Like A Butterfly Out Of The Cocoon

The porch enclosure is FINALLY down. One came down on Sunday. We were little catapillars all winter long with the porch being all closed up. I voted we get a roll up door to enclose the porch in the winter, but The Spouse had his buddy build these. They're heavy as all heck, and the plexi keeps the snow and wind out, and the sun in, but once they're up....they're not going anywhere, so access off the porch is non-existent.

We hauled them out to the end of the yard so The Spouse could wash them off.

Let them dry in the sun

It feels so much bigger now. In fact, I'm going to sit out there right now. Or clean up. Probably sit.

I'm a little verklempt.....tawk amongst yourselfs....

This First Video Made Me Laugh. The Second One Made Me Laugh More

Viral Video of Twin babies having a conversation.




Video of a Translation of the Viral Video of Twin babies having a conversation.

The Demise Of The Human Barometer

Ever since I can remember, my sinus cavity has afforded me luxury of being able to predict the weather. I knew when it was going to rain. Get warmer. Get colder. I know, you're jealous aren't you? I mean who wouldn't want that sensation of your head coming this close to exploding. The constant post nasal drip. The ballon inflating and deflating behind your eyes. Yeah, that was me....operative word being WAS.

About 2 weeks ago, I woke up to a plugged up ear. Not a rare occurrence when the weather changes, most notably when the seasons are ready to flip, so I really didn't think much of it. This time was a little different in that the plugged-up-ness was accompanied by severe sinus congestion. I was miserable... Not only could I not hear.. I couldn't breathe thru my nose,in or out.. I couldn't blow my nose, and swallowing after chewing was an adventure. I was completely plugged up.

As luck would have it, I had a scheduled doctors appointment, so I figured I'd tough it out until then. When I got to the doctors office, I immediately whined to the nurse about my predicament. *WHAAAA* I think I have an ear infection. *WHAAAAA* I think I have a sinus infection. I don't break out the whine card often, but I know how to play it when I do. So the doctor has a looksee up my nose and says "Nope, no sinus infection. Take some Sudafed, use some Afrin" "Oh, yeah???" I replied...."What about my ear? My balance is all off.. I can't hear, My balance is all off and the sssshhhhhing noise is making me crazy!" Ace of Whine card played right there.
So, he looks in my ear. "There's a little wax I there. If you want I'll have the nurse flush it for you.". If I want???? No, just let me be miserable. Get her in here.

So, now I'm a 6 year old and the nurse is getting prepped to get the marble I shoved in there, out. Really, that's what I felt like! First syringe is getting filled up with nice warm water and promptly explodes all over the exam table. And my leg/butt area. Near the pocket of my jeans. Where my phone is stashed. Great. And this poor nurse. Apparently her whole day had been going like that. She kept apologizing...no biggie, it's only water, let's get on with this. Well, after the first syringe-full of water I could feel something gurgling around in my head. After the third syringe-full there was a miracle!!! This enormous ball of crap fell into the drain bowl and immediately, the bubble that inflated inside my head 2 weeks earlier BURST !! I jumped off the exam table with the drain bowl in my hand, yelling "Holy Crap, I can hear!! And I can breathe! Oh My Gawd, you are my HERO right now." and then I looked down into the drain bowl and I saw the source of my problem. Picture the largest pea you've ever seen, color it black and add a heartbeat to it. That thing must have been in there for years. I'm hearing things now that I've never heard before.

And I haven't taken a sinus pill in a week.

Brrrrrr

What a wake up this morning. -7 degrees. That "around the freezing mark" forecast for Wednesday is almost a heat wave. It's been a cold couple of days. At least the sun was shining. That makes almost everything ok.

Happy New Year!

Took down the outdoor Christmas lights today. I wasn't too elaborate this year....my Little Voice said "yeah, we're not going nuts with this, right?".....I agreed....and just put lights on the shrubs. Lights, as it would turn out, would not bee seen because of the 4 feet of snow we got in early December that would not melt, until yesterday and today, as it's been in the 50's. 

Moral of the story... Listen to your Little Voice 

I Treated Myself....

....to a new iPhone4.

8gigs to 32gigs just like that.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!!

My resolution for the new year will be..... To blog more often. I've been a slouch.

