Flea's World

Movie and Meme

2008-05-17T10:30:00.002-05:00

It's out! Prince Caspian is out! We're going to the matinée this afternoon and I can't WAIT!!! This morning I took this quiz, and though I missed two, I still rank as a centaur, like Roonwit. Does that make me a total geek? The two I missed were ones I questioned as I answered, dang it! And it doesn't make me a geek. Really. It just means that I've read this series about 35 times. That doesn't make me a geek. Does it? The fact that I feel as though I know well Trumpkin, Roonwit, Caspian, Reepicheep (my kids would laugh when I would read his name) and the rest? *sigh* Maybe so.

Turning the page, it is time to revisit the front/back yard meme! Dlyn started this one last month and tagged me to play. In upstate New York, she had the contrast, from mid-April to now, of barren yard to spring! Here, we'd already begun. But I took my camera outside last evening before the sun disappeared and took shots to show what's changed in the last month. First, here are last month's pictures, taken on April 15th. Tax day. Don't even get me started on that economic stimulus check. *grrr*

This is my front door pot with my Peace rose and other stuff.

Here's the azalea bush before it blooms. It is JUST out of my front door, tucked away behind other shrubs, and the blooms are white.

And here it is, about April 26th, with just a few blooms. It blooms quickly, meaning the blooms come and go quickly.

Last, the back yard a month ago.

Now! This month! Ready? Let's look, shall we?

My Peace rose again. Not much change. Hmm. Well, my picture taking has improved. Wait! There's another pot there! With little seedlings.

I won't bother showing you the azalea, since it looks like the first photo. It bloomed, what? A week? But look what else is coming up on the front porch:

Pretty. I've always wanted hostas. My SIL has really full, pretty ones that the previous owner planted and I've been jealous. But one of the Hunny's co-workers gave us several large planters, one full of these hostas. I love them. Very much.

I know I didn't include it last time, but you saw it when the carpet phlox were in full bloom: my mailbox garden.

A pretty crappy shot. Sorry. I've been experimenting with camera angle and not always successfully.

Then there's the shot from the back yard:

I know, I know. Not a lot of change there either. A few tomatoes in that back length, some landscape fabric over the large bed, the strawberries and onions are going crazy, everything's generally greener, but not much else in the ground. It's been a slow spring.

Well that's it. You can go home now. Show's over. Thanks, Dlyn, for the challenge!

Until I write again ...

Flea

Heads Up!

2008-05-16T21:09:00.003-05:00

Being sick has been so much fun that I'm almost sad that I'm feeling better. Almost. I'm a very poor sick person, as a rule, but this week I've done nothing but sit on the couch surfing the web, eating bonbons and sipping bourbon. It's good for the common cold, you know. Okay, I'm lying. I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off and there's no liquor in my house. No chocolate bonbons even. But I have enjoyed being sick and the perks which accompany it. Like my husband leaving the house in the morning and telling me to get a nap or take it easy. How cool is that? And for the first time in recorded history, I've kept moving while sick instead of napping or resting. Yet here I am, nearly over this icky cold. Sweet.

My point? I don't have one. Did you expect anything else? Oh! Wait! Yeah, I had a point. Hold on ... oh! While surfing the web today, holding onto sick till the last possible minute, I popped over to Work It Mom! to find the pretty Mir. She writes a post there for Nataly called Casual Friday and I've been visiting pretty regularly for months, enjoying her links to some pretty hilarious blogs.

It occurred to me this evening - yes, it sometimes takes me a VERY long time to have light bulb moments - that no one ever comments on Casual Friday. This made me very sad. Mir is stinkin' hilarious. Oh! I just remembered the other point! Mir has had a cold all week, too. Mysterious, is it not? I think she sent some of her germs through the internets to me.

Anyway, I just thought I'd alert y'all to her Friday posts there. I've found some of my favorite humor blogs through her recommendations. Most of y'all would enjoy them too.

Until I write again ...

Flea

Accent Stories

2008-05-16T09:50:00.003-05:00

Y'all crack me up, all your stories of your accents! Thank you! Quite a few of you scored spot on with your locations. Cool! I love that Coffee Bean's says she'd be good on TV or radio. I think she's probably sticking with internets, though.

