Newt's Muse

Weekend in pictures

2008-07-21T09:54:00.004-06:00

Not too much excitement. But enjoy:

Paradise on Earth

2008-07-13T21:14:00.007-06:00

Some things are worth the wait. We've talked about it since we met. We explored the posibilities, but we never found anything that made us get serious. But then, out of the blue, we found heaven. 12 wooded acres and 450 feet of our own shoreline on a small private lake. With an absolutely perfect cabin to top it all off. It's located in a rural part of NW Wisconsin. The dogs absolutely love it. We have even discovered that our little Caleb is far more bonded to us than we thought. He's been off leash and he sticks close. In fact he's my little shadow. So this cabin has been good for our whole family.

There are a ton of pictures. But I had a hard time sorting through.

Pictures of Texas

2008-07-13T19:40:00.007-06:00

Texas was beautiful. Here are a few shots.

Flower at the hotel garden

Same flower from the back
and close up This is our Plano office
Snowy Egret at the lake behind our company facility
I wouldn't mnd working at this facility if this is my view every lunch

This little guy was a surprise to see (it is a ferret)

This waterfall is at a restaurant we ate at

Duck in the pond at the same place
This interesting guy kept coming into the eating area begging

Deep in the heart..........

2008-07-10T07:41:00.002-06:00

So where do you go when you are in Texas for a week? That's right, an Irish pub. What did you expect?

I spent just shy of 6 hours there with two guys I work with and I don't think we stopped laughing for more than 5 minutes total. Our waiter sat with us for a while. As did the host. Apparently we are the "fun" type of customer. We talked baseball and Minnesota, Favre and KG.

The weather was beautiful. A few drops of rain. Some fantastic lightening. And great company.

I have had barbecue and steak. But I have also had a philly cheese steak. And shephards pie.

Tonight we are heading to the cowboy boot mecca and a great barbecue joint.

Hopefully. Our fearless leader is sick as a dog. I just hope he lasts long enough to lead us to the promised land.

WWC

2008-07-07T22:13:00.000-06:00

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

You can tell my AGE by the fact that I own one of these and know how to play it
This crystal door knob and key are from a different AGE
A fungus or a man of great AGE

Lone Star Newt

2008-07-07T06:21:00.004-06:00

I don't own a pair of cowgirl boots. Dang it. But if I did they would TOTALLY look like this. Speaking of this, I found these shoes at this place. And actually they have pretty cute stuff. I would have ordered the boots but they are sold out. Sigh..............

See the trouble one can get in just searching google images for stuff. Now I want to shop at their site.

Anywhoodle Homebloys, I am off to Plano Texas. Which is right outside of Dallas.

Barbecue and Shiner baby!

And probably some work as well.

But We'll focus on the ice cold shiner waiting for us at the end of the day.

I don't know how much internet time I will get but WWC will be posted tomorrow. I actually think I got some good shots for this week.

Giddy Up!

Then and Now

2008-07-02T09:12:00.011-06:00

Then:

Career: Zoologist, Marine Biologist, Astronomer, Astronaut, Photographer

Car: VW Bug (old school) with rainbows and unicorns painted on it.

Boyfriend: Shaun Cassidy

Food: Peanut butter and Marshmallow goo, oreo cookies, and ice cold milk

Clothing: Geranimals and sneakers

Movie: Star Wars

Book: Harriet the Spy, Little House on the Prairie, Winnie the Pooh

Color: Green

Dream: To hold a Koala Bear

Music: Air Supply, Shaun Cassidy

Now:

Career: Art Historian, Photographer for National Geo, Museum Curator,
Archaeologist, Astronomer, Marine Biologist, Zoologist

Car: 67/68/69 Cherry Red Mustang Convertible, 2008 Cherry Red Mustang Convertible

Boyfriend: Johnny Depp , Gerard Butler

Food: Mama Maria’s in Hudson Wisconsin

Clothing: Jeans that make my butt look good, a top that shows the cleavage, and fabulous high heel’d pumps

Movie: Pirates of the Caribbean

Book: Shantaram, The Book Thief, The Last Days of Summer, In the Electric Mist
with Confederate Dead

Color: Pink

Dream: To see Florence (still would like to hold a Koala bear)

Music: Bruce Springsteen, Classical Music, One Republic, Sarah McLachlan, Enya,
Jesse Cook, Marc Cohn,

My Lil' Buddy

2008-07-02T06:51:00.001-06:00

WWC

2008-07-01T06:29:00.010-06:00

Happy WWC everybody! My toes were looking a little raw so early this morning I finished putting on some fresh pink nail polish.

