November 1 is the 1st anniversary of my divorce. After being married for 28 years, this first year of NOT being married has been interesting. After all, I was married to Dan longer than I was NOT married to Dan.
I can't remember the last time I cried over my divorce. The other day I cried. But not over my divorce. My Mom and Sister were in IL for a wedding and for some stupid reason, I never thought once about staying in IL for a few days to enjoy their company. Not until I was nearly back home here in Indiana. I was tired, I was happy I'd seen everybody, I was sad I didn't stay longer, and just frustrated in general.
So I cried. What a relief to realize that I wasn't crying over the divorce! :)
Monday, October 31st is the last day I'm officially a renter of my Beech Grove apartment. I'm moving on, sharing a home with a friend. We've spent the last month working on his house, taking advantage of the emptiness to redo floors and rip out/insulate/wash/paint walls; he's also had some time to sort his stuff out before my stuff showed up, looking for a merge. Really, Tuesday, November 1, is the first day of my new life. I've spent an entire year November 1 - November 1 thinking, crying, working things out, coming to grips, and yep, I can honestly say, I'm ready finally to move on.
The entire year of 2011, I took a picture a day and posted it on Facebook. I am so happy I have that, because it became a chronicle of my OLD life. BD. Before Divorce. Before the house I'd spent 18 years in was sold, before my children grew up, before I was all befuddled about what to do now. I took pictures of the birds I saw out my kitchen window as I washed dishes, I took pictures of my flowers and trees and bushes I'd worked on for years, and I took pictures of some of the people in my life.
I think I'm going to make the attempt to do another Pic-a-day, starting with November 1, 2011...the first year of my NEW life. I'll post them here as well as on FB. Hmm, I'm heading to Lafayette tomorrow - mebbe I'll start tomorrow..just a few days early. The Purdue Campus should be pretty and my cousins are meeting up with my son and his wife for a campus tour. I just might.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Saturday, October 15, 2011
10.15.2011 What IS this Really?
All my life I've thought that these types of things were little bundles of warmth put together by squirrels, little nests for them to sleep in at night. There are two in the tree right outside my sliding glass door...for the first time I can get a fairly decent look at one. Hmmm...I dunno. Is it a Squirrel Nest? It doesn't look very comfy OR very warm.
Friday, October 14, 2011
10.14.2011 Where did the past 26 years go?
A friend of mine posted today on FaceBook today that her son was newly 18 years old - and where had the last 18 years gone?
I countered with "where has the past 26 years gone?
And where are my little boys?"
I miss my herd of little boys. Oh I love the men they've become, but I miss dreadfully my pile of little boys.
They're all so grown up; two have wives and the youngest has a girlfiend. Any apron string that attached them to me has long frayed away. How has time passed so quickly that my Josh, Tim, and Sam are all grown up and gone? On nights like this - when it's dark, windy and rainy outside, when I'm alone, and the laundry is sloshing and tumbling, I certainly wish I had a boy or two or three about, wanting some cookies or banana bread, fighting over who got to be my couch pal for the night.
10.14.2011 SHEPHERD'S PIE
When chatting with my Favorite Third Son Sam yesterday, the subject of Pot Pie came up. He'd bought a few of those Banquet Pot Pies ("Only 88 cents each!") I remember having those when I was a kid. I don't remember if it was the novelty of having my own little pie that made them so good to my young self, or mebbe the actual pie really did reflect the picture on the box 40 years ago. ... because they certainly don't reflect that picture now.
Anyway - I told him the 5 bucks he spent for 5 little pies of bad crust, thin gravy and the occasional piece of chicken would be better spent on creating his own pot pie that would feed him for quite a few days...if he was lucky and the neighbors somehow missed the wonderful smell wafting from his kitchen window and they didn't come drooooling to his door begging.
Hanging up, I was overcome with longing for my own pot pie and so headed to the store for what i needed.
SIDE NOTE: A Facebook Friend of Mine is currently walking down the path (in looser shoes!) of Eating Naked (http://yearofeatingnaked.blogspot.com/) That is to say, she is eating as close to the basics as she can - fresh food without a myriad of ingredients on the label. I've been a label reader for quite a few years and those who know me agree that I eat fairly "naked" anyway...but Susan's journey has inspired me to be even more on the lookout for nasty on the label AND perhaps even passing by those cans and bottles and boxes completely.
So there I was, at Wal Mart (yah, I know..but it's on the way home) picking up stuff for my own Quick Pot Pie.
1. Crust - hmmm, trying to steer clear of having to make a crust i decided to instead put cornbread on the top. JIFFY CORNBREAD has been around for decades - and soo inexpensive! 50 cents gets you a yum pan of cornbread! YAY ... OH NO, I read the label. Sadly, i put the box back on the shelf and picked up a small bag of yellow cornbread. May not be as easy as simply adding an egg and some milk, but durn it, follow the program!
2. Frozen Veggies - yep, decided to do this route. (I AM sick with a chest cold after all.) a huge bag of frozen veggies for 6 bucks. I chose the squash, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. bag.
3. Can of soup for broth - oh ugh. UGH UGH UGH. should never look at the ingredients of a can of campbell's soup. Hmm. I'll make my own somehow out of .. something.
4. Cooked Chicken - WHAT? The Deli guy was apologetic, but nope, no chickens. Ok. So I'll boil my own, usually I would anyway, but i was hoping to eat before midnight. But that solves my broth dilemma. I'll have a whole pot of broth after boiling chunks of chicken! Off to grab a tray of fresh chicken breasts...which are better anyway if I'm following the Naked Path.
5, Butter, Milk, and home.
Into the kitchen with little counter space.
Chunk up half the chicken and throw them into a pot of water. Boil!
Grab 5 white potatoes and 1 sweet potato and start peeling. Hey, SHEPHERD'S PIE sounds better than Pot pie - yum mashed taters on top! Chop up the white and put on to boil.
Get out my veggie steamer - get that going. Put the chopped sweet potato on the bottom, cover that with a load of frozen veggies.
Three pots on the stove, bubbling away. This better be good!
Whoa...it's all coming together at the same time. How did i manage this?
Chicken boiled to a nice texture, veggies steamed - TOSS TOGETHER!
Scott shows up and gets put to work - he makes a yum broth with 2 cups of the chicken broth, some milk, butter and cornstarch.
Toss that onto the veggies! Make the mashed with some butter and milk!
Dump the filling into my big casserole dish and then layer with the mashed potatoes - throw into the oven for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
DUMP THE POTATO WATER INTO THE CHICKEN BROTH! SAVE FOR ANOTHER DAY! WASH ALL THE PANS! THROW AWAY ALL THE PEELINGS! CLEAN UP THE FLOOR!
Buzzer goes off! The aroma is wonderful!
I dish up 2 big bowls of Shepherd's Pie.
Oh wow. Soooo good on a chilly day! Scott looks at me and says "YUM... I love it!"
We eat our Pie slowly...
