Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Red Lights

Red Lights mean stop.
In the past few days I've watched at least 100 cars run red lights at both relatively busy and quiet intersections. I'm not talking running through on a yellow. I'm talking about the light being cherry red and cars blasting through.
People, this is a serious problem.
If you are in such a hurry that you need to run a red light - you need your head examined - and your schedule, too.  Is your rush really worth someone else's life?

The rest of you - take my advice:
Don't jump your green light... take a moment and make sure that those who have the red are actually stopped...

Monday, April 26, 2010

Prom

The day started off with Solo and Ensemble at 8am. We got a little lost trying to find the school's driveway, but we managed.  The kids did their thing and we were out of there by 10:15.  We stopped to pick up the corsage.
Upon arrival at home, #1 finished up his homework - teacher decided Monday would be a great day to have a math test... Yeah... thanks.
After lunch #1 started on cleaning Mr.'s car. He vacuumed it. He washed the windows. He got the stains out of the rug. He made it smell nice. He washed the outside. That car has NEVER been cleaner!! 
We headed out to go to #1's girl's dad's house. Mr. rode with #1 in that spit polished ride and was very impressed with #1's efforts!  I can only hope he details my car next.
We arrived at the house to take pictures. The whole family was there..
But it boils down to this:
She walked into the room and #1 was speechless - he's still talking about how pretty she looked. Her dress was beautiful. Her hair was amazing. She is such a pretty girl anyway - how could she not be simply stunning?


#1 was handsome in his tux and his date was simply lovely!
This is the professional picture that they got - I think it looks like they are on a cruise ship! Below is the picture I took in her dad's living room.  I blurred their faces just for you.

The After Prom Party was a blast for the kids! They had all kinds of food including a chocolate fountain and freshly made smoothies.  They had Avatar in the movie room (that's where I was assigned and it was definitely the place to be -- nice kids, great movie, no effort!).  They had black jack, craps, roulette, skee ball, as well as a bunch of different video games to play. They also had a couple of moon bounces that were a big hit with the kids!
The kids could win prizes including savings bonds and a senior could even a new car! It was a terrific night! It was a late night, but it was a really terrific way to keep the kids in and safe.
#1's girl's mom worked part of the Prom as well as the After Prom Party. She was impressed with how well behaved most of the kids were - especially ours! (Phew!) She was not impressed with how some of the kids were dancing -  some of the moves she saw were reminiscent of something you'd see strippers do with a pole... Fortunately, my son is a terrific dancer who doesn't dance like that - especially when on a date with a very nice girl. (Cotillion pays off again!!)
As for the commute home - he was very glad that his parents were driving and that he was the passenger.  He was one tired puppy!

Saturday, April 24, 2010

3 Cheers for Obama

I got this in my email this morning and just HAD to share. 

That is right - I will say it. . . . . THANK GOD FOR OBAMA!
He destroyed the Clinton Political Machine - Driving a stake thru the Heart of Hillary's Presidential aspirations--something no Republican was ever able to do.

Remember when a Hillary Presidency scared the daylights out of you! He killed off the Kennedy Dynasty - No more Kennedys trolling Washington looking for booze and women wanting rides home.
American women and freedom are safer tonight!

He is destroying the Democratic Party before our eyes!
Dennis Moore had never lost a race - quit
Evan Bayh had never lost a race - quit
Byron Dorgan - had never lost a race - quit
Harry Reid - bid for re-election doesn't look good
These are just a handful of the Democrats whose political careers Obama has destroyed! By the end of 2010 dozens more will be!

In December of 2008 the Democrats were on the rise. In the last two election cycles they had picked up 14 senate seats and 52 house seats. The press was touting the death of the Conservative Movement and the Republican Party. In one year Obama put a stop to all of this and will probably give the House, if not the Senate back to the Republicans.

He has completely exposed liberals and progressives for what they are. Every generation seems to need to relearn the lesson on why they should never actually put liberals in charge. He is bringing home the lesson very well!

Liberals tax, borrow and spend - check
Liberals won't bring themselves to protect America - check
Liberals want to take over the economy - check
Liberals think they know what is best for everyone - check
Liberals aren't happy till they are running YOUR life - check

He has brought more Americans back to conservatism than anyone since Reagan.