Anywhoodle Homebloys: Here are my WWC's for the week.

And don't forget to check status on our MS walk for the summer!

The hubster and I were up exploring a state park area and I got the inspiration for this weeks WWC:

Raw

Finished

Washington Lottery - Birds

2008-07-01T06:29:00.001-06:00

I have to confess, this made me cry. Pathetic, I know. Bt the penguin looks so happy. Little wings flapping.

What No Shoes????

2008-06-30T19:03:00.002-06:00

Shoe pic's are on the work computer.

So here's some random stuff:

I hate bugs. All of them. I become a pathetic fearful dork around bugs
Suddenly a bug no bigger than my pinky finger nail can completely defeat me.
I suddenly become 2 years old crying for my daddy.

Ok, I like butterflies and lady bugs. But that's it.

It made me feel better to know that a friend who is a fire fighter freaks out about bugs. If he does and he doesn't fear going into burning buildings? Is my fear so illogical?

Ticks are going to be my downfall.

I am becoming a Trekkie. It was only Star Trek Next Generation but I have expanded to Deep Space Nine and Enterprise.

I'm a geek, what can I say

I am a Target whore. I admit it. Addicted. I get lost inside.

That and Target gets a ridiculous amount of my monthly income.

I have decide that the Ipod is the answer to corporate cube farm

I noticed today that 9 out of 10 cube monkeys were working away with their Ipod's going.

This cube monkey included.

Chicken stir-fry from Trader Joes is another good meal in a bag.

I'm already in love with their Gorgonzola Gnocchi

Among other things.

I can't wait till I get old enough for a house coat to be ok.

They have pockets.

Perfect for my Ipod.

WWC

2008-06-24T19:23:00.005-06:00

Front and Back

While drinking my coffee this morning I realized my mug showed the front and back of kitties

My Front........My Back.....
My front againAnd yes, Back.......

And last but not least:

The Front Cleaning the Back

Monday, Monday Monday

2008-06-23T13:05:00.004-06:00

Happy Monday everyone!

My weekend was quiet, peaceful, and relaxing. I read a lot!

Ok, I know that I avoid politics for the most part in this blog. But I noticed something this weekend.

A satelite television provider is running a commercial that features Bush - or a comedian impersonating him anyway. And he makes the usual idiot ass of himself and his vocabulary.

So, I have to ask you: How bad does a presidents ratings have to be that a huge corporation that is service based isn't afraid of alienating enough customers to affect their bottom line?????

In celebration of summer!

2008-06-19T12:19:00.004-06:00

Hey gang.

One Daisy and I have come up with a great idea for summer! In celebration of the Summer Season we are going to try to raise some money for MS research in honor of a friend and fellow blogger.

So stop by our "Feets of Fancy" site, watch our progress, and if you would like to donate we would love it!

The shoes go on tomorrow!

*****************************************

And please go wish OneDaisy a very Happy Birthday. (It's on Friday the 20th) I love her for her humor, her smile, her ability to laugh. I admire her for her strength, her family, and all she has overcome. I look forward to years of laughter, shopping, and shoes. She's the best there is. So go wish her a happy one!

WWC

2008-06-17T05:32:00.002-06:00

Chaos

Mystery

I have always found mystery walking through the woods

the bend in the path, the secrets in the forest.

Weekend Recap

2008-06-15T08:13:00.004-06:00

In celebration of our anniversary we spent Sunday morning weeding and cutting up brush. Very romantic.

