-Yo Ma play a Stradivarius or anything - they are for listening to music or podcasts WHILE YOU'RE MOWING THE LAWN OR RUNNING A MACHINE SHOP! For Pete's sake, I'm so happy I can listen to something other than the drone of the lawnmower I'm not going to nitpick that the bass tones aren't as rich as I'd like! *eyeroll*

I was thinking that a crossover episode called, "Honey Boo Boo Meets the Duggars" would be pretty hilarious.

The Daughter has been glued to the weather channel. She finds weather events to be totally fascinating. Sometimes I wonder if she might go into meteorology.

I am worried about Randy Travis. I hope he gets some help before something really awful happens to him, or someone else. If you haven't heard anything about him lately, just google his name and read the news articles that come up. :-(

Only in the North Country: "An Albany County man was jailed twice Sunday after he tried to burglarize a Lake George restaurant, then was charged with driving while intoxicated after he got out of jail, police said."

The Husband suggested I fill up the truck with gas today - with Isaac coming through the gulf, gas prices are sure to be spiking. I hope and pray everyone in Isaac's path take the proper precautions to stay safe, and if it hits New Orleans I hope and pray all that they have done since Katrina proves to be effective in preventing another horrific disaster.

The end.

More Thoughts Too Short for a Whole Blog Post

2012-08-24T15:10:00.000-04:00

Q-ee laying on his little mat on our deck up at the cabin. He looooooves it out there.

There are some people on Facebook that I may have to "hide" until the election is over, ugh. You know, intelligent political discussions are one thing, but posting ridiculous cheap shots based on lies, misinformation or things taken out of context just make me think *you're* the idiot. I don't decide to vote another way based on stupid Facebook "shares". Good grief!

I have a "cafe au lait" birthmark on my leg. I've never developed any of the diseases that can be associated with it. Whew!!

Speaking of that, sometimes I marvel at the fact that in ye olden days, some people managed to live to 70, 80 or even 90 years without doctors poking, prodding, scanning and dna health testing them. Without supplements, vitamins or bloodwork somehow some people managed to live to a ripe old age. Seems like taking care of your health sometimes can be so much work, sometimes seems hard to believe a human can possibly live on it's own without all kinds of medical intervention. (Don't get me wrong - I know plenty of people died young - or didn't even live to be born back in ye olden days.)

The Daughter is outside right now pushing our cat Q-ee around in the cat stroller. He loves it. Angel Kitty, not so much.

The Husband brought back some apple cinnamon bread for me from our local county fair. The bread is from Lancaster County, PA - and when you hear the words "Lancaster County" you automatically think "Amish". Now that the Husband thinks about it, there probably wasn't anything at the booth actually saying the products are Amish, or made by the Amish. But I've seen the booth, and it's at least what you're lead to think, anyway. So I look at the label of the apple cinnamon bread thinking "oh this will be refreshing - I'm sure they use all natural ingredients". WRONG! CLEARLY this was not made by the Amish! This pseudo-Amish bread contains, amongst other things: Ethoxylated Mono and diglycerides, Polysorbate 60 (I've heard of Polysorbate 80, but 60 is a new one to me), agaragar, and sodium benzoate. "Sugar" is listed twice, and it contains good 'ol high fructose corn syrup as well as brown sugar AND granulated sugar. I looked up agaragar out of curiosity and it is: "a gelatinous substance derived by boiling from a poly saccharide in red algae, where it accumulates in the cell walls of agarophyte and serve as the primary structural support for the algae's cell walls". Nice. (Wanna hear something funny? I ate two slices of the offending bread while I typed this paragraph, ha ha!)

I have never made tuna noodle casserole. I'm not sure I've ever even eaten it. I'm scared to try making it, or eating it. It just does not sound good. Am I wrong?

The end

Why I Desperately Need to go Back to the Gym

2012-08-24T08:51:00.000-04:00

The Husband makes some really awesome breakfasts at the cabin! I don't normally even eat breakfast, but who could resist that??