Tammy, a Canadian, scored American Midland. What does that mean? Is Oklahoma Midland? Where exactly is that? I went back and took the test again, thinking I'd fool it, but only scored stronger on that Philly accent. I've never BEEN to Philadelphia.

Asthmagirl also wants to know where the Midland is so she can visit her people. What exactly does that mean, visit her people? Long lost relatives? Friends she didn't know she had? What? And if Tulsa is in Midland, maybe I'M her people! Woohoo! Wait. No. I'm from Philly.

Motherhood for Dummies was frustrated with the lack in this quiz. No Canada or Alaska. She's not the only one. Evidently, though, there's an identifier for Canadian, as Indy can testify to.

Now Candace, who I've known for about a million years (it's true, Candace. Count it. I've known you AT LEAST a million years) comes in with Inland North. She's puzzled by that, having lived in central Florida her whole life. I can tell, you, though, that Central Florida has no accent. Most people there are from everywhere else. Including Candace's parents. Thinking about Cliff and Shirley, I can hear it. Florida is not the south. It's the east coast.

Colleen reminds me of why I migh have scored Philly. When I was a freshman in college I was marked as the southern girl. People were always asking me to read Cajun Night Before Christmas so they could hear my accent. This bugged me. Not the reading aloud, since I'm an attention hog. But the whole being marked by my accent. Why should people automatically judge me as slow and stupid because of my accent? I worked all year to rid myself of it.

The worst came the last week of school. My wing was riddled with girls from all over the US, and I hung out with the girls from Wisconsin and Illinois. One day, passing someone's room, as we're all packing our things to leave, I hear a phone, so I ducked in to answer. The girl's mom left a message with me to call her, which she did. Later the girl tells me her mom wanted to know who that "nice southern girl was." And I'd worked so HARD! WAAAHHHH!

By my junior year I was dating a boy from Minnesota, had already gone home several times with friends from Illinois and Wisconsin, then visited said boyfriend in Minnesota a couple of times. I was determined to rid myself of the accent.

When living in Florida the first year, someone asked my if I was from Wisconsin and it was the ultimate compliment. Now people are always surprised to hear where I'm really from. I love it. And it makes me sad. Fortunately the accent returns when I go home. :) But I don't sound like a New Orleanian. Which means that most people can understand me when I speak (as long as I don't mumble). And really, New Orleans is a mix of deep south and Brooklyn.

Thanks for your responses! Let me know if you post the quiz to your blog? I know Poltzie has! Evidently people mistake for a Canadian a lot. Ha!

Until I write again ...

Flea

I Am NOT from Philadelphia

2008-05-15T16:30:00.003-05:00

What American accent do you have? Your Result: Philadelphia Your accent is as Philadelphian as a cheesesteak! If you're not from Philadelphia, then you're from someplace near there like south Jersey, Baltimore, or Wilmington. if you've ever journeyed to some far off place where people don't know that Philly has an accent, someone may have thought you talked a little weird even though they didn't have a clue what accent it was they heard.
The Midland
The South
The Inland North
The Northeast
The West
Boston
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

I popped in at Bold & Free today and found the above quiz. Jan scored a western accent and I was sure mine would be southern. You know, seeing as I'm from south of New Orleans originally, then I lived in Florida (alright already! I know Florida's not really the south) for eleven years. But Philly? What?!?

So what is your accent? Tell me! I want to put accents with your names and blogs!

Until I write again ...

Flea

A Snail Hunt

2008-05-15T07:44:00.001-05:00

A couple of you have expressed interest in my Mother's Day gecko, Flaco. My mom bought it at a local shop, and I know most of you won't make the drive to Tulsa to pick one up. Mom also found this adorable snail for my sister-in-law's garden:

Isn't he cute?

So I went looking online for a source for these darling creatures. Here's what I have so far: two shops in the UK. Yep. I figure Casdok and I'm Being Held Hostage are in luck. There's Save the Children and The Potting Shed. And I'm Being Held Hostage (I'm going to call her IBHH from now on - get a shorter moniker, girl!) is moving and will need something adorable for her new garden, right? They should take a look - those are some cute shops.