Mother Nature Did A Spectacular Job With The Sunset Tonight

This picture did not do it justice at all.

Wow....

....Time flies!

Yep....it was 4 years....FOUR YEARS!...since The Storm.

And I almost missed posting about it. I really need to get into blogger mode and get my butt here more often.

The First Hint of Fall On The Maple Tree

I spotted this whilst on the porch, sipping my tea.

I also went to Lowe's and bought a heater for the porch so I can be toasty whilst sitting there sipping my tea.  

Ok, I'm Back

I was just looking at my tracking stats and there's somebody out there from the UK who visits.


Like, once a week.


Hi out there in UK land who just lurks and never leaves a comment. Y'all come back, now...y'hear.

What the hell happened to August?

Or the last half of July, for that matter.

I've hardly even Twittered! What's wrong with me?

I've never not posted for a whole month or more.

I'll try and make sure it doesnt happen again.

That is all for now.

Hi Lisa! *waves*

Epic Fail

Yeah,

The begonia didn't make it.

Services at sunset.

We'll gather by the garbage cans.

Can This Begonia Be Saved?

I say YES! !

Ok, it's not as bad as it looks.

I just repotted it.

And deadheaded it.

A lot

The other porch plants are going nuts!

The perfect combination of sun, rain, warmth, coolness.

.

All these impatiens came from one flat.

That I bought from my nephews.

Who were selling them for school.

Buy the fundraiser flowers, people

There was one sprig of flowers

On this next one,when I got it

It's thriving on the steps

It was a Mother's Day gift

From Offspring #2 and The Son In Law.

They're so cute together.

They make a nice couple.

Another Random

So....its been 3 week since The Spouse pulled The Car into the garage. Guess how many miles are on it.

Go ahead. Guess

I'll wait.

Wrong!!!! He's put over 2200 miles on it. Drive much?

******

Funny thing....The Car related. Offspring #1 came home to pick up her mail, and noticed a new registration sticker *her name on it* came. She opened it, and couldn't figure out why she was getting a new one, since hers was not expired yet, but just thought, oh, well. She ended up leaving, forgetting to take her mail with her. Well, The Spouse comes home that night, sees the opened mail, and registration sticker and wants to know who opened his mail. Like I know, right? I wasn't here. So he takes the sticker and puts it in his mail basket. Two days later #1 comes back to get her mail and is frantic cuz she cant find the sticker. She sees it in his basket and grabs it. Remember, she's still thinking its for her car and she's still confused as to why she received it. Well....she studies it for a second....low and behold....its the registration for the Mustang. The dealer put her name on the paper work, not The Spouses. That's a pretty big screw up. Let's see how long its going to take to get this resolved.

******

We've got a new pet. Ok, its not a pet, more like a critter. Out back, after dark, The Spouse has seen an animal walking along the fence, from the neighbors yard on the right, to the neighbors yard on the left. He asked me if I'd ever seen it....and I hadn't until the other night when we were sitting out there. It looked like, in the dark, a huge white cat...or a ferret. Last night, the critter was out a little earlier than usual, and he saw what it was. A ginormous SKUNK! Great. Pepe LePew is living under the sheds of the neighbors and we're caught in the middle. Hopefully the town will come out and set a trap....I don't want to be surprised some night, walking around out there and getting sprayed. That would ruin my day, I think.

******

Ever hear of 'gin-soaked golden raisins' to help with aches and pains and arthritis? Well, we're gonna try it. A bunch of people at The Spouse's office swear by it it. We're gonna do it. I'll let you know what kind of effect they have. Not that we have a PROBLEM with arthritis, but our bones creak, here and there. Sometimes. :-)

Something For Flag Day

Robin Williams as the American Flag.....

Robin Williams As The American Flag : The Coolest One

And I thought this would embed, you'll just have to follow the link.

Guess What I Did Today

I ran over to the mall today, and I went into the Apple Store to get The Spouse an audio cable, so he could hook up the iPod in The Car *from here on out, The Mustang will be referred to as The Car* . On my way out, I stopped and played with the iPads *I want one!, its like playing on my iPhone, only bigger* . I was just surfing around, when I had the most evilly brilliant thought. So, I typed in the address for this blog.