I haven't been to the gym all summer. I pretty much knew I wouldn't go during the summer, and I really can't wait to get back to going. I think it's the hashbrowns with cheese that are making my shorts get tight, lol....

Although I like the relaxing nature of summertime, by the time September comes and school starts, it feels good to get back into a real routine. I just tend to function better when there's a routine and organization. However, it is nice in the summer to just take a break and go with the flow for a while. But I'm almost ready to get back to having a schedule. How about you?

The end.

Oh, Yes I Did

2012-08-24T00:43:00.000-04:00

Be glad if you don't know who this is. You are a better person than I.

It was late, I couldn't sleep. We've cut down our tv package to just one notch basically above "bare bones". There was nothing on. REALLY! Except...well..."Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" was on.

I know, I know. I said I was trying to resist watching it. It's like trying not to look at an accident on the side of the road.

I looked. I watched 1 1/2 episodes of Honey Boo Boo before I fell asleep.

You know, it wasn't AS bad as I thought. It was actually pretty funny. I think the one thing I really noticed is that although there is much one could criticize about their lifestyle, they do all seem to really love one another. I've seen plenty of upper middle class families who do everything that is "politically correct", but you don't see the love and camaraderie that you see in Honey Boo Boo's family. A mom who lets her kid eat cheese balls for breakfast but loves her kid and gives her kid the attention and care they deserve is better in my book, than the mom that provides a home cooked organic breakfast and then ships their kid off to school, daycare and violin lessons until 7pm when they're too tired to give them any quality time or attention after preparing a gourmet, organic dinner and tucking them into 300 thread count sheets.

Or maybe it was just too late at night and I dreamed half of it... :-P

I will admit, there are some jaw-dropping things on the show. When I heard they were going to ride ATVs I prayed silently they would put helmets on the kids (and they did, and they even seemed like really good ones, like schuberth helmets, not like garage sale ones). And June did stop her kids from swimming in the lake that they were warned might have bacteria. She let them do nice, safe, mud diving instead. Lol....

I don't recommend you watch this show, I'm just coming clean.

The end.

It Was A Dark and Stormy Night...

2012-08-23T20:48:00.000-04:00

The other day, while we were hastily moving boxes around due to the latest "water event" in our basement, in one of the boxes, the Husband found a book called, "It Was a Dark and Stormy Night". (Ironically, we have a "dry" basement - meaning, we never get water in our basement from heavy rain or flooding. No, all of our "floods" are caused by our "modern conveniences". We've had water on the floor in the two houses we've owned from our well pump, from two different dehumidifiers, the furnace, the hot water tank, REPEATEDLY from the water softener, and most recently, the central a/c. But I digress.) This book is a collection of winning entries from the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, which is a contest challenging entrants to "compose the opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels". The Husband put this book in the bathroom "reading pile" where it attracted my attention.

This may be TMI, but this book is so hilarious I cannot read it and go to the bathroom at the same time.

Here is just one example of an opening sentence for a potentially awful novel:

"As she fell down into the black muck of the mud-wrestling pit, her sweaty, three-hundred-pound opponent muttering soft curses in Latin on top of her, Sister Marie thought, "There is no doubt about it: the Pope has betrayed me!" - Richard J. Savastio, Media Pennsylvania

If you are NOT in the bathroom right now and would like to read more winning entries, you can check them out at this website: The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest. Enjoy! :-)

The end.

More Thoughts Too Short For a Whole Blog Post

2012-08-21T19:27:00.000-04:00

Once the sun goes behind the mountain, it's time to head up to the cabin.
(I just realized that's me on the float in the water, lol!)

Sorry I haven't been posting as frequently but I feel like we have literally spent half the summer up at our Adirondack place. And when I'm not there, I'm busy catching up on laundry, mowing the lawn, running errands, etc. getting ready to go back, lol!

I was up at the cabin last weekend and a cold front came through. It seemed like it was the first time this summer it wasn't hot! The temperature for "Coffeetime With Q-ee" on the deck in the morning was 59F on Saturday and 56F on Sunday. Ahhhhh!!!!

