I am Officially Older Than Dirt.

 Birthdays never go as you plan them - Susan and Roger bailed on me, we didn't go to a swanky hotel - it rained all the way down here. And yet - I am having a great time. David went to the closing on his own - did I forget to mention we were buying a house? With 5 acres? Well, we did! So since David didn't need me I spent the night at our house and meandered down - the pictures of the house are on Facebook and it will indeed be our final resting place. I went to my old office on my birthday to meet Susan and get the bad news that her second job couldn't find a replacement so it would be me and David for dinner. I had a great time chatting and seeing everyone - all the changes! David and I headed out for dinner - and I changed my mind so off to the Beanerty we went. I had a beanwich and Margarita and cake for dessert. I've been checking on Jackson throughout  my vacation, he ended up in the ER with strep and tonsillitis, thank goodness for Aunt Diane! He is much better today and his aunts have taken him out to the Victory Brewing Company, he will live I suppose. I'm heading off to Fairmont to stay with friends and then off to Janet and Diane's to collect the sailor. He's home for a couple of weeks and then will be shipping out to Afganistan. As for me - at the moment I'm in a parking lot surfing the bookstore's wireless, I'll write more tomorrow.

The Peeps Win

I was going to eat no Easter candy this year - I was being Strong. David and I decided to go out for an early dinner, but first we went to the bookstore and hung out, then we went to Home Depot. I was waiting out in the car of course because Home Depot is the most BORING place in the universe. I think you would reform more criminals if you just sent them to Home Depot and made them shop for hinges and stuff every day for however long their sentences were - the judge could be like " I sentence you to the Lighting Department!" and you would have to do hard time peeping at light fixtures for 2 years with time off for good behavior.  Being sent to Plumbing would be the equivalent of the Death Sentence. Anyhoo, while sitting there I noticed the car across from ours had a Club on the steering wheel - anyone from the 80's or so will recognize this device - it's this bulky do-hickey you lock on your wheel so no one will steal your Honda Civic. Honest to Gods - I have never seen a Mercedes or a Benz with a Club for protection, it's always a Gremlin-like vehicle that only the visually impaired or the Truly Desperate would cast their Thieving Gaze upon. I wondered about the owner and she came out - I just KNEW IT! It was a real live Fussy Pants and she very carefully unlocked her car with a real key (pre- electronic door opener) and then she UNLOCKED the Club and off she zoomed, safe and sound again! David finally came out of Home Depot before I developed a death rattle from sitting so long and we went to Ruby Tuesday that I LOVE and that's also where I'm going for my birthday. David said if I mention my birthday one more time I might not see 51, he is such a wet blanket. After dinner I couldn't stand it and we stopped at CVS for Peeps and a chocolate bunny. But I didn't get carried away and I even shared my bunny with David since he said he didn't want one and then not so secretly envied mine. Oh well, Easter comes once a year so what's a few peeps now and then?

I am This Far From Being Officially Halfway There. If I'm Living To 100

 This first picture is Vincent - we play this silly game EVERY morning. Without fail. I have a feather I keep in the bathroom which I wiggle under the door. Vincent swats it like his life depends on it - he actually waits outside of the bathroom for me to finish my shower and get dressed so he can hone his Feather Whacking Skills. Like a ninja. Yee ha. Anyhoo, not sure if everyone is aware of it, but at some point next week I will officially become Older Than Dirt. I will start sliding towards the Other Side gaining speed year by year. Yes, I will be 50. I did get my first AARP thingie in the mail, I don't think it's actual card, it looks like an auto insurance offer. I already have that so I will wait for something better to come along . Pearl, in honor of my birthday has decided to go into heat, what a pain. I think we will be getting her fixed this year, we talk about breeding her but the idea of that seems to be the only thing that happen.  Other than that it's just super annoying - strange dogs that are below her show up, she acts base, it's very upsetting to those of us with some sort of morals. In Knitting News I'm almost done with the back of the sweater - I love the color, the love the pattern but it might be a bit long. Oh well. That's life, things don't always turn out the way you think they will.

