Think Spring

or

Its Bumm Numbin'
Cold Out There!

    It appears that we have
an ""Alberta Clipper" headed our way. That is when a weather system arches way
up into Alberta Canada and then dips down,
sweeping across the mid US and over
the Appalachian mountains straight at us.  From prior experiences with said
weather phenomenon, we will either just have cold and frozen rain, or we are
going to get whomped with snow.  

  Thanks Canada. We love ya. Really. 

    Snow is ok. I can deal with snow.
But Alberta can keep this terribly cold wind. Brrrr...

 
I
am holding out for Spring. It will come, and with it these bitter cold winds
will cease! Nothing is better than what the Spring
winds carry as they pass over the meadow: the smell of fresh grasses and the
scent of fresh water; the smell of the apple blossoms on our ancient trees; the
wet, musty smell of fallen leaves that have blanketed the meadow all winter; and
the sounds of the birds and small animals so busy at waking up after a long,
cold winter.

They express joy at just
_being_ that makes me feel the
same way.

  My gardens are a big part of why I
love our house. We have more room for gardening and planting then we will ever
need. 

                          
                              
We have worked hard since we bought our house to landscape and plant.
It was pretty much a blank slate. The rewards have been unending.
Hmm...so is the work at times. lol

   I thought I would share some pics
of the garden in Spring of last year. Holding onto the thoughts of my gardens
and warm weather keeps me sane.

   Well, hmm, maybe "sane" isn't the
right word to paste on myself *G*.

   Our house, in a side view, before
we took down the walnut tree that was RIGHT against the foundation. D'OH!!! The
long part actually faces the street. Someday, in hopefully the not _too_
terribly distant future, we will be able to put a porch on. If we can afford it,
it will go across the front and wrap around the side *taking off the present
porch*. If that is too expensive we will put the porch on just the front. I want
to use blue metal roofing on the porch(es), the garage roof, and the sheds. I
won't even get started about the decorating on the inside. ) Long tale...maybe
more on that another time.

  But I love my gardens *sigh*. I am
addicted to flowers.

I have plenty
of room to fill 'er up! Who
needs grass

anywho???
        
                                     

                                                                                   




~Kathie

P.S. All the pics on this
page are copyright so please respect that! )  Just drop me an email if
you have any questions or requests about the images.  reddkatt@comcast.net

  Of Women,
Bling Bling and Power Tools

  
There aren't many channels on TV that are able to hold my undivided attention
for long. More often than not I struggle to find  a show that I will enjoy
watching other than my rabid addiction to Law and Order...ALL the Law and Order
shows, or CSI. They must have been peering inside my family room when they
decided whether or not it would pay off  to make not two but THREE of each of the above shows. Its a good thing I
can multitask or else all would do is watch police dramas every evening!

  
I also need to admit that I am a huge fan of HGTV. I am one of those people that
have both the creative arsty-fartsy side combined with a nerdy techno brain.
When in the space of a 1/2 an hour you can learn how to carve a cow out of a bar
of soap using only the plastic knife from your Chinese take out, how to built a
house from nothing but bales of straw and bumble bee spit,  or how to
survive for a week in the woods with only a shoe lace, the elastic from your
underwear and the guts from your cell phone, well heck, what's NOT to love?

  
Seriously though...that channel is addictive. As the proud co-owner of a 2700
square foot, 200 + year old farmhouse with a walk up attic, stone cellar and
separate 700 square foot separate garage and multiple flower, vegetable and herb
beds, I am in love with HGTV.. I can go from show to show, soaking up
information on the latest, newest and best-est annual and perennial plants
*which will break my bank account with  attempts to fill a flower bed*; how
to redo an kitchen with minimal monetary outlay *insert the words cheap cheap
cheap right here please*, and enjoy the naiveté of a pair of new homeowners
who attempt to do a full bath tear down and rebuild in a three day weekend *BUHAHHAH
what were they smokin??*.

  
I love to drool over the latest power tools. "OH YA GIMME that 24 volt battery
operated...thingy..I don't care what it does but ITS COOL. After all the one I
have is only 18 volt, so...its no good once the 24 volts come out.!  and to
be heard from the redhead walking through the tool isle in Home Depot "OH
YAH...lookit that...10 inch, 150 amp Makita Table table saw! 27" rip capacity,
large deck, nice fence...Can I have it Mikie? Can I... can I?" Hubby laughs.