Back to the Kitchen! Wash up the dishes! Put the kitchen to rights! Put the leftovers into little dishes for lunches!
Collapse on the couch.
Two hours from Start to Finish.
I was tired.
But wow, that bowl of Shepherd's Pie? Blew a frozen Pot Pie from the freezer case outta the kitchen!
Anyway - I told him the 5 bucks he spent for 5 little pies of bad crust, thin gravy and the occasional piece of chicken would be better spent on creating his own pot pie that would feed him for quite a few days...if he was lucky and the neighbors somehow missed the wonderful smell wafting from his kitchen window and they didn't come drooooling to his door begging.
Hanging up, I was overcome with longing for my own pot pie and so headed to the store for what i needed.
SIDE NOTE: A Facebook Friend of Mine is currently walking down the path (in looser shoes!) of Eating Naked (http://yearofeatingnaked.blogspot.com/) That is to say, she is eating as close to the basics as she can - fresh food without a myriad of ingredients on the label. I've been a label reader for quite a few years and those who know me agree that I eat fairly "naked" anyway...but Susan's journey has inspired me to be even more on the lookout for nasty on the label AND perhaps even passing by those cans and bottles and boxes completely.
So there I was, at Wal Mart (yah, I know..but it's on the way home) picking up stuff for my own Quick Pot Pie.
1. Crust - hmmm, trying to steer clear of having to make a crust i decided to instead put cornbread on the top. JIFFY CORNBREAD has been around for decades - and soo inexpensive! 50 cents gets you a yum pan of cornbread! YAY ... OH NO, I read the label. Sadly, i put the box back on the shelf and picked up a small bag of yellow cornbread. May not be as easy as simply adding an egg and some milk, but durn it, follow the program!
2. Frozen Veggies - yep, decided to do this route. (I AM sick with a chest cold after all.) a huge bag of frozen veggies for 6 bucks. I chose the squash, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. bag.
3. Can of soup for broth - oh ugh. UGH UGH UGH. should never look at the ingredients of a can of campbell's soup. Hmm. I'll make my own somehow out of .. something.
4. Cooked Chicken - WHAT? The Deli guy was apologetic, but nope, no chickens. Ok. So I'll boil my own, usually I would anyway, but i was hoping to eat before midnight. But that solves my broth dilemma. I'll have a whole pot of broth after boiling chunks of chicken! Off to grab a tray of fresh chicken breasts...which are better anyway if I'm following the Naked Path.
5, Butter, Milk, and home.
Into the kitchen with little counter space.
Chunk up half the chicken and throw them into a pot of water. Boil!
Grab 5 white potatoes and 1 sweet potato and start peeling. Hey, SHEPHERD'S PIE sounds better than Pot pie - yum mashed taters on top! Chop up the white and put on to boil.
Get out my veggie steamer - get that going. Put the chopped sweet potato on the bottom, cover that with a load of frozen veggies.
Three pots on the stove, bubbling away. This better be good!
Whoa...it's all coming together at the same time. How did i manage this?
Chicken boiled to a nice texture, veggies steamed - TOSS TOGETHER!
Scott shows up and gets put to work - he makes a yum broth with 2 cups of the chicken broth, some milk, butter and cornstarch.
Toss that onto the veggies! Make the mashed with some butter and milk!
Dump the filling into my big casserole dish and then layer with the mashed potatoes - throw into the oven for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
DUMP THE POTATO WATER INTO THE CHICKEN BROTH! SAVE FOR ANOTHER DAY! WASH ALL THE PANS! THROW AWAY ALL THE PEELINGS! CLEAN UP THE FLOOR!
Buzzer goes off! The aroma is wonderful!
I dish up 2 big bowls of Shepherd's Pie.
Oh wow. Soooo good on a chilly day! Scott looks at me and says "YUM... I love it!"
We eat our Pie slowly...
Back to the Kitchen! Wash up the dishes! Put the kitchen to rights! Put the leftovers into little dishes for lunches!
Collapse on the couch.
Two hours from Start to Finish.
I was tired.
But wow, that bowl of Shepherd's Pie? Blew a frozen Pot Pie from the freezer case outta the kitchen!
Saturday, September 17, 2011
09.17.2011 Elegance By Providence
When my Mom and Dad were married, my Uncle Bill and Aunt Flo gave them a set of flatware. I've always called them the Candy Cane forks and spoons but it turns out, the actual NAME of this pattern is Elegance..by Providence. It says so right on the back!
We used them for years - and as there were four of us kids, I imagine they were WELL used. Over the years, somehow pieces were lost and eventually Mom got a new set of flatware to use. What the heck happens to the forks and knives that reside in a kitchen drawer? How does a full set of silverware dwindle to just a few pieces? Did we take them camping? Were they thrown out by accident by kids pressed into kitchen service? Did Steve use them to torture my Raggedy Ann?
 |
| Does This Doll look tortured to you? |
Anyway - When I went to Illinois State University, I took a setting with me to use in the dorm..a fork, a knife, a teaspoon and a big spoon...and then took them to my apartment in Sacramento, CA. And believe it or not, they have become treasured pieces of "MY stuff." In the morning, I root through the silverware drawer to use a Candy Cane spoon for my oatmeal. If a boy is visiting, I'll set his place with the Candy Cane setting. I dunno - to me it makes my his dinner with me that much more special. Silly I know, but I'm a sentimental twit.
At garage sales and in GoodWill Stores I've always looked for more Candy Cane pieces, but have never EVER found any. EVER! My brother Steve found a knife once, and sent it to me. But I've never come across any. I found a place online that will sell new settings, intending to fill in missing pieces...but at nearly $40 bucks a place setting, well, I may be sentimental but I'm also a cheapskate! :) I decided to just treasure my few pieces.
UNTIL! a few weeks ago, my friend Scott was over for supper and I handed him his plate of food ALONG with a CANDY CANE FORK! And i told him of my Candy Cane cravings. He suggested I search on Craig's list.
So I wandered over to the computer, and typed in "Elegance by Providence" and HOLY MOLY !!!!! A woman was selling an ENTIRE SET on CRAIG's LIST IN DAYTON OHIO!!!! WHOOO HOOOOOO!!!!! I was Beside Myself with EXCITEMENT! I emailed her immediately "I HOPE you still have this set because i WANT IT!"
And luckily, it had not sold to anyone else. I don't know if I could have recovered from the disappointment..honestly.
The VERY next weekend, Scottie and I drove to Kettering OHIO, and met this WONDERFUL woman Debbie McCoy! In exchange for a paltry sum, she handed me a bag full of shiny metal pieces of my childhood! I was so happy I babbled! I'm sure Debbie thought I'd lost my mind!
Friday, April 1, 2011
04.01.2011 Backroading in Arizona!
Last week my BRPal Scott and I went to Arizona and did some wandering there. I'd been in AZ twice before YEARS ago - a quick looksee at the Grand Canyon with my sister Carol while on the way to Durango, Colorado (huh. wow...that's a BIG HOLE in the ground! Back to the car!) and a Memorial Day Weekend in Tucson when the boys were really little (Sam was what...10 months old)
Anyway - Scott's brother Tony is the Mayor of Maricopa, AZ..he and his wife Nancy were very involved in the Relay for Life held on March 25 - so we took this opportunity to see a bit of the world as well as to walk for a good cause.
