Soooo...Well, Dumb

We were bored.
We are bad.
This is what happens when the Hubby goes out of town...
The entire house goes wild...
http://youtube.com/watch?v=XQBsoPkDPQs
I apologize to my children's children...well, it might be a few years, but I feel I owe them that...

So, here's my apology:

More Window Issues...but, the Garden Looks Good!

Oops...We seem to be having trouble with windows around here. While working in our Family Room, where he just replaced a HUGE 8-foot-wide slider, Hubby tried to pry off the trim on one of the side windows...

His intentions were good, but the results?

It was painful watching the glass S-L-O-W-L-Y crack and crumble. At least it was safety class. A 79-inch high piece of plate glass could probably do some horrific damage!

BUT, the deck area is looking good! A cool little vignette. I painted the Mary Engelbreit-style birdbath about 8 years ago. I've broken its top at least 4 times, so I bought something smaller this time. It looks out of proportion. Newly repotted annuals make for a pretty picnic table!

I created a mini-ruins at the base of the big Japanese maple right off the deck. Ooooo...

I've gotten into the raised herb beds and done some major work. I actually dug out the 18-foot high Cardoons that had taken over 2 of the beds and looked quite ragged, now that summer is nearing the end...and I put in a lot more culinary sage, anise, basil, thyme, and lavendar! I really like this pot...and I put in a new annual, just so I could enjoy its beautiful purple (my favorite shade, no doubt!) And, finally (for now) the 12-foot tall "bundle" of perinneal sunflower (Helianthus spp). Hubby hacked it back pretty hard recently, complaining, "I can't even get through the pathway anymore!"

Coooooooooooooooool...

Check out this website:

http://www.stimmhorn.ch/

Really cool music!

I'm a palindrome

Got weighed on an official scale at the doctor's office yesterday.
I cannot reveal my actual weight, but I will say that the number of pounds is a palindrome.

If you aren't sure what that means, go back to your middle school math class.



Anyway, here's how I plan to deal with the issue:

1. New meds. My old meds for anxiety and sleep disorders aren't doing their job well anymore. I've been taking them for about 9 years and have a new doctor who says it's time to "move on."

2. Walking. Carnivorous Hippy and I took off today and did about 1.5 miles. Believe it or not, I drove back over the route we took, just to be sure.

3. Healthier eating (HA!) I love food. I desire it. However, I am very capable of eating well, so Hubby and I decided it's time to quit drinking so much beer and eating so much pizza. Besides, I'm going over my budget each month since we eat out so much...

4. Savor my new job. It's a miracle, folks!

5. Weigh myself everyday. I read it in a magazine.

6. Join Weight Watchers again this Winter.

That's a start. I am not fully dedicated, however. It helps to have a husband who really does love me "no matter what." I've never experienced this level of unconditional love...even from anyone in my family...well, except for my Ma-maw...but, she's gone now.



I don't want to be a palindrome anymore...unless, of course, the first digit is a 1 and the middle digit is a 5. (It's a 3-digit number).

http://www.diet-blog.com/archives/2006/07/28/the_photo_diet.php

A Great Laugh After a Long Day...

I can't wait for him to be gone...

My Tribute to Carnivorous Hippy

Remember Vita's backwards underwear?
Remember your comment about your bra?
Here it is, Girl!
You rock!

Gagging, Whacking, and Disposing...

I have a very strong gag reflex.
When I was a kid, if I heard either of my little brothers vomitting, I'd vomit.


This evening, my neighbor came over, shouting my name in the driveway!
"Look what I caught in my fireplace!" She was holding a plastic bag. Immediately, I knew something bad would be coming, and the gagging began.
She asked my husband to help her with it..."IT" being an almost dead possum. It must have been stuck in the fireplace for quite some time and was barely alive. My husband has a very "manly" side to him, sometimes, and killing and disposing of possums is one of his favorite chores. In our old neighborhood, he committed genocide by completely ridding a full cul-de-sac of all possums.
I know, there are those of you who, right now, are saying, "Those cruel, cruel people." Well go ahead. You're welcome to come and relocate rodents anytime.
So, Hubby took the bag and decided he was going to whack it on the hard driveway surface!

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I shouted, as I began gagging and choking. There was no way he'd be doin' that business here...so, instead he went down the block a ways and did his thing. In the end, the bag with the dead possum
ended up going in the garbage can.

My neighbor is one of my sweetest friends and I'm glad she knows she can come get help from Hubby anytime, since her husband left. However, I told her that next time, she's on her own when it comes to varmits!

Pineapple Guava

I bought a new plant from my friend, Tom. He's been working on creating a very nice organic nursery for years. I've joked, over time, about all the shrubs and unusual plants throughout my gardens that I've purchased from him; I refer to those plants as being part of "Tom's Memorial Garden."

A month ago, I bought a plant called a Pineapple Guava from him. It's native to Southern Brazil, Argentina, and other parts of South America. It will do well in our climate, although it probably won't produce any fruit. That's OK...I'm growing it for its evergreen leaves and pretty summer flowers.

Today, I put it in the ground! I decided to place it in a raised bed along our back patio. First I had to pull out the overgrowth of spearmint in the bed and really give everything a good watering. Of course, I have a collection of birdhouses on the back fence which have no birds. Instead, they are filled with wasps! Big, Fall-starving, nasty wasps! While I was working away, I accidently bumped one of the birdhouses. 6-10 wasps shot out and nailed me! I usually scream while I'm being stung, but I didn't this time! I just turned my hose on myself, as I was running. I tripped over the wheelbarrow, but didn't even get a scratch! I ended up with only 2 stings, which is good! One was on my forearm and one on my hand. I've been stung on my neck and shoulder before, which is soooooooooo painful.

