The Rural Wife

Down on the Farm part 2

2009-07-03T07:18:00.010-04:00

WE HAVE GROWTH!

Well, it's been 4 weeks now since Mountain Man and I planted our vegetable garden
Things are a sproutin'! So I guess we did something right.

Here are the tomato plants.
We lost a couple of them.
Not sure if it was due to just a poor plant or the enormous amount of rain
we got right after planting. Seriously, I was afraid all of the seeds would have washed away, that's how much rain we got.

BUT, it was all worth it because we have blossoms!
This is the first tomato blossom I spotted.
There are a couple on another plant too so I know we'll at least
have SOME tomatoes if not 24 plants worth of them.

Next to the tomato plants, we have zucchini squash.
These were the first to break ground and I had to pull out one or two plants from each mound to make room for the more healthier plants. This was done according to package instructions.
I hated to pull out those plants (it's called thinning) because there was nothing wrong with them. I actually contemplated transplanting them to another section,
but decided I was being silly and didn't do it.

This is a close up of one zucchini squash plant.
I'm waiting for the squash blossom. I heard they are beautiful and the zucchini will grow right from it. I've never seen this so I'm excited to witness it.

This, although very similar to the zucchini, is the pumpkin plant.
It's also a squash but the large leaves appear pointed at the end... like a heart.
I love pumpkins so I was disappointed that not all of the seeds germinated into seedlings.
I think we dug six or seven holes but only four sprouted pumpkin plants.

And here is the corn.
Although we bought the seeds from our garden center instead of using
the packaged ones from the supermarket, we did use the directions from the package.
It said to plant in 4 short rows of 4-5 plants each.
I also read online that corn should be planted in blocks to help with pollination.
But we couldn't stop with just a small 4 row block of corn!
We love Silver Queen Corn so our block is 7 rows of 7 plants.
Hopefully they'll be our Lucky 7!

And last but not least is the Yukon Gold Potatoes.
I was getting worried about these guys because they were kinda late sprouting up.
I also wasn't sure how to plant them since my seed potatoes' eyes
had already sprouted long stems and I wasn't sure if they were roots
or the stem of the potato plant.
Did they go into the ground sprout up or sprout down?
Well, all I can tell you is that most were planted sprout down
except for the last one... which was the first to come up.
So my advice is to plant sprout up!

Actually, that isn't the last vegetable we planted.
We also planted carrots but so far these have not come up so I have no pictures to show you.
I thought I saw sprouts but the garden has been overrun
with weeds since all the rain we've gotten.
3 solid weeks of rain right after planting all our seeds!
But this past week has been beautiful sunshine with periods of thunderstorms.
I guess God is taking care of watering my garden for me!

I'll try to remember to take pictures as the weeks go on so you can see how successful (fingers are crossed) we've been with this garden.

In addition to the vegetable garden, we've also decided to spruce up around the pond in our backyard. The brick walkway was pulled up and redone.

Isn't it pretty?
We still have to mix the cement and sand to brush in between the cracks.
I wanted a wider gap in between the bricks this time
so we had some bricks left over when we were done putting them back.

We also bought a bunch of pretty flowers to plant around the pond.

This gorgeous purple flower is called Marine.
It smells like licorice!
I was standing on the outside of the fence (taking the pictures of the vegetable garden for this blog) when the breeze carried this delicious aroma to me!
Oh I can't wait until this is in the ground and I can smell it from my pool!

With the Marine, we'll plant these Impatients.
They are mixed colors of pink, purple, white and coral.

Next year I'm taking the advice of a dear friend and planting the seeds that will drop from my abundant amount of 4 O'Clocks, that are in the front of the house, along the fence in my backyard. They will look great there and will compliment these flowers around the pond.

I got these beautiful red New Guinea Imapatients for the flower boxes on my deck.
I thought they would attract hummingbirds since I just bought
a hummingbird feeder to hang there.

So far, these flowers are not planted yet. I'll update this blog when they are to show you the finished landscaping. It's hard work but it's so exciting. I can't wait to see it all done!

HAPPY GARDENING!

HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

Down on the Farm

2009-07-03T06:23:00.010-04:00

After what seems like a loooong winter and raining spring, Mountain Man and I decided we wanted to plant a really big garden. We have the room and the desire. Not sure our bodies are in tune with our minds though. This is back-breaking work folks!

First we had to cut the grass where we wanted to place the garden. This was kinda a no-brainer as this is the only large plot of ground we have that gets plenty of sun.

Here is Mountain Man tilling the area. Since we do not own a tiller (YET) we had to rent one. Lukily, the local stores around here do not charge a deposit
and they are pretty reasonable. However, they might not charge a deposit because
the equipment isn't exactly what you'd call NEW!

Finally, after renting two, yes TWO tillers, we were able to get the ground ready for our plants. We didn't mix in any organic soil or anything. We have been told that the land that our house, and all of our neighbor's houses are on was once a farm so we figured we'd just leave it as is and go with it.

We put our tomato plants in the ground. These were started from seed indoors and we probably should have gotten them in the ground much sooner because they were pretty long by the time we actually did get them planted. But the weather didn't cooperate so that's why they are so droopy. We planted 24 tomato plants! What were we thinking? If all goes well, we'll have tomatoes coming out our ears!

