January Thaw Part 2

Last autumn was a little crazy with illnesses and injuries. As a result I completely forgot to store my lawn ornaments in the shed.

Fortunately I remembered to bring my real kids inside for the winter...

Lettuce have peace

I know it's lame, but it was a long day and I'm REALLY tired.

Kel's reading list

Peer pressure, that's what this is. So many of my fellow 365 bloggers have been posting photos of their latest reading material, so I'm finally caving in and doing it, too. Just please, y'all, don't go jumpin' of any bridges.

First up:

Rachel Carson, The Life of the Author of Silent Spring--by Linda Lear.

For research on my new novel. I've been meaning to read this book for several years, and now I have an excuse.

And:

The Stand--by Stephen King.

Because it's been awhile. And because the author's photo on the back flap was so cheesily 70's that it made me laugh.

Cribbage

Like Napoleon Dynamite, I've learned the importance of developing great skills. Life demands it.

Take cribbage for instance. There's adding skills and pegging skills and shuffling skills; all of which I need to improve upon. My daughter beat me three times in a row last night. It was pretty much the worst series of games I've ever played.

Will I demand a rematch? Maybe I will...GOSH!

Life goes on

One week later, my kids' snowman is missing an eye and an arm, but it's still standing.

Justification

My mother-in-law brought over some pie today. I had a piece for lunch. It can't be any worse than eating Frosted Flakes for breakfast.

Standstill

This was my day.

Futility

What we have here is a failure to communicate

Note the following phone conversation that took place between myself and my beloved hubby last Thursday:

Hubby: I'm on my way home. Do you need anything at the market?

Me: Yep. Can you pick up some milk and a box of cereal?

Hubby: What kind of cereal?

Me: Oh...I don't know. Something healthy.

Fragile

I didn't actually take this picture today, I took it over the weekend. My kids made it. I'm posting it today because it reminds me of how fragile life is, how little time we all really have here in the grand scheme of things, and how we should never take that life, that time, or each other for granted.

Don't know what'cha got till it's gone

Our pipes froze this morning, so I took this picture of our lovely bathroom faucet with it's glorious, clear running water this evening to remind myself to NEVER take the little things for granted.

I probably still will, though.

My Mighty Red Pen

I'm editing my book. Again. I wonder if I'll ever be able to just read the damn thing?

Thievery

I stole the idea for today's picture from my buddy, Elle.

Frugality

Monthly membership fee at local gym: $30.00
One time cost for ergonomic snow shovel: $18.95

We are not amused

My humanitarian daughter apparently has no problem with torturing living animals with doll clothes.

Jelly Man Kelly

I am geekily proud of the fact that everything* in this picture--including the jelly cupboard**--was purchased at various yard sales over the past five years or so. I decoupaged the cupboard doors myself. (Modge Podge glue covers a multitude of dents.) Unlike ramekin, decoupage is a rather silly sounding word.



* Except for the money plant.

** My jelly cupboard doesn't actually contain any jelly. It's filled with boxes of cereal and crackers and the like.

Nor'Easter

This is my pathway at 12:01 A.M. It was the fourth time I'd shoveled it during our storm.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, my buddy Elle is melting in the heat.

Matters of Conscience

My 11-year-old daughter is a big anti-fur girl. Her reasoning: there are plenty of other natural and synthetic materials available for clothing in this day and age, so why kill an animal for no good reason?

Imagine her dismay when, just this morning, she discovered that the kitten knick-knack her best friend recently gave to her is covered with [not faux] rabbit fur.

January Thaw

My daughter found this stem of [insert name of currently unidentified flower/plant here] on our lawn this afternoon, in a puddle of melting snow.

UPDATE:

According to Keni, "It's called 'Honesty.' It's also known as 'Money Plant.'"

Thanks a bunch!!!!

Connections

A friend of mine has been working as a Free Sample Lady at various department stores for about a year. Most recently, she was giving out free samples of Dunkin' Donuts coffee. Guess who she gave the leftovers to?

Flexibility

I was supposed to go to Brewer to go shopping today. ("Shoulda bought it when I saw(r) it at Mardens.") I was going to snap a picture of the faux Little Round Top/Joshua Chamberlain statue at Chamberlain Freedom Park while I was there. I was going to post said photo here. Even more importantly, I was going to swing through the Taco Bell drive thru on my way back home and have a delicious Burrito Supreme® for lunch.

Sadly, the weather had other ideas. Snow, sleet, freezing rain. Those things might not keep the mailman/mailwoman from his/her appointed rounds, but they sure as hell keep me from driving into Brewer. And so...I was stuck doing my laundry.

Confession is good for the soul.

The guy who picks up my trash is wicked cute. Every Thursday I peek out at him from behind my living room curtain.

c

Side effects from Project 365

Because I've been carrying my camera around with me everywhere I go, I was able to snap a few pictures of a gorgeous Maine sky (as Mr. Bob Ross used to say, "happy little clouds") and a super rad flock of turkeys as I was picking my son up from practice this evening. Since I already posted my Photo Of The Day this morning, you can consider these a mere aside.

Rude awakening

Little did Kel know that the package of instant oatmeal she had grabbed from the cupboard that morning was plain, and not her usual brown sugar/maple flavor...

January 8, 2008. 8:05 A.M.

Same view from my front deck as yesterday. Nearly.

January 7, 2008. 7:39 A.M.

View from my front deck.

The path home

After a busy in-and-out weekend, our walkway was a welcome sight this afternoon...

Spam, spam, eggs and spam...

^^^^ Click to enlarge. (Pun intended.)

This really bummed me out.







[Today is 2-for-1 day, since I won't be home on Saturday.]

Six degrees of separation

Yesterday's high temperature: 16F
Today's high temperature: 22F

Enlightenment

Only one of my frequently-used cookbooks encourages cooking from scratch.
Hungry for Home.

Perspective

My kids & I were looking through an old photo album yesterday.

This is me, August 1985. 14 1/2 years old.
I wish I could go back and tell me I wasn't as fat as I thought I was. And that those are the goofiest sunglasses ever. And that mullets are BAD.

Happy New Year

The whole family revels.
Mom cleans up the mess...