Beyond The Grave

 I have passed this graveyard about 50 times the past year - it took awhile to figure out where the entrance was - it's  directly off the road and at an angle so you can only get in if you're coming, not if you're going. Then I needed time to go - and this week I had time between clients and I was there. Most of the graveyards here are BORING, the same little squares over and over. This one was old  and hit the right era, during  the late 1800's to early 1900's for some reason this country got creative in honoring their dead - there was a definite Keeping Up With The Jones attitude going on! I wandered about half of it - maybe - there is something so fascinating about graveyards, especially if a lot of effort has been put into it. I myself will not be buried, I think it's a waste of good earth unless of course you're going to put up a massive, ornate over the top  gravestone. It should involve  Gothic angels, statuary resembling The Dearly Departed or a super creepy crypt with an overbearing religious figure, then it would be OK for you to be buried.  I once had a patient that had made a Jesus in ceramic class and they learned the technique of painting those eyes that follow you back and forth so it would look like you were being watched over by Our Lord and Savior. Every time she left the room I would quicky get up and march back and forth in front of it and the little tiny holy eyes did look like they were peeping at you. I didn't like it, but it was a pretty interesting effect - and when the patient would come back I would dart back to the couch as it would look unprofessional to be marching around the living room. Anyhoo, I had a boffo time in the graveyard and will hopefully find the time to go back and finish touristing the rest of the place. I also got pictures of REAL coffins, don't ask! Actually I found the holding room thing and there were little decoration holes so I stretched up high and got a picture - I have perfected the art of putting my camera where I cannot go, it has gone down mine shafts, holes in crypts, holes in the ground - you never now what you're going to see!

Absolutely Fabulous!

 I'm watching the Ab Fab marathon on  the LOGO channel - I haven't seen it in forever and it's still as hilarious as ever.I love when Patsy feels faint and Eddie asks her when the last time she ate. Patsy takes a huge drag on her cigarette and says "1973 I think".  I am so tired. Last night it rained like the ocean had been transported to the air and was coming down - thunder and lightening included free of  charge. The electric must've gone out at some point of course. I woke up around 5:30 with a bit of a start - I had to be out of the house by 7-ish as I was doing a shift at the MS walk today as a volunteer. and it's a bit of a drive.  I  stumbled out of bed, pushed the dog out the door and got some surprised looks from her. The cats looked a little confused also as I gave them breakfast. The coffee hadn't gone off so I started it- and then glanced at the battery operated clock on the wall - which read a cheery 3:25 am. My digital clock had reset itself to the wrong time.  So I tried to go back to sleep but since the cats had eaten breakfast they wanted to go out and I could smell the coffee.......so up I got. The MS walk was FREEZING - the wind was howling like a banshee  and we were hanging on to the give away stuff - we wanted to give it away before it blew away! I had to go see a client so I left around 10:30 and sat in my car fully appreciating my heat. A lot. The wind continues to blow, it's sunny but miserable outside, Pearl prances and I huddle. So I'm inside watching my Ab Fab (how can you not love that show!) I thought this weather belonged to March not April.

Easter is looming near!

 Yes I still have the ghosts and yes I am still putting holiday outfits on them. I took their St. Patty's day stuff off last week and put on the Easter stuff.  After that there's no real holiday except for Memorial Day and 4 rth of  July.  I can't possibly think of what kind of Memorial Day outfit I could do and I don't want them hanging out in their red white and blues for months on end so I'll have to think about it. I'm trying to avoid Easter candy due to my current weight problems but those peeps they are acalling me! They sit in rows at the grocery store and the drug store with their soft marshmallowy goodness calling my name - arrgh - so not helping! But when I'm not pouting over peeps I've been having a good time with my ereader - ever since that guy fixed it it works fine and it's so great! I especially like the book bundles you can get, one of my favorite author's books had two bundles and with the discount I got the equivalent of 10 books for $40 - can't beat that! I have plenty on it now, I admit to be a little panicked after all I went through with Borders Customer Service - if you want to know why things shouldn't be outsourced try calling Borders with a problem - an entire country that cannot find it's ass with both hands is in charge of your concerns and complaints - so I overbought a little following the theory of striking while the iron is hot. But I've stopped (for now) and have plenty to read and it's so cool it's all in that little thing!