At the last minute I decided I wanted to try growing potatoes too. This is a "Seed Potato". You shouldn't plant the potatoes you buy in the supermarket because most likely they've been treated with a growth retardant (so the eyes don't grow these long sprouts shown above).
We weren't sure where to buy seed potatoes but as we pulled into a local garden center, the sign right in front of us said "See Potatoes, 5 lb bag $13.00"
Sold!
This is a Yukon Gold Potato. Man, I sure hope these come up!

Next we planted Corn. Yeah, I know, we're adventurous. lol
This is Silver Queen corn seed. We bought it at our local garden center, the same place we bought the seed potatoes. We had bought a package of Silver Queen Hybrid corn from the supermarket but we decided to go with the corn from the garden center. They had lots and lots of seeds for sale! All Kinds of Seeds! It made me want to plant a lot more things but we figured we'd better just stick to what we'd planned in case we totally suck at growing veggies! :)

We also planted Zucchini, Pumpkins and Carrots.
Hopefully, they'll all come up and produce lots of good food to eat and can this summer!

Vincent's Visit

2009-02-20T20:53:00.006-05:00

My Grandson came for a visit this past summer. He arrived all smiles and hugs for me, which surprised me since he hasn't seen me in a long time.

It might be hard to see but he desperately needed a haircut. In fact, his mommy and daddy told me that people thought he was a little girl... despite being dressed in blue.

So Grandma took him for his first haircut.
He looks thrilled, doesn't he?
He loved the seat in the car with the steering wheel that turns.
He was such a little trooper too. Didn't mind the woman cutting his hair at all!

Here, he's showing off his new big boy look

Yeah, I think he likes being a big boy now.

He's going to turn 2 pretty soon.
I'm hoping to go out to see him for his birthday.
Wish me luck!

Down for the Count

2008-11-12T18:10:00.006-05:00

Staying home from work has it's advantages. Sure, you can sleep late and not worry about being late for work, battling traffic jams or getting there before your gas light comes on.
So when it became apparent that I had to have arthroscopic knee surgery I contented myself with the thought of staying home for a week. No big deal, it would be like a vacation at home. I'd sleep as late as I wanted. I'd sit in my favorite recliner and read a good book. Work wouldn't miss me too much, after all... it's only a week.
Well, that week has turned into 6! Yeah, you heard me. Six weeks! Thank God my job has a great short term disability benefit package.
Of course, I should have known that MY surgery wouldn't be the simple, run of the mill, procedure that my doctor laid out for me. Nooooooo, not me! What he thought was a simple snipping of my plica tendon, and a shaving of a meniscus tear, turned out to be major cartilage damage from an apparent injury I can not, for the life of me, remember doing to myself.

This is a picture of the knee cartilage that looks like it's supposed to. Can you see how the top and bottom are nice and smooth.

This is more how my cartilage looks... yucky:

These are not my pictures, just some that I found online. But mine are even worse that the one above. I have a huge crater in my cartilage that has exposed the bone. Doc poked at the bone to make it bleed and create a blood clot that will cusion my bones... ya know, since I don't have any. ugh, you'd think my body was 80 years old!
The funny thing... and I mean funny... is that this condition primarily effects athletes! Now, I can tell you, I have nothing in common with any athlete whatsoever! lol I'm a couch potato.

So after just 2 1/2 weeks in my recliner, I've read about 4 books, one of them was Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. "So what" you say? Well, it's 754 pages long, that's what! I read it in two days. Yeah, it was that good.

Anyway, so I'm down for the count, like my title says. Growing more bored by the day. I have 6 books on hold at the library, which Mountain Man will have to pick up for me as soon as they come in. I'm counting the days for that, let me tell ya. Oh yeah, and crutches really suck! My shoulder and hip are killing me on the opposite side as the bad knee. Ugh!

Until next time... protect your knees!

The Curse is OVER!!!!

2008-10-29T22:36:00.004-04:00

OH MY GOD! The Phillies have won the World Series!!!
The City of Philadelphia and all the fans in the tri-state area have waited for this day for 25 years! That's how long it's been since any major Philadelphia sports team has brought home a championship! Woooo Hoooo! I can hardly believe it!

Call me superstitious but I can't help think that a lot of the credit has to go to this little guy...

William Penn was once the measuring stick for all the buildings in the City. None were supposed to be built higher than Billy Penn's hat. But that all changed when Liberty One was built and towered many stories over Mr. Penn. Philadelphia couldn't buy a championship since then.

But the curse is broken in 2008 with the Comcast Center building being built. It is the tallest, greenest building in the City and maybe even on the east coast (I'm not sure about this). My office building is right across the street from the new Comcast Center. One thing I recently found out about was that someone in the local union building that building had the forsight to place a miniature statue of William Penn on the last beam placed on the top of the building. AND IT WORKED!

THE PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES HAVE JUST WON THE WORLD SERIES!!!

Congratulations guys, you deserve it, you played a heck of a season and a hell of a world series! You guys Rock!!

True Blood preview

2008-10-25T19:46:00.003-04:00

Take a look at my new favorite Vampire series airing on Sunday Nights at 9:00 p.m. on HBO

There's a new Vampire in town...