Today's my busy day. To cap it off, I have a dental appointment in the afternoon. Fortunately, I love going to the dentist. He just confirms that I have strong, healthy teeth. And he always asks if I'm interested in having them whitened. He should ask if I'm willing to give up my coffee. The answer to both questions is the same. And I'm spending way too much on orthodontia for the girl right now. But I'll end my day with clean teeth, and that's what counts.

Until I write again ...

Flea

P.S. If you're needing a good laugh today, check out the video Coffee Bean has posted.

Graduating

2008-05-14T10:15:00.009-05:00

I am still sick. I am going to do what the sick do when the sick blog. The sick do photo montages. Because the sick are lazy. Say it with me - LAAAY-ZEEEE. My brain's not working right, so funny's taking a nap. I'm on photo autopilot.

Last night my Little Guy graduated from Webelos I to Webelos II. Next January he will graduate to Boy Scouts. Rather than bore you with pictures of the ceremony (mostly because I used the wrong ISO setting and the pictures are all grainy and fuzzy), I choose to delight (that's rather a strong use of the word in this context - just go with it) you with faces at the cake and punch reception following the ceremony. The faces are familiar at this point. The angles - I told you I'm sick, right?

But first, my Little Guy in his uniform, all handsome and proud. And remembering to stand like a man instead of a slouch.

Isn't he handsome? He's worked so hard all year to earn badges and pins and was proud of himself. He's a good kid.

An okay kid. Whichever you prefer.

Here's the man who was giving him weird finger ears. Say hello to my Hunny. I kinda like his old man glasses. People used to call him Al Borland from Tool Time. Now he gets into the whole professor look.

And Maybelline, as we're leaving the house, asks Little Guy, "So do any of your little scout friends have big brothers?" Rein it in there, girl. Soon I'll be padlocking her doors and windows.

Check out Oatmeal Head, recently having discovered the opposite gender himself. And I thought Maybelline had it bad. If one more giggly girl calls my house looking for him at ten o'clock at night ... so help me ...

Not to be outdone for weird angles, Little Guy completes our set. Collect them all!

I can't leave you without my favorite photo of the evening. Okay, second favorite. The one of the Hunny is my favorite. And I'm trying to figure out Photoshop well enough to get rid of the minivan and other background junk.

To all of you out there who have caught my cold, I'm truly sorry. Get better. To the four or five year old who gave it to me, there's a bench with your name on it, kid, and I'll be right behind ya, pushing.

Until I write again ...

Flea

A New Friend

2008-05-13T20:27:00.008-05:00

This just in! Fred and Bessie are leaving upstate New York and the ever hospitable home of Dlyn, headed to Connecticut! Check out their' departure!

*achoo*
Excuse me while I mouth-breathe for a bit.

Since I'm still sick, and still scanning pictures (thanks for the heads up, Mom. Two years - really?), I'm simply going to introduce you all to our new family friend, Pete. Bloggy internets, say hello to Pete.

Isn't he handsome? And you single ladies, he's available. He also gets along well with kids, you single moms.

Oop! But he doesn't like to share his chips. Here's a better example of his tolerance for children

See? Little Guy is torturing him and he handles it beautifully.

See how chummy they are? They even have the same smile. I love Pirate Pete.

A big thank you to Grandma, who so kindly provided today's entertainment. She works for Frito and brought Pete home for us. Little Guy finished blowing him up this morning at breakfast then left him by the front door. I wish I'd had the camera ready when the Hunny came in from his morning walk and jumped two feet. And again when he came home for lunch and jumped. But especially when Maybelline came in from school and started screaming at him. Dang. That's what I get for being sick. Not prepared.

Y'all, thanks for your well wishes. I'm feeling better today. It should be reduced to a mere sniffle tomorrow.

Until I write again ...

Flea

Taking a Sick Day

2008-05-12T20:52:00.004-05:00

We moved to Tulsa a year and a half ago - December 2006. For the first year, we were all sick. Usually more than one of us at a time, and not pansy little colds either. We were on more antibiotics in our first year here than our entire family had been in the previous 15 years. I was grateful for the antibiotics, really, even though I usually steer clear of the things. I'd had this wicked recurring ear ache since 2000 and the antibiotic knocked it out.

Then at Christmas I noticed that no one was sick. One year of sick and it was over. Except for Little Guy, who really isn't sick, just always stuffy and snoring and congested. Allergy meds do nothing. The tonsils are coming out. But we've all been well for months. Until today.

