A Smile - - -

If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?

Very Yummy

MiHwa (our lovely daughter in law) sent two jars of tea home as gifts.

One is pear and the other honey citron. My favorite is the pear.

It's so nice to receive a gift as a surprise. Thanks, MiHwa!

Remembering - - -

What a beautiful sunny day we have to remember your birthday!

Every year you'd say, "No cards, no gifts."

Every year we'd arrive at your home, BBQ steak on your deck and enjoy the decorations Shirl had put up - you'd open your gifts enjoying your day.

Family was important to you and we knew, rain or shine, (even snow) we'd be BBQing - the neighbors would see "your family came".
Missing you - - - on what would have been your 87th.

Cleaning Vs. Hockey

This week I've been concentrating on cleaning the guest bedroom! This is total - every item in the room - picture frames, mirrors, every ornament.

For the first time in years, I am changing the bedding to a "light spring color" - I think Martha would approve. This means I have to change the lamps, etc. Has to be coordinated, you know.

Also washed all the woodwork, doors, trim, etc. All I have left is the windows (which I hate) and then a final vacuuming of the floor.

Oh, oh, NYR are just facing off with the Penguins - I lay my cleaning down for a few hours.

(Happy Friday, Everyone.)

Why, thank you - - -

Dropped 2 comforters off at the cleaners. I don't know about you, but I never ask for a discount (for being a senior). The charge was $18. each so thought I'd squirm and mention it.

"Is that the senior rate?"

"No, you have to be 60 for a discount."

At first I thought she was joking - looked at her and she was serious. "I'm almost 63."

That sweet young lady gave me a better discount than any old senior rate - smiled all the way to DQ.

Actually, she did discount it $3.60 I'm liking being old.

Heard of Curried Chicken - - -

Well, I just did a really dumb thing - a small spice rack was loose so, in my wisdom, I yanked on it. Crash, the glass jars flew all over the floor. Only one broke open - the curry powder. Why didn't I empty it first - good question.

Mmmhh! Smells good in here. In walks Buddy, the cat, smelled good to him, also. I was getting the dust pan and broom from the laundry room and come back to find him rolling in it! Camera was down stairs so couldn't let him roam and roll with curry powder dusting the house - did I mention he's long haired and black. Now he's kind of orange and black - looks good. Anyway, grabbed him with one arm, held the dustpan with my foot and swept with the other hand.

We just had curried chicken last night so the kitchen is aromatic to say the least:)

My curried cat is now locked in the bathroom awaiting a good combing and dusting off.

Quit your yowling, I'm not all that happy either:)

Spring Cleaning - Blah!

So, time for the annual ritual called spring cleaning. I get depressed just typing the words:)
Actually, to avoid the pain, I try to do what I call perpetual cleaning - a wee bit every day, all year round - if the spirit so moves me - and I have to say the spirit's been as lazy as I for the past days.

Having been working on some bigger projects, namely the yard, for a bit. Came in and saw the cat's paw prints on the sideboard - written in dust - which I find hard to believe in my house.

I've never caught him jumping on the furniture - he's smarter than that. Guess if I were smart, I'd tie a dusting cloth to him - may as well make him earn his keep.

Speaking of earning his keep, have you ever noted what it costs to have a cat - especially one who loves lots and lots of food? Let's just say, dusting would take a long, long while to pay back - but he''s worth every $ spent - according to him.

Sleepless in Seattle?

Well, maybe not Seattle, but we're sleepless. Due to our unseasonably cold weather, the orchard crops are at risk of blossoms freezing.

The fortunate orchardists who can afford it, have machinery to circulate the air and try to protect their crops. Very expensive situation but so is losing your year.

Anyway, too nights ago, we heard helicopters. Bad guys are at it again, I guess. But it went on for a long time - I got up to looks for the 'copter - no light, nothing.

We finally fell asleep at 4:30am - from exhaustion.

Last night it started at 11pm and I went out - clearly it was the orchards. Ran all night but somehow it was manageable knowing what it was. I have foam earplugs but they were in luggage downstairs so resorted to tissue. In the morn had to use tweezers to get one piece out! *Note to self, find earplugs:)

Earth Day

Please join all of us today in trying to make a difference.

Full Circle

Reading the paper and collected all the flyers. Looked at my list from last week. Most items/errands are crossed off - need new paper for list and where is my pen?

Right, paper in the desk, sit down to get it, computer grabs my sleeve. Write about dishwasher. Just remembered, DW is full of clean. Empty DW.