Then we headed off to one of our favorite spots, the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. It's disney land for gardeners It's a giant lab for the U of M. How can we take the beautiful plants around the world and make them Minnesota hardy? The arboretum has all types of gardens, wildflower, rose, dye, herb, vegetable, fruit, formal, english, shade, hosta, woodland, bog. You name it, they know how to grow it. Which is wonderful for gardeners. No matter what your soil or landscape the arboretum will help you make the most of your gardens. And there are miles of trails to walk and explore.

Hubster suggested we go to the arboretum because we love to go there, we can get ideas for our back yard, and because I was itching to use the new camera more.

We even had a picnic lunch. We brought the fixings for chicken cole slaw salad. Which was marvelous.

Recipe:

1 bag of coleslaw

1/2 cup of sunflower seeds

1 cup shredded chicken

1 package ramen noodles crushed up (the seasoning packet will go into the dressing)

Mix these ingredients well so they are evenly dispersed amongst one another.

Dressing:

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup oil

I packet seasoning from Ramen noodles

Combine the dressing ingredients - we use a small plastic container with a really good sealing lid. And shake the ingredients till well blended.

Pour over the cole slaw mixture.

Mix well and enjoy.

This is a fast and easy meal.

It serves 4.

And now for the slide show of our trip:

The Potter Asks, the Potter shall receive

2008-06-12T14:43:00.007-06:00

My shoe shot from the other day had Gary the Potter asking what my tattoo was. Some of you have seen these so bear with me..................

Well, let me tell ya, there isn't just one that peeks out :-)

It all started 9 years ago. Yesterday was our wedding anniversary so I guess it's also appropriate to tell the tale of the tats.

My most special girlfriends, T, H, and E went on a little excursion with me for my bachelorette party. We went to Doc's tattoo in Medford Wisconsin. It's one heck of a drive but he is the best tattoo artist in the midwest.

For my first tattoo, I chose what I call my cave art jack rabbit. He is on the inside of my right ankle. And yes, I did get the tattoo the day before my wedding. But he is pretty harmless and small. I chose him because for one, I love bunnies. And for two he became my guardian spirit. Alerting me to any dangers in this world.

Then, because you can't stop at one. I decided that I wanted a fairy. So I spent months looking for the perfect one. I also was determined to work daisies into the design. So once again we headed out to Docs. The fairy is part of a beautiful illustration for a children's book. I looked at that fairy for over a year to make sure she was the one. And yes, for me, she's perfect. Doc, in his infinite artistic wisdom thought the mountain and clouds would give the scene some perspective. And he was right. I love the little background he added.

Then, last summer I decided to get my phoenix. I was burned when I was young and had to have skin grafts. To most people they aren't noticeable but to me some days it is all I see. So, I wanted to put something beautiful there. And I decided that a phoenix was perfect. Rising from the ashes to be reborn stronger and wiser. Much like a lot of the things we experience in life. I look at some of the things I have done and been through and I am proud of how far I have come. Now, grant you, I have had a very blessed life with a wonderful family always there to lean on. But some things we have to do, we have to face, alone. My divorce was the biggest one. But even something like moving to Minnesota was a huge change in my life. I took a leap of faith and a leap of heart that I was doing the right thing. I knew I loved Hubster with all my heart, he is my soul mate and best friend. But, still, I left behind my job, my friends, and my family to be with him. I went from being surrounded by safety and security to a complete unknown. But I never looked back, I never doubted what I was doing and I jumped, with eyes wide open. And so I marked those moments of my life with my phoenix.

So there you have it. My art. And the stories behind them.

#9

2008-06-12T10:13:00.003-06:00

Thank you for 9 years of Love and Laughter and for making all of my dreams come true.
I love you honey.

Wednesday ramblings

2008-06-11T15:59:00.003-06:00

First, I owe you a pair of shoes from yesterday. My apologies. I totally forgot to start the WWC post with my Peek-a-Boo shoes. Shame on me.

And, since this is a new post: Here is another pair of shoes. Also with a Peek-A-Boo toe.