Last night, really. My eyes, nose and throat itched. I knew exactly what it was and blocked off my calendar for the rest of the week. Sure enough, I'm deep into a cold today. Yay! My annual cold.

So what have I done with my day, you ask? Did I sleep? Rest? No. I spent half the morning ironing, since I love to iron. Then attended a volunteer luncheon at school. Cafeteria food will not cure the common cold, in case your mother ever tried to pull that one over on you as a kid. The afternoon, though - ahhh. That's where it gets interesting.

Remember awhile back I insisted I'd be dismantling my photo albums and scanning the photos? Which one of you has done this? Tell me. Because I'm coming through my computer to grab you by the lapels and shake you for not warning me. None of your, "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I not mention how much work that would be?" from you, missy. Come 'ere, let me smack you hard.

I thought, "What a nice, relaxing (here my ill brain goes blank so I'll say) thing to do while I'm sick!" The Hunny showed me how to scan pictures last night and it seemed simple. All I had to do was take the photo out, scan and put it back, right? I'd forgotten all about my plan to organize everything. So today I scanned one little photo booklet - the kind the grocery stores assembled from one roll of film? Film? That's the stuff that went into those old fashioned cameras that your grandmother used when she was a child. Scanning those 24 pictures only took about half an hour. Then I had to make folders for the different photo categories I thought I might have and drop the photos into the appropriate folder. After naming each photo.

All of that just took too much energy from my poor sick body. I stepped away from the computer, grabbed half a shelf of photo albums, scoured my closet for used gift bags and began emptying the albums, sorting them into gift bags. So far I have the Early Flea bag, the Pre-Flea bag, the Newlywed bag, the First Florida House bag, the Second Florida House bag and the Friends and Family box. And about half of the albums emptied. Once the albums are empty I'll have to sort the bags into more specific piles - times and events and such - then start scanning, before putting them all back into albums. Eliminating the duplicates will be fun, too. I plan to make albums for the kids with those.

So you'll excuse me if I take some NyQuil and hit the sack a little early?

Until I write again ...

Flea

The Case of the Missing Eyebrows

2008-05-12T09:50:00.003-05:00

So last Monday night, the Hunny and I spent time with friends. At their house. And we were not home. In fact, we didn't get home until after Little Guy's bedtime and he was in bed. Oddly. The next morning I was having a tough time waking up, so I didn't really notice Little Guy's eyebrows. In fact, it wasn't until Tuesday afternoon, when he was badgering Oatmeal Head that I heard Oatmeal Head yell (for my benefit, I'm sure), "Oh my gosh! What did you do to your eyebrows?"

Of course I call Little Guy downstairs to see what madness has occurred. At first glance I thought he'd gotten into my waxing box, which I'd left on the counter as a reminder to do my own eyebrows, and I had to take Maybelline to guitar, so I left fuming just a tad. And I left Little Guy denying that he'd done anything. Like maybe rats gnawed them off in the middle of the night.

Evening comes, I'm home giving him the third degree, getting angry tears of denial and harsh statements questioning my love for him since I don't believe him. I just sent him to his room till dinner, refusing to be drawn in to his arguments of how it couldn't have been him who sheared his eyebrows off. Lou. That's what it was. Lou scratched the eyebrows off while they were playing. Stupid cat. Uh huh.

So the Hunny comes home, trying his best not to laugh, while I'm still steaming a little, and questions him. It turns out that our bored son snipped away with scissors the night before because he was bored. Talk about a role reversal - the Hunny thinks it's amusing (he was always the one to be incensed) and reminds me that the other two went through similar things when they hit the puberty wall. He argued against punishment, stating that Little Guy having to live with badly trimmed eyebrows was punishment enough.

Never one to humiliate my children *cough* I penciled in Little Guy's eyebrows for the rest of the week before he left for school. Yes. Yes I did. And I know that you didn't read all the way through this just for the story. Unfortunately, I didn't get a good picture of him without the penciled in brows before yesterday and it turns out his hair grows quickly. Here's what I have:

I know. It's nothing like it was on Tuesday. Sorry. The arches (he has the most wonderfully arched brows!) are what took the brunt of the cutting. And he didn't want penciling this morning, since it really is growing back in. That or the guys at school gave him a hard time about wearing makeup.