In one year he rejuvenated the Conservative Movement and brought out to the streets millions of Freedom Loving Americans.
Name me one other time in your life that you saw your friends and neighbors this interested in taking back America !

In all honesty, one year ago I was more afraid than I had ever been in my life. Not of the economy, but of the direction our country was going. I thought Americans had forgotten what this country was all about. My neighbors, friends, strangers proved to me that my lack of confidence of the greatness and wisdom of the American people was flat out wrong.

When the American People wake up, no smooth talking teleprompter reader can fool them! Obama woke up these Great Americans

Again I want to say Thank you Obama!

So, Lets Recap "2009".........what a year! WOW!!!

1. The American people inaugurate a half-Arab president with a total of 142 days experience as a US Senator from the most politically corrupt state (city) in America whose governors have been ousted from office.

The President's first official act is to order the close of Gitmo and make sure terrorists' civil rights are not violated. (Honest mistake?)

2. The U.S. Congress rushes to confirm a black Attorney General, Eric Holder, whose law firm we later find out represents seventeen Gitmo Terrorists. (An honest mistake?)

3. The CIA Boss appointee, Leon Panetta, has absolutely no experience, has a daughter Linda, we find out, who is a true radical anti-American activist and a supporter of all the Anti-American regimes in the western hemisphere. (There were socio-economic factors involved!)

4. We got the second most corrupt American woman (Pelosi is #1) as Secretary of State; bought and paid for. (You can put lipstick on a pig, but it still stinks!)

5. We got a Tax Cheat for Treasury Secretary who did not properly file his own taxes for 12 years. (He misspoke!)

6. A Commerce Secretary nominee who withdrew due to corruption charges. (Another honest mistake???)

7. A Tax cheat nominee for Chief Performance Officer who withdrew under charges. (Hmmm... Another screw-up?)

8. A Labor Secretary nominee who withdrew under charges of unethical conduct. (Ok, maybe this person was just plain stupid.)

9. A Secretary of HHS nominee (Daschle) who withdrew under charges of cheating on his taxes. (I'm running out of excuses for these idiots!!)

10. Multiple appointments of former lobbyists after an absolute campaign statement that no lobbyists would be appointed.
(Dear God, I am getting a headache!)

All this occurred just during the first three weeks. . . But who's counting?

America is being run by the modern-day Three Stooges; Barry, Nancy and Harry and they are still trying to define stimulus..."it's spending!!!"

The congress passes the $800,000,000,000 (that's $800 billion) pork-loaded spending bill where the government gives you a smidgen of your tax dollars ($13 per week), making you feel so good about yourself [stimulated], that you want to run out to Wal-Mart and buy a new Chinese-made HDTV!

Here's the good news though - Obama took Air Force One to Denver to sign the stimulus package, wasting as much as 10,000 gallons of fuel OR 24 JOBS FOR ONE YEAR.

Don't you just love hypocrites?

Obama went to the International Olympic Committee to have them choose Chicago for a host city, he failed.

Obama went to Copenhagen to lecture them on global warming, he failed.

One of the first things he did as president was to return a bust of Winston Churchill, a gift from the British government to President Bush. Didn't want it. Then, later on visits, gave the prime minister of England and the Queen of England gifts from the United States; a collection of CDs, which don't work in the equipment available in Europe, and an MP3 player, respectively. Wow! Later, he BOWED to the king of Saudi Arabia , an historical first. (An American president has to bow to NO ONE!)

Obama went to New Jersey to promote the Democratic candidate for governor, he failed, Obama went to Virginia to promote the Democratic candidate for governor, he failed.

Obama went to Massachusetts to promote the Democratic candidate for senator, he failed.

Speaking of praying, Obama has now been president for a full year and yet he & wife (first lady) Michelle, the Christian family they claim to be, had not attended church since the inauguration until Easter Sunday. (Said it would cause "too much disruption".

Obama is the 1st president in history who did not attend any Christmas religious observance.

He must miss Reverend Wright!

And finally, he is the 1st president to remain on vacation after a terrorist attack.

In these times 'I'll keep my God, my freedom, my gun and my money.

