tagging

Journal Hopping Tag

Need to find some new reads?  Or just want to make some new friends or need a fresh look on the world from other people's perspective?? Got some time on your hands?Then this game is for you!

  

Here are the rules for a great way to meet 15 folks. The object being to stray away from your journal as far as you can. (Maybe even meet new potential readers for your own journal.)

Start in your own journal . . .
In your "links to other journals" click on someone, I don't care who it is or how you picked them, close your eyes and point if you must. Read their latest entry, then leave them a comment, let them know they are involved in this little game and leave a link back to your journal.

NOW . . . 
From the random journal you selected to be in, click on someone in their "links to other journals," and once again read their latest entry, leave them a comment, let them know they are involved in this little game and leave a link back to your journal. . .

THEN . . .
From that journal go to their "links to other journals," (try to pick someone you don't recognize . . . if they don't have links, go back a step and pick someon new . . . be smart. . . and blah blah blah blah . . . you get the point . . . do this 15 times . . . or how every many you have time for, and if you are an over achiever shoot for 20. :)

I was tagged by TheGirlNextDoor77

Off to do some tagging!

sorrow

Please go see my friend. She has lost her best friend. Horseshoe Bend

Happy Chinese New Year

Happy Chinese New Year! Welcome to the Year of the Red Fire Dog.

Predictions for 2006: Year of the Fire Dog

Love, Labor, Lust and Loyalty Look for These in 2006!

Overview of the Red Fire Dog Year Ahead

Finally, a year to regroup! In 2006, wrongs will be righted, the underdog will become an "overdog" and the idle rich may just become the idle poor. Watch and see. From January 29, 2006 until February 17, 2007 the disquiet, just, fair, loyal, suspicious, critical and sometimes pessimistic RED FIRE DOG will reign supreme, creating an overall positive influence.

Fortunately, we need not BEWARE of this particular dog. Fire Dogs are generally benign, resilient, and compassionate characters--perhaps with a penchant for lust and fierce loyalty to kin and causes. They gripe often, growl when they're angry and whine when they're lonely or hungry. Bottom line? Fire Dogs are a cindery mix of moody combustion and passionate, benevolent concern for their fellow man.

This fiery watchdog will inspire us all in 2006. You'll feel compelled to emulate the playful, loyal aptitude of this great canine pal. Almost instinctually, you'll want to engender the flock's highest mission and work to save the world. You will be obliged to pitch in and give 110%. And you will be rewarded for your labors with a huge cosmic cuddle around hearth and home by the end of this fiery but positive year.

MONEY

The money picture in 2006? Just okay. Don't expect to break the bank at your favorite casino, win the lottery or receive a surprise inheritance. This is not one of those windfall years. You see, a Dog is not the type to easily part with hard-earned cash. It's not that he's stingy. The Fire Dog is a cautious soul. He will definitely inspire you to think a dozen times before impulse-buying anything that you don't actually need.

On top of that, the Dog will beg us all to double our charitable contributions and jingle change into every open hand. Dogs are fervent believers in helping the unfortunate. With so many reasons to give-and there will be tons-try not to give in to too many handouts. You may end up donating all that money you saved.

LOVE and LUST

This year, we will all fall in and out of impassioned love at least once... and many people-more than in a long time-will get married, settle down and make a normal life for themselves and their offspring. But beware, although dogs are oddly loyal in most areas of life, dogs are rarely faithful in the matters of sex, and this year may be proof positive. Dogs don't prevaricate often if they can help it. But where sex is concerned, they fib prolifically.

LOYALTY

Dogs are notoriously faithful to causes, beliefs and institutions, and almost obsessively loyal to family and friends-in fact, they give a warning growl the way a real dog does. The loyalty level this fiery Dog year will reach heights of zeal.

In general, the Dog year 2006 will be a time of rebuilding, renaissance, safety and security. It will bring about massive restructuring of everything from bridges and dams to houses and causes. Closer attention will be paid to environmental issues, reducing global warming, quelling warlike behavior, and improving our planet's longevity. Passions will advance and then retreat. We will embrace new commitments and discover new routes to realize our dreams. It'll be up to each of us - the members of the Red Fire Dog's flock - to manifest our deepest desires for peace and prosperity.

Go here for your own Chinese Horoscope. Have fun with it.

The Rules of Chocolate

  The Rules of Chocolate

1) If you've got melted chocolate all over your hands, you're eating it too slowly.

2) Chocolate covered raisins, cherries, orange slices and strawberries all count as fruit, so eat as many as you want.

3) The problem: How to get 2 pounds of chocolate home from the store in hot car.

The solution: Eat it in the parking lot.

4)Diet tip: Eat a chocolate bar before each meal. It'll take the edge off your appetite and you'll eat less.

5) A nice box of chocolates can provide your total daily intake of calories in one place. Isn't that handy?

6) If I eat equal amounts of dark chocolate and white chocolate, is that a balanced diet? Don't they actually counteract each other?

7) Q. Why is there no such organization as Chocoholics Anonymous?

A. Because no one wants to quit.

8) Money talks. Chocolate sings. Beautifully.

9) Chocolate has many preservatives. Preservatives make you look younger. Therefore, you need to eat more chocolate.

10) Put "eat chocolate" at the top of your list of things to do today. That way, at least you'll get one thing done.