What was I doing? Oh, yeah, getting paper. See plants are dry. Get watering can from laundry room. Yikes, forgot a load in dryer. Folded sheets. Put them away, miracles never cease:)

Walk down the hall from linen closet to finally get my pen & paper. See computer - write post. Sigh - - -

Kitchen Capers

Wonder who scrapes their dishes clean before loading in dishwasher? I read on a household hint site, that it's best to leave a bit of food matter for the DW soap to "cling to" and there fore do it's job more effectively. "Aunt Sally, are you sure your DW takes care of bones?" Also, when Bro had his DW installed, the guy told him it was a bunch of hooey to fill the second cup with soap - kind of like today's post.

So, who scrapes clean?

I kinda do.

A Blanket of White

Woke up to snow - every thing has about 1" covering. The temp is 0 degrees so right on the border.

Looked out at the yard, phew, a rest for today. This old body doth protest from all the work the past week.

Hockey Schmockey & This 'n That!

I love hockey but I'm all worn out from watching the Dallas/Anaheim game. Mercy, that goalie drives me crazy how he wanders - similar to Patrick Roy's old tricks. I was cheering for Anaheim so didn't really care but his coach must be a wreck tonight.

Missing Dad tonight - he was an avid fan and often I'd go to his place and catch a game. I remember in 03, he and I were watching the final game for the Cup. His neighbor (a non-hockey fan) came to chat. We muted the game and visited but I wondered at the time if I had missed the last third period of hockey I'd ever get to see with Dad. As it turns out, we watched the 04 series - he passed away in May 05 so none of us were watching anything that year.

On another note, Dad really admired the lady hockey players - when they took gold, he said, "You know, they are as good as the men." I nearly fell off the chair.

Happiness is a call from Nova Scotia today. Our friends want us to go down for a visit - it's doable as far a schedules, etc. but I'm not sure about the trip. Our last flight in 09/04 was a bit trying. I have to think about it and talk to our docs and our sons.

Nighty, night.

Snow

Worked 3 hours in the garden - Brenda brought me tea, how sweet is that? Anyway, we commented the wind was getting really chilly and the snow started. I'm sure it will be a dusting only and go. The peas will be happy.

I dug a flower bed out today - it was in fair shape so not much for weeds. Being a year older, this old bod feels it to fork a bed!

Cleaned out the garden shed, also.

Put a roast in before I went out - does it ever smell good, good, good.

Happy Friday, Everyone - 'specially those of you still punching the clock:)

Planted today

Green onions, garlic, onion sets of yellow, white and red,radishes

Cylindrical Beets. Broccoli

Dill

Snap Peas

Regular peas

Flowers

Carrots

Still have to put green and yellow beans in today.

Bedding tomatoes, etc. have to wait- we're to have snow flurries this weekend - nice.

Update: the beans are in! Yeah, the garden is done!

The Treasures of Winter

Working in the garden today - I have 4 beds to topsoil with compost. Started digging in the bin - pure gold! Soft, crumbly, sweet smelling compost - a gardener's delight. I hauled enough pails to cover one bed. I'll let it sit a day and then fork it thru - yum. Tired out as I am out of shape from winter. Got lots of weeding done, also.

Emptied all my bags of leaves from last fall. I layered them in a "half composter" and will grow my peppers in it this summer. We get winds over the upper yard which sweep down to my garden. Kills the peppers every year. I'm hoping the black composter, soon to be a pepper nursery, will help.

Sitting here drinking water and thinking about the compost. He built me bins from wood pellets years ago. I wonder how many loads of compost have been made in it. I also have a 3' round wire cooking. Who said my life was dull:)

We have a warm, sunny day today.

Phew!

LONDON, England (CNN) -- New technology that can "see" through clothing and detect what's underneath can now be used to scan crowds, making it a potentially effective tool to prevent terrorist attacks in public places.

The camera can see through people's clothes from up to 25 meters away, detecting objects.

The ThruVision T5000 camera picks up Terahertz rays, or T-rays, which are naturally emitted by all objects and can pass through fabric or even walls.

The camera can then image metallic and non-metallic objects hidden under clothing on still or moving subjects without revealing any body detail, according to its British manufacturer, ThruVision Limited.

***The sheer terror (pardon the pun) would be for the viewer of my body - then I read "it can't reveal the actual body", ha, ha.

I laughed and laughed - the teror of an operator viewing my body ~

So I didn't know mice could slip through a dime size hole - or how much they'd love bird seed. Anyway, before I had the seed in covered containers, late one night I discovered one very happy mouse. Opened the laundry room door to garage and there he was, dining at the corner of the seed bag. He thought he had died and gone to Heaven. Not quite yet, Mouse.