Anyone that supports this insanity deserves "THE CHANGE".

Friday, April 23, 2010

What's more important?

I posed a question on my Facebook page yesterday about driving home from the After Prom Party at 4am.
My #1 thought he should be allowed to drive home.
I disagreed.

My reasons were simple - it's not safe.
We live 30 minutes from the school at 55mph.
We drive up a highway that is notoriously deer infested and at 4am when there is little to no traffic, the deer can often be found in the middle of the road. (I think they turn on the boom boxes and have a party on the pavement or something!) They don't run away when they see your car, they stop and look at you. They become mesmerized by the lights and if you can't stop, you hit them. This is not healthy for your car or your body.
Now, lets add to that fact that it is supposed to pour buckets this weekend.
Rain, dark, exhaustion, and the possible deer...
This is a recipe for disaster.
He will NOT be driving himself or his girlfriend home.
Some people think I'm cruel and inconsiderate, but I don't much care. Yes, Prom is special, but at 4am, the Prom is over, the After Prom Party is over, and everyone is pooped.
There are too many things that can happen.
I will not allow my child or his date to potentially be a statistic. You know darned well that if, God forbid, something did happen, the world would come down on me - They'd be telling me that I was an irresponsible parent. They'd say it was 4am.  How could you let your teenager drive at that hour after being up since 6 the morning before??  What were you thinking?? He's a relatively new driver!

#1 and I had a long discussion last night. I told him that this was a safety issue. It was not about his driving ability - it was simply a safety issue.
He went upstairs and thought about it.
He called me into his room a few minutes later.
He told me I was right - Safe is much better than sorry.
Yes, my boy... it is.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Stella Awards

 For those unfamiliar with these awards, they are named after Stella Liebeck who spilled hot coffee on herself and successfully sued the McDonald's where she purchased coffee... You remember, she took the lid off the coffee and put it between her knees while she was driving. Who would ever think one could get burned doing that, right? That' s right; these are awards for the most outlandish lawsuits and verdicts in the U.S.. You know, the kinds of cases that make you scratch your head. So keep your head scratcher handy.


 Here are the Stellas for the past year:

*   SEVENTH PLACE *

Kathleen Robertson of Austin,   Texas was awarded $80,000 by a jury of her peers after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running inside a furniture store. The store owners were understandably surprised by the verdict, considering the running toddler was her own son.
Start scratching !

*   SIXTH PLACE *

Carl Truman, 19, of Los Angeles,   California won $74,000 plus medical expenses when his neighbor ran over his hand with a Honda Accord. Truman apparently didn't notice there was someone at the wheel of the car when he was trying to steal his neighbor's hubcaps.
Scratch some more....

*   FIFTH PLACE *

Terrence Dickson, of Bristol, Pennsylvania, who was leaving a house he had just burglarized by way of the garage. Unfortunately for Dickson, the automatic garage door opener malfunctioned and he could not get the garage door to open. Worse, he couldn't re-enter the house because the door connecting the garage to the house locked when Dickson pulled it shut. Forced to sit for eight, count 'em, EIGHT days and survive on a case of Pepsi and a large bag of dry dog food, he sued the homeowner's insurance company claiming undue mental Anguish. Amazingly, the jury said the insurance company must pay Dickson $500,000 for his anguish. We should all have this kind of anguish. Keep scratching. There are more...

Double hand scratching after this one...

*   FOURTH PLACE *

Jerry Williams, of Little Rock, Arkansas, garnered 4th Place in the Stella's when he was awarded $14,500 plus medical expenses after being bitten on the butt by his next door neighbor's beagle - even though the beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced yard.. Williams did not get as much as he asked for because the jury believed the beagle might have been provoked at the time of the butt bite because Williams had climbed over the fence into the yard and repeatedly shot the dog with a pellet gun.

Pick a new spot to scratch, you're getting a bald spot..

*   THIRD PLACE *

Amber Carson of Lancaster, Pennsylvania because a jury ordered a Philadelphia restaurant to pay her $113,500 after she slipped on a spilled soft drink and broke her tail bone. The reason the soft drink was on the floor: Ms. Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier during an argument. What ever happened to people being responsible for their own actions?

Only two more so ease up on the scratching....