And then I walked away.

Hi! person playing with this iPad and reading me!

I was gonna do it on more than one, but I was in a hurry, damnit.

Speaking of the mall...they reallllllyyyy need to fix that ring road around Galleria drive. between Best Buy and the Post Office. Somebody get on that.

Time For An Update On A Tree

Picture it....October, 2006 a couple days after The Storm. This weeping willow tells the story of the devistation

'

Flash forward to Spring, 2007. Pretty gnarly

Present day.She's looking way better.

The New Phone Books Are Here! The New Phone Books Are Here!!!

The Spouse got the call....The Mustang is in. We went over to the dealer today and took it for a little spinnerroo.

He picks it up Monday. Just our little way to stimulate the economy.

"Ooo Ooo That Smell....

...Cant you smell that smell?" just my little Lynyrd Skynyrd interjection here.

The Lilac bush is in full bloom. I sit on the porch and the scent is incredible.

And the color....just lovely

It's Do Or Die Time....Again

Let's Go Buffalo *clap clap clapclapclap*
Let's Go Buffalo *clap clap clapclapclap*
Let's Go Buffalo *clap clap clapclapclap*
*tosses blue and gold glitter everywhere*

Ooooooooohhh, Ahhhhhhhhh...

Now That My Computer And My Modem Are Communicating Again, Here's Some Dyngus Day Pictures.

These were taken from the parade staging ground. Thats the Central Terminal in the backround. Pretty much the epicenter of the Dyngus Day Festivities. Let me tell you....it is more fun to be IN a parade, than to watch one.

Rosie, Mark, Justin, Emily, Diane

Me, Emily, Justin, Rosie, Mary and Diane on the float.

The group in front of us were handing out these stickers. Well, mostly they were slapping them on the butts of people.

We had a bunch of candy that we threw, the tshirts you see above, and.....best part, Wardynski's gave, yes GAVE us a couple boxes of individual wrapped Polish Sausage to throw. And of course we all had our squirt guns. I wish I'd had pictures from along the parade route, but it was no time for snapping shots. We had time to take shots of Krupnik, a honey liquor, not real tasty, don't judge, it was Dyngus Day but not pictures.

We headed off to the Adam Mickiewicz Library & Dramatic Circle after the parade and we had our usual good time. No pictures from in there either, what with all the squirt gun squirting and water everywhere stuff. Plus, I just didnt want to be bothered with lugging around the camera. And then remembering to bring it home.

We're already decorating next years float.

It Seems Like Only Yesterday....

...that we had problems with the computer.

Well...here we go again. *sigh*.

The Only Difference Between Men And Boys Is the Price Of Their Toys

In a couple of weeks, me and my Chrysler 300 will be displaced from occupancy of the garage. The Spouse's new toy will be taking over.

note...this is a pic of 2010..the pics for 11's arent out yet. Well, I havent found one anyway.

Thaaaaaats right, he bought a 2011 Mustang. 412 horsepower, 5-litre V8, 6 speed, In the words of Tim The Tool Man Taylor, ARRRRH ARRRRRRH ARRRG

On a positive note, when thats paid for, I get a new kitchen.

Confession Time

Confession is good for the soul, so I'm going to come out with something. I'm just going to spit it out, a verbal 'ripping off the of the band-aid' if you will.

Here goes.....

Last night we left the Sabres game early.


That's right!!!!....we broke a cardinal rule. We left with 4 minutes left and the minute we got in the car and travelled 20 feet in the parking ramp, the couple that was with us, The Spouse and I had a discussion. It went like this.....

• Watch, they'll score now.
• Watch, they'll tie it up now
• Watch, it'll go to a shootout
• Watch, Miller will be awesome.
• Watch, they'll win.

Son of a Bee Sting don't all those things happen.

In our defense, it was a pretty crappy first 58 out of 60 minutes of hockey, the couple we were with had an hour + ride home, we all had to work in the morning the game stared late, and ended late....after 10:00 we didn't want to be stuck in the upper yeah, we shoulda been there earlier, but hey, we were having ribs at Al-E-Oops parking ramp for an additional hour, so we left.

That kinda sucked, but it all worked out.

The Search Is Over

Remember my post about shopping for a sideboard?