It's That Time Of The Year

 The last of the snow melted last week - there's a bit here and there peeking about but for the most part it's gone. It was nice Saturday, crappy today and there's a rumor going around it will be 80 tomorrow. I got my hair cut today and we did the shopping - we've been discussing our future plans the past couple of weeks. David and I had  agreed to not discuss things for awhile so we could figure out what we were doing  - or not doing. It's an ongoing sort of thing, back and forth, here and there, to and fro. On and on it goes, we take it out and turn it like an old toy that you can't quite figure out what it is. You run it under the tap, turn it here and there, pick it up, put it down as if looking at this thing of mystery at just the right angle will suddenly make it all clear. One of the big decisions we've made is we are not rehabbing the pool - we've peered at that bad boy six ways to Sunday and though the idea of having a pool is attractive, the expense and work are not. It's not big enough to swim in, the depth is only about 4 feet and it's 16 feet across, I'm sure the pipes for the pump are all but destroyed, there is no pump either, etc.. So we'll be filling it in, landscaping and planting and it will be beautiful. I washed down the spiral staircase yesterday, that needs to be re-blacked and the staples on the bottom need to be banged in - David had pulled the cat-pee soaked carpeting off of it - but the rest of the house is a short list and it's Done. Whew. We looked at the free-standing air conditioners at BJ's today and that might be the way we will be going. The lower part of the house stays cool year around so that's not an issue but the upper part is like being dropped into the depths of hell come August. Except for the bedroom the windows all slide across so they aren't the type you can put a window unit into and central air would be VERY expensive. But I already told the other half I am NOT spending this summer holed up in the bedroom again with the  tiny air conditioner with the dog and cats jockeying for position. We sold the other house this winter so are no longer in financial straits - we just have to figure out which one we need. Before summer!

Rain Drops Keep Falling On My Head

 It's been raining for a couple of days now, the skies remain steel grey and dull, it's that bone chilling cold you just can't get rid of. I called in yesterday - I woke up sick but it was better by early afternoon which leads to believe it might be allergies. But I'm over it and  always happy not to vomit. I continue working on the blue sweater I started, it's a very nice pattern but it interferes with my TV watching a bit. I've had to fix it twice having acquired two mystery stitches while Pawn Stars was on. As you can see I've started picture taking again, I try to make sure I get enough time  as I drive - sometimes it's a big U-turn as it's easy to whiz right by the cool stuff. Today I was in the office except for my last dentist appointment, I'm glad I took the plunge and got a new dentist. I'm still a little angry - I've been seeing the other guy for almost a year so there's no reason why he should have missed FIVE cavities and yes I know he missed them because I had X rays in Sept and January, jerk. Dr. Eberhardt is painless, fast and does a wonderful job so I'm happy. I had cavities under my crowns so my mouth is pretty sore but at least I know all the cavities are taken care of this time.

Let The Sunshine In!

 We know that here in Pennsyltucky the sunshine is an iffy thing until sometime around mid-August. Then the sun will not only stay out, but the temperature will shot up to a hellish number and stay there until you feel like a baked ham. But for now - the sun came out and the snow is melting - slowly - but it is melting and that's good enough for me. I posted a picture of the hat I made - it only took me about 3 evenings. It's made out of bamboo yarn so can be worn through the spring and will be ready for Easter.I might make one more little hat and then it's back to the sweater I started. Twice. I got about 3 inches of the back done before I realized it would be too small and just dismantled the whole thing. I went out walking this morning for the first time in months. I got Pearl's harness and leash and off we went around the neighborhood. We only walked for about half an hour, I would have liked to head straight down to the hiking trails but I need to see if my foot will hold up or not. My foot hurts but not a lot and I won't really know until tomorrow if it's good or not. In other things I haven't done in awhile is download anything onto my ereader. With with all the trouble I've had with the Kobo I was going to wait until I'd finished all the books I've already bought. But it's silly to own something I won't use so I went ahead and downloaded another mystery bundle (that is the BEST deal - 3 mysteries for $8.49!) and the rest of a series I bought. And it worked! Whoo Hoo! I'm still annoyed, the fix was so simple it's ridiculous but it took me almost 2 months to find a tech that could do it. And that particular fix is not on the Internet - if I'd followed that (that's presuming the 30 step list was possible) I probably would have screwed it up worse. But it works so I'll take that too.