Got Crabs?

Around the New Year I purchased a case of crab legs for a soire' of sorts. After the partay was over and we took stock of things we noticed we still had a gazillion leftover. We put them in "The Little House" next door. It's a rental we own that used to house Mark's pharmacy students in days gone by and occasionally the MIL Now, it's a crab house. Or...I should say it WAS a crab house because tonight, we ate the last one. We stoked up the grill, stuffed it to the gills, and after a bit of heat, those babies were ready to eat. I popped open a spicy V8 juice, poured Mark and I a glass of that (plus beer) threw the steaming legs on the table, got everyone bibs and butter and...we gorged! I can honestly say, there is no better supper than this. Too bad you weren't here! Damn it was good...

Stunning

Jim Henderson, of Crooktree, 25 miles west of Aberdeen, Scotland captured a very beautiful photo of an Aurora on April 12 http://spaceweather.com/aurora/images2005/11apr05/Henderson1.jpg Short lived and very late from 12.35-12.55GMT. 10degree Arc with a few rays. Photo is a 22sec exposure, Fuji S3 at ISO 1600 with Sigma 15mm Fisheye f2.8. Something else extraordinary are these photos of rainbows at night! Check them out! http://www.spaceweather.com/swpod2005/29apr05/logan1.jpg

Just Call Me A Grouchy Grinch

I just got up out of bed because I couldn't sleep...duh...and For The Love Of All That Is Pink! IT'S SNOWING! Massive swirling blizzardy type crystals are literally polluting the air. Those little bastards anyway. Now rain, YES. Sweet soothing dripping off the eaves into the gently nodding heads of tulips then soaking into the softly greening grass, YES. NOT BASTARD SNOWFLAKES collecting like so many dust bunnies upon my poor freezing cold basil, rosemary and savory plants. BAH! and DOUBLE BAH! I'm going to go get my blow dryer and kick some snowflake ass!

Short Butt Sweet

The wigs arrived today! They are HOT! Also...I've got a trailer we can use. ...and nowwww I dance!

Old Song Night

Click Me This song by The Replacements is called Achin' To Be and it was one of my favorites when I was in my last year of nursing school. Actually Mark introduced me to The Replacements and I fell in love with their style of song.

Sure To Be Memorable

Cambridge (once known as...I shit you not...Pickleville) will be having it's annual celebration Memorial Weekend. We call it Medicine Creek Days and this year our theme is Hometown hero's. I've been very busy planning our float and I'm getting excited!! The fancy/sexy/hilarious costumes are being made at this moment, the wigs will arrive soon, the balls AND the frogs came today, the chicken wire is waiting by the back door, the dance moves are being choreographed and all I really need is... HELP!

Rasslin' Nurse Who Also Yodeled...there is hope for me yet!

Real Name: Ida SelenkowNickname: "The Body" Signature wrestling move: drop kick One of the most recognized, and beautiful, wrestling stars of the 1950s, Ida May Martinez traveled all over North America taking on the toughest opponents, thrilling wrestling fans wherever she appeared. Introduced to wrestling in 1950 by legendary promoter Billy Wolfe, Ida spent the next ten years between the ropes. In 1952, Ida was recognized as the Mexican Women's Champion. After hanging up her boots in 1960, Ms. Martinez went on to help early AIDS patients and their families, establish a nursing career, and become a star in western yodeling (where she's known as "The Yodeling Lady"). Today, Ida May Martinez is recognized by numerous organizations for her many contributions to society. Courtesy of G.L.O.R.Y. Legend Of The Ring

Old News or News of The Old

Well, as you can see, Prom 2005 was Saturday. Yay Mark and I were asked to help sponsor the Post Prom Partay and we did. When the dance is over the kids get to play all kinds of games that earn them points. After about an hour of play there is an auction and the kids buy all kinds of donated goodies. Then there are games for an hour, then another auction, then games for an hour and then an auction and...you get the picture. This little gem of a partay started at 11:30 pm and lasted until 4:30(ish). yah We had to go to the shop and check the computers and freezers as soon as we were done there because there was a power surge. Damn surging blankity blank blank. Luckily, everything was okay. That was around 5 am...when I usually get up and I was like, Hey...let's eat eggs and toast and watch TV! Whoo Hooooooo! Katie was already home asleep, Mark nixed that idea and crawled to bed so I, yes the oinker, fixed eggs and toast and stuffed my piehole. Around 6 I too was snoring and slobbering. I'm getting old people. Too old to stay up late in public anyway. I mean, I needed my striped jammie pants and a big T-shirt and my blankie about 11:35.