We drove northeast of Maricopa to the Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert - we both uttered "wow" and "would you look at THAT!" alot. BEAUTIFUL country. Also traveled to Winslow Arizona to stand on the corner...
anyway - a good five days.
I'm seriously thinking of starting a collection of little cactus... saw LOTS of those - all types..seriously thought about trying to get one home on the airplane, and oh yah - got some pictures of a ROAD RUNNER!!!!
no wile. e. coyote tho.
:)
Anyway - Scott's brother Tony is the Mayor of Maricopa, AZ..he and his wife Nancy were very involved in the Relay for Life held on March 25 - so we took this opportunity to see a bit of the world as well as to walk for a good cause.
We drove northeast of Maricopa to the Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert - we both uttered "wow" and "would you look at THAT!" alot. BEAUTIFUL country. Also traveled to Winslow Arizona to stand on the corner...
anyway - a good five days.
I'm seriously thinking of starting a collection of little cactus... saw LOTS of those - all types..seriously thought about trying to get one home on the airplane, and oh yah - got some pictures of a ROAD RUNNER!!!!
no wile. e. coyote tho.
:)
Monday, March 21, 2011
03.21.2011 Willie Nelson and Abe Lincoln and Sam
Now that's quite the trifecta of individuals but all were featured this past weekend. My Roaming Buddy Scott and I headed west to Springfield, Illinois this past Saturday for a Willie Nelson Concert - stopping first in Terre Haute for a brief albeit satisfying visit (and hand-off of a half pan of oatmeal crunch bars) with son Sam and his girlfiend Jenna, we then headed north to eventually westward ho on 36...
We managed to find a few gems along the way. One of our first stops was in Dana Indiana, the boyhood home of Ernie Pyle. He was the journalist who made World War II more personal and heartrending by writing about the guys actually fighting the war. The Ernie Pyle State Historic Site located on Dana's main street has a great little museum in a Quonset hut, which sits next to Pyle's boyhood home. The museum displays include some of Pyle's personal belongings (like his Purple Heart, awarded posthumously) and some stuff that was in his pockets the day he was killed by sniper fire.
West again on 36 - lunch in an inexpensive but really good Chinese buffet (i'll insert the name and location in here later on) and finally to Springfield. Got a room on the 28th floor of a 28 floor hotel! right downtown by the convention center.
The concert started right on time - 78 year old Willie Nelson played and sang the familiar tunes non-stop until 9 pm...when he simply walked over, propped his guitar Trigger against the drum stand, put his hat on, smiled, waved and walked off. Simply 90 minutes of Willie Nelson and his band, playing amazing music!
Next day? some Abraham Lincoln visitation - including a few pictures of his Springfield Home (which I visited years ago when in 8th grade) and his Tomb.
And then home we went, EAST on 36! I'll attach some pictures later on....
a Fun weekend...thanks RB Scott!
We managed to find a few gems along the way. One of our first stops was in Dana Indiana, the boyhood home of Ernie Pyle. He was the journalist who made World War II more personal and heartrending by writing about the guys actually fighting the war. The Ernie Pyle State Historic Site located on Dana's main street has a great little museum in a Quonset hut, which sits next to Pyle's boyhood home. The museum displays include some of Pyle's personal belongings (like his Purple Heart, awarded posthumously) and some stuff that was in his pockets the day he was killed by sniper fire.
West again on 36 - lunch in an inexpensive but really good Chinese buffet (i'll insert the name and location in here later on) and finally to Springfield. Got a room on the 28th floor of a 28 floor hotel! right downtown by the convention center.
The concert started right on time - 78 year old Willie Nelson played and sang the familiar tunes non-stop until 9 pm...when he simply walked over, propped his guitar Trigger against the drum stand, put his hat on, smiled, waved and walked off. Simply 90 minutes of Willie Nelson and his band, playing amazing music!
Next day? some Abraham Lincoln visitation - including a few pictures of his Springfield Home (which I visited years ago when in 8th grade) and his Tomb.
And then home we went, EAST on 36! I'll attach some pictures later on....
a Fun weekend...thanks RB Scott!
Friday, March 18, 2011
03.18.2011 where are the blogs I can read?
this is truly a silly post...but I was just reading Mike Dodaro's blog posts..and thought, huh - i will just click the NEXT blog link up at the top and see what I get!
Well, I clicked NEXT 17 times and each time I did the blog that appeared was in a foreign language.
Wouldn't be so bad if I could read a foreign language, any foreign language at ALL...but taking one year of LATIN senior year in high school (which was omygoodness 36 years ago) does not in any way, shape or form equate any level of foreign language literacy.
Kind of wish I'd taken Spanish in high school - because it looked like each of those 17 blogs were written in Spanish. But when I was a freshman in high school, I was given the choice between CHOIR, BAND or a Foreign language. And I chose BAND. Wasn't until I was a senior that I had an empty spot for a language - and seeing as Latin is supposed to be the base of so many words, I took that.
But you know, it seems to me really..that choosing BAND wasn't so bad after all. Because I know people who actually took a foreign language for 4 years in high school, and if I asked them today to speak to me in Spanish or to read to me one of those blogs..they could not. They've forgotten most of it.
And two nights ago? I had my flute out, playing piano music written in the early 1900's. And over the past 36 years, I've played my flute in church, in football AND basketball pep bands, AND I even got to play flute in the pit band for a few high school musicals.
So actually, I guess I can say that I am fluent in Flute. And since I started playing in fifth grade, I have been for nearly 45 years! And I think that gives me more personal satisfaction than being able to figure out those 17 blogs. :)
Well, I clicked NEXT 17 times and each time I did the blog that appeared was in a foreign language.
Wouldn't be so bad if I could read a foreign language, any foreign language at ALL...but taking one year of LATIN senior year in high school (which was omygoodness 36 years ago) does not in any way, shape or form equate any level of foreign language literacy.
Kind of wish I'd taken Spanish in high school - because it looked like each of those 17 blogs were written in Spanish. But when I was a freshman in high school, I was given the choice between CHOIR, BAND or a Foreign language. And I chose BAND. Wasn't until I was a senior that I had an empty spot for a language - and seeing as Latin is supposed to be the base of so many words, I took that.
But you know, it seems to me really..that choosing BAND wasn't so bad after all. Because I know people who actually took a foreign language for 4 years in high school, and if I asked them today to speak to me in Spanish or to read to me one of those blogs..they could not. They've forgotten most of it.
And two nights ago? I had my flute out, playing piano music written in the early 1900's. And over the past 36 years, I've played my flute in church, in football AND basketball pep bands, AND I even got to play flute in the pit band for a few high school musicals.