Felt sorry for him. As he fled, he actually waddled. "You're making this difficult, I may have to find a larger trap for your big neck."

I don't think it was fair - I set the trap beside the bag of seed. What's a mouse to do, Cheddar or birdseed.

He chose Cheddar - - -

Weird Connections

Have you ever reached for the phone, it rings - someone special to you is calling?

Or have you been dialing out to hear, beep,beep, beep, etc. and a best person in your life is dialing in?

Or you dial out and hear (heavy) breathing - thinking it's definitely a weirdo - hello? hello? and it's someone you care about.

Or you send an email and a friend has popped one off to you almost simultaneously?

I love those moments and like to feel it's a special bond or connection.

How about you?

I just put the cookbook away in my beloved bookcase. He made it for me in '90. Back in those days, I could wish out loud and he'd make it.

When the reno guys were here in January, I asked if they could build a matching one for me.They answered that is was no problem. What are you doing, Jean?! It's seems sacrilegious to duplicate his. As we fall deeper into the chasm of Alzheimer's, every thing he touched, made or planned is more precious to me.

Gave Steve a call, "Don't pick up wood for the case." He knew.

I've Heard of a Stack of Pancakes - - -

So, made cornmeal muffins this morn - my sister and husband were coming out to help inflate the hot little Chevy tire and my ego - anyway, we had coffee, strawberry jam and cornmeal muffins.

As they left, I decided my sweet neighbor should have muffins, too. Speared 6 little jems on a skewer - "Here, want a muffin?" The reaction was worth the bother searching for the skewers:)

I'm still laughing as I sit here. As I've been told, doesn't take much to amuse me these days.

Friday Funny

Dispatcher: 9-1-1 What's the nature of your emergency?
Caller: My wife is pregnant and her contractions are only two
minutes apart
Dispatcher: Is this her first child?
Caller: No, you idiot! This is her husband!

How does your garden grow?

Have been busy working outside - the soil is finally dry enough. Today I hope to plant snap peas and onion sets. Yesterday, I forked the beds and added bags of manure and top soil.

Truth in Advertising - Compare

So, the box picture looked pretty good - we'll give this one a try.

Well, guess what company is getting an email with attachments? I have never seen such blatant misrepresentation in a long while.

I'm getting ugly and proactive of late. Something like this steams me up.

I will also send a link to my blog so they know thousands have seen it there, also.

Happy Birthday, Mark!

Forty years ago I was baking cherry pies and awaiting the arrival of our first born son, Mark.

The reason I mention the cherry pie baking is that I was on a 1500 calorie restriction as my doctor announced I had a football player developing for a baby - to cut down on baby's weight, he restricted me.

Anyway, after several months of eating very high quality, lower calorie food, I decided it couldn't hurt to bake a pie - and eat some as I was due within days.

Should have guessed something was about to happen - didn't want the pie after I made it!

Shirl's BD is April 6th and she called me at 10pm, "Haven't you had that baby yet???!!!He has to be born on my BD." So you're giving me 2 hours to get the job done!

Well, she psyched Baby and I up and we got the job done at 8:13am - on the 7th!

Happy Birthday (40th) to one of the best with love from Dad and Mom.

Happy Birthday, Shirl!

Today we're celebrating the birthday of our sister!

Hope the year is filled with only good things and happiness.

Much love and Happy birthday!

Anyone remember sewing aprons "many moons ago"? We had to sew them in home ec. Our Grandma crocheted my sister and I a fancy one when we were about 4 and 6 years of age.

In the 70's I had a vest type apron with a front zipper and two pockets. Handiest thing ever. I wish I could find one now.

Want to share your apron story?

Why Didn't We Think - - -

name pizza.com for $2.6m (£1.3m) - after maintaining the site for just $20 a year since 1994.

Chris Clark, 43, accepted the offer from an anonymous bidder after a week-long online auction.

"It's crazy, it's just crazy," Mr Clark, who lives in North Potomac, Maryland, was quoted as saying by the Baltimore Sun newspaper.

"It will make a significant difference in my life, for sure," he added.

Regret

Mr Clark registered the domain name in 1994, when the world wide web was just starting.

Murphy's Law - - -

Yesterday I had my studded tires removed and guess what we got - hint: big, white, fluffy and cold!
Actually, it's gone today but the snow was so heavy yesterday that we have very poor visibility.
One chore of many off my list.