Prom 2005

I'm Dreaming Of Eighth Grade

Have you ever...cleaned a closet? Isn't it something how a person saves clothes from YEARS and YEARS ago hoping that someday the jeans from eighth grade might fit again (or in my case...the jeans from last year). I couldn't believe the amount of wearable crap that occupied a once empty rectangle of space. I took everything out, made 3 piles (massive gargantuon piles) on the floor...long and short sleeved Keepers, jeans and shorts Keepers, and Thrift Shop. I sorted diligently and had a large amount in the Thrift Shop pile( I kept the jeans from eighth grade...I'm still a dreamer). I was proud! I was also tired of the whole project and began looking in all the bedroom drawers and thus noted that there wasn't even an inch of extra room to cram the "Keepers". I then, you guessed it, began to pile the Keepers into the closet. Layer after layer after layer. The only good thing that did come of this is that I hurried out the door and got the Thrift Shop pile taken care of right away. On a sad note, my closet looks fairly close to the way it did before I cleaned it.

Here's A Mayor Story!

For its mayor, Vegas might well be Gin City Chris Carlson / AP file The Associated Press Updated: 7:15 a.m. ET March 4, 2005LAS VEGAS - Sin City�s mayor made no apologies Thursday after being criticized for extolling gin to a class of fourth-graders. Mayor Oscar Goodman said he was just being himself when he told elementary school students that drinking was one of his hobbies and that the one thing he would want if stranded on an island is a bottle of gin. �I answered the question honestly and truthfully,� Goodman told reporters. �I�m not going to lie to children. I�m not going to say I would take a teddy bear or a Bible or something like that.� Asked by a reporter if he had a drinking problem, Goodman answered, �Oh, absolutely not. I love to drink.� well...I couldn't really pass that up! Taken straight from the news!

Feel The Wrath!

A sad night...a very very sad night. The BP's LOST. Yes, even though we won...we lost more than we won and we are now OUT of the volleyball tournament. fuckity fuckity fuck No black and pink T-shirts proclaiming "We Are Number 1" shall adorn our tired old bodies. We are losers! Yes, I know, we exercised, we got together, we bonded so we are really winners...but in reality we fucking LOST the game so we ARE FUCKING LOSERS! damnit! One of our players, one of our tallest...I mean...THE TALLEST player, who shall now be known forever as REDEYE couldn't come to the games tonight. She showed up at the shop this morning with some kind of lame assed excuse and bilateral brilliant red sclera and constant running rheumy eyes and proclaimed, "I might not be able to come to the game tonight". I asked, Why the hell not? Totally ignoring the fact that as she spoke, a steady river of tears ran down both her cheeks. She was like, Duh...I have an allergy or pink eye or something. I was like...huhhh? I don't even see that. I think you are FINE. I mean, can't you just wear a patch or something? Isn't there a drop you can insert? What the hell do you mean you can't come to the TOURNAMENT??? She shook her head at me, and said, Well, maybe I could come...not sure. I said, Yahhhh...that's what I thought! Be there or suffer the wrath of the BP's! You know the rest of the story...

Go Read This Lovely News

I was on Keith Obermanns blog when I spotted this gem: Two shipments of deadly flu missing, WHO(World Health Organization) says� There is actually an "Influenaza Chief" and his name is Klaus Stohr. He stated that maybe the missing vials of KILLER FLU VIRUS might not have been sent out but he's just not sure. WHAT?! NOT SURE?! Why the hell not?! If I was responsible for a KILLER FLU VIRUS being shipped around to other countries would I not have ckeck points, ummmm, armed guards, tear gas, ummmmmm at the very minimum there would have to be some sort of documentation for shits sake! ps...why the hell does a KILLER FLU VIRUS need to be shipped to other countries anyway? Just destroy it. duh This is a headline that struck me as, well not funny but ironic...Flu cases rise in U.S.; peak may be ahead. Yah...I'm guessing the peak'll be coming along sooner than we realize.

It's The Thought That Counts...Right?