Well, I went a little beyond the whole sideboard thing and just purchased this from Pottery Barn.



I love Pottery Barn. If I could, I'd buy everything they had. I need to win the lottery or something. Its not available for delivery till April 11, so I have to put on my patience pants till then. Well, technically I have to keep them on because I've been wearing them since I ordered Pirate Radio from Borders a couple weeks ago. That movie gets released and shipped tomorrow. AND my new sneakers should be here by Thursday. Man, the Fed-Ex/UPS truck never stops here. Till now :-)

Two Things That Practically Just Dropped In My Lap Today.

Thing One...

I found THE most comfortable sneaker! I have a hard time finding sneakers that dont hurt my feet. This is why I wear Crocs to work. Yes, I realize that they are hideous not exactly the fashion statement I wish to project, but they saved my feet. and for that reason they are gorgeous. So, anyway...I needed new kicks to wear to the gym and I needed new sheets, but thats a different story so I went to Kohls and found these. Skecher's D'Lites Extreme.

I can tell within 5 seconds after trying on a pair of shoes if they're comfy enough to buy. This was one of those times. I've been wearing them for 3 hours and my feet don't hurt. At all. Brand new shoes. 3 hours. No ouchie. SOLD! I liked them so much, I went to skecher.com and bought another pair.

Thing Two...

Got an email from ChaCha today and it offered a link to this....quite possibly the funniest thing I have ever seen on the internet. And I've seen a lot of funny things....

Powder Keggin'

My Festival Buddy and me headed down to The Powder Keg Festival this afternoon. It was a gorgeous day. A little too gorgeous, tho, the Labatt Pond Hockey had to be cancelled today. They got yesterdays games in but there was a little too much snow yesterday and it was a little too warm and the ice just wasn't safe enough to play today.

Downtown was bustling. Lots of people. We had lunch at The Pearl Street Grill (pictured here, the hub of the activity) then hit the streets. *as always, click on the pic to make it bigger*

Lots of characters....the Abominable Snowman even showed up.

The tubing down the Seneca St. exit ramp of the Skyway was a big attraction. But, that too was a little mushy and slushy because of the warmness. But it didnt stop people from giving it a go. Not the best vantage point for a picture here, but its as close as I could get. The line was pretty long.

Broom Ball Tournament going full swing

Here's the incredible Ice Maze. Official dubbed by the Guinness World Book as the largest ice maze in the world. Yeah, I totally stole this picture from The PowderKeg website.

This is as close to the maze as we could get....the line started here...

wrapped around to here

then ended up waaaaaayyyy down there. No way were we waiting 90 minutes in line.

So we headed over to the beer tent. Good plan.


I think this is going to turn into quite a nice festival. Maybe a little earlier in the month might help with the snow and temperature conditions and maybe spread it out a little, but it was really cool to see all those people out and about downtown in the middle of winter. Good job Powder Keg People!

Things to make note of for next year. Different boots for me. I wasnt sure how dry my feet were going to be in the "Ugg" type boots I have (they havent really been tested in wet conditions), so I pulled a page from when we were kids and did the 'pair of socks, plastic bag, another pair of socks' thing just to be safe. Good thing I did. And draft beer still gives me a headache.

When The Cat Is Away, The Mouse Turns Into A Slug

The Spouse left for his annual two week "Mikey Does Florida Golf Tour" this morning. I woke him up at 12:30 am. He was gone by 1:00. Since that time, I've.....

• slept in, (till about 8)
• had a cup of tea
• took a nap
• watched a movie....Splendor In The Grass
• emptied the dishwasher
• posted this

I think I'll take another nap, it's been a busy day.

It Doesnt Happen Very Often....

.... when we as Western New Yorkers get to say it, but, this time, I really mean this with all my heart yes, this time....

It really sucks to be youse guys!!!!!

Here in The Buff, The B-Lo, The Queen City of the Lakes, The City With No Pity, There's a paltry 3 inches of snow on the ground, there's snowmobile events being cancelled left and right because the conditions are not good enough. In February. In Western New York. In February.

It's a tad bit cold but we don't care cuz the sun is shining. Did I mention its February?

We've got other States, yes I said STATES! asking for advice on how to rid themselves of this white scourge that has plagued them. In the spirit of sharing, here's some advice on how to muddle thru...