11) If you can't eat all your chocolate, it will keep in the freezer. But if you can't eat all your chocolate, what's wrong with you?

I will trade

Do you have a teenager you want to get rid of? I will trade an 8 year old for the teenager.

   

rains and pours

When it rains it pours. Poor Candy and her hubby are having bad luck heaped on top of bad luck.

First, Candy's car develops a bad power steering fluid leak and needs a pump replacement. This is going to run them around $250 to fix. Second,they lose the house they wanted to rent. This house was perfect. Right down my driveway. Brook would be riding the same bus to school. She would be coming here when she got out of school and go home with no problem. Third, which happened this afternoon, their other car broke a belt. Now that in itself is no biggie, BUT in the process the A/C compressor broke, the power steering pulley broke and a hole is in the radiator. Estimate is over $1000 to repair the car. Combined with the over $3000 still owed on the car it is not worth it. Blue book value is half that. Sigh............ where will it end?

Other than that I had a good day. Found my chickens but did not find any eggs. Gonna have to follow them around and hope to find if they are nesting anywhere. I did find where they are roosting.

Ok I will catch everyone later. Gonna read a bit and play some games.

Jerry Springer

There are a few shows that I totally dislike. Jerry Springer is one of them. I think that it is one show that is degrading to each and everyone in all walks of life, no matter what path you are treading.

Did anybody read about one woman that went to see the show being taped? She went to Chicago to see the show being taped. Because she went there she lost her 3 children to Family Protective Services. Now before you get outraged at that, read the whole story, then become outraged. For those of you who are not AOL here is another link for the story. Sounds like a Springer show in the making.

I hope that this woman never gets her kids back. I would bet a million dollars that this is not the first time she has left her kids alone. More than likely she will do it again if she gets them back.

I am outraged and appalled.

 

this and that

Well this has been a hot and cold weekend. Pat's enthusiasm has cooled a bit but not totally. Real life slapped him in the face and said ok here is the test, deal with it. Need to get him worked up a bit again.

It is raining here AGAIN. Rain is painful for me as well as a few other people I know.  There is reality for me, so I deal with it. Most people around me and that includes Pat, do not realize how much I hurt or even when I hurt. I have decided I am not going to take pain meds because when the pain does become to where I can't tolerate it I want to be able to take something that will help. Right now I can tolerate the pain.

Ok moving on.

I got a couple of chickens yesterday. They are game hens. Not the little ones,these lay a decent size egg. I still have them in the carrier I got them  in. Want to give them a few days of looking at things before I turn them loose. This will be fun. I will have to follow them around and find out where they are laying their eggs. Game hens are notorious for NOT making a nest where you want them too. LOL of course I do not have a chicken coop yet either. I am thinking of going to TS Tractor Supply and getting a couple of Rhode Island Reds (nice big brown eggs) chicks come spring. Unless someone wants to give me a few pullets (young hens) before then, LOL.

Running short on hay. We only have 24 bales left. This will not us last until grass is growing. I am gonna have to buy another round bale. I am getting them cheap from a neighbor, only $15. The problem with round bales is that they cannot set out in the rain for horses to eat. We do not have a place in the dry to keep it. Hopefully it will quit raining soon.

They are talking about an early spring. I would not mind that if it quits raining. I would love to get my garden in early this year. Maybe I could miss some of the bugs that eat the whole crop!

Ok what else?

Oh yes. My daughter and her husband were planning on moving into the little house down the street on Feb 1st taking Brook with them. This has been tearing me up. I am not ready to let her go but I suppose it is time. Anyway, that move will not take place. The owner of the house is now undecided as to what she is going to do. She is thinking of moving back into it herself. That will be fun. Nothing like her back here to set the neighborhood on its ear again. No she is not a bad person, just that her and her ex will be at each other. Theirs is a volatile situation. Not looking forward to that.

So anyway it is time for me to get busy. See everyone later.

Fire

I was reading journals this morning and as I read Judith Heartsong's I was reminded of a frightening yet fascinating subject, fire.

I love building a fire and sitting or standing there feeling the heat from it. The smell of leaves burning brings back pleasant childhood memories of raking leaves and jumping in them. Afterwards we would burn them and poke marshmallows on stick and toast them until they were burnt and gooey. When I smell wood burning, memories are invoked of watching a fire in a fireplace. Even now I can see the smoke as it goes up the chimney, the sparks popping off the logs and the hot embers glowing and sparkling among the ashes. I love the feel and sight of a bonfire, feeling its heat, watching the dance that the flames do as they leap for the sky. I will see a spark fly up in the air. sometimes with my eyes sometimes with my body  I follow it to where it goes. How about camp fires with a low flame just right for cooking? The best fish I have ever had was a rainbow trout wrapped in bacon and a slice of lemon stuffed inside cooked over an open flame outside next to a stream in the Rockies. Ah what memories fire brings,

It also brings other memories, dark, frightening ones. Memories I would prefer not to have. Memories of red lights flashing, sweeping in a circle bathing everything in red, the long drawn out sound of the sirens on fire trucks. Memories of seeing Mrs Reeves, our next door neighbor, being handed out a window in the middle of the night as flames shot out of her kitchen window. Her cries when the fireman laid her dog to one side, old PA had crossed the bridge that night. Then there is the memory of seeing my niece standing in a chair next to the stove when I was 10 years old. She had on