Until I write again ...

Flea

A Day to Remember

2008-05-11T18:31:00.010-05:00

I hope you're all having a wonderful Sunday! I sure have had one today, complete with boiled shrimp, chocolate cake and dirt under my nails. It doesn't get any better than that!

I woke this morning to the smell of biscuits (Maybelline makes the BEST from-scratch biscuits EVER) and sausage gravy, and was greeted by this sight:

How sweet is that? My good china, chilled OJ - the Hunny and Maybelline got up at six to make breakfast. We were still late for church. :)

My brother - you'll occasionally see him comment as Lil' Bro - invited our family over to have a shrimp boil. Mmmm. He knows it's my mom's and my weakness. What he didn't know is that it's also Oatmeal Head's, and that boy, now 14, will eat every shrimp in the immediate vicinity if it's not pinned down. Fortunately Lil' Bro thought big and bought plenty. And was it ever yummy! Check it out:

And check out everyone relaxing and chowing down:

I can quite safely say that this has been my best Mother's Day in all 14 years of being a mom. Capping it off was the planting of my gift of hostas, as well as the gorgeous wisteria tree my Hunny brought home. Isn't it pretty?

I sure hope y'all are having a blessed, relaxing day.

Until I write again ...

Flea

P.S. Remind me later to tell y'all about Little Guys eyebrows and why I now hove to pencil them in before school every morning, okay?

Squee!

2008-05-10T20:18:00.003-05:00

Check it out! My Mommy brought me a Mother's Day gift today! Isn't he the cutest thing ever? I've named him Flaco. Squee!

The Hunny and the kidlets made dinner for me tonight. Mmmm. Fresh squash and asparagus, grilled pork chops, and strawberry shortcake for dessert.

Have a Happy Mother's Day, y'all!

Until I write again ...

Flea

A Myriad of Photos

2008-05-09T22:17:00.023-05:00

It is only fitting that the world's longest day be followed by the world's longest photo post, no? I'll make this as brief as possible, but I've identified some shots from the field trip to Woolaroc that I just HAVE to show you!

First up, a better shot of the statue I showed you in the last post:

Second, this glorious stained glass wall on one of the buildings:

I want a stained glass wall like that on my house. Do you think that would be too pretentious? Would the neighbors talk? If they did, it would only be because they were jealous. That's right - I have an entire stained glass wall and YOU DON'T. So there. I do wish I'd seen it from the inside, though.

I am very sad to report that I have no photos of buffalo. It seems the buffalo no longer roam. They lounge. That's right. They lounge around in zoo-like enclosures, which you can only see from the car as you drive past. If I had known, I would have asked the lady driving to slow down so I could snap photos. Of the buffalo. Lying down. Behind their chain link fence. Next to the feed bins. Buffalo don't roam anymore, people. Stupid false advertising.

Instead, these were the types of animals available for photos. There was a baby buffalo in the petting barn, only one day old, but the pictures were awful. As were the ones of the baby burro and llama. These baby goats were cute, though! And guess what? My five boys zoomed through the petting barn fast enough to make one's head spin.

Not fast enough to make these heads spin, though. Have you ever seen chickens like these?
Aren't they the weirdest things ever? What the heck is on their heads? The world may never know.

Moving on ...

This is the front of the museum. All the buildings were contructed of beautiful rock. Maybe it's because we're in Frank Lloyd Wright country, but everything is also very colorful. Don't you just love the blue of the entryway?

Moving on ...

(When I say moving on? Sister, I mean MOVING ON. That's all we did the entire time we were there. I snapped pictures as an excuse to catch my breath without looking like a complete wuss in front of those boys).

From the front of the museum (oh no - we haven't gone in yet) we ran to the lake. Isn't it gorgeous? I wonder if I could get one of those for my house too? Talk about pretentious ... "Hunny, let's go down to the lake today. You know, the one we had put in last summer in the backyard."

Getting to the lake isn't as easy as you might think. Oh no. One has to climb down these:

I'm not much of a climber without a belaying buddy and a harness. Especially not when I'm hauling a camera, purse, everyone's lunch and multiple full water bottles. I am lucky to be alive. Pretty, yes. Easy, no.