• It's snow. It's going to melt.
• If you don't have to go out, don't. Simple, so far
• In the words of our esteemed former mayor, the late Jimmy Griffin "Stay inside, grab a six-pack and watch a good football game.” yes, its February. The fridge in the garage should have beer. What? you don't have a fridge in the garage just for beverages? You'll never survive here, man.
• Drive slower. And by slower, I mean "Don't Be A Dick!!!" ask The Spouse, that's my motto. for real!
• Don't clear out the driveway till the plow comes down the road. or you'll be doing it again later. while you're waiting for it refer to the Jimmy quote above.
• Help out your neighbor. Snowblow their sidewalk and driveway. Oh, right, you guys don't really have snowblowers just hanging around, huh? In that case just wave to your neighbors out the window.

Here in Buffalo, we need the snow. They started prepping the ice on Lake Erie for the Labatt Blue Pond Hockey Tournament. Started building the 8 rinks today. This event coincides with The Powder Keg Festival. which sounds like one awesome way to spend a weekend. Offspring #3, my festival buddy, and I will be going downtown to participate. In one way or another. There are, like a million things going on. An ice maze. broom ball, bubble hockey, pancake breakfasts...read the link, there's too much to post here. If you're in the area, I'll be the one waiting at the end of the Seneca St. exit ramp off The Skyway keep in mind there's a good reason this road is called The Skyway. think about it when #3 comes tubing down. TUBING DOWN THE EXIT RAMP OF THE SKYWAY! On a TUBE! how cool is that? If you click on this picture, you'll be able to see the top half of the ramp. Then it bears to the right and goes down and around. It's harrowing in a car, I can't imagine a tire tube!

I sure hope we have enough snow for that. Maybe we should send a couple of plows and trucks to DC under the guise of helping out and steal their snow.

Halftime Update

Won $$$ after the 0-0 for the first quarter. Would have won the second if the Saints had scored on that one drive.

Stay tuned!!!

Shocking!!!!

So, I go down into the dungeon in the basement to get my clothes out of the dryer.

I reach for the string for the light, and at THE VERY SECOND I touch the string, the dryer goes BUZZZZZZZZZZZ



Scared the crap out of me.

I think that qualifies for my cardio for the day.

Why is it......

... When a group of women are are having a get together like a craft/jewelry/Tupperware party, maybe having a beverage, all of them talking at once, it's a hen party.

And when a bunch of guys do the same thing it's called a poker game?

On This Date In History.....

... 1990.... Offspring #4 made her way into the world. Happy 20th Kerry!!!

... 33 years ago the big one, aptly named The Blizzard Of 77, hit. MotherNature celebrated by dumping 8 inches of snow on us last night. Party on MN, party on.

Here We Go, Sportsfans!

It's Superbowl time.
WooHoo.
Yay.
RahRah-Sis-BoomBah.

I should probably root for the Saints. We lived there for a couple of years. OffSpring #1 was born there. But I really have no feeling one way or the other. Whom ever wins, wins.

I do however have an interest in the score. And by interest I mean a bunch of money on more than a few pools. So, lets all put on our positive thinking caps and channel all our energy into these numbers...

(AFC first number - NFC second number)
8-2 (not feeling good about this one)
4-0 (not a bad number)
6-2 (really?)
0-0 (this one could be worth something, huh?)
5-2 (almost as likely at 6-2)

You can stop worrying.

I fixed my iPod.

Seriously?????

I spent a good part of the other night cleaning up my iTunes. I got rid of some stuff, I added some stuff. Nothing major. Sync up my iPhone and everything is dandy.

Today, I decided to sync up my iPod, cuz y'know, I got rid of some stuff, I added some stuff. Nothing major. I plug the iPod into the computer, it tells me its synching, when its ok to disconnect after the sync is complete and I unplug the iPod.

So far, so good.

Wait a minute....this thing is completely empty. Void of any melody. My computer just ERASED EVERYTHING!!!!

Ok, deep breaths....don't panic. Unplug it and resync. No big deal, breathe.... in and out....there you go.

Again nothing!!!

And yet again!!!