So actually, I guess I can say that I am fluent in Flute. And since I started playing in fifth grade, I have been for nearly 45 years! And I think that gives me more personal satisfaction than being able to figure out those 17 blogs. :)
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
03.09.2011 The 100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century
I came across this link today - and thought huh..wonder how many of those I"ve read? or rather I should say, how many of those do I remember that I've read? I have always read mysteries...my Dad was a big reader, and so some of the older books I may have read and just don't remember. The ones I remember reading I'm going to mark...and then I think I'm going to make reading the ones I haven't a 2011 endeavor.
After marking - I've got 15. Huh. I"ve got some reading to do!
http://www.mysterybooksellers.com/links/20th-century-favorites-1
After marking - I've got 15. Huh. I"ve got some reading to do!
http://www.mysterybooksellers.com/links/20th-century-favorites-1
The 100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century
(Paperback publisher is noted for titles in print in 2000. Some have since gone out of print, some publishers have changed, and others formerly unavailable have since been reissued.)
Allingham, Margery. The Tiger in the Smoke (Carroll & Graf)
Ambler, Eric. A Coffin for Dimitrios (Carroll & Graf)
Armstrong, Charlotte. A Dram of Poison
Atherton, Nancy. Aunt Dimity's Death (Penguin) (READ)
Ball, John. In the Heat of the Night (Carroll & Graf)
Barnard, Robert. Death by Sheer Torture
Barr, Nevada. Track of the Cat (Avon) (READ)
Blake, Nicholas. The Beast Must Die
Block, Lawrence. When the Sacred Ginmill Closes (Avon)
Brand, Christianna. Green for Danger (Carroll & Graf)
Brown, Frederic. The Fabulous Clipjoint
Buchan, John. The 39 Steps (Dover)
Burke, James Lee. Black Cherry Blues (Avon)
Cain, James M.. The Postman Always Rings Twice (Vintage/Black Lizard)
Cannell, Dorothy. The Thin Woman (Bantam)
Carr, John Dickson. The Three Coffins
Caudwell, Sarah. Thus Was Adonis Murdered (Dell)
Chandler, Raymond. The Big Sleep (Vintage)
Christie, Agatha. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (HarperPBKS) (READ) Connelley, Michael. The Concrete Blonde (St. Martin's)
Constantine, K.C.. The Man Who Liked Slow Tomatoes (David R. Godine)
Crais, Robert. The Monkey's Raincoat (Bantam)
Crispin, Edmund. The Moving Toyshop (Penguin)
Crombie, Deborah. Dreaming of the Bones (Bantam)
Crumley, James. The Last Good Kiss (Vintage)
Dickinson, Peter. The Yellow Room Conspiracy
Doyle, Arthur Conan. The Hound of the Baskervilles (Berkley)(READ)
DuMaurier, Daphne. Rebecca (Avon) (READ)
Dunning, John. Booked to Die (Avon)
Elkins, Aaron. Old Bones (Mysterious)
Evanovich, Janet. One for the Money (HarperPaperbacks)(READ)
Finney, Jack. Time and Again (Scribner)
Ford, G.M.. Who in Hell Is Wanda Fuca? (Avon)
Francis, Dick. Whip Hand (Jove)
Fremlin, Celia. The Hours Before Dawn (Academy Chicago)
George, Elizabeth. A Great Deliverance (Bantam)
Gilbert, Michael. Smallbone Deceased
Grafton, Sue. "A" is for Alibi (Bantam) (READ)
Graham, Caroline. The Killings at Badger's Drift
Grimes, Martha. The Man With the Load of Mischief
Hammett, Dashiell. The Maltese Falcon (Vintage)
Hare, Cyril. An English Murder
Harris, Thomas. The Silence of the Lambs (St. Martin's) (READ)
Hiaasen, Carl. Tourist Season (Warner)
Highsmith, Patricia. The Talented Mr. Ripley (Vintage)
Hill, Reginald. On Beulah Height (Dell)
Hillerman, Tony. A Thief of Time (HarperPaperbacks) (READ)
Himes, Chester. Cotton Comes to Harlem (Vintage)
Innes, Michael. Hamlet, Revenge
James, P.D.. An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (Warner)
Kellerman, Faye. The Ritual Bath (Avon)
Kellerman, Jonathan. When the Bough Breaks (Bantam)
King, Laurie. The Beekeeper's Apprentice (Bantam) (READ)
Langton, Jane. Dark Nantucket Noon (Penguin)
le Carre, John. The Spy Who Came in From The Cold (Ballantine)
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird (Warner) (READ)
Lehane, Dennie. Darkness, Take My Hand (Avon)
Leonard, Elmore. Get Shorty (Delta)
Lochte, Dick. Sleeping Dog (Poisoned Pen Press)
Lovesey, Peter. Rough Cider
MacDonald, John D.. The Deep Blue Good-by (Fawcett) (READ)
MacDonald, Philip. The List of Adrian Messenger
Macdonald, Ross. The Chill (Vintage/Black Lizard)
Maron, Margaret. Bootlegger's Daughter (Mysterious)(READ)
Marsh, Ngaio. Death of a Peer (St. Martin's)
McBain, Ed. Sadie When She Died
McClure, James. The Sunday Hangman
McCrumb, Sharyn. If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O (Ballantine)
Millar, Margaret. Stranger in My Grave
Mosley, Walter. Devil in a Blue Dress (Pocket)
Muller, Marcia. Edwin of the Iron Shoes
Neel, Janet. Death's Bright Angel
O'Connell, Carol. Mallory's Oracle (Jove)
Padgett, Abigail. Child of Silence
Paretsky, Sara. Deadlock (Dell)
Parker, Robert. Looking for Rachel Wallace (Dell)
Perez-Reverte, Arturo. The Club Dumas (Vintage)
Perry, Thomas. Vanishing Act (Ivy)
Peters, Elizabeth. Crocodile on the Sandbank (Warner)
Peters, Ellis. One Corpse Too Many (Mysterious)
Pronzini, Bill. Blue Lonesome (Walker)
Queen, Ellery. Cat of Many Tails
Rendell, Ruth. No More Dying Then (Vintage)
Rice, Craig. The Wrong Murder (International Polygonics)
Rinehart, Mary Roberts. The Circular Staircase (Kensington) (READ)
Robinson, Peter. Blood at the Root (Avon)
Rosen, Richard. Strike Three You're Dead
Ross, Kate. A Broken Vessel (Penguin)
Rozan, S.J.. Concourse (St. Martin's)
Sayers, Dorothy. Murder Must Advertise (HarperPaperbacks)
Sjowall & Wahloo. The Laughing Policeman
Stout, Rex. Some Buried Caesar
Tey, Josephine. Brat Farrar (Scribner)
Thomas, Ross. Chinaman's Chance