Moving on ...

That's exactly what the boys were doing - moving on. With no regard for their supervisor. I'd be on the top yelling for them to wait up and they'd be on the bottom. About the time I'd get to the bottom, they'd be on the top - on the other side! I didn't sign up for Marco Polo, people. Who thinks up these field trips anyway?

And sometimes a boy would break away from the pack and pull a stunt like this one:

I just want to holler, "Get down from there! Your mother would kill you! Do you want to break every bone in your body?!" Then I remember that I'm not his mother. And it's all good. And I go back to snapping pictures. Remembering what's important always helps. Knowing that broken bones are good blog fodder helps, too.

Moving on ...

This was another favorite moment for the boys:

I heard them all hollering somewhere (believe me, it took awhile to find them in the boulder maze) and surprisingly enough, all five boys were still in one spot when I came huffing and puffing around a cliff face, hanging on for dear life, cradling my camera. Look what they'd found! One of the boys asked if I had any salt in my giant bag. How inconvenient that I'd forgotten to pack salt. Wait! If Fred and Bessie had been there we'd have been in great shape. Bummer.

The slug was the last straw for me. Time to go in. Inside is air conditioned. Safe. Easy terrain. Right? Look what met us at the door, just as we walked in. Okay, a lady with VERY flashy rings met us at the door. But we turned a corner and I thought I'd NEVER get the boys to leave. This is the very smallest section of the actual wall. An enormous gun collection. One of the boys wanted to know if they were for sale.

Which takes us to ...

You guessed it! The one place all the boys had been talking about since before we left school that morning. The gift shop! They wanted to touch and buy everything in it, including weaponry, but I was tricky. There was a wall o'rocks and I told them I'd buy them each a rock. They spent ten minutes deciding what kind of rocks they wanted - some got arrow heads, one got fools gold, another a weird, zebra striped rock.

Oh! Speaking of zebras! Did I mention, yesterday, that there were animal heads everywhere? There was a zebra in the gift shop! Check him out!

Moving on ...

I know the boys had been talking about the gift shop all day, but they'd also been discussing one particular display. The shrunken heads. They even went so far as to tell me how this was done, but I'll spare you the details. I think it's enough that I'm sharing the picture, don't you? Aren't they lovely? And yes, they're real people heads. Ew. As we stood and looked at the display, a woman was trying to guess which gender each was.

I'll bet you can guess which gender these are:

Isn't this the prettiest, most pastoral setting? I love it. And the weather was gorgeous. Children frolicking everywhere. The Good Flea about to drop dead from exhaustion. This pond was our last stop.

No moving on. We stay here now. Because I said so. But I got no argument from my five boys.

See?

It just doesn't get any better than this. This is about the time I asked them what they had learned on their field trip and they responded, "Nothing." Ahhh! Life is good.

They've captured quite a few tadpoles here. Three water bottles between them, the challenge being to catch the tadpoles in their hands and transfer them to the bottles as quickly as possible. They were up to the challenge, believe you me. See?

I made them pour them all out before we left. And I had to make sure they stooped and poured from water level, so as not to kill the poor tadpoles. Mama frog don't lay their eggs in waterfalls for nothing, you know.

And that was the end of our day. We walked back to the buses, looking for a trash can for our water bottles and trash (I never did see any recycling bins - don't start!). A good time was had by all. And look! I'd better wrap this up if I want to post while it's still Friday!

Until I write again ...

Flea

The Longest Day Ever

2008-05-08T22:16:00.011-05:00

What a long day! And I haven't been reading anyone's blogs! I promise to catch up on you all this weekend, okay?

Woolaroc rocks, you all. I took nearly 300 photos, and half of them were of little boys' backs. I had five boys, including Little Guy, and they ran everywhere, including up and down rocks. Until the last 20 minutes, when they allowed me to snap away while they caught tadpoles. For your viewing pleasures, photos of ten year old boys' backs:

Alright. They're not all of boys' backs. I love this sculpture.

Then there's this one:

Oop! That's boys' backs, isn't it? Sorry. My bad. Let's try this again, shall we? Here:

What? Yes, it's boys' backs, but they're catching tadpoles. Can't you tell?