 
*heavy sigh* Party pooper.

  
Talking to a friend on the phone one night, I was telling her how excited I was over
getting my new ... sumpin or other power tool from my husband for my birthday. 

 
There was dead silence on the other end of the phone...

Me:
Er...hello?

Her: 
"Umm...Kath...we need to talk."

Me: "
Eh?"

Her:
" You're a GIRL. Girls are supposed to want diamonds, jewelry, or shoes and
clothes. Not POWER TOOLS!"

Me:
*whine* "But I LIKE power tools!"

Her:
" No, no...let's talk about this. Think perfume, make-up, or shoes, what about
some shoes? Or think shiny glittery platinum or gold or silver. Ya know...Bling
Bling!"

Me: "
No...I lose Bling Bling or am afraid I will lose Bling Bling. The more Blingy
the more likely I am to lose it *thinking of my $1500 engagement ring I lost
when I took it off because I was using a POWER TOOL and paint and was afraid of
damaging it* I would rather have Vrooom Vrooom! "

Her:
"Sigh"

Me:
*snicker*

 
Who wants to be predictable???!! Gimme HGTV! Gimme Vroom Vroom! GIMME POWER BABY!

                                                                                   




Kathie

  I
slept in late today, but I think I needed it. I repeatedly woke up last night *I
would say at least 10 times* with the wind and storms we were having. EGADS!
This all came across from what Nevada and Ohio and such were having. We got
nailed last night.

     I haven’t slept very well for more than a
week. I had a woman pull out in front of me last Wednesday, and in order not to
hit her broadside in her little station wagon, and I am sure killing her in the
process, I slammed on my brakes and came to a screaming, rubber-marking-the-road
stop. My big ole Chevy Astro barely missed her with the lovely side effect being
a minor case of whiplash and a pinched nerve in my neck. I was in so much pain
by Saturday night that I was totally drugged up and barely functioning, not
sleeping and in screaming pain. I have high pain tolerance, but this was off the
scale!

  Monday I went to my chiropractor and Tony did traction on my
neck, adjusted the “orbital socket” I believe it is called * Oh man did that
relieve the pressure on the nerve of my arm!*, and attempted to adjust my spine.
The pain I was having was a stabbing pain in my neck anytime I moved at more
than a snail’s pace, and a nerve traveling across my left shoulder down into the
middle of my bicep. My bicep felt like it was being burned and stabbed from the
inside. Nasty! Childbirth wasn’t this bad and it sure didn’t LAST this long! LOL

   I was in so much pain that I was crying just in moving, so he
stopped at adjusting my neck and did electric stim on my shoulders and upper
back. The poor man kept asking me if I was ok...I think he thought HE hurt me. I
told him it wasn't him but that I was hurting so badly that with the meds
wearing off right about then I was in sad shape. I would put my pain at a 10 on
Saturday, Sunday and Monday. On Tuesday the pain was at a 3…a 2 Wednesday and
about a 5 yesterday. Today I went back and Tony did all he did Monday plus he
aligned my back. I feel soooo much better. Thank God for chiropractors! I don’t
think I would be walking if they weren’t around, due to the accidents I have
been in *none of which were my fault, thank you very much!* Oh, and thank God
for CHRISTIAN chiropractors! I really appreciate being able to go to someone
that isn't into mysticism and some esoteric out-there-ness. That is just not who
I want to trust my physical health and well-being to.

  I am going to go back on Tuesday, and then I am going to start
going once every 5 weeks or so. With all the injuries I have sustained to my
back, at this point in my life I feel it is a necessity.

  OH and HUGE praise! His receptionist called and my insurance
DOES COVER chiropractic! YEAH! Only $20 copays! WOOOO HOOO! Much better than the
$45 every visit! I am praising God for this big time. We
rarely use our insurance for regular medical "stuff" because we rarely
get ill and have no serious health concerns other than allergies. This
is something that will really be of benefit, and it will be nice to see
a benefit from the money we spend on insurance each month.
    Now I am off to go do schoolwork with Brenna and
then probably take a 1/2 hour nap. I am still running on empty from not
sleeping well.
    Til later...
                                              Kathie

 

PUT A LID
ON IT!