2008-10-25T19:24:00.006-04:00

Remember how obsessed I was with my vampire crime show "Moonlight"? Well CBS decided to cancel it because it didn't have enough viewers. My new vampire show doesn't have that problem.... and guess what?

IT'S NOT ON NETWORK TV.... IT'S ON CABLE!!

This is Bill Compton, or Vampire Bill as he is known to the citizens of Bon Temp, Louisianna in the HBO Series "True Blood".

This is a show based on The Southern Vampire Series of novels by Charlaine Harris. True Blood has everything that Moonlight had and more.... much, much more!

If you like murder mysteries, sex, violence, romance, sex, scandal, gossipy small town neighbors, sex and more sex than this is the show for you!

The woman being woooed by Vampire Bill in the photo above is Sookie Stackhouse, a waitress with the ability to read minds. Vampires have come out of the coffin and are recognized as a legitimate section of society but not everyone accepts them, much the same way not everyone accepts homosexuals or minorities living among them. Living in a small town has it's disadvantages on it's own, but can you imagine being different while trying to be normal in a small town? Not an easy task but Sookie does her best. Needless to say she's not very popular when she befriends, and then begins to date, Vampire Bill.

True Blood is filled with great characters, some you'll connect with and maybe some that will remind you of people you know. Others are more mysterious and you just have to stay tuned to find out what's going on with them. The romance between Bill and Sookie is sweet and old-fashioned and might be more than a little dangerous.

Oh, and HBO has decided, after the second episode aired, to renew True Blood for a second season! See people, this is why I only watch Cable TV now. It may be expensive but it's so much more worth it when you find a show to invest in.

Twilight - The Movie Trailer

2008-10-15T17:55:00.002-04:00

Ok, so now I'm really excited about the Twilight movie coming out on November 21, 2008. I just saw this teaser and it looks really good and very, very close to the book. Regardless of the fact that I didn't picture any of the characters in the book like the actors they chose to play them, it is still number one on my list of movies to see this fall.

I can't wait!
Enjoy

Twilight

Another Book Recommendation

2008-06-13T18:35:00.005-04:00

Hi all, a while ago I told you all to read Twilight by Stephanie Myers. While that was a great read for any vampire fan it was a bit tame when it came to romance. But hey, it's a young adult fiction and I would have been disturbed had it read as an adult romance.
Now, if you've read my profile or my blogs, you already know that I'm a hopeless romantic. Well, I've found a whole series of vampire romance novels that are sure to make your blood sizzle. They are by the very talented Lynsay Sands. She's come up with an original concept for her vamps. You see, they are not blood sucking demons by any means. They are not cursed by God or even undead! No, her vamps are an ancient race of people who have a scientific reason for their perfectly healthy and forever young bodies, the increased strength and senses, and she even came up with a perfect reason for why they need to drink blood to stay alive. I was so intrigued by her creativeness I had to give the book a try. I picked up Vampire Interrupted.
I should tell you though, that while I love this book and know you will too, it is the most recent one published and therefore, the last (so far) in the series. So if you want to give this series, and amazing author, a try... don't do what I did and start at the last book. You'll want to start with the first book in the series: Single White Vampire. It's about Lucern Argeneau, a reluctant author of vampire romance novels and Kate, the woman who is now his new editor. Kate is on the pushy side and she's determined to get the reclusive Lucern to agree to do a book signing. After ignoring her letters and phone calls she suddenly arrives on his doorstep unannounced, determined to stay until he agrees to some form of promotion or another... her job depends on it. But she didn't take into account just how stubborn this man could be. Or how strange he was. She was used to difficult and shy authors but this one takes the cake. It's going to take some strong willed determination and a little ingenuity to get him to do what she needs him to do.

Lucern Argeneau is an old vampire. He's set in his ways and likes his privacy. He writes to dispel the boredom of his long days, not to gain fortune or fame. He already has the fortune and he can do without the fame. After all, it wouldn't bode well for his family for him to be in the public eye. People would start asking questions eventually and that could be deadly for him. But this new editor of his won't take No for an answer and he should know, he's said it to her enough. He figures he'll let her hang around if she really wants to but eventually she'll get bored with him and give up. Has Lucern finally met his match when it comes to stubbornness? The longer she sticks around the more Lucern gets used to her and pretty soon he's laughing and enjoying life again. Could it be that she was meant for him? Could this woman be his lifemate?

You'll have to read it to find out. But you have to do me a favor. If you read Single White Vampire (or any of the Argeneau Vampire novels by Lynsay Sands) you must send me a message or comment and let me know what you thought.
Until then, enjoy the sunshine!
TRW

A VERY Unwelcome guest

2008-06-06T16:18:00.008-04:00

The house we bought almost a year ago came with a pond. It was in pretty bad shape but we've been doing everything we can to get it looking good again. No easy feat, let me tell ya!
The water is pea soup green and just covered with algae. It gets full sun all day, as does the pool. Our pool is crystal clear though. Too bad you can't use Pristine Blue in the pond. Mmmmm.... naw, it'd kill the fish, and probably the plants, for sure.