I broke my promise to NOT watch the Today Show anymore since they gave Ann the boot during the Olympics, but now I am back to GMA for good. I was so happy to see the news article, "Olympics viewer boost for Today Short-Lived". HAHAHAHAHA!!! When will they figure out it's Matt Lauer that needs to go??

I have an incredibly morbid curiosity to watch the new show, "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" but I am resisting.

Remember the days when people could smoke in restaurants? When there were ashtrays on the table? Now it seems so weird to even think about people smoking in restaurants or the mall or whatever, doesn't it? Of course I don't miss it - I don't like the smell of cigarette smoke, but you know what I do like the smell of? Cigar smoke (any kind - good ones like Macanudos or Acid cigars, or even the cheap 7-Eleven White Owls or whatever). And you know what's even BETTER? Pipe smoke! My grandfather used to smoke a pipe and that was such a great smell. You really never smell pipe smoke anymore. I can't even remember the last time I saw anyone smoke a pipe. (Like a real pipe - not a crack pipe, not that I've seen anyone smoking a crack pipe either, lol!)

I am sad to say I am boycotting the Dutchess County Fair this year. They have let cost of going to the fair get so out of control, it is beyond ridiculous. Regular admission is up to $15 per person, and because they've jacked up the prices for the vendors as well, the cost of food and drink has gone up exponentially too. It should not cost $100+++ to take your family to the county fair, have a bite to eat and drink, ride some rides...am I right???

Have you ever had a SKOR candy bar? That is one good candy bar. It's "Delicious Milk Chocolate/Crisp Butter Toffee". I looked it up because I was wondering why it seems to have a Swedish name, and Swedish crown emblem?? I can't figure out what the Swedish connection is here...and I can't find the reason this candy bar was given a Swedish name and emblem... In fact, apparently in Swedish "Skor" means "shoes", so, what the heck??

The end.

Where I've Spent Most of This Summer

2012-08-15T20:55:00.000-04:00

It's been such a hot summer, even the Husband has been joining me under the umbrella!

In happy, cool-weather news, did you see Accuweather released it's 2012-2013 Long Range Winter Forecast today? Ho yeah baby!

I'm in the "Above Normal Snowfall". Ah snow.

The end.

So That's How They Sound So Good on YouTube

2012-08-09T18:45:00.000-04:00

Jamie Grace is a favorite of mine, and she was discovered on YouTube by Toby Mac. She's hit the big time now and has "real" videos on YouTube.

I keep hearing about people like Jamie Grace, Justin Bieber and Carly Rae Jepsen and how their YouTube videos get the attention of music producers. I always wondered how do some of these "ordinary" people on YouTube manage to produce (in some cases) such a professional sound?? Well I found out there is all kinds of technology available to "regular" people for making music using your computer as a mini studio. (You know, I know you "learn something new every day" but lately I feel like I "find out how much I really don't know" more and more every day!!) Apparently there's all kinds of stuff like microphones, software, and even musicians friend mbox personal studio system to make amazing recordings yourself. I can't believe you can get like a whole music studio in one little electronic box. Amazing.

Too bad I don't have a great voice and probably could never figure out how to use all that technology. (However my 13 year old daughter probably could - I can ask her, haha!)

The end.

Only in the North Country

2012-08-09T13:38:00.001-04:00

We were up at our cabin all last week and we love to get the local papers (the Chronicle and the Adirondack Journal) to read with our morning coffee. I like both papers, but the Adirondack Journal is a smaller, more "hometown" paper. Two features that are always very interesting is the "Turning Back the Pages" where they reprint news from 100 years ago (I can't believe how many people got run over by cars back in those days!) and the local court reports. Here is a gem from a recent court report (names left out):

XXX was arraigned on a charge of second-degree Harassment, based on an incident 2:45pm June 6. Police said that XXX said "Hey 'Big Foot'" to a woman, slapped her in the face and walked away.