Resetting it didn't help. Twice. All the music is still on my computer, so why will nothing sync and download over???? Will it erase everything off my phone if I plug in to sync??? Just what the hell kind of conspiracy is going on here? Do I have gremlins in my iPod? Will Modern Family continue to be the funniest show on tv for a long time? I have questions, people...give me answers!!!!

Looks like I'll be going over to the Apple store. This could be a sign that I should invest in a new iPod. Hey, while I'm there I'll go over to Pottery Barn and check out the sideboards.

I can turn anything into a shopping trip.

I'm Shopping Right Now....

....For a sideboard

I need a place to keep all my Grandmother's China. Currently some of it is down in the basement collecting dust and the rest of it is in the cupboard above my stove. Along with all kinds of other crap that I keep jamming in there. Its a real adventure when you open this particular cupboard. You never know whats going to fall out. I'd really like to make that useable storage space for stuff I actually use instead of stuff I don't.

Two years ago I went to Buffalo China's big spring clearance. They sell off all the imperfect, but perfectly usable, stuff. I went nuts, considering that I'd never actually had a whole collection that matched. And this is all restaurant quality. I left with 12 each of bowls, plates, and BIG plates. I contemplated whether the BIG plates were going to fit in my dishwasher. I decided that they would and when I got home, I discovered that they DIDN'T FIT IN MY CUPBOARDS!!! Yeah...like I said....BIG plates 12" in diamater. They've been stored under an end table in my living room since I got them.

I found one at Ashley Furiture the other day. Picture this without the top hutch. I like it and all but I'm torn about the glass doors. I just dont know about those.



I really like this one from Ballard. I don't know who Ballard is or where they're located. I just found it online. And I dont really want to buy without seeing it first. But I really like it.



But this one here from Pottery Barn is by far my favorite...



I may take a run over to Pottery Barn tomorrow afternoon.

Update on the Titanium Twins

Both the girls are doing great! They're both back to driving and pretty much, with the exception of having to use a cane, resuming normal activity.

My cousin Julie had the most incredible gifts made for them. Really nice zip jackets, black with a red lining.....



And the most AWESOME tag embroidered on to them....



BEST.
GIFT.
EVER!!!!!

We need to get a picture of them in their finery together.

I'm Dreaming Of A White Christmas

Well...we finally got some snow. Boy DID we!!! That storm thats been gripping the country got to our neck of the woods today.

I found this picture whilst perusing The Buffalo News. I thought it was pretty cool so I lifted it. Hey, don't judge, I gave full credit and admitted my plagarism. It was taken from the top of the Liberty Bank Building.



It took me 50 minutes to do my normal 10-15 minute commute home today, what with the white-outs and piling up snow and idiot drivers. I debated getting on the I-190 for about 2 seconds. Good choice on my part not to get on....it was a parking lot.

I finally made it to my street, when to my surprise, only half of it was plowed. And guess what, the unplowed part was my part. I had to park around the block and walk home because I couldnt get up the street. Brrrrr. Actually I was better off doing that anyway because, with the drifts in the driveway, I would have never made it into the garage.

This pic here shows the depth of the drifts. Thats The Spouse getting ready to plow them out of here.



I'm spending the evening getting a start on my Christmas cookie baking. I cant think of a better way to spend a snow night.

Doe, A Deer, A Female Deer....

at least I think it was a female deer that just WALKED INTO THE SIDE OF MY CAR!!!!

I was minding my own business driving down Borden Road when I spotted a couple of our white tailed friends crossing the road. Naturally I slowed way down because if there's one deer in the road chances are there's another. Who knew it would be a whole herd of them!!! I was going less than 20 mph. I had my eye on the one directly in front of my car (and by directly I mean 3 feet in front of me) when another just rammed into the side of my car by the front wheel. It's an awful sound....vehicle meeting furry animal. In my passenger side mirror I saw the thing on the ground on the side if the road. Shit. I thought about getting out of the car for about a nano second and continued home. While I was assessing the damage (which really isn't that bad) The Spouse pulled in the driveway. We hopped in his car to go back to the scene, (cuz we're morbid like that) and when we got to the spot the deer was gone. So, I'm not a Bambi killer...I just maim.

In my defense, those deer were NOT crossing at the DeerCrossing sign.