*SECOND PLACE*

Kara Walton, of Claymont, Delaware sued the owner of a night club in a nearby city because she fell from the bathroom window to the floor, knocking out her two front teeth. Even though Ms. Walton was trying to sneak through the ladies room window to avoid paying the $3.50 cover charge, the jury said the night club had to pay her $12,000.....oh, yeah, plus dental expenses. Go figure.

Ok. Here we go!!

*   FIRST PLACE *

This year's runaway   First Place Stella Award winner was: Mrs. Merv Grazinski, of Oklahoma City , Oklahoma , who purchased new 32-foot Winnebago motor home. On her first trip home, from an OU football game, having driven on to the freeway, she set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the driver's seat to go to the back of the Winnebago to make herself a sandwich. Not surprisingly, the motor home left the freeway, crashed and overturned. Also not surprisingly, Mrs. Grazinski sued Winnebago for not putting in the owner's manual that she couldn't actually leave the driver's seat while the cruise control was set. The   Oklahoma jury awarded her, are you sitting down?
$1,750,000 PLUS a new motor home. Winnebago actually changed their manuals as a result of this suit, just in case Mrs. Grazinski has any relatives who might also buy a motor home.

Are we, as a society, getting more stupid ... or are more members of Congress serving on juries these days?

Personally, I think that we can now see the effects of raising "entitled kids". 
All sense of logic and common sense has flown out the window.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Traffic

Why do people have to drive like idiots? You aren't going to get there any faster...
How do I know this?
On the way to the orthodontist yesterday, a guy passed me.
He weaved his way up the road...
Around this car and past that car (rinse and repeat).
Eventually I caught up to him... at a red light.
Yes... that made me smile.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Mini Kitty

Is a tail wagger...
She wags her tail when she's happy.
She wags her tail all the time!!
This morning she was laying on the bed wagging her tail.
It was too tempting for me -- I decided to pat it... I don't ever pull, just pat.
She got up, turned around in her spot, tucked her tail around her body, up under her front paws and looked at me.
I'm figuring she didn't want her tail touched.
I went to touch the tip of it that was still wagging just a smidge and she put her paw on it.
I guess she told me!

Monday, April 19, 2010

Busy Week Ahead

I've got a busy week coming up...
(I just noticed LLB's gym clothes sitting on the couch - she forgot to put them into her backpack this morning... I guess my day just got a little busier... I'll run them down and drop them off - because I am running for Mother of the Year, you know.)

I teach Monday and Wednesday afternoons.
I have my bell choir rehearsal tonight.

LLB has an ortho appointment on Monday and an eye appointment on Wednesday. Oh and did I mention that the kids are involved in the Pit Orchestra for the musical? Yes, this means that this week and next are full of long rehearsals after school - so I have to bring her back after those appointments...

The prom is this weekend. #1 is going with a very nice girl. He has to pick up his tux today - between the end of the school day and the start of the pit rehearsal... We have to order the corsage -- I'll do that today.  And the boy is in desperate need of a hair cut.

I've been trying to swim 3 times a week. I think I'll swim Tuesday afternoon before I take LLB to her ortho appointment. If the pool isn't packed when we get back from her eye appointment, I might swim then...  Since her gym clothes need to be dropped off, I just might get to swim today...

We are celebrating LLB's birthday on Saturday night - the same night as the prom. We thought it would be easier to do it then, since Mr. and I are busy on her actual birthday. Fortunately, she has the musical to keep her mind off the fact that her parents are ditching her on her birthday.  This may knock me out of the running for Mother of the Year, you know.

Did I mention that on Friday, I have to help decorate for the prom? Oh and on Saturday, I have to go back to the prom at 11pm so I can stay up all night for the "After Prom Party"? Oh and on Sunday morning - my handbells are ringing for the 8am service - this means I need to be ready to play at 7:30am... I'm probably not going to go to bed until after the 11am service... I won't be pretty - trust me.  I just hope I'm awake enough to keep time...

So - that's my week in a nutshell.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Stolen!

