Friends

Friends are very important.
I have a group of 4 friends who are the funniest, most generous spirits I’ve ever known.
When our kids were in high school, we volunteered and ended up spending almost every weekend in the fall laughing and working together. In the spring, we would see each other at concerts, track meets, and more. Basically, we saw each other all the time, hung out, and shared more than a few dozen meals together.
And then the kids went off to different colleges and we lost touch. We’d see each other here and there, but we drifted. If we saw each other, we’d say that we neede to get together and that would be that.
I ran into one of the husbands at the dump. I mentioned getting together and got the same answer I always got - “yup, we need to do that”. So, I decided that I missed those funny inspiring women and I was determined to meet at least a couple of them for lunch this week.
I sent an email asking if they could get together on Thursday for lunch. Guess what?! Every one of them can make it! Every single one! I am so excited! I know I’m going to laugh and catch up and have a wonderful time. And I can’t wait!
So, if you have a friend you haven’t seen, get moving and make some plans.
Life is too short!

Sock-palooza

Mini has quirks.

Yes, I know, everyone in my house has quirks...

Mini is our cat, as you know. She has always been quirky, but lately, I’ve noticed a trend...

Mini does not like Mondays. Mr heads back to work on Monday morning. Mini gets very upset when he walks out the door. He leaves at 4:58. How do I know this? She comes upstairs, steals socks from the laundry basket, and cries very loudly. It sounds like she is saying, “Hello?” (complete with question mark) over and over again. I have to call to her to get her to quiet down.
This morning I found a pair of socks at the top of the stairs.
Mini also gets upset when I leave the house during the day. I come home to socks left all over. They can be found on the stairs, in the kitchen, in the family room, and in the hallway. One day I came home to what we lovingly call “sock circles”.
Mini likes her people at home. She doesn’t need to be with us every second, but she wants us close. Mini is the sweetest cat!

Better late...

It’s Sunday evening and we’ve had a busy weekend. We’ve seen friends. We’ve been to the dump. We’ve relaxed a tiny bit. And we’ve prepared for the coming week.
My goal for this week is to contact some old friends and set up a time for us to meet for lunch. I’m working Friday and Sunday and hosting an event on Saturday, but there is always time to take an hour and spend time with friends.

Fun and Games

I like to play games. Card games, video games, board games, etc. I’m currently hooked on Animal Crossing Wild World for the Nintendo DS. Yes, I still have one and yes, it still works. As a matter of fact, it’s in perfect condition. This little game is so much fun! We have the Wii version, too. I enjoy that one just as much! Mr likes the music - says it’s relaxing and mellow. :)
I have to work today. I’ll not be playing any games there. It’s supposed to be a nice day. I’ll be pouring wine. Come out and see me!
Mr is going shooting with LLB while I’m working. I am just a teeny tiny bit jealous, but every daughter needs daddy time, so it’s ok!
We have a tree guy coming to give us an estimate later this afternoon. We need to get these dead trees down before they fall down. Our regular tree guy must be busy because he hasn’t called us back. Unfortunately, we can’t wait for him this time. These dead trees are simply dangerous.
Later this evening we have a reception to remember a neighbor who died this week. We will toast him, hug his wife, and catch up with the rest of the neighbors.
It’s a busy day, but a fun day!

The Ew Factor

We have a lot of critters around here. They range in size from tiny to huge and everything in between. We’ve been here since 2004 and we’ve seen a lot of critters, but this year we have a new one. It is the Bag Worm. It is one ugly bug in its current form. They like upright yews, pine trees, and other deciduous trees. They can kill a tree in less than a day. I’d like to know who invited this nasty thing into our yard! We believe in pesticides here and trust me, Mr sprayed the crap out of the yews and pine tree. Two yews are dead. Our pine tree might make a comeback, but I’m not holding my breath.

We have checked the rest of the back yard landscaping and at the moment, the plants are clean and healthy.

We’ve also got 3 dead ash trees thanks to the emerald ash borer beetle. We had a dead ash a few years back, so we knew that was just a matter of time. Ash is a hard wood that makes great baseball bats, furniture... and firewood. Yup, we will be cutting that up for wood stove fuel.

So, we will be keeping our tree guy busy this year... all because of tiny critters... ew!

Symbol over Substance

  I’m so tired of hearing about the crazy ideas coming out of California! 



First it was straws. The eco crazies wee telling us that our plastic straws are polluting the oceans. I don’t know about you, but I did a wee bit of research. Plastic straws contribute to .002% of all of the plastic pollution in our oceans.  According to the Economic World Forum, “By analyzing the waste found in the rivers and surrounding landscape, researchers were able to estimate that just 10 river systems carry 90% of the plastic that ends up in the ocean. Eight of them are in Asia: the Yangtze; Indus; Yellow; Hai He; Ganges; Pearl; Amur; Mekong; and two in Africa – the Nile and the Niger.” It seems to me that those places aren’t here in the USA. You don’t want plastic in our oceans? Get those 3rd world countries who actually do pollute to stop polluting! 

I can honestly say that I have never tossed any trash into the ocean and have never tossed a single plastic straw into anything but a trash can. Don’t punish me! I like to use straws. If I'm out about and stop for lunch, give me a straw in my glass or my cup. If I don’t feel well, I like a straw in my beverage by my bedside. If I’m driving long distances, I like a lid and a straw for my drink. I prefer plastic straws because they don’t get soft and disintegrate like those old paper straws we used to get. That used to totally gross me out. 

Not only do they not want me to use straws, they want to fine or jail servers who give them to their patrons. So... my server can get tossed in jail or fined for giving me a straw, but Hillary Clinton gets a pass for having classified information on her home computer? Really? Tell me how any of this makes sense! 

Banning straws makes the eco crazies think they are making a difference and it makes them feel good... sorry - it’s ineffective and a waste of time.

The other crazy thing coming out of California today was that the restaurants in San Francisco don’t like the fact that Google and the other tech companies provide free cafeterias for their employees. They want the government to prohibit the tech companies from having cafeterias that provide free food to employees. Talk about the “Nanny State”! Can you believe this?! This is the only time the liberal left has protested a free lunch! “We can’t compete with free”, they whine. 

We have a free market society. If a company gives a perk of free food in the cafeteria, the employees will be taking advantage of that. Yes, it keeps them on campus and working longer hours for the same amount of pay, but if the employees like it, so be it. Happy employees = excellent productivity. But, the restaurants don’t like it so they want to legislate companies to make their employees go out to lunch. That there is crazy talk! 

One ball of yarn at a time...

I finished the 2 baby boy sweaters. I started a virus shawl in fall colors. Once that’s done, 4 skeins of yarn will be used out of my stash. It’s not a lot, but it will make a difference.
I think I’ll work on another Icelandic wool blanket after the virus. That will make a dent in the stash, that’s for sure!