It's weird. We don't kill the wasps around our place. They eat so many little gnats and bugs that I find them a helpful addition. I just have to remember to be on the lookout...

Can You Spot the Problem?

My daughter was issued her uniform for cross-country yesterday. It took me a minute to see what she was giggling about for so long. If you're not from around here, you might not even notice...but, if you are from Oregon, well...

Ummmm....Lovely Compost!

Ahhh...The delivery is made. We first tried to have him back his big truck into our fenced veggie garden area. Powerlines above proved to be a problem, so we moved the load out front, in the gravel parking area along our roadway.
Vrrroooom! The load of beautiful mint compost began its trip! I like hydraulics!
Wow! I might be working on this compost throughout the winter! There's about 12 yards of mint hay in there!
After the truck left, I threw Jim Dandy's "baby" on top of the steaming heap. He hesitated to climb up, but his teddy bear was not to be left behind...so, he jumped up the hill and snagged it!

My Son's Friend...

This is Tuan. He's very cool...was an English Language Learner

in my Kindergarten class 10 years ago.

What a great kid.

Tonight I'm Gonna Party Like It's 1969!

This was my favorite clip on Sesame Street when it first aired. I was 6. It was 1969. We lived in Columbia, South Carolina. It came on in the evening. My parents had never experienced children watching TV at night, so it was a real paradigm shift for them...

Back to School!

Meds are miracles for me. All is well in our home. Well, pretty much! :)

The kids were up and ready to head out for the first day of school. As per tradition, I took their photos...and they complained...

Both decided they wanted to ride their bikes, rather than drive the van. We live outside the city limits, so I find that interesting. They have to ride on the busy highway for a bit, but, oh well.

New Garage Door Windows Are On The Way!!!

In my life, this drug is a miracle.

Everytime I think I can "live" without it, CRASH!

Amitriptyline Tablet (Tab 50 mg)Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc

I would rank today as one of the WORST days of my entire life.

I know this is weird to put this on a blog, but, oh well.

I've taken my drugs and my mind is clearing.

It started about a week ago. I went to pick up my prescriptions (yes, I take several to control a wide range of issues...ALL related to brain function!) and one prescription required the pharmacy to call my doctor for an update. The pharmacist knows me well and said, "Well, do you have a few to carry you over until I get the call? When they call, I'll contact you."

I said, "Yes," which is true. However, I only had 2 pills left.

They never called.

Which is where the CRASH begins...

Add into the scenerio these factors:

1. My 2 beautiful kids were gone for 9 days with their dad on vacation in Colorado.

2. I moved into my new job/office in a new school with a new staff and a new principal. 1/2 of my job currently has no real clear job description.

3. I had meetings this week that literally made my head spin.

4. My mother was here yesterday and spent the night. The intent was to give the kids time to be with her and to head out in the boat on the lake. If you know anything about my relationship with my mother, well, you won't even need to read-on. She left this morning without even saying good-bye. We didn't go out on the boat.

5. I never got the call from the pharmacy...and never remembered the issue until bedtime, when I take my meds.

6. Due to no meds, well, insomnia resurfaced its evil head. My insomnia isn't about just lying in bed awake. My insomnia involves completely having panic attacks, rising heart rate, and anxiety. That means, while I struggle to fall asleep, every single issue in my life surfaces and requires my immediate attention. Of course, my brain wiring is off-kilter, so the issues are unreasonable and only 1/10 of the problem.

7. My husband has a tendency to be an asshole and to ask me lots of stupid questions while I'm freakin'. Yeah, it's true, most husbands, even though they are cool on the outside, can be really jerks deep-down.

The results?

Well, see for yourself...

Yep, that's right. One thing I DID have control over today was my throwing arm. I picked up a rubber boot sitting near the front door, after having a complete meltdown in my driveway and threw it right at a garage window. It felt so good that I picked up the 2nd boot and did the same thing.

Research has shown that the urge to throw, punch, or smash things does NOT relieve anxiety or anger. One doctor told me, after I once broke out the back window of our big Ford Bronco, that there is no conclusive evidence which demonstrates that such actions bring about relief nor calm. I agree. But, I still throw things. You know how we tell kids, "If you get real angry, punch a pillow,"? Well, think about it. NO kid feels better when they try this. It solves nothing.

My ex-husband used to taunt me when I was melting down. He quit doing that the day I threw my favorite Nelson-McCoy "pink and blue" sugar bowl at him from across the house. I'll admit, I have a good arm. It hit his knee and drew blood. Regardless of what research says, he did quit taunting me...

Lesson learned? Well, thank goodness the pharmacy was open today, even though it was a holiday. Thank goodness my pharmacist is a friend of mine. Thank goodness I recognized the glitch and went to get meds before taking out my hubby's truck's front window. The garage windows are cheap. A windshield? ...Thanks so much for "listening" and trying, for just a minute, to understand depression, anxiety, and insomnia. My mom is the same way. She takes the same meds. My daughter is appearing to have some of the same anxiety issues...

Ahhhh...genetics.

I Used to Eat Play-Doh...

I LOVED eating Play-Doh. However, only from a freshly opened can. If it had been played with, considering I have 2 younger brothers and we always had big dogs, the dough was a gray blob with black hairs sprinkled throughout. Also, there would be "mystery grit."

Ahhh, but fresh from the can???!!! It was salty and consistent!

WHAT NON-FOOD ITEM DID YOU EAT WHEN YOU WERE A KID?