Okay. Seriously. I'll catch y'all up tomorrow evening. I'm subbing in pre-k again tomorrow, for the same class as last Friday. I just know the little ones can't wait to see my bruise (Beth, I'm sparing you the photo this time), so I'm wearing capris just for them. And leaving my new cell phone in the pocket of my purse. And looking where I'm going at all times.

Speaking of looking where I'm going, do you know how difficult it is to climb up and down steep rocks while carrying a camera, camera case and a large bag full of everyone's stuff? Did I tell you it was a long day? If you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed.

Until I write again ...

Flea

It Was a Dark and Stormy Night

2008-05-08T06:25:00.000-05:00

Boy howdy did WE ever have our share of excitement last night! See this?

This is a weather radio. Specifically, this is OUR weather radio. Yes, it's a fuzzy weather radio. And it doesn't do a darn bit of good if it's not plugged in.

We had several lines of severe weather come our way yesterday, with the worst sweeping through last night right after 7PM. In fact, my mom called about 6:40 to let me know it was coming, since she knows I don't watch TV. Thank you, Mom! I was keeping an eye on the internet radar, but it's not the same as TV, since I had no idea how bad it was.

Just after seven, and just after the Hunny got home, it all hit. I have to tell y'all, the Hunny is the cutest thing when it comes to emergencies. He ran upstairs to the TV to see the radar, Oatmeal Head turned on the computer to track the radar, I said, to no one in particular, "Where's our weather radio?" It magically appeared. And then the tornado sirens went off.

Well that was when the Hunny kicked into emergency mode. Meaning he paced and panicked in the most adorable way. The kids and I cleared out the closet under the stairs - here it is all put back together (no, people, I'm not posting from a Starbucks somewhere, even thought that WOULD be pretty cool):

We cleared it all out and Little Guy hung out there with the dogs for awhile, talking to one of his friends on my cell phone (yes! it came! I'll show you in a minute), while the Hunny stood at the door listening to the sirens and shushing the rest of us. The sirens would stop and the Hunny would make to go upstairs. I'd call his butt right back down.

All of this was a truncated version of Hurricane Charlie, when we lived in Florida. It was the Hunny's first hurricane and he was about to burst. He'd get all nervous and worked up, then in the worst of it he was dragging the kids outside to watch the transformers blow around town while I'm yelling at him to get them back in. I gave up after awhile. I've since learned to give up much sooner.

The sirens wailed off and on for a good half hour, making us a little nervous at first. Then we were bored. The poor dogs were wild eyed the entire time. I sent Maybelline for the camera so I could photograph the insane wind and rain (and the terrified dogs in the closet), but the Hunny wouldn't let me and take pictures. For Pete's sake, I didn't hear any freight trains! We survived. There was a moment when I think the Hunny and I were both wishing the wind would rip off all the siding so the insurance company would take care of it. Alas. It was not to be. And the kids have long ago learned to be calm in an emergency situation. The most excitement that happens with them is Little Guy worrying about his cat. Otherwise it's all good.

Okay, so this new phone of mine? SLEEK MOTO F-3? LOVE IT!!! Check it out:

I know - it's kinda fuzzy too. But isn't it pretty? The Hunny, who loves his games and features, took one look and had phone lust. I suspect he'd be bored with it inside of two minutes, but it is pretty and sleek - almost nothing to it. And I found an online manual for it in English (the one I received was in Spanish - no habla Espanol).

The screen is way cool! I can read it no matter the angle or lighting. I can text if I want to, but since that costs money, it ain't happenin'. The ring tones are SO MUCH FUN!!! I squishy heart the ring tones - all seven of them. And the menu is very small. BUT! I can set alarms on it if I need to. Yay! So it has everything I need, nothing more, nothing less. And it was 30 bucks plus shipping. How awesome is that? Awesome!

I'll be on a field trip with fourth graders today, visiting Woolaroc. Loving it! It's where the buffalo roam. And I'll probably wave in Mayberry's general direction in passing. Hello Magpie! And wave in the Pioneer Woman's general direction in passing. Hello Ree! And I'll take scads of pictures just to torture you all with! You knew I'd do that, though. The camera's already in the car.

Until I write again ...