Todd, Charles. A Test of Wills (Bantam)
Turow, Scott. Presumed Innocent (Warner) (READ)
Upfield, Arthur. The Sands of Windee
Walters, Minette. The Ice House (St. Martin's)
White, Randy Wayne. Sanibel Flats (St. Martin's)
Woolrich, Cornell. I Married a Dead Man (Penguin)
Ambler, Eric. A Coffin for Dimitrios (Carroll & Graf)
Armstrong, Charlotte. A Dram of Poison
Atherton, Nancy. Aunt Dimity's Death (Penguin) (READ)
Ball, John. In the Heat of the Night (Carroll & Graf)
Barnard, Robert. Death by Sheer Torture
Barr, Nevada. Track of the Cat (Avon) (READ)
Blake, Nicholas. The Beast Must Die
Block, Lawrence. When the Sacred Ginmill Closes (Avon)
Brand, Christianna. Green for Danger (Carroll & Graf)
Brown, Frederic. The Fabulous Clipjoint
Buchan, John. The 39 Steps (Dover)
Burke, James Lee. Black Cherry Blues (Avon)
Cain, James M.. The Postman Always Rings Twice (Vintage/Black Lizard)
Cannell, Dorothy. The Thin Woman (Bantam)
Carr, John Dickson. The Three Coffins
Caudwell, Sarah. Thus Was Adonis Murdered (Dell)
Chandler, Raymond. The Big Sleep (Vintage)
Christie, Agatha. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (HarperPBKS) (READ) Connelley, Michael. The Concrete Blonde (St. Martin's)
Constantine, K.C.. The Man Who Liked Slow Tomatoes (David R. Godine)
Crais, Robert. The Monkey's Raincoat (Bantam)
Crispin, Edmund. The Moving Toyshop (Penguin)
Crombie, Deborah. Dreaming of the Bones (Bantam)
Crumley, James. The Last Good Kiss (Vintage)
Dickinson, Peter. The Yellow Room Conspiracy
Doyle, Arthur Conan. The Hound of the Baskervilles (Berkley)(READ)
DuMaurier, Daphne. Rebecca (Avon) (READ)
Dunning, John. Booked to Die (Avon)
Elkins, Aaron. Old Bones (Mysterious)
Evanovich, Janet. One for the Money (HarperPaperbacks)(READ)
Finney, Jack. Time and Again (Scribner)
Ford, G.M.. Who in Hell Is Wanda Fuca? (Avon)
Francis, Dick. Whip Hand (Jove)
Fremlin, Celia. The Hours Before Dawn (Academy Chicago)
George, Elizabeth. A Great Deliverance (Bantam)
Gilbert, Michael. Smallbone Deceased
Grafton, Sue. "A" is for Alibi (Bantam) (READ)
Graham, Caroline. The Killings at Badger's Drift
Grimes, Martha. The Man With the Load of Mischief
Hammett, Dashiell. The Maltese Falcon (Vintage)
Hare, Cyril. An English Murder
Harris, Thomas. The Silence of the Lambs (St. Martin's) (READ)
Hiaasen, Carl. Tourist Season (Warner)
Highsmith, Patricia. The Talented Mr. Ripley (Vintage)
Hill, Reginald. On Beulah Height (Dell)
Hillerman, Tony. A Thief of Time (HarperPaperbacks) (READ)
Himes, Chester. Cotton Comes to Harlem (Vintage)
Innes, Michael. Hamlet, Revenge
James, P.D.. An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (Warner)
Kellerman, Faye. The Ritual Bath (Avon)
Kellerman, Jonathan. When the Bough Breaks (Bantam)
King, Laurie. The Beekeeper's Apprentice (Bantam) (READ)
Langton, Jane. Dark Nantucket Noon (Penguin)
le Carre, John. The Spy Who Came in From The Cold (Ballantine)
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird (Warner) (READ)
Lehane, Dennie. Darkness, Take My Hand (Avon)
Leonard, Elmore. Get Shorty (Delta)
Lochte, Dick. Sleeping Dog (Poisoned Pen Press)
Lovesey, Peter. Rough Cider
MacDonald, John D.. The Deep Blue Good-by (Fawcett) (READ)
MacDonald, Philip. The List of Adrian Messenger
Macdonald, Ross. The Chill (Vintage/Black Lizard)
Maron, Margaret. Bootlegger's Daughter (Mysterious)(READ)
Marsh, Ngaio. Death of a Peer (St. Martin's)
McBain, Ed. Sadie When She Died
McClure, James. The Sunday Hangman
McCrumb, Sharyn. If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O (Ballantine)
Millar, Margaret. Stranger in My Grave
Mosley, Walter. Devil in a Blue Dress (Pocket)
Muller, Marcia. Edwin of the Iron Shoes
Neel, Janet. Death's Bright Angel
O'Connell, Carol. Mallory's Oracle (Jove)
Padgett, Abigail. Child of Silence
Paretsky, Sara. Deadlock (Dell)
Parker, Robert. Looking for Rachel Wallace (Dell)
Perez-Reverte, Arturo. The Club Dumas (Vintage)
Perry, Thomas. Vanishing Act (Ivy)
Peters, Elizabeth. Crocodile on the Sandbank (Warner)
Peters, Ellis. One Corpse Too Many (Mysterious)
Pronzini, Bill. Blue Lonesome (Walker)
Queen, Ellery. Cat of Many Tails
Rendell, Ruth. No More Dying Then (Vintage)
Rice, Craig. The Wrong Murder (International Polygonics)
Rinehart, Mary Roberts. The Circular Staircase (Kensington) (READ)
Robinson, Peter. Blood at the Root (Avon)
Rosen, Richard. Strike Three You're Dead
Ross, Kate. A Broken Vessel (Penguin)
Rozan, S.J.. Concourse (St. Martin's)
Sayers, Dorothy. Murder Must Advertise (HarperPaperbacks)
Sjowall & Wahloo. The Laughing Policeman
Stout, Rex. Some Buried Caesar
Tey, Josephine. Brat Farrar (Scribner)
Thomas, Ross. Chinaman's Chance
Todd, Charles. A Test of Wills (Bantam)
Turow, Scott. Presumed Innocent (Warner) (READ)
Upfield, Arthur. The Sands of Windee
Walters, Minette. The Ice House (St. Martin's)
White, Randy Wayne. Sanibel Flats (St. Martin's)
Woolrich, Cornell. I Married a Dead Man (Penguin)
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
03.08.2011 Photography Scavenger Hunts
So I'm a member of a photography group on Facebook - there was a February Scavenger Hunt posted so of course, I wanted to do it. There were 25 items on the list to find and take a picture of...and hey presto! I won! And much to my dismay, oh sure, I won, but not many people had much time to devote to this scavenger hunt, and i think i kind of won just because I had so many pictures.
But oh well - i WON DARNIT! heres a link to the FB album...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=115537&id=1384077819&l=a20fa3f7d9
And what did i win? The priviledge to create the next scavenger hunt list!
Here's the list for the March list...it's an Alphabetical Scavenger Hunt.
Some items are specific..some are open to interpretation.