   Tonight I found
the kissin'-cousin of the nefarious missing socks.

Lids and Containers

  Or more precisely...

*&^ Lids
and ()(*&&* Containers!!!

  Tonight I took about
3 pounds of ground beef *scored at Sam's Club for $1.69 lb..YEAH* and made chili
for supper. I froze half of what was left over for making burritos, or taco
salad, etc.

  Allll I wanted to do
was simply put the chili in three small containers and put the containers in the
freezer.

  Harumph.

  Inagine, if you will:

  Kathie tries to be a good girl and put the chili away right NOW, before she goes to
bed. That way she doesn't have to be half asleep, and jump up fully awake
remembering she left $10 worth of food on the stove to go bad.

 Kathie
takes half of chili from her lov-er-ly Kitchen Aid 18/10 stainless steel
cook-pot and puts it in her brand-new-as-of-Christmas French white Corningware
casserole dish * a thank you very much nod to mother-in-law Jean*.

 She then
turns...and approaches with some trepidation

THE CABINET

  Oh you
KNOW what I am talking about!
Don't even pretend like YOU don't have one.
*and if you don't have one, don't
tell me about it because I will get a complex*.

  Its THAT
cabinet. The one that you could spend 2 hours on Wednesday, organizing,
stacking, size-matching, top-arranging-til you are bug eyed.

 ...and the
next morning it would look like the tornado from the Wizard of Oz hit it.  
  ***Aunty Em...Oh AUNTY
EM!***

 
I cautiously approach the cabinet
door...open it slowly...

 And I will
be hanged if about 8 freakin' things don't fall our. Grrrrrrr...

 Nary a one
of them is a top and lid that matches.

 As I grouch
about the habits of my cabinets have about vomiting pertroleum-by-product items
onto my kitchen floor, I notice a couple of containers of appropriate size for a
serving or two of chili. TERRIFIC. Ummm...where are the lids.

 ...rustle...rustle..Rustle..RUSTLE...

 ARGGGHHHH
*insert Charlie Brown scream here*  XXX

WHERE ARE THE BLASTED LIDS???!!

  The lids
to the containers went INTO the cabinet WITH the containers. Why aren't they
still together. *more rustling...accompanied by aggravated mumbling*.

  Still, no
lids to be found. Yet another  scintillating household mystery to be solved...

   Perhaps it is
because these cabinets share a wall with the washer and dryer? My best guess is that
the Laundry Sock Gremlin has a cousin or brother that he gave a call.

 "Yo,
Benny, its Louie...Hey, listen, you GOTTA come check this out. There is this great place... big rooms...not many kids around.
Ready for you to just move right on in. And get THIS. She has TONS of plasticware.
Yeaaahhh boy, that's right! I tell ya, this place was MADE for you! It is fate I tell ya boy FATE !!!"

 
By the noon the next day, Benny the Lid Container Gremlin moves in so
his backyard touches his Cousin Louie's. My container lids go POOF! The
Gremlins sit back just waiting for me to open the door, because, you
know I will...I have to.
  All I gotta say is
THANK GOD for Ziplock Freezer Bags.

 And to add insult to injury, I STILL haven't
found all the blasted sock mates.

  What you want to bet
that when I find the socks, the container lids will be with them???

                                                                                  



Kathie

This is what my backyard looks like today.

This is the view into the meadow past the apple trees and black raspberry bushes.

Its 3 p.m.

It is foggy as all get out

It is 45 degrees

The 12th of January

Maryland is in the Northern Hemisphere

Its Winter

???

Mind you, I am not bemoaning the fact that it isn't 14 degrees, icy, and windy.

I wouldn't actually mind a wee bit o' the pretty white stuff. In Maryland it is rarely bitter cold when it is snowing.

Canada and the Arctic can keep their heinous temperatures.

BUT I NEED SOME SUNLIGHT HERE PEOPLE!!!

I knew far before SAD *Seasonally Affected Disorder* was officially given its moniker that something was wrong in winter. Lack of sunlight has me drooping and depressive. Motivation to do more than pull on pants and run a brush through my hair is akin to gathering energy to run a triathlon.

*yawn*

Time to take Brenna to piano lessons.