Flea

A Little Photo Manipulation

2008-05-07T17:58:00.003-05:00

I've been playing at that cheezeberger place again, with old Fred and Bessie pictures (I miss them so!). They aren't coming home, you know. It seems they've requested Dlyn help them on their way to Connecticut to visit a friend who's opened her home. I don't think I have much say in this, sadly. Maybe they'll come home someday.

So to make myself feel better, I've doctored some of their old photos. If y'all haven't read about their adventures at school a month or so ago, it was much fun. You can go here, and here and here. Here's a photo, for all of you who are in the middle of finals, from their day at school:

moar funny pictures

And have I already posted this one?

moar funny pictures

About the interview - the lady I spoke with for an hour or so will be checking to make sure I play well with others (references), and to see if I am an evil degenerate (criminal background check). Then she'd like to start me as soon as possible. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. :) And I will not be able to talk about my job here. Sorry.

So if you're out and about in New England and you see my cows, say hi? And if you're taking finals, take a tip from Bessie. Laugh at them!

Until I write again ...

Flea

Your Favorite Tunes

2008-05-07T06:52:00.003-05:00

A friend sent me a Tim Hawkins video last night, so I thought I'd post one for you all. This is my children's favorite:

And that's all I've got today. Wait! No. There's more! I have a job interview at eleven CST. It's a part time job, just two nights a week on weekends, for a psych hospital. Sounds like fun, no? I haven't been on a real job interview in years. I'll let you know how things go. If they don't try locking me up. Maybe I should take my laptop in case I can't get home. Dang it! I don't have me new phone yet. Pray for me!

Until I write again ...

Flea

Mystery Meal

2008-05-06T09:22:00.009-05:00

Sorry to deviate yesterday. And I had several people ask for the ending to the story. I gave you the ending as far as Greg was concerned, and I don't really care what happens to Scot and Amanda. They're self-centered and co-dependent. Let them self-destruct!

No, this isn't a cooking blog. Never will be. There are only a couple of things I enjoy making in the kitchen, and one of them I made this morning, so I thought I'd show you. But you have to promise that if you have a recipe for it that your family loves, you'll send it to me at fleabyte at gmail dot com. Okay? Please?

I browned up three pounds of ground beef this morning. Yes beef, people. I'm not a huge red meat fan, but I've tried ground turkey for this and it's icky. Only beef will do. See it?

Oh, and I tossed in a chopped sweet onion. Loves me the onion, all translucent in the beef, trading flavors and enhancing everything. Mmmm. Onions are goooood. You don't have to agree. Just go with it, 'k?

So have you guessed yet what I'm making for dinner? No scrolling! You have to guess. It's yummy, and I serve it with Fritos. Probably gave too much away right there. Oh well.

Now you'll guess it for sure. Look at my crock pot and what's in it. Yucky looking, isn't it? I'll show you the cans o'stuff which are floating around in there. I can't wait till I can harvest some of this fresh from my garden!

Okay, it looks icky because I've just been tossing the canned goods in while browning the ground beef and I hadn't stirred it yet. And I added a can of water to the mix. I love my crock pot! Anyone out there give me an amen? And our weather right now is cool and rainy - perfect for this dish! Have you guessed it yet?

Here are the canned goods, and I'm missing one of them (forgot to add it till the last minute):

Appetizing eh?

And here's the finished product. Well, as finished as it's gonna be till dinner time. It's sitting on my counter right now, covered and cooking. I wander in between roofers and gas company service people and stir it some.

Doesn't it look scrumptious? You know what it is now, don't you? Chili! All that fiber and oxy-something or other. Toss a handful of corn chips in a bowl, a couple of scoops of chili, top it with shredded cheddar and a dollop of sour cream - nothing better on a rainy day! And I added chili seasoning, for those of you who get all particular about my leaving things out. :)

Now don't forget - if you have a favorite chili recipe, please send it to me? I'm always in the market for better chili!

Y'all want one last shot of my bruise, right? I'm going to drop it down a bit for the squeamish, so you can stop reading right here if you have trouble looking at this kind of thing. I mean it. Right here. Stop. Now. No scrolling if you have a weak stomach!

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It's fuzzy, I know. Sorry. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to photograph the top of one's own shin? And it's not very colorful anymore, so I'm guessing this will be the last picture. And it's about time!

Until I write again ...

Flea