Okay, so I decided I felt sluggish and blagh and thought I wanted to "detoxify" myself. You know, juices, fasting, water, soup. So I was reading about the juices that were best and like, lettuce, celery and cucumbers are the best. Carrots have a lot of sugar so it's best to have other things mostly. I thought, lettuce hmmm that sounds like total ass. A lettuce drink...gag. I mean really, why not just have a lettuce salad and a glass of water instead? So I thought I'd do that for lunch except we are out of lettuce. (we had steak and lettuce salad this weekend for every meal I swear) I found yellow peppers, red onions, grape tomatoes and green peppers and decided to throw them in some olive oil. I know I know...that is not a juice. Nor will it be a drink. As I began to saute the veggies I got a sudden idea! Hey, I thought, why not simmer these veggies, smush the tomatoes and then, put it over spaghetti noodles? That sounds yummy! Of course this is far from a detoxifying diet. Luckily, we are also out of pasta and I'm eating a bowl of veggies instead! So maybe, tomorrow I'll do the juice thing because right now I'm thinking about a big ass cup of java...slobber

Yes I Am Norma Thank You For Asking!

A beautiful weekend! Finally. It's been a busy week for all of us at the shop and I'm beat. I couldn't even go on a bike ride yesterday. Cindy will never let me forget that...damn! I slept all afternoon. What a wussy ass am I. I did get my garden plot mapped out and I think we will get that plowed up today. I'm going to have a lot of herbs (no not those kind) and some veggies and flowers mixed in. I'm going to plant this garden in order to "block" out the 3 dog shit smell that wafts over from the neighbors dog pen. gag There's nothing like going out on your deck in the evening with a group of friends a sack of chips and a cold beer on a soft night then smelling freshly shat shit while being serenaded to by a trio of stupid ass muts! I am SO SICK OF THAT! There is absolutely no reason that dog pen should be nestled up next to our back fence. Damn that makes me mad! I'm going to find a wire cutters and move that freaking fence soon!!! ps...Norma is a sweet little old woman that roams the streets of Cambridge (and always has as far back as I can remember) and she always asks everybody...Are you mad? Are you mad? Is he mad? Is she mad?

And yet another...When Will This Job Be Done story

I thought Alec couldn't surprise me any more. Hahahahahahahahahhaahhahahaahhaha. Night before last he mentioned, casually, Hey Mom, the thrift shop has some really pimpin' clothes I gotta buy to wear to my field trip tomorrow! My eyes looked like a deer in the headlights as I smiled, defined the word "pimpin" and suggested lovingly that he NOT USE IT AGAIN! Last night Alec tells me that yes he did indeed buy some "new" clothes...As a matter of fact he has already washed and dried said clothes. I ask to see them and this is what he shows me...A pink/black silk size 6 women's shirt (!) and a pair of jeans that look strangely like a pair I took recently TO THE THRIFT SHOP myself. He tries on the outfit and I can see what he is trying to achieve, I mean besides the cross dressing potential, I can see a subtle Lenny Kravitz kind of look. The pants hang to just below his waist, showcasing his underoos. I begin carefully...Because there will be bigger fish to fry than clothes...Of that I'm certain. I say things like, Oh honey you don't want to ruin that nice silk shirt on a field trip, and I gently remind him that It's going to be cold out and that won't be warm enough, and even, Won't your buns get cold in that get up? Finally, as he has a rebuttal for each of my arguments, I say, THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL YOU ARE GOING TO WEAR THAT OUTFIT DO YOU HEAR ME!!!!!!!!! Of course this is an example of MY sweet parenting skills that have been put to the max of late. ps...And the answer to the title...NEVER, EVER, EVER