Only in the north country. :-)

The end.

A Few Thoughts on the Olympics

2012-08-08T22:54:00.001-04:00

What's with all the neon yellow shoes the runners nearly all seem to be wearing?

I read that although there has been a lot of criticism of NBC's coverage of the Olympics, NBC says that ratings are up, so they can't be doing that bad of a job. Newsflash: NBC IS THE ONLY NETWORK COVERING THE OLYMPICS. WE HAVE NO CHOICE. It's either watch your mediocre coverage or miss the Olympics entirely!

Normally I do not like the idea of men shaving their body hair. They're men. Men = hairy. However, there was a male gymnast from China who was doing his floor routine, and I could not help but notice the big shock of black, fluffy armpit hair every time he raised his arms. So I hereby rescind my opinion against all men shaving their body hair - gymnasts are now exempt from that rule. Shave away.

Speaking of male gymnasts, I always thought their uniform/costume/whatever that they usually wear when they do the "rings" was kind of silly. Remember when we ladies used to wear the stretch pants with the "foot loops" back in the 80s? Why not wear shorts? Or comfy "pants", like scrubs/nurse uniform type pants?

The Daughter was watching the Olympics in the afternoon the other day (when they televise some of the less popular events). The equestrian competition was coming on (which I don't think the Daughter has ever seen before), and the commentator was going over the course with the various jumps and water features. Then the horses come out and I hear the Daughter say, "Oh, I thought people were going to be competing on that course!" Lol....

I find it hard to watch the diving without worrying someone is going to hit their head on the board or platform after seeing Greg Louganis do it like, a hundred years ago in the Olympics.

I think Bob Costas is going to be the new Dick Clark. He's starting to look like he never gets any older...but in a weird way.

Are you watching the Olympics? What are your thoughts?

The end.

It's Official

2012-08-08T06:46:00.002-04:00

I'm tired of sweating.

I'm tired of sticky humidity.

I'm tired of the worst allergies I've had since I can remember.

I'm tired of mowing the lawn.

I'm tired of bug bites.

I'm tired of sunblock.

I'm tired of wearing my hair up every day.

Can you guess what else I'm tired of?

SUMMER.

I am officially looking forward to FALL.

The end.

Why Did I Wait 20 Years to Buy One of These????

2012-07-31T16:49:00.001-04:00

Any one that knows me knows I HATE being in the hot sun. HATE HATE HATE it. Well a few weeks ago, I saw one of my neighbors at our beach by our cabin, had put up a colorful beach umbrella. Boy did that seem inviting, rather than trying to chase the shade up the hill and into the trees as the day wore on... So, since then, I've been watching for a beach umbrella to go on summer clearance and I snagged one a couple of weeks ago.

WHY OH WHY DID I WAIT 20 YEARS TO BUY A BEACH UMBRELLA???????????? On clearance it was $18. I think I got my $18 worth the very first day I used it! It is a GODSEND!!!!!!!!! I can sit right out on a hot sunny beach and...SURVIVE!!!!!!!

It's not like beach umbrellas are some new invention or anything...I guess in the past I just practiced avoidance.

Isn't it funny sometimes how there's a simple solution to a problem, yet we avoid it for some stupid reason? I remember for years there was a knob that would pull off a drawer in our dresser. One day the Husband took some wood glue and fixed it. Took like, 10 minutes. Now instead of having to use a special technique to get the drawer open without pulling off the knob, or failing and pulling it off and having to push it back on, WOW - now we have a drawer that works without having to use "special techniques". Why do we let silly things like that go?

Even easy things like coloring in a scratch on furniture with a brown marker, or fixing a couch with leather furniture dye, or taking the time to get that stain out of the carpet - why do we put off these simple soultions?

Anyway, if you don't like sitting in the hot sun, take it from me - don't suffer or sit in the woods for TWENTY YEARS - get a beach umbrella!!!!!!!!!!!! lol....

The end.