LLB's iPod was stolen out of her purse at school the other day. The one she bought with her own babysitting money... yeah... that one.
I am annoyed that someone would go into her purse and take it - they did leave the earphones, though... how considerate of them. 
Before you all jump all over me for allowing her to bring her iPod to school - She had it at school because she is learning a marimba part (a marimba is like a xylophone) and the percussion teacher told the kids to listen to the piece while they play their part. I don't happen to have a $30k marimba at home, so the only place she can practice is at school...
I told her to ask the band teacher if he found it and to go to the office to see if maybe just maybe someone turned it in... (It's not the most wonderful iPod out there, you know?) She doesn't want to go to the office to ask because she's afraid she'll get in trouble for having it at school... I told her to tell them why she had it at school and if they give her grief, to let me know. I'll handle the office. So much for trying to be a good music student...
I hope it turns up...
But I'm not holding my breath.

Friday, April 16, 2010

A Kitchen MeMe

Melli had this meme on her blog and I'm borrowing it because it's fun!

1. Do you have magnets on your fridge?
I do. BUT, I only have a few and they are ladybugs, of course

2. Do you have a calendar in your kitchen, if so, what’s the theme of it?
I cannot live without the calendar!!  Theme: My sister and her husband. They send us a new one every year at Christmas. I don't know what I'd do if they didn't send one every year... I'd probably have to break down and buy a calendar!

3. What is your favorite kitchen gadget?
I guess Mr. doesn't count... Hmm... I'd have to say my bamboo spoons - I use them for everything.

4. Are you lucky enough to have a pantry of some kind?
Yes, but it is small and cramped and not well planned... It needs an overhaul, but so do a lot of other things around here.

5.What is your favorite appliance?
Mr. still doesn't count? hmm... I'd have to say my kitchenaid mixer. It's red and wonderful and I LOVE it.


6. Do you have an eat in kitchen (table in it)? Yes we do, but we prefer to eat at the island because the table is too tiny and only seats 2.

7. Do you have a bread box?
no

8. Do you have a picture of your kids on the fridge?
Yes. I have 3 pix of those goofballs on my fridge at the moment.


9. Do you ever cook breakfast in your PJs?
Who doesn't?

10. Do you have a favorite cookbook that you use?
I have many. Anyone want a Band Cookbook? $5 will get you the best recipes ever!!

11. Are you lucky enough to have recipes that were passed down from your mom or grandma?
Yes. I have some really great ones from mom and Gram. And I've got some from my Grandmother H. that are missing an ingredient. Classic.

12. What’s your favorite food?
Anything Mr. cooks.

13. What’s your favorite thing to cook?
I love to bake cookies.

14. Is your coffee pot electric or stove top?
Electric

15. Do you ever make your own bread?
I used to all the time and then our bread machine pooped out...

16. Name one thing that you have hanging on your wall in your kitchen:
I've got a ton of things hanging in my kitchen... My faves are my signs especially the one that says, "There will be a $5 charge for whining."


17. Is there a clock in your kitchen?
YES!

18. Do you have a bowl of fruit sitting on your table or counter?
No, I like my counter bare.

19. What type of canisters do you have?
I have tupperware in the cabinets but no canisters on the counter.

20. Does your kitchen have a theme?
Clean.

21. What’s for supper tonight?
Tacos.

22. Do you have enough cabinet space?
Yes... But I could always use more.

23. Does your family use paper plates?
At Polo.
 
24. Do you have a good set of china?
Yes, I have 2 sets. I have a winter set by Villeroy and Boch and a formal set by Wedgewood. I LOVE china. I'd have more if my family would let me.
25. Do you wear an apron to work in your kitchen? That would mean I actually do stuff in the kitchen... right? So no. I don't wear an apron, but I have a couple in the drawer.

26. Name one thing, if anything, that you would like to change about your kitchen.
New fridge - side by side with ice and water in the door....

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Put this in your pipe and smoke it!

Snopes confirms as true:
WW II Battleship sailor tells Obama to shape up or ship out !
 
This venerable and much honored WW II vet is well known in Hawaii
for his seventy-plus years of service to patriotic organizations and causes all over the country. A humble man without a political bone in his body, he has never spoken out before about a government official, until now. He dictated this letter  to a friend, signed it and mailed it to the president.
 