Yeah, you heard me, it has fish, and I'm talking a lot of fish. You see, the 10 big fish that are lurking around the bottom decided to have babies and now we have about 70 fish swimming around the green, algae filled water. The best thing for getting rid of green algae seems to be an ultraviolet light. He have one, but didn't know that you needed to change the bulbs every year even if they haven't blown out. It's amazing what you learn when you go to a garden center! Here's a pic of some of the big fish and the babies, on a day when the water wasn't too bad.

So, Mountain Man goes to the pond store/nursery and talks to the nice gentleman there, who unbeknownst to him at the time is the owner, and finds out that we don't have anywhere near the size filter and pump needed to handle a 1600 gallon pond, nor do we have the correct size ultraviolet light. So $470 later we are now equipped with a Filter Falls and big-ass pump (no, that's not the brand name, that's just my way of saying really big pump). The water moves a heck of a lot faster now and it's sucking up all of the sludge on the bottom of the pond. But it's also kicking it up and making it even harder to see through the water. The super-duper submergable ultraviolet light will have to wait for another time, that's just crazy expensive. Guess I better get used to the green water.

So Mountain Man, who is at work while I took the day off, says to me "Use the pond vac and try to get as much as that sludge out of the bottom of the pond as you can". So that's what I do today. It didn't work too well because, as I suspect, the pond vacuum isn't anywhere near the size we'd need to do the job either. So I gave up. It felt like a futile endeavor at best.
I decided to vacuum the pool instead. Much more fun. Then I walk (don't jump) into the pool and cool my heated skin. Ahhhh.

But wait, you say, where is the part about the very unwelcome guest? Be patient dear readers, I'm gettin' to it. geesh! lol

Ok, so after my leisurely swim in the pool, I head over to the deck and look over the side, as I usually do, to see my fishies swimming around without a care in the world. But I don't see any fish. Besides the fact that the water is green and the sun is reflecting off of said green water, the orange fish are nowhere in sight. So I step off the deck and move closer to the pond and stand on the bridge that Mountain Man and Brother Tim built. I think to myself.. "mmm, that water looks pretty low" So I begin to walk over to check the new Filter Falls and the hosing that connects it to the pump, to see if it's leaking, thus making the water level go down, and as I am about to step in front of it, something catches my eye.
Do you know what it was? Can you guess? Nope, that's not it...
It was a SNAKE!

I was frozen in place, mid-step. I don't know anything about snakes so I have no idea what kind of snake it is. Is it a friendly snake? I doubt it's poisonous, but who knows? Not me. I was like a hound dog on the hunt who spotted it's prized prey. I wasn't letting that thing out of my sight for one second. Well, that is until I was distracted, once again, by how low the water seemed and turned around to look at the other side of the pond, which is behind me. When I turn back around, the damn snake is nowhere to be found!

Now, I don't know about you, but the thought of NOT seeing a snake that you know damn well is there... somewhere... is even scarier than seeing it and knowing where it is. So I sit on the bench and decide that I'm not moving until I see this thing again. I scour the water and the plants, I mean weeds, surrounding the pond thinking maybe he decided he didn't need to take a bath after all. I mean, I'm sincerely hoping that he's not in the water.

As I sit there searching and squinting, trying to see anything that might remotely look like it could be a snake... there it suddenly is.... in the middle of the lily pads in the water! Damn, it's a swimming snake. Ugh. Just what I need. Last year we had a cute little froggy sitting on the lily pads, now I have a creepy snake!

I decided I needed to take a picture of him so I could search online and find out what kind of snake he is. Yeah, one problem though... my camera is in the house and I don't want to take my eyes of this creepy snake for fear I'd loose it again. And I already told you how I felt about not seeing the snake I know is lurking there. (shudders) But I shored up my courage and ran inside the house, grabbed my camera... praying there was enough battery juice to let me take the picture... and ran back outside. Much to my relief, and horror, he was still there, exactly as I'd left him, sunning himself on my damn lily pads! So I shot him with my camera! Take that you icky snake. It's a little hard to see him, but he's right in the center of the photo between the lily pads. See 'em? Right... there!
Ewww, watching him swim was really disturbing. My poor little goldfish are probably traumatized. I know I am!
This is the best one I got of his markings and head. I looked up a garter snake and they look like this guy, but there are a lot of different kinds of garter snakes. I was concerned that he was trying to eat my fish, but didn't know if they even did eat fish. So I googled it.
This is what I found on the Wikipedia site (words in red are my own emphasis):
The habitat of the garter snake ranges from forests, fields and prairies to streams, wetlands, meadows, marshes and ponds, and they are often found near water. They are semi-aquatic animals like most snakes. Habitats range from sea level to mountain locations. Their diet consists mainly of amphibians and earthworms, but also fish (oh no! my poor goldfishies!), small birds, and rodents (mmm, well, I guess they have some redeeming qualities). Due to the more aquatic species, garter snakes are effective at catching fish and small to medium tadpoles. The animals that eat the common garter snake are large fish, bull frogs, snapping turtles, milk snakes, hawks, skunks, foxes as well as domestic cats. The garter snake is also able to adapt in many places, hot and cold. They are able to live in places like the alpine tundra.