A Abandoned House
B Blue
C Covered Bridge
D Deadly
E Elegant
F Fire truck
G Gates
H Hands
I Icky
J Junk
K Knives
L Lethargy
M Movie House Marquee
N Nine
O Ooops
P Paint
Q Quaint
R Relaxation
S Strings
T Toy
U Underneath
V Veteran
W Wood
X X marks the Spot
Y Yarn
Z Zany
A Abandoned House
B Blue
C Covered Bridge
D Deadly
E Elegant
F Fire truck
G Gates
H Hands
I Icky
J Junk
K Knives
L Lethargy
M Movie House Marquee
N Nine
O Ooops
P Paint
Q Quaint
R Relaxation
S Strings
T Toy
U Underneath
V Veteran
W Wood
X X marks the Spot
Y Yarn
Z Zany
Saturday, February 5, 2011
24 hour blog - hour 13 irrational fears
i have 2 irrational fears...probablt you could consider them very closely related. i have an irrational fear of papercuts. I also have this fear of someone standing in front of me, whilst folding paper. you know where a person is STANDING RIGHT THERE AND HE FOLDS A PIECE OF PAPER IN HALF AND THEN VERY SLOWLY PRESSES DOWN THE FOLD!
omigod. its gross just typing it.
shudder
i also kind of fear clowns, but really...who doesn't?
omigod. its gross just typing it.
shudder
i also kind of fear clowns, but really...who doesn't?
24 hour blog - hour 6 7 8 9 10
#6: Friends (4-5)
#7: Write a review of your favorite movie/book/TV Show/Music (5-6)
#8: Theme Songs for Different Moods/Moments (6-7)
#9: Utopias (7-8)
#10: Where is one place you've always wanted to go, discuss the benefits of this place,
Favorite 3rd son Sam and Jenna are visiting .. so Ive been away from the computer. we went to Iaria's Italian restaurant for pizza and then to the greenwood mall for walkabout. i bought a great pair of new walking shoes while sam got his boots resoled. There's a cobbler type store - the guy who did the work grew up working for his dad there...he knows shoes!
anywhoo im back and to catch up im gonna combine 5 topics into one...gonna try anyway...lets see.
friends - my oldest best friend is one i rarely talk to and see even less...Laura Michalik moved into the house behind mine in Mokena when we both were 5. instant buddies, we had sleep overs, and sat with each other on the bus, and were each others maid of honor. she's the friend in my life where a year can go by without talking,yet when we do talk, its like we'd just talked yesterday.
music - certain songs mean different times in my life...i grew up listening to show tunes...the king and i, south pacific, mary poppins..and Frank Sinatra, Henson Cargill, and Hern Albert and the Tiajuana Brass...the stuff my parents listened to by playing thick records on this old white and tan record player.
the first two records of my very own were carole king's Tapestry and Elton John's Caribou. i still know all the words to all those songs...and when i hear one on the radio, i can smell the warm weird odor of my first record player.
Songs bring to mind events, people, places...Bruce Springsteen's Born to run will forever mean the first year of my marriage and driving in Dan's VW...Twist and Shout will always mean laughing at the boys as they watched ferris bueller sing "shakin' the baby now", all 3 butts twisting and hands waving. any elton john song means college and walking down to the record store to hand over my 4 bucks for the latest record. Harry Chapin means my time in Sacramento...Johnny Cash means my Dad singing along in his low voice and the Beatles? watching them perform on the Ed Sullivan show at my Grannie's.
Maybe my utopia would be a place where I could visit now and again with all the people of my life who are gone, where i could now and again have dinner with my Grannie or put together a jigsaw with my Dad or be 14 again, playing cards with my little brother. Utopia means an ideally perfect place and usually people are living in that type of place, but don't realize it until things change and you think...huh...how wonderful that was.
we've got Some Like it Hot on the tv... a wonderful movie with Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe, one of my favorites of all time. Tony and Jack are wanted by the mob..so they go undercover as members of an all girl's band...Tony does a great impression of Cary Grant when he's trying to impress Marilyn by masquerading as a rich yacht owner...and Jack is pursued by a rich playboy who wants to bring him home to meet his mother. Rent it soon if you've never seen it before!
#7: Write a review of your favorite movie/book/TV Show/Music (5-6)
#8: Theme Songs for Different Moods/Moments (6-7)
#9: Utopias (7-8)
#10: Where is one place you've always wanted to go, discuss the benefits of this place,
Favorite 3rd son Sam and Jenna are visiting .. so Ive been away from the computer. we went to Iaria's Italian restaurant for pizza and then to the greenwood mall for walkabout. i bought a great pair of new walking shoes while sam got his boots resoled. There's a cobbler type store - the guy who did the work grew up working for his dad there...he knows shoes!
anywhoo im back and to catch up im gonna combine 5 topics into one...gonna try anyway...lets see.
friends - my oldest best friend is one i rarely talk to and see even less...Laura Michalik moved into the house behind mine in Mokena when we both were 5. instant buddies, we had sleep overs, and sat with each other on the bus, and were each others maid of honor. she's the friend in my life where a year can go by without talking,yet when we do talk, its like we'd just talked yesterday.
music - certain songs mean different times in my life...i grew up listening to show tunes...the king and i, south pacific, mary poppins..and Frank Sinatra, Henson Cargill, and Hern Albert and the Tiajuana Brass...the stuff my parents listened to by playing thick records on this old white and tan record player.
the first two records of my very own were carole king's Tapestry and Elton John's Caribou. i still know all the words to all those songs...and when i hear one on the radio, i can smell the warm weird odor of my first record player.
Songs bring to mind events, people, places...Bruce Springsteen's Born to run will forever mean the first year of my marriage and driving in Dan's VW...Twist and Shout will always mean laughing at the boys as they watched ferris bueller sing "shakin' the baby now", all 3 butts twisting and hands waving. any elton john song means college and walking down to the record store to hand over my 4 bucks for the latest record. Harry Chapin means my time in Sacramento...Johnny Cash means my Dad singing along in his low voice and the Beatles? watching them perform on the Ed Sullivan show at my Grannie's.
Maybe my utopia would be a place where I could visit now and again with all the people of my life who are gone, where i could now and again have dinner with my Grannie or put together a jigsaw with my Dad or be 14 again, playing cards with my little brother. Utopia means an ideally perfect place and usually people are living in that type of place, but don't realize it until things change and you think...huh...how wonderful that was.
we've got Some Like it Hot on the tv... a wonderful movie with Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe, one of my favorites of all time. Tony and Jack are wanted by the mob..so they go undercover as members of an all girl's band...Tony does a great impression of Cary Grant when he's trying to impress Marilyn by masquerading as a rich yacht owner...and Jack is pursued by a rich playboy who wants to bring him home to meet his mother. Rent it soon if you've never seen it before!