Dear President Obama,     
         
     My name is Harold Estes, approaching 95 on December 13 of this year.  People meeting me for the first time don't believe my age because I remain wrinkle free and pretty much mentally alert.
 
I enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1934 and served proudly before, during and after WW II retiring as a Master Chief Bos'n Mate.  Now I live in a "rest home" located on the western end of Pearl Harbor , allowing me to keep alive the memories of 23 years of service to my country.
 
One of the benefits of my age, perhaps the only one, is to speak my mind, blunt and direct even to the head man.
 
So here goes.
 
I am amazed, angry and determined not to see my country die before I do, but you seem hell bent not to grant me that wish.
 
I can't figure out what country you are the president of.
You fly around the world telling our friends and enemies despicable lies like:
·        We're no longer a Christian nation
·        America is arrogant - (Your wife even announced to the world,
·        America is mean-spirited. " Please tell her to try preaching that nonsense to 23 generations of our war dead buried all over the globe who died for no other reason than to free a whole lot of strangers from tyranny and hopelessness.)
 
I'd say shame on the both of you, but I don't think you like America, nor do I see an ounce of gratefulness in anything you do, for the obvious gifts this country has given you.  To be without shame or gratefulness is a dangerous thing for a man sitting in the White House.
 
After 9/11 you said," America hasn't lived up to her ideals."
 
Which ones did you mean? Was it the notion of personal liberty that 11,000 farmers and shopkeepers died for to win independence from the British?  Or maybe the ideal that no man should be a slave to another man, that 500,000 men died for in the Civil War?  I hope you didn't mean the ideal 470,000 fathers, brothers, husbands, and a lot of fellas I knew personally died for in WWII, because we felt real strongly about not letting any nation push us around, because we stand for freedom.
 
I don't think you mean the ideal that says equality is better than discrimination.  You know the one that a whole lot of white people understood when they helped to get you elected.
 
Take a little advice from a very old geezer, young man.
 
Shape up and start acting like an American.  If you don't, I'll do what I can to see you get shipped out of that fancy rental on Pennsylvania Avenue .  You were elected to lead not to bow, apologize and kiss the hands of murderers and corrupt leaders who still treat their people like slaves.
 
And just who do you think you are telling the American people not to jump to conclusions and condemn that Muslim major who killed 13 of his fellow soldiers and wounded dozens more. You mean you don't want us to do what you did when that white cop used force to subdue that black college professor in Massachusetts , who was putting up a fight?  You don't mind offending the police calling them stupid but you don't want us to offend Muslim fanatics by calling them what they are, terrorists.
 
One more thing.  I realize you never served in the military and never had to defend your country with your life, but you're the Commander-in-Chief now, son.  Do your job.  When your battle-hardened field General asks you for 40,000 more troops to complete the mission, give them to him.  But if you're not in this fight to win, then get out.  The life of one American soldier is not worth the best political strategy you're thinking of.
 
You could be our greatest president because you face the greatest challenge ever presented to any president.  You're not going to restore American greatness by bringing back our bloated economy.  That's not our greatest threat.  Losing the heart and soul of who we are as Americans is our big fight now. And I sure as hell don't want to think my president is the enemy in this final battle...
 
Sincerely,
Harold B. Estes
 
When a 95 year old hero of the "the Greatest Generation" stands up and speaks out like this, I think we owe it to him to send his words to as many Americans as we can. Please pass it on.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

It's Wednesday?

Already?
How did this happen?
It seems like just yesterday it was Sunday. Well, yeah.. it kinda was just a few days ago, but still...


Today I'm off to sub for Art. Those of you who know me well are laughing because you know my artistic abilities topped off at lollipop trees and smiley faces.  I am artistically challenged - I think in the box and color inside the lines. My sister is the artist - the creative one.  She has never colored in the lines.

When I was in 6th grade art class, the teacher brought us outside and told us to draw a tree. I drew a lollipop tree - complete with apples - which looked absolutely nothing like the  old oak we were supposed to be drawing. She sighed when she saw my picture. The next project was a pinch pot. Mine was umm... okay. (Okay, it was awful!) We had to glaze it. The artsy kids in my class used many different colors. Not me. I used yellow. Just yellow.  (Our kitchen was yellow and I just KNEW my mom was just dying to have this pot in her kitchen.  My sweet mother indulged me and that ugly thing resided on her kitchen shelf for years!)