Well, so I can only hope, if this snake decides to snack on my goldfish, that the many hawks and skunks around here will make a snack of him! That'll learn 'em!
Until next time...
Beware of what lurks in funky water!
TRW

Life without Moonlight

2008-05-31T09:46:00.003-04:00

It's a sad, sad life without Moonlight! Yes, it happened, my beloved vampire crime drama (Moonlight) was canceled by the horrible, deplorable CBS! I really hate Network TV anymore. Yeah, I still love House and Bones, but basically.... that's it! I loved Ghost Whisperer, which is on CBS but I'm boycotting it. Yup, that's right. I'm not watching CBS anymore! You heard it hear first folks! Damn stupid network executives! They don't care about the viewers, they only care about money!

The Moonlight Army is trying to get Moonlight picked up by another network, hopefully cable because that's all I'm watching these days. I'll keep ya posted.

Real life has interrupted my online life lately and I'm sorry I haven't updated this blog in a looooooong time! Forgive me?

Mountain Man got an exciting new job. Maybe sometime I'll write about it. he he
Until then, enjoy yourselves and check back with me sometime. I'm about to have more time on my hands to blog, so stay tuned.
Love,
TRW

SPOILER!!! - Voiceover sceen from Moonlight

2008-04-23T06:08:00.004-04:00

"Fated to Pretend" airs THIS Friday! The spoilers are running rampant and CBS has released this video clip of scenes from the new episode to peak your interest.

Don't you just love Mick's voice? Ahhh, it's such smooth and velvety goodness. lol
I think this is how the episode opens. I could be wrong, but I really don't think so. Most episodes open with Mick introducing what the episode will cover and give us another glimpse into his head and his world.

I hope you enjoyed that clip as much as I did. And I really hope you'll tune in on Friday to see what I'm so obsessed about!
Until then, have a fantastic week!
RW

Moonlight Returns THIS FRIDAY!

2008-04-22T13:02:00.004-04:00

It's seemed like forever since I've seen a new episode of Moonlight!
Well, finally, the wait is almost over. Last Friday we saw the rerun of The Mortal Cure. Hopefully you watched so you got a little caught up and will know what is happening when the new episode airs. It's titled, "Fated to Pretend". I'm assuming that Mick is "fated to pretend" that he is human as this IS a show about Vampires and we know that "the cure" is mortal itself. Mick will turn back into a vampire. But he sure is going to have fun while he's human!
Here is a little promo for you:

I've seen spoiler videos and read spoiler posts and believe me, this doesn't even begin to touch on the exciting things that these final four episodes of the season give us!

So please, tun in to CBS this Friday, April 25th, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/8:00 p.m. Central. Believe me, you won't be sorry!

My Grandson

2008-04-15T15:02:00.005-04:00

My grandson turned one on March 27th and I finally got some pictures to put up. Of course, it's not entirely my daughter's fault that I'm so late with these pics, real life has intruded on my internet time and I have neglected this blog for a long time. I'm sorry about that but what can I do, I get so distracted with other things!

Here is Vincent's first Birthday cake. It is so special because it was made by his mommy and the main ingredient is Love!

Looks like my big boy is interested in the camera

Here he's standing in his play-yard. In my day they were called playpens.

Oooo, looks like he liked this gift! That's his daddy with him helping him out.

There is my birthday boy! He's wearing his new Spongebob pajamas

Here is another shot of him. He's being suspending in the air by his Aunt.

All he wanted for his birthday was his other front tooth!

Looks like it was a good day for Vincent. He's so cute in his jeans and jean jacket! Spiffy boy there. Can you tell I'm so proud of him? I miss him so much!

Hopefully he'll be coming to see me and his grandpa in the summer time. Then I'll have lots and lots of pictures to post.

Until next time,

Moonlight for Dummies

2008-03-31T11:32:00.004-04:00

I'm certainly not implying that you are dumb if you don't know, or haven't watched Moonlight yet. I just thought I'd post this video so if any of you haven't seen an episode of Moonlight, and are turned off by vampires, this might ease your mind.

So, as you can see, Mick isn't your run of the mill, stereotypical vampire of old. This is a whole new spin on vampires, as you can tell by the fact that stakes in the heart do not kill him, he can go outside (so the show is not all dark) and he doesn't turn into a bat and fly around. No shape shifting for this vamp! And he isn't all ugly and demonic looking when he vamps out either.

This is the most that happens to him. No buldging frontal lobes, no alien looking mouth, just fangs, pale eyes and skin. Not so frightening at all... well.... unless you're a bad guy. Then this...

Can be pretty frightening.

But aside from that, this video helps show the chemistry between Mick and Beth. The show has humor and a lighter side of vampires than what Hollywood has given us in the movies. This is a vampire show that you can really sink your teeth into. Okay, stop groaning and sue me already! I had to say it! It's true! Moonlight has more going for it than any show on TV, past and present. Hopefully Moonlight will be in your future, and mine, for a long, long time!

Spring has Sprung Here!

2008-03-31T10:51:00.004-04:00

I planted Daffodils last fall around a dogwood tree that is in my side yard. The little garden surrounding it was pretty overgrown and neglected. I decided it needed some cheery color to brighten it up so I ordered a ton of bulbs. The daffodils were the first to bloom!

Isn't that sunny color just enough to cheer you right up?