24 hour blog - hour 5 alter egos
as a Mom...i have many alter egos .. or roles as it were..when they were little, i was mommy.. the one who could fix just about anything. as the kids got older, that changed...i was simply MOM...i no longer could fix everything but i usually could make things a little better with a hug or a pan of cookies...or twenty bucks.
now? as a divorced woman...things are changing again. the kids are no longer kids...and twenty bucks doesnt go very far. plus each boy has another source for hugs...pandas...no, not pandas...GIRLFIENDS OF VARYING STATI...
so what am i now? today im the idiot who lives by herself , who went for a walk on a sheet of ice and fractured my elbow...and could still be lying in the middle of the road...
now? as a divorced woman...things are changing again. the kids are no longer kids...and twenty bucks doesnt go very far. plus each boy has another source for hugs...pandas...no, not pandas...GIRLFIENDS OF VARYING STATI...
so what am i now? today im the idiot who lives by herself , who went for a walk on a sheet of ice and fractured my elbow...and could still be lying in the middle of the road...
24 hour blog - hour 4 methods of destroying traffic
when i lived in california i had this beautiful commute from fremont, over the dun barton bridge, to palo alto... it did not matter how long it took because i was in ca commuting to palo alto over the dun barton bridge!
however, the past 6 years ive commuted 30 miles each way... through various construction zones..and i have to admit there were many times i wanted to kill somebody, by God...especially those people who refuse to let me merge...
dismemberment, stealth bomber bombing or my fav, a personally designed bazooooka attached to my impala..
however, the past 6 years ive commuted 30 miles each way... through various construction zones..and i have to admit there were many times i wanted to kill somebody, by God...especially those people who refuse to let me merge...
dismemberment, stealth bomber bombing or my fav, a personally designed bazooooka attached to my impala..
24 hour blog - hour 3 childhood memory
oh ive got one...
i am the 2nd of 4 kids, and my brother steve is 2 years younger than me... so i dont really remember being the "baby" of the family, being carried much, or being spoiled.
my grannie and gramps only lived like 20 minutes away, but we would be in the car long enough to fall asleep if it was dark and cozy and late... one night ...driving home i fell asleep in the back seat. i have no idea how old i was. we got home and the car light came on and i just couldn't rouse myself enough to move into the house myself. so my Dad picked me up in his arms, tucked me in, and carried me into the house. I remember my brother jim saying "she's awake, she can walk" but Dad just held me a little tighter and said.."it's ok. i've got her." makes me smile just thinking about it.
24 hour blog - hour 1 best of 2010
My son Tim and his friends came up with this idea of a 24 hour blog... i decided to join in the fun...however! i broke my right elbow yesterday and so am typing with only my left hand. this will certainly have an affect on my posts... ill have to be less verbose, which is a good thing.
first topic? best of 2010.
hmm those that know me know that my marriage came to an end in 2010,,, so much of the year was spent weeping, wailing, soul searching and sorting through/weeding out of the accumulation of 28 years (9 moves, 4 states and three wonderful boys!)
so at first, the topic dismayed me! BUT after a bit of thought...i find i do have a list ... in no specific order...
1. Son #1 Josh took a bride in July...i was given the gift of a second wonderful daughter without having to go through the rigors of childbirth!
2. My 3 boys and their girls continue to amuse, astound and cause me to be continuously puffy with pride!
3. sabra spinach/artichoke hummus on dakota bread toast!
3. March 3 2010 - my mother turned 75 ! I flew to CA for her surprise birthday party
4. I moved into an apartment only FIVE minutes from my office! a 5 minute commute! whoo hoo!
5. size 12 jeans...SIZE 12!
6. I completed the 2010 Picaday project. this is especially important to me because many of my pics were taken in my yard, a yard i worked in for 18 years...flowers, birds, trees, children, family -its a record of what has/had been my life for 28 years.
7. I started a new phase of my life and as Josh said "its a new adventure Mom!" a new place to live, a new relationship, new aspects of all kinds!
so yep, I've got a best of List!
first topic? best of 2010.
hmm those that know me know that my marriage came to an end in 2010,,, so much of the year was spent weeping, wailing, soul searching and sorting through/weeding out of the accumulation of 28 years (9 moves, 4 states and three wonderful boys!)
so at first, the topic dismayed me! BUT after a bit of thought...i find i do have a list ... in no specific order...
1. Son #1 Josh took a bride in July...i was given the gift of a second wonderful daughter without having to go through the rigors of childbirth!
2. My 3 boys and their girls continue to amuse, astound and cause me to be continuously puffy with pride!
3. sabra spinach/artichoke hummus on dakota bread toast!
3. March 3 2010 - my mother turned 75 ! I flew to CA for her surprise birthday party
4. I moved into an apartment only FIVE minutes from my office! a 5 minute commute! whoo hoo!
5. size 12 jeans...SIZE 12!
6. I completed the 2010 Picaday project. this is especially important to me because many of my pics were taken in my yard, a yard i worked in for 18 years...flowers, birds, trees, children, family -its a record of what has/had been my life for 28 years.
7. I started a new phase of my life and as Josh said "its a new adventure Mom!" a new place to live, a new relationship, new aspects of all kinds!
so yep, I've got a best of List!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Ice! Snow! Holy Moly! Feb 1, 2011
I am one of those people who remember the infamous Chicago Blizzard of 1967...with snow drifting up to the 2nd story windows! I remember the snow and the cold and when we finally went back to school, walking to the bus stop with snow piled nearly as high as my head to either side of the road. And was this the snowstorm when my Dad could NOT make it home from the office?? I remember he asked for and received a safe harbor with a farmer and his family for a couple of days, because his VW Bug finally remembered it was little (albeit mighty!) and decided to stop moving forward through the snowdrifts.
What I do NOT remember is the constant TV coverage interrupting our viewing of Gilligan's Island or Captain Kangaroo or "Hardrock, Cocoa and Joe!"
There's been constant coverage for DAYS about this storm...Incessant coverage! I mean for heavens sakes...it's WINTER. It's the MIDWEST! It's gonna snow! It's gonna be cold! There's gonna be ice!
Years ago, they mentioned the coming ice/snow occasionally, but there was NOT constant coverage! They've been tracking this storm ever since it was a baby out in the west... It's coming! It's coming! Batten the hatches!
Another thing I do NOT remember is my Mom freaking out, racing to the grocery store to stock up on bread and milk for her 4 children. She ALWAYS had food in the cabinet -- I remember LOTS of canned soup and peanut butter!
Sometimes I feel that all the coverage is simply a way to encourage the "it's after Christmas, but not quite Valentine's Day" drop in sales... Buy a generator! Snow Shovels! De-Icer! Scrapers! SALT! BREAD! MILK!!! LOTS OF MILK!! CARTS OF MILK!!!!!
I was at Wal Mart yesterday at 1 pm, and holy moly, i could not believe the packed carts.
Sheesh.
But then again, mebbe I don't remember the "OMIGOSH! IT"S GONNA SNOW!" panic because I was a kid. Snow and ice simply meant tomato soup, toasted cheese sandwiches, snow angels and snow forts, playing with my brother Steve, big rubber boots with those cold metal clasps and if we were very very lucky? NO SCHOOL!