Fortunately, my children have far more creative minds than I and my house is full of their artwork. LLB drew a woodpecker in 4th grade. We had it made into a tile and it hangs in my kitchen. It is awesome. If it ever breaks, I will be heartbroken.

That is very unlike the day the yellow pinch pot hit the floor.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Bikers Just Don't Understand...

How dangerous their sport can be...

We live in the country.
The scenery is lovely - bucolic even. This is part of why we live here. 
We live on country roads.
Those country roads are our surface streets and highways.
Country roads tend to be hilly and have speed limits of 45 - 55 mph. That's pretty fast, you know?

If you are one of those people who come to the country to bike, please take note:

We don't have breakdown lanes or shoulders. If you ride off the side of the road, you may end up in a ditch with mud and snakes.

The speed limits are high. The draft from the trucks that pass you will blow you over. They don't mean to, it just happens.

You are riding a bike on the side of a 55 mph road. Think about it... would you ride your bike on Route 66?? No - if you had any sense you wouldn't.

If you ride 2 abreast - as cyclists seem to do all the time - you are now riding in the middle of a 2 lane 55mph road. What are you thinking??

If you are riding up a hill and you can't see over it, neither can the car coming up behind you. If we try to get around you and you are 2 abreast, we will be killed - as will you - if someone is coming up on the other side of the hill.

Trust me, single file is the way to go if you really need to be riding out here.


If you insist on biking out here, a GPS is a necessity -- or a good map will do in a pinch.  We have many cyclists who get  lost out here. Country roads aren't like city streets. (They don't connect where you think they should and sometimes they run out of pavement. Trust me, riding a bike on a gravel road is not what you had in mind.) I took a cyclist back to town because she was lost and tired and couldn't find her way back to her car. And that long hill into town wasn't a big deal on the way out, but it's a real bugger on the way back...

Just use some common sense.

Oh - And wear a helmet.

Friday, April 09, 2010

More Spring Pix from LLB

LLB's daffodil picture... I love it!

Mini Kitti isn't so mini anymore is she??

Topiary anyone??  See what the deer have done to our upright yews?  Supposedly they don't eat this particular plant...

Wednesday, April 07, 2010

Spring is here!

Spring is when LLB takes some of her best pictures. She comes home, grabs my camera, and heads out to photograph whatever strikes her fancy.
I'm going to share, but you may not use her pictures anywhere without asking. This is what she got the other day:
I can't wait to see what strikes her fancy next...

Tuesday, April 06, 2010

Normal...

Ahh....  Life is back to normal here at The Crossing. The kids are at school. Mr. is off to work. And I am at home - with my washer, my vacuum, my volunteer work, and my dust bunnies. (Everyone knows that I'm home and my volunteer-work email has been blazing all morning!)
My windows are open and the breeze is lovely. I think a cup of tea and a piece of toast might just make my morning complete... AFTER I toss in a load of laundry, of course..
Yes, I am a very very happy camper.

Monday, April 05, 2010

Easter, etc.

Our day was lovely, relaxing, and filling... I'm still stuffed! 
I can hear the apple pie calling me from Gram's fridge and I think I may have to just give in and go get a piece... It's the last thing I need, but I can't let it go to waste, can I??

LLB and I went to the movies to see How to Train Your Dragon. It was such a good movie!  We loved the prosthetics - both for the dragon and the boy... We are into this stuff, as you all know my dear friend Julie has a super dooper (somewhat bionic) leg complete with an ankle that moves!  We enjoyed the movie immensely.

Today it's back to the grind for me with school and bells, but at least I'm not back to 8th grade!  The kids go back tomorrow. I'm sure that the alarm going off at 5:45am will be a rude awakening... bwahahahaha!!!

I have a question for all of you - Do you talk through the prelude at church? What do you see the purpose of the prelude being? Is it a time to prepare for worship? Is it a time to sit and listen to the music? What is the prelude to you? It's just a question to which I'm soliciting answers. There is no right or wrong answer - I'm just curious.

Foggy

It's beautiful out there this morning...