Believe it or not, my pansies never died over the winter. I planted them in a pot in the summer and left them on my sunny front steps all winter. Not only did they survive but they thrived! I can't say the same thing for the ones I planted in window boxes on my back deck.

I can't take any credit for these beautiful blue hyacinth. They sprouted up right after the daffodils in the little flower bed that I thought was neglected. The previous owner, or perhaps the owner before them planted these as a border around that garden. The yellow daffodils add a dash of sun to the border of purplish blooms.

The cherry trees that line my driveway are bursting their blooms. It's so beautiful. I had to catch the tiny blooms surrounded by the dark bark of the tree. Unfortunately the batteries in my camera died and I only got one photo. But it's a keeper!

Another hardy pansy

Sunny Yellow Daffodil

Beautiful Blue Hyacinth

HAPPY SPRING EVERYONE!!

A Book Recommendation.

2008-03-31T08:52:00.010-04:00

Hi all. Sorry I haven't updated this blog in a while. I've been occupied with yet another obsession of mine. Reading.

A friend from Moonlightfans.com recommended that if I loved vampires like I say I do (and I do) that I should read "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer. My first reaction was "I'll pass" because after all, I'm a loyal fan of Mick St. John and no other vampire could even come close to him. Why would I want to read and get caught up with another story?

I'll tell you why. Because Moonlight is on hiatus and won't be back until April 25 (well actually CBS is going to rerun The Mortal Cure episode on April 18th but the new episodes begin on 4/25). Because watching reruns can only get me so far before I get a little loopy from the repetition (it's a pet peeve of mine.... repetition, that is). Because even though I love everyone over at Moonlightfans.com, I was WAY too attached to that website and starting to worry my friends and family. Because chatting with my buddies at the Blue Whale Pub Moonlight chat was driving Mountain Man a little crazy as he sat next to me and tried in vein to have a conversation with me.

So, I decided to buy "Twilight". I found it at Target for $7.99 so I bought it and got home and opened to the first page and began reading.... and reading.... and reading.... before I knew it, I was halfway through the book! Now, that wouldn't be saying much if I was reading my normal romance novel from Harlequin or Silhouette. But this book is big! Maybe three times the thickness of a normal series romance. It's in the young adult section but I know a lot older adults that have read it and are just as gaga about it as I am now. I finished it the next day and ran out at lunchtime (while at work) and bought the other two books in the series. The fourth comes out in August and I can not wait for it. Yet another thing to wait for!

Bella is a high school junior who moves to Washington to live with her father. She's the new kid in school so she doesn't have any friends or allegiances yet. She notices a few people that look different than everyone else. They keep to themselves which intrigues her. One of the boys, Edward, catches her curious gaze and smiles at her. He's in her next class but his reaction to her is anything but friendly. He avoids her like the plague, adding to Bella's insecurity of being the new kid in school. It's only after he saves her life, in a way that Bella is sure is impossible, when these two characters become inseparable. Having a vampire for a boyfriend has its disadvantages, but the advantages make up for it. But don't take my word for it, go to your local library or buy a copy of Twilight today and see for yourself! I defy you not to run out and buy the other two books, New Moon and Eclipse!

Happy Reading!
RW

Happy Birthday Vincent!!

2008-03-28T15:45:00.003-04:00

My grandson, Vincent, lives in Reno, NV with his mommy and daddy. I don't live in Reno, far from it actually. And I miss him terribly. March 27th was his birthday and I missed him more than I have since he was born. I miss not being there for the celebration. This is how I felt being away from him yesterday...
Looks like he's missing me too! Not really, he just got a cup of water dumped on his head in the bathtub. Isn't that the cutes face ever? lol

Here he is in his cool shades being wheeled around town by his mommy. What a kid! I wish I had someone to wheel me around town. lol

I'm still waiting for birthday pictures (hint hint Ness). I'll post them when I get them. (more hints).

Happy Birthday my sunshine! God, I love that kid!
xox
RW

Is that a pool or a pond?

2008-03-16T10:47:00.004-04:00

Now here is something I never thought I'd see.

Two Mallard Ducks, a male and female, landed in our pool and took up residence for the past couple days.
The pool is covered for the winter but we've gotten quite a lot of rain and the cover filled up with a lot of water, almost as deep as our pond! No wonder the ducks thought it looked inviting.
They even took a little time out to preen. Must have felt pretty comfortable to do that.

Well, at least until Mountain Man opened the door and let the dogs out.
Until next time,
RW

Tucker's Recovery

2008-03-15T12:22:00.005-04:00

Well, now that Tucker is feeling much better and back to his old lively self, I thought I'd post the most pitiful picture of him to date.

It was the day after he came back from the vet with the neck brace and we decided to put a sock on his leg to further discourage him from licking his raw claw nub. Poor baby. Don't ya just feel bad for him?

I mean, come on.... look at that pitiful face! Oh what did that mean old doctor do to my poor puppy?
But he came through it like a champ! He's running wild again with his partner in crime, Pumpkin.

Did you notice that pumpkin's feet are not even touching the ground? Yeah, she's a nut, that one!

Well, it's beautiful outside today so get out there and enjoy it!
Love ya!
RW

New Moonlight Video from CBS!

2008-03-13T06:06:00.004-04:00

What joy to wake up and find that CBS has made another video about "our little show" Moonlight. It seems that this is the only way CBS is going to promote the show for now so I felt it was my duty to post it for everyone to see.