What I do NOT remember is the constant TV coverage interrupting our viewing of Gilligan's Island or Captain Kangaroo or "Hardrock, Cocoa and Joe!"
There's been constant coverage for DAYS about this storm...Incessant coverage! I mean for heavens sakes...it's WINTER. It's the MIDWEST! It's gonna snow! It's gonna be cold! There's gonna be ice!
Years ago, they mentioned the coming ice/snow occasionally, but there was NOT constant coverage! They've been tracking this storm ever since it was a baby out in the west... It's coming! It's coming! Batten the hatches!
Another thing I do NOT remember is my Mom freaking out, racing to the grocery store to stock up on bread and milk for her 4 children. She ALWAYS had food in the cabinet -- I remember LOTS of canned soup and peanut butter!
Sometimes I feel that all the coverage is simply a way to encourage the "it's after Christmas, but not quite Valentine's Day" drop in sales... Buy a generator! Snow Shovels! De-Icer! Scrapers! SALT! BREAD! MILK!!! LOTS OF MILK!! CARTS OF MILK!!!!!
I was at Wal Mart yesterday at 1 pm, and holy moly, i could not believe the packed carts.
Sheesh.
But then again, mebbe I don't remember the "OMIGOSH! IT"S GONNA SNOW!" panic because I was a kid. Snow and ice simply meant tomato soup, toasted cheese sandwiches, snow angels and snow forts, playing with my brother Steve, big rubber boots with those cold metal clasps and if we were very very lucky? NO SCHOOL!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Pizza and the Home Show ... Sunday January 310, 2011
The Indianapolis Home Show at the Fair Grounds is always fun to go to - it opened this weekend! And yes, it was a veritable hodgepodge of vendors of all kinds...even the South Bend Chocolate guys AND a Watkins distributor (STILL the best vanilla I've found to be available around here...can't always depend on a neighbor to hand over a big bottle of vanilla from the Bahamas.)
Anyway, I am not one to walk along silently, not yakking with all those friendly vendors. I like to yak with strangers - and do often! BUT I happened upon a catch phrase to let me 1. converse in my babbling way to any of the vendors and 2. remove me from their clutches quickly without having to be rude. What is that catch phrase? Well, the first version of it was...
"I am currently Houseless"
Now, that only means that I am currently living in an apartment, not a house, and therefore not in the market for new windows, tub inserts, new gutters, or any of the other myriad things a person with an actual house might need.
And read it again - I said "I am currently Houseless" That does not mean to indicate I am HOMELESS, but I guess it came across that way in the first second or two. On the first vendor's face, there was first, shock, and then a bit of pity, and then a bit of WHAT??? and then...Hhhheyyyyy, and then I smiled and said "Let me rephrase that...!" Those first two guys were crawl space refitters, and wow, one of them just snickered the entire time I talked to them. He really enjoyed the conversation - he was either bored out of his head (and it was only the first day of the show!) or I was extremely amusing...
Anyway - the rest of the show I used a rephrase " I am currently without HOUSE" and that being said, I was then able to simply look over their offerings (pens, ice scrapers and oh, this cool metal measuring tape from Fentress Builders) without then having to burst their possible sale! bubble AFTER they spewed their sales pitch. This way - no sales pitch was offered and because I was amusing, they did not begrudge me the aforementioned giveaways.
Anyway - what did i actually purchase? Well, it was not the really cool albeit pricey back/neck/carpal tunnel electric shocklike/ massager thingie ($299.99 WITH the cool case) nor was it the $99 for a 2 night 3 day stay down in Branson MO ( ALLL you've got to do is give us 2 hours of your time!) ... I did buy my usual stuff from the Watson Vanilla guy, and I bought a bottle of raspberry wine from the Carousel Winery (Bedford INdiana) and these really powerful hand clippers (that I should have had for the past 18 years when I owned an acre of yard) that I will send to my Mom for her birthday. (Yah, Mom..don't read this if you want to be surprised!)
After leaving there, we went to a really yum restaurant - Iaria's Italian Restaurant on College Ave, in Indy - for an amazingly good pizza and cheese bread that came with a bowl of their spaghetti sauce that is OUT of this world. I NEVER buy spaghetti at a restaurant (not when a box of pasta costs a buck!) but wow, hopefully they'll slip me some sauce along with the Margherita pizza that we'll get when we go back. AND we brought a portion of Tiramisu home for a later dessert. Yep, that was amazing as well!
I had a really good time yesterday. I LIKE Good Saturdays!
Anyway, I am not one to walk along silently, not yakking with all those friendly vendors. I like to yak with strangers - and do often! BUT I happened upon a catch phrase to let me 1. converse in my babbling way to any of the vendors and 2. remove me from their clutches quickly without having to be rude. What is that catch phrase? Well, the first version of it was...
"I am currently Houseless"
Now, that only means that I am currently living in an apartment, not a house, and therefore not in the market for new windows, tub inserts, new gutters, or any of the other myriad things a person with an actual house might need.
And read it again - I said "I am currently Houseless" That does not mean to indicate I am HOMELESS, but I guess it came across that way in the first second or two. On the first vendor's face, there was first, shock, and then a bit of pity, and then a bit of WHAT??? and then...Hhhheyyyyy, and then I smiled and said "Let me rephrase that...!" Those first two guys were crawl space refitters, and wow, one of them just snickered the entire time I talked to them. He really enjoyed the conversation - he was either bored out of his head (and it was only the first day of the show!) or I was extremely amusing...
Anyway - the rest of the show I used a rephrase " I am currently without HOUSE" and that being said, I was then able to simply look over their offerings (pens, ice scrapers and oh, this cool metal measuring tape from Fentress Builders) without then having to burst their possible sale! bubble AFTER they spewed their sales pitch. This way - no sales pitch was offered and because I was amusing, they did not begrudge me the aforementioned giveaways.
Anyway - what did i actually purchase? Well, it was not the really cool albeit pricey back/neck/carpal tunnel electric shocklike/ massager thingie ($299.99 WITH the cool case) nor was it the $99 for a 2 night 3 day stay down in Branson MO ( ALLL you've got to do is give us 2 hours of your time!) ... I did buy my usual stuff from the Watson Vanilla guy, and I bought a bottle of raspberry wine from the Carousel Winery (Bedford INdiana) and these really powerful hand clippers (that I should have had for the past 18 years when I owned an acre of yard) that I will send to my Mom for her birthday. (Yah, Mom..don't read this if you want to be surprised!)
After leaving there, we went to a really yum restaurant - Iaria's Italian Restaurant on College Ave, in Indy - for an amazingly good pizza and cheese bread that came with a bowl of their spaghetti sauce that is OUT of this world. I NEVER buy spaghetti at a restaurant (not when a box of pasta costs a buck!) but wow, hopefully they'll slip me some sauce along with the Margherita pizza that we'll get when we go back. AND we brought a portion of Tiramisu home for a later dessert. Yep, that was amazing as well!
I had a really good time yesterday. I LIKE Good Saturdays!
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