Ok, let's see:

We have been promised storms, thunder, lightening, hail. And I'm not complaining mind you. I'm grateful we aren't flooding or being plagued with tornado's. But come on! I would like one good thunder boomy this spring. We haven't really had any to speak of. At least not at my house.

I love the thunder storms so loud the house shakes. I love standing out in the rain with the hubster watching the lightening flash all over the sky.

What else.................
oh, here's a few more pictures from my trip to Como. Sorry for the repeat of the sloth but dad wanted to see what other pictures I took so I figured it was easy enough to put him in the slide show.

I am hoping the weather is nice and I can head to the Minnesota zoo one day. Call in sick to work and go spend a day with the animals. Right now I'm avoiding the place because they just opened a huge new exhibit. Russian Grizzly Coast or something like that.

We have family stuff planned for the weekend. Well, it IS father's day. Oh crap! That reminds me, I have to mail my brother's First Father's Day card. I mailed dad's and my Uncle's but totally forgot his. Dang..............

Today at work I was working on a presentation. And the word "City" looked wrong. And the more I tried to figure out how to spell "City" the more the rest of the words looked wrong. Has this ever happened to you? Hell, at some point "the" looked misspelled. I hate that.

I think we will have chicken chili and cornbread for dinner. Trader Joes makes a really good chicken chili. They also have this fantastic gnocchi dish. WOW! Best gnocchi I have had since my Great Grandmother's homemade stuff. It's in their frozen entree section. It's Gnocchi al Gorgonzola. YUMMY! Oh, and their new vanilla wafers aren't bad either. Bits of vanilla bean right in the cookie.

Can you tell I skipped lunch????

Though my co-worker did bring me a piece of her homemade rhubarb pie. That was mighty tasty as well.

Not a very good lunch though.............

Ok, I've rambled enough. Cheers!

WWC and a new toy

2008-06-09T20:53:00.009-06:00

Newt has a new toy! Isn't she beautiful?

A warm and heartfelt thank you to my Aunt Betty and Uncle Phil for such an amazing gift.

So to break her in I went to Como Park. And over 100 pictures later I got a perfect WWC picture and then some. So the first slide show is WWC and the second is the camera's first shots.

My new musical love affair

2008-06-06T14:19:00.007-06:00

There are only two radio stations I listen to on any regular basis. The Classical Music station or Jack Fm which pretty much plays nothing but 80's hits.

So to say I am not hip on the latest music is an understatement.

I find my music obsessions in the oddest place. Not the radio like most of the world. No, I find them on TV and in movies. You know, those songs they throw in the background when they want you to "feel" something. Or set the mood.

So I jot down as much of the lyrics I can and then do a lyrics search till I figure out who it is.

A while back I discovered: Mat Kearney because of the song Breathe In Breathe Out being used on some show I was watching.

Then, while watching Bionic Woman I fell in love with Sia's Breath Me.

Hmmmm, I just realized both have "breathe" in them. Coincidence? Totally.

And now for my latest Love Affair: Thanks to Graham Norton.

Last Friday night he had One Republic on. From the second they started playing I was in love.

So Saturday I headed to Target and picked up their album.

It's FANTASTIC. I love it. And the more I listen to it, the more I love!

They have a Coldplay sort of sound.

It's been playing non-stop on the iPod. The hubster laughed when he saw the cd sitting on my computer downloading to my itunes.

Really, this is one of those rare albums that I can honestly say doesn't have one bad track on it.

Hair and Beyond

2008-06-05T10:58:00.004-06:00

Happy Thursday!

Not much going on in Newt Land. We have cloudy skies, warm air, and the threat of rain. For the next several days. Sigh.......

Oh, I totally forgot to tell you guys! On Friday the hubster and I were heading home and I said that we should take the dogs to play ball on our walk. The hubster said, "oh, I was hoping you could clean out Pearl's kennel" I of course say "Ewwww, I don't want to do that, there is so much hair." The hubster than dropped the news, "Oh, well, B is coming to get her at 7:30. They sold their house" Well hot DAMN. I have no problem staying home and cleaning out the cage of chaos. So, bless her big black lab heart, Pearl is now home where she belongs. And my house has returned to what little semblance of peace and quiet we had before the "Pearl Years". At least it seemed like years................but actually only a little over two months.