Doctors Remove Leech From Woman's Nose

Okay...you KNOW I couldn't pass up this interesting piece of GROSS yet highly fascinating news! Associated Press Posted April 11 2005, 11:19 AM EDT HONG KONG -- Doctors have removed a leech from the nose of a 55-year-old Hong Kong woman after she swam and washed her face in a stream, a medical journal reported. The woman went to her doctor complaining of nose bleeds and an occasional sensation that something was blocking her left nostril, the Hong Kong Medical Journal said in its April issue. Her family doctor noticed a "brownish mass" in her nostril but couldn't remove it because of heavy bleeding, the journal said. The patient was taken to the emergency room, where doctors identified the problem as a bloodsucking leech. They had trouble pulling it out because the 2 inch invertebrate retracted into the nostril and disappeared, the journal said. Part of the slimy leech was in a passage of her nasal cavity and a larger segment was in her sinus cavity, the article said. Doctors used a nasal spray to anesthetize the dark brown leech that had a sucker on the front part of its body. "After two minutes, the leech moved slowly out of the antrum (sinus) and was retrieved with forceps," the journal said. The woman said that one month before her symptoms developed, she swam and washed her face in a stream while hiking. Doctors checked other members of her hiking group and found another leech in the nose of a man who washed his face in the stream, the journal said. The article said the leech could have caused suffocation if it moved into the patients' larynx, or voice box. * ____ On the Net: A copy of the Hong Kong Medical Journal nose leech article: www.hkmj.org.hk/hkmj/

Wind BLOWS!

I wasted today. Sat around, wandered from window to window staring at the rain. Played the piano...Toneless at best. Surfed the net a bit. Watched the rain a bit. Did a load of laundry or two. Longed to be digging the garden. Looked at garden books. Tried to make a brochure for the coffee shop. And let's not forget...ATE...Like a lumberjack back from the BIG WOODS LUMBERJACK CONTEST. I did get my boys to Sunday school. No church though. Even though I set my alarm and got up before seven. Instead of getting ready for church...I sat in the recliner, got my gray blankie and invited Petie up for a nappy poo. It was sweet I must say. Katie left for an FCCLA thingy in Lincoln. She will be gone until Tuesday night. So it was just me and the boys today. Let me tell you...Two boys and one grown man together, in a house, where you are trapped inside for the most part...Can just about drive one to margaritaville in less than two hours. Mark sat in the recliner for...ohhhhhhhhhh about twelve hours or so today. Now if THAT doesn't make you grind your teeth I don't know what would. gag Not that I did anything productive either. But still...TV...for that long...double gag!! I'm off to try and sleep...

Light Brown Clairol permanent Color Stock Soars! Buy Buy Buy Sell Sell Sell

Grayer By The Minute! Puberty sucks ass. Period Being a parent, (perhaps I should qualify this statement because no matter what...I love my teens) to a puber sucks ass. Exclamation point squared!! I have never ever felt so inadequate in my long (HA HA HA 16 ) years of being a parent. Boys are so much different than girls. Have you noticed that? It isn't just about the stem on the apple...or is it? I think that boys at this age (almost 14) are filled with testosterone at a level that would cause the home security levels to show up in neon and to alarm out TILT TILT TILT. I hope I can dream of some kind of helpful plan tonight...hey...I can hope for the easy way out can't I??

Sudden Realization

Somehow, someway, a majority of the situations I'm dealing with used to be the problems my own parents were dealing with and now it's come full circle. And when the hell did I get old enough to have to deal with teenagers instead of be one? Just when did that happen? I know I know, I haven't been a teenager in a blue moon but I still felt, relatively speaking, young and able, and now, suddenly I feel, well, old and unable.

Today

Things That Made Me Happy: 1) Alec had a check-up today with his Orthopedic Dr. and the X-ray was CLEAR! He was, for the most part, released! We are to get an X-ray next year and send it in to the clinic in Omaha...NEXT YEAR! Nothing could have made me happier than when Dr. Esposito popped that film in front of the light and I saw the healed graft. No sign of tumor...NONE!! God what a relief. Healed. Done and over. Two years of constant worry, constant bloody stubs for fingers, done. I can hardly trust the feeling...Yet. Things That Make Me Dye My Hair: 1) Andrew, while Mark, Alec and I were on the road to Omaha yesterday, got into a fight. With a girl. And...Landed a 3 1/2 days in school suspension. We found out tonight when we got back from Omaha. We walked wearily into the house and instantly thought something was up. My mom and Andrew were sitting, with that "Oh Shit" look on their faces waiting for our return. Mom left, after telling us the good news. It got ugly soon after with lectures and more lectures and crying and angry voices and gray hairs popping up everywhere. Head scratching, reenactment, letter writing and phone calls to superintendents and teachers and parents and my mommy and Cindy and weary head shaking and then, finally hugging and understanding and you get the picture. I feel as if I've aged 10 years in 24 hours. ...At least the dog didn't pee on anything...That I know of...sniffffff