Horrifying Food

2012-07-29T13:16:00.000-04:00

Vintage ad courtesy of Foodiggity.

I have never actually had Spam - what does it taste like?

The two grossest things I ever felt obligated to eat were a tuna fish sandwich made with Miracle Whip, and a grilled cheese sandwich made with WAY WAY too much Velveeta (think "globs"). Both of these unfortunate items were served to me when I was a guest. Usually I'll try to choke down anything I'm served out of politeness, you know? Those are the only two things I can ever remember just not being able to eat, even to be polite.

What was the worst thing you ever felt obligated to eat?

The end.

Discovery's Gold Rush....Guyana????

2012-07-26T20:48:00.000-04:00

I am a huge fan of Discovery's Gold Rush. I love the Hoffman Crew (not so interested in the Dakota Boys or Parker, but they're ok), I love all the machines (the excavators, the D9 Dozer, the pumps, the hydrolics, the gears, stuff like a 3 phase industrial motor, the tools, it's all awesome!) and I love the drama - I just love this show.

But I am not down with this Gold Rush: The Jungle. It was bad enough when they took their "American Dream" that they go on and on about, to the Yukon....in CANADA. Did you realize that Quartz Creek is in CANADA? They keep that on the down low. But I could go along with that I guess. At least Canada is our next door neighbor...but now they're going to the jungle in Guyana?? The words "jump the shark" come to mind. Maybe Cody and Dave from Dual Survival can join their team...

I realize the idea is that they want to be able to mine year round, but is there really nowhere in the US they could pursue their "American Dream"??? Ugh.

Oh, I'll watch it, but either way I think it will be stupid. If at the end of the special they decide they're NOT going to mine in the jungle, well, that was a stupid idea! And if at the end of the special they decide they ARE going to mine in the jungle half a world away after all their talk of the "American Dream" still being alive, well, that's a stupid idea too! Blah. >:-(

The end.

R.I.P. Mr. Texdog

2012-07-24T22:51:00.002-04:00

I am so sad to tell you that our good buddy Mr. Texdog, who has appeared on my blog many, many times, went over the rainbow bridge yesterday morning after a brief and sudden illness.

We are very sad, and still in shock...he was a part of our family for 11 1/2 years...it is very weird not to hear the jingle of his collar, or see him laying in his favorite spots...I felt especially bad for the Husband, knowing there would be no furry friend greeting him at the door when he got home from work today.

Tex was a good hearted and faithful friend. Rest in peace, buddy.

The end.

More Thoughts Too Short for a Whole Blog Post

2012-07-14T09:11:00.000-04:00

Check out this crazy mailbox holder we saw on a geocaching run in the Adirondacks

We need a new mattress and so I've been kind of keeping an ear out on what's good. I'm intrigued by the Sleep Number bed, but it seems people either love it or hate it. A traditional mattress is always probably a safe bet. Memory foam mattresses seem popular - and there's the side benefit of being able to put your wine glass down on it and dance around without it spilling, lol. I did read a funny tidbit about memory foam mattresses - apparently they're not the best for, ahem, "recreational activities" due to, ahem, "traction issues". Maybe just stick with a memory foam topper instead - comfort AND traction, lol!

I'm lovin the new Dallas show! I can't believe it, but it's just like the old Dallas - just as exciting, just as surprising, and it keeps you guessing. I was thrilled to see TNT ordered a second season.

My allergies have been so bad this spring & summer - in fact, I can't ever remember my allergies being this bad in my life! Something about this weather pattern must have caused something to proliferate that I am highly allergic to. Anybody else suffering worse than normal? I'm making the people at Benadryl very wealthy, lol....

Our go-to snack lately is microwave nachos. All you do it spread some tortilla chips on a microwavable plate, sprinkle shredded cheese on it and microwave for about 40 seconds. Voila!