And now for some pictures for ya!

Caleb being cute (which is what he does best)

My view while reading on Saturday
And --- drum roll please --- the hubster cut hair

WWC

2008-06-03T20:53:00.007-06:00

I went for a celestial version of this weeks WWC. And then, I was inspired to go a little more homeward.

Pot.....Kettle........Black

2008-06-01T11:52:00.004-06:00

So the hubster and I were out in the backyard on Sunday. And we were discussing how weird our neighbor is. See, our bizarre and annoying neighbor was once again mowing his lawn. Unlike normal people the guy will mow two rows and stop. A couple hours later mow a few more. And then a few hours after that he will mow another couple. We are convinced that chores interfere with his beer drinking. Our fine upstanding neighbor collects unemployment and thanks to the generosity of ourselves and other tax payers we reward his lazy ass with lots and lots of free beer. He then decided to blow up the brand new kiddie pool he bought. Again, thanks to our generosity. Of course, much like mowing, he did it in increments over several hours.

So, as the hubster and I were discussing the oddities of our neighbor, this is what that very same neighbor witnessed on our side of the fence.

Me, with wet hair and a vinyl table cloth wrapped around me.

Hubster, sunglasses and cabana hat cutting my hair.

After doing a fine job on my hair the hubster then decided that the best way to get rid of the pesky hairs still sticking to my back and shoulders was to use the air compressor and blow all the hair off me.

As I titled this post: That would be the pot calling the kettle black. Don't ya know.........

And yes, the hubster does do a fine job with my hair. Honest. It's even on both sides and actually pretty darn cute. Rather than going to the salon and spending 30 bucks + to have her trim less than an inch off my hair I have the hubster do it. Why not? He already colors it. And he does a good job at that.

Brave? Maybe. Cheap? Definitely.

It was a perfect weekend. And I have perfect hair to prove it...............

Whole Lotta Nut'n Go'n On

2008-05-28T16:14:00.004-06:00

So, let's see............................

We watched "We Own the Night" which has a great cast, wasn't a bad flick. But had its slow moments and a few things that made the NY cops seem more like keystone cops. As in - they had the place surrounded but apparently not so much so that the bad guys couldn't jump out 3 different windows/doors and get away. HELLO! Not even Reno 911 cops are THAT stupid.

I have been on a reading craze. I finished The Nature of Monsters. And while not a bad book I wouldn't tell anyone to run out and get it. I also read The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. And WOW!!! This is the authors first book. It's going to be a series. And I am very glad for all of it. I actually picked this book up on impulse when I ordered a few other books at Amazon. This was a recommendation that popped up as I was ordering. It sounded good so I thought I'd give it a try. And I am very thankful I did. If you like George R.R. Martin, Robert Jordan, or any of those HUGE epic fantasy stories you will certainly love this one. Talk about a book you fall into. This author really does deserve some kudos. A co-worker read it after I was finished and we both agreed that this series is going to be a more mature Harry Potter. It's not a copy, please don't get me wrong. It just has the same feel as Harry but written at the adult level.

In addition to those I have started The Age Of Unreason series by Gregory Keyes. I am currently on Book 3 of 4. And I LOVE this series as well. I was going to only read book one and then move on to something else and then eventually read 2, 3, 4. But this has been such a fun read that I am going to run through the series without stopping. Something I almost never ever do.

Aside from reading a ridiculous amount we have been planting stuff in the yard. Putting out our yard furniture and in general enjoying whatever spring we get. The weather hasn't been too terrible but it hasn't been too great either. Thankfully we were far far away from the tornado's that hit over the holiday weekend.

I will leave you with a few shots:

Socs, Sophie, and Lily enjoying a cuddle

A visitor to the neighborhood
Visitor takes flight
To try and join his friends -

but he sort of landed on the wrong side of the fence

Good thing our neighbors dog wasn't out in her yard