Ho Hum

   These
personality quizzes are sometimes interesting. I came across this one
today. Darn if I didn't note what site I saw it on! If it was on yours,
my apologies for copping this and forgetting to give you credit !

You Are a Visionary Soul

You are a curious person, always in a state of awareness. Connected to all things spiritual, you are very connect to your soul. You are wise and bright: able to reason and be reasonable. Occasionally, you get quite depressed and have dark feelings. You have great vision and can be very insightful. In fact, you are often profound in a way that surprises yourself. Visionary souls like you can be the best type of friend. You are intuitive, understanding, sympathetic, and a good healer. Souls you are most compatible with: Old Soul and Peacemaker Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

 

 
At least it is a goal. ) I am by no means there...percentage wise I
wouldn't even want to guess or name. It would just be too depressing.

Blessings...

                                                                             Kathie

Is There a Ten
Step Program...

  I have heard said that admitting you have a problem is getting
halfway to a cure. So, I am willing to be accountable to ya’ll for my problem.

    *takes a deep breath*This isn't easy to admit...

    I have had a basket of clean, unmatched socks sitting in my
bedroom for SIX MONTHS.

  *lets breath out*

   Okay I feel a little better now.

   Socks and I don’t get along. Oh, they are useful. They keep my
feet toasty in this big ole farmhouse of mine. They are a necessity for comfort,
to keep leather shoes from becoming odiferous in the wake of wearing them in bare feet,
and to prevent nasty abrasions from shoes rubbing in the wrong places. When the
socks are on my, or the rest of my family’s feet, they are fine.No issues. But..

  
..the minute they are unmatched, out of the drawer, in the
hamper…that’s where the trouble begins.

   I can put 20 socks in the washer…and 20 come out. I put 20
socks in the dryer, and only 17 come out!

   What I want to know is…

  

WHERE THE HECK DID THE OTHER THREE SOCKS GO?

   And why are the three missing socks the three newest, nicest,
most comfortable or most expensive ones? Is there a gremlin that lives under the
washer and dryer that awakens as soon as the dryer is switched on, who comes out
takes the three most appealing socks in the group?

   My back has been killing me the last four days due to a pinched
nerve in my neck. Many thanks to the drunk 16 year old that was driving a Chevy
half-ton 15 years ago and rear ended my non-moving EXP at 55 miles per hour. But
that is another story..

 

 My house-hold industry has been limited because anything
more strenuous than breathing has brought excruciating, stabbing pain through my
neck, over my left shoulder and down my left arm. Imagine the pain from hitting
the funny bone last four days straight. OK...now you are on the same page with
me. I enlisted the aid of Brenna to bring down THE BASKET. I figured it was a
perfect time to match the socks that I have been so strenuously ignoring for...er...months.
Emptying the basket *or at least making an honest attempt to do so* would make
me feel a bit better for not doing a whole lot the last several days.

   Now, please don’t think the rest of my house is like the
laundry basket of evil socks. It isn’t! I do dust, vacuum, sweep, scrub, air
out, etc. weekly. My house isn't pristine, but it is livable friendly, visitor
safe, and by no meals pristine. Anal I am not, but I do make a sincere effort to
keep my home clean, friendly and inviting.

 

But those socks. Those darn socks. The basket has been touched
only when there was dire need of a pair of socks by myself or Brenna *Mike's
laundry is done separately so his socks for the most part escape the fate of
ours, but yet...there are still times.....*

 

White socks. Red socks. Black socks. Blue socks. I am particularly
fond of odd colored socks as their mates are easily spotted. That has been the
socks that I, and Brenna, have been wearing while their cousins have been
resting untouched in their Rubbermaid bed. Whichever socks were easily matched
when the need arose DING DING DING... WE HAVE A WINNAHHH.

   I am finishing up laundry in the next day or so *as my neck and
shoulder allow*. I will do a sock reconnaissance sweep of the bedrooms, the
drawers, under the beds, under the washer and dryer. After everything is washed
and gathered, whatever is missing a mate is going into the rag bag for furniture
polishing, grease wiping, and assisting in wood working projects. The orphan
socks are heretofore banished from the basket! From sight until the need for a
rag appears.

   I don’t know how many usable, matched socks that will leave us.

   I wonder who is having a good sale on socks this week…

                                                                                                  



Kathie