Although I have been a Today Show watcher since I was a kid, I am so mad at NBC for how crappy they treated Ann Curry that I'm never watching the Today Show ever again! Plus I actually *liked* her as an anchor - it's Matt Lauer I can't stand!! I have no interest in the Matt Lauer/Savannah Guthrie mutual appreciation show. I now watch Good Morning America, which is really pretty good! No wonder they are nipping at the Today Show's heels.

A couple of weeks ago I posted a picture of the barely-detectable-with-the-human-eye pepperoncini that Panera Bread put on the Husband's sandwich. I sent that picture to Panera, and they apologized and sent me a gift card. I am in no way trying to get another gift card, but I had to tell them what happened on our next visit to that same Panera - the Husband ordered another Italian Combo and we decided to check it before we left, to see if they put normal size pepperoncini on it, and would you believe they left off the pepperoncini altogether?? AND they forgot to give him a pickle too! Someone is alseep at the wheel at that Panera.

We've got powdery mildew in our garden AGAIN. We've tried to keep our garden chemical free but this year we are resorting to whatever toxic spray I can find to get rid of that menace. We tried homemade "recipes" in the past for powdery mildew and none were very effective and we lost many plants. But not this year. Oh no, I don't care if I grow an extra toe, I'm hitting that powdery mildew with nuclear waste if that's what it takes to eradicate it!!!!!!!!!!

Bananagrams is one of my favorite games! Kind of like Scrabble, but no waiting for the other person to take their turn! Have you ever played it? What's your favorite game?

The end.

The Husband Doesn't Really Like Catching This Kind of Fish...

2012-07-13T20:19:00.000-04:00

A pickerel on the Husband's line, jumpin' around on the bottom of our boat.

...cause they have teeth!!

The one thing I don't like catching is eels - YICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I remember one time a long time ago I was fishing with the Husband and he hooked, of all things, a gumball machine that apparently was under the water at that lake. Our daughter caught a big frog once...that was kind of surprising and disturbing.

What's the weirdest thing you, or someone you know ever caught fishing?

The end.

Finding a Modest Dress for Young Teen = Near Impossible

2012-07-13T18:44:00.000-04:00

Our daughter is in my father's upcoming wedding, and trying to find a nice dress that wasn't too short, skimpy or low cut was nearly impossible. The picture above is what we ended up getting. What worked in my favor is that our daughter is very petite, so the "short" dresses weren't always too short on her. At least thank goodness the jewelry was easy to choose in comparison (I love to look at jewelry, I could browse jewelry flyers or check out the jewelry deal of the day every day, lol!). Although in the one store they had rhinestone covered flasks. For real!

I can't possibly be the only one that would like to find fashionable clothes for my teen that are on the modest side???? At least when she was still in girls/tween clothing, it wasn't as hard to find styles that weren't too sexy, but GOOD GOLLY, now that's she's getting into junior sizing, much of the clothing is so TRAMPY. I'm sorry, YES, trampy! Low cut everything seems to be the current style. Doesn't anyone make modest trendy clothes for juniors? I mean, I'm not talking turtlenecks and ankle length skirts, but shorts that aren't too short and tops that aren't too skimpy and cut low - how about that??? When she was little I could buy LL Bean and Lands End but now that she's a teen, she wants clothes that are more trendy, you know? And I don't blame her...I was a teen once too, back in the dark ages.

On the bright side our daughter doesn't want to dress immodestly, so at least I'm only up against the clothing stores and not her! :-)

The end.

Deer Butt Dent

2012-07-12T07:22:00.000-04:00

That's the dent a deer made in the Husband's hood a couple of weeks ago. This is the fourth deer my husband has hit in his 20ish year driving career, and at least luckily, this is the least damage of all his deer accidents. (The previous one actually ran into the side of his car, and there were clumps of fur stuck in the door afterwards.) Fortunately the Husband saw the deer and was able to slow way down before it ran in front of him, and he said the deer sort of bounced off his hood and ran off.

I think if the deer were smart they should just start making their funeral arrangements when they see my husband coming, lol! (OR ELSE GET OUT OF THE WAY!!)

I've never hit a deer, have you?

The end.