I know that April 25th is a little far off yet, and for us fans it's going to be a loooong wait. But for all you people that don't know about this show yet. You are seriously missing a great one! Take a look at this video and imagine a vampire that is desperately seeking to become human again. Then imagine if he got his wish. He's experiencing what it's like to be human again, along with all the pain and suffering that goes along with it. Did he take it for granted? Was his memories of human life distorted from being a vampire for so long? How is he going to survive without his powers? Oh, and what will happen between him and Beth now? Have you ever wondered what it was like to be immortal? If so, then go to Youtube.com and search for Moonlight Episodes and watch from the beginning (search for each episode like this: Moonlight episode one; Moonlight episode two). Each episode on Youtube.com is broken down into 5 sections. Or, if you watch the first episode and get hooked like thousands of fans have already, you can just save yourself time and download all 12 episodes now from Amazon.com.
Enjoy your fantasies Ladies (and men, Beth and Coraline are hot too)!
Love,
RW

What will you be doing on April 25th?

2008-03-10T21:03:00.006-04:00

I know what I'll be doing! At 9:oo p.m. I'll be watching the first of 4 brand new episodes of Moonlight! Spoilers are popping up on fan sites and I have to tell ya, I'm really liking what I'm reading!

But today I got a special gift. Alex O'Loughlin, who plays Mick St. John (the Vampire Private Investigator pictured above) posted a very special message to his family, friends and devoted fans (of which I am one of many) on his Myspace page. He has been working so hard, such long hours, traveling the world to promote Moonlight as it opens up for broadcasting to different countries around the globe. But he took time out of his busy schedule to thank us, the fans, for our support in helping to spread the word about "this little show of ours". You can read his post below. Can't you just hear his beautiful Aussie Accent?

Sunday, March 09, 2008

Hello everyone!!

Dearest Friends, Family and devoted Fans.

Well I just thought i would put a blog out and touch base with everybody before this crazy show of mine goes back into production... which is happening any minute now!!
I have got to say that this show of ours is SUCH a little survivor, it's unbelievable! I mean, talk about delivering in the face of adversity...

* They completely recast the whole show around my character after the initial Pilot was shot (which never aired of course).
* We have gone through not 1..2....3............but 4 different Show Runners.
* We were fighting to survive, let alone get a pickup and the industry moved into a 3 month Writers Strike.

... and that is just the beginning of it.

With all that being said not only are we still on air with another pickup of 4-5 shows, but we won best new show in the People's Choice Awards!!
The award however, is only because of all you AWESOME fans out there. You guys take full credit for that one and know that from the bottom of our hearts, ALL of us here at MOONLIGHT (cast and crew) love you for it!!! ;)

I have been in touch with a number of you individually but i wanted to send out a group mail to let you all know what has been happening recently in the world of Alex.
I have been all over the planet in the last 2 months, Australia twice, London, Paris, Rome, Dublin and back through LA like three times where I now find myself, back at home gathering my thoughts and readying myself for the onslaught that is MOONLIGHT to come. Honestly... I cant wait!!
My travels have been as extensive as they have because i have been promoting the show for the world market. We have started airing in different regions of Europe with a lot still to come and already are being received very well. I saw how hard you all fought to keep this great story alive while i was here shooting it and realized that though i had some time away from the set and the cameras over this strike period and during the Christmas break, i had to keep working as hard as you guys have been so when the time does finally come for our second season pickup (and it's not too far away now!) we know we all did everything we could.
I am currently working on a refurbished MySpace page and official Alex O'Loughlin fan page which I look forward with great anticipation to delivering to you.

I am well. I am happy. I am focused and i am ready, once again, to pour everything i can back into this great little show of ours to make it the best i possibly can!!

Wish me luck my friends.

All my love and appreciation,

Alex xox

Isn't he just the best? If you're not already a fan, you have to check this show out! Remember, circle the date of April 25th on your calendars. And on the 25th at 9:00 (eastern time) lock yourself in the TV room, put the TV on CBS and then take the batteries out of the remote (in case the hubby tries to change the channel). Pour yourself some wine (preferably red), and get comfortable cause you're not going to want to move for the next hour. Snuggle up with Mick, he'll soon be your favorite vampire... I promise.

I'm sure that a lot of you think that a vampire show must be dark, since vampires are night creatures and have to stay away from sunlight. But as you can see, Mick is outside in the sun with Beth in the picture above. The vampire lore has changed and been re-vamped in some very interesting ways.
You owe it to yourself to find out what those changes are! I know you will thank me after you do! You can send your thank-yous to me at www.Myspace.com/vamp37

Until next time,
RW

The Rip Off

2008-03-05T17:15:00.004-05:00

This past Sunday Mountain Man and I were going about our usual routine of hanging out around the house and bantering back and forth when we did something we've done a million times since we moved here. We opened the sliding glass door to let our dogs in from the backyard. No big deal, right?

Well, this time was very different than all those other times. Immediately after Tucker, our older and bigger dog, came in I noticed that he was tracking blood everywhere he walked! Oh No, my poor Tucker puppy was bleeding. I quickly grabbed him and noticed it was his back paw. He has white paws, or I should say that he Had white paws. One of them was now red with blood.