Sleeptyping...A New Blogger Disease

We go to the Big O sometime this afternoon. Alec has a follow-up with Dr. Espisito tomorrow morning. I hope and pray the tumor continues to remain GONE! Of course there is supposed to be strong storms and possible tornadic activity today...as per usual whenever we have to go to Omaha we fight bad weather. Last night we(BP's) had volleyball. WE WON! Both games. I have to think that those poor little teeny boppers hate our asses. I mean to lose is one thing but to lose to us "old broads" has to be like a slap across the cheeks! snicker Anyway, this morning I feel sore and tired. Real tired...I could put my head down on the keyboard and type zzzzzzzz with no trouble at all. I've gotta go or I'm going to fall asleep as I type...gotta get to the shop. More tomorrow or the next day with updates on the appointment.

Okay...GROSS!

Some products are not meant to be REUSED! Some products are not meant to be taken from the big blue ocean and introduced into the dark depths of uhhh yah... Sea sponges are a natural alternative to tampons. They come from the ocean floor, and contain no synthetic materials. One sea sponge will last for about 6 months. To use a sea sponge: dampen it, squeeze it tightly in your hand, and insert it into your vagina. Once in place, it works like a tampon to absorb menstrual flow. A sea sponge needs to be rinsed out about every 3 hours and thoroughly cleaned and dried at the end of each menstrual cycle. In the 1980s, the FDA found that some sea sponges marketed as menstrual products contained potentially harmful bacteria. Today, at least one sea sponge manufacturer (Sea Pearls) claims to sanitize their sea sponges using an environmentally-friendly process, but there are no studies that support that claim at this time. As with tampons, it is possible to get toxic shock syndrome from sea sponges. Hell...not to mention...sea sickness...ughhhh...all over body shudder.... Menstrual cups are another alternative to tampons. Currently available are two reusable menstrual cups ("The Keeper" and "DivaCup"), and one disposable cup (the "Instead Softcup"). Menstrual cups are small, rubber or silicone cups that are inserted into the vagina to "catch" menstrual blood rather than absorb it. The Keeper menstrual cup is made of natural gum rubber from trees. The Keeper is placed inside the vagina a few inches below the cervix and can be worn for 6 to 12 hours depending on your flow, including overnight. When The Keeper is full, simply empty (into the sink, toilet, etc.), rinse with clean water or wipe clean with toilet paper, and reinsert. The Keeper cannot be worn by women with a sensitivity or allergy to rubber. ...okay...THE SINK! gag It can also be used as a toilet plunger in case of emergency! DivaCup is made of silicone, which makes it an alternative for women with latex allergies or who are sensitive to The Keeper. Like The Keeper, DivaCup sits a few inches below the cervix, can be worn for up to 12 hours, including overnight, and it is emptied and cleaned the same way. I wonder...does one look at the Divacup as half full...or half empty?

Too Late For Gingko Bilbao

I read something earlier in a gardening magazine that I wanted to post about. I distinctly said, to myself, Holy crap! I have to put that in my blog. Do you think I can, now that I have a spare minute, think what it was I wanted to write about? H E double toothpicks NO! It had to be related to some kind of flower, herb or vegetable or planting or gardening accessories. I'm sure I'll think of it soon...check back at 2:34 am...I seem to be fairly productive at that time!

Makes One Think

Friend Leslie sent a link to an article about her sister Lisa that appeared in today's Lincoln Journal Star. Lisa has the same type of brain injury that Teri Schiavo did. As a nurse, working in Hospice and Home Health I felt like I was comfortable and definitely for removing the feeding tube...now...I wonder... People, get your family together and talk about your life and then talk about your death. Make your wishes known to your family and then make them legal. This is a wake up call for each and everyone of us.

Dazed and Boring Go Together

My kids have a bigger social life than I do tonight. ha...who am I kidding...everynight! Right now, or so she says to her mama, Katie is at a cheerleading meeting, Andrew is at a teeny bopper birthday partay, Alec is Cosmic bowling with his buds. Us? Why Mark and I are just, well, existing. Mark was watching Field of Dreams which I gag at because it is SO hokey. mouth full of bile aghhh ...so I came here and did this quickly. I'm freaking tired so maybe I'll go to bed....ahahahhahahahahaahhaha chuh right