Mountain man quickly got me a wet and a dry paper towel and I gently wiped as much of the blood away from his paw that I could... attempting to find the source of the bleeding. My first thought was that he stepped on a thorn, or a bottle cap or, God forbid, some glass or something that cut the pads of his paw. But I soon found the source. It was his claw. He'd broken most of it completely off!

Back when he was just a little puppy I tried to clip his claws and I got too close to the vein on one of them and it started to bleed. It took a while to stop but as soon as it did he was fine and back to normal. This time, however, he wouldn't let me hold the towel over his wound. He kept pulling back and yelping when I tried to hold his paw. After about 15 mins (but what felt like forever) of holding an ice cube to his claw, the bleeding finally stopped. They say you can also try corn starch so we did that too, but it seemed to make it worse so we did the ice again and that worked the best.

We kept a close eye on him and realized that he was favoring his paw and wasn't putting much pressure on it when he walked. Several times we noticed him holding his paw up when he was just standing. We just figured that he was still hurting and might for the rest of the night.
But the next morning he was still hurting and favoring his paw. We also noticed that he was now licking it to the point of soaking whatever he was laying on.

So last night Mountain Man called the vet and asked what we could do. He was told to bring Tucker in for a checkup. ( I had already told him that they would say that) But they were concerned that what was left of his claw was cracked up into the skin and that's what was causing him so much pain. She thought she'd have to do a procedure and remove the remaining claw. So Mountain Man took Tucker to see his favorite vet, Dr. Love. This is how he looked when he came back home:

The white plastic around Tucker's neck is not a new accessory for doggies. It's a neck brace used for medical reasons. Dr. Love was going to put a Cone Collar on Tucker but Mountain Man thought it would cause more problems since our little dog, Pumpkin, would tease him to no end. No, not really. But he was concerned that Pumpkin would bother Tucker and hurt herself and maybe even both of them by jumping up at him while he had the collar on. So the neck brace was put on instead to prevent Tucker from licking his paw anymore. The official diagnosis is that he completely ripped off his claw and because he kept licking the nub, he infected it too! So the brace was put on.

He looked so pitiful with it on. But he isn't uncomfortable in it, it's padded on the inside and it's not tight, just awkward. When it came time to go to sleep, he stayed on the floor (he usually jumps up on the bed to say goodnight and snuggle for a bit) and we turned off the lights. Not five minutes later I heard him licking! Mountain Man turned the light on and wouldn't you know it, Houdini somehow got the damn brace off! It was still fastened together and still hooked around his ribcage (the blue strap) but it was no longer on his neck and he was going to town licking his paw.

I was nervous the rest of the night that he would get out of the brace and continue to lick himself raw while we slept. So, I didn't. Sleep. Add to that a nightmarish thunderstorm and blinding white lightening with two dogs who are deathly afraid of said thunderstorm. From 3:00 a.m. I had a small dog pressed up against my legs, shaking uncontrollably and a big dog who couldn't curl up because of the neck brace, laying sideways between me and Mountain Man, with the hard brace resting on my hip... a hip that has been bothering me for several days already. No, there was no sleeping that night.

Tucker, however, slept soundly the rest of the night (after the thunderstorm passed) and has been asleep all day. He's such a good boy though. He takes his pills like a champ without fighting me at all. But he HAS managed to find a way to lick his paw while still wearing the brace. He's so smart! So to fix that problem, we put an old sock over his paw and taped it around his leg. That with the brace on has seemed to do the trick.

Hopefully there won't be any thunderstorms tonight and I can get some sleep!
Until next time,
RW

A Beautiful Spring-Like Day

2008-03-05T17:03:00.004-05:00

The other morning I got up to go to work like any other day during the week. But this day, instead of scraping the ice and frost off of the windshield of my F150 in the darkness, I opened the front door to find this:

I had to run back in the house to grab my camera! This was a beautiful surprise. I glorious sunrise highlighting the clouds against a clear blue morning sky. I wish I had audio files to share with you because the birds were singing a lovely song too!

It seemed like every minute the sky changed into an other fascinating painting with more and more colors.

This shot was directly overhead of my neighbor's house, which is about 100 yards away from mine. I love how the clouds reflect the gold and pink of the sun.

This is taken from the end of my driveway facing east. The sun is still below the horizon but it's rays are illuminating the clouds from underneath. The only problem with this picture is the telephone poles popping up above the trees. Otherwise, it's a beautiful skyline!

After taking this last picture, I ran back in the house to put my camera back and I grabbed my jacket and left for work. By the time I got back outside, the beautiful colors had already faded as the sun peaked over the horizon.
Talk about great timing!

Hope you enjoy your day!
RW

Moonlight Video

2008-02-26T21:07:00.004-05:00

I know I just updated with another installment of My Biggest Obsession, but I just found this fantastic Moonlight video. I'd seen it before but thought I'd post it here so everyone can get a better feel for what this show is about. Whenever I tell someone that it's a vampire show, they immediately start to shake their head and say "Oh no, I'm not into that." But this is different and I think this video explains it better than I could.
Enjoy...

How can you resist? Mark your calendars! April 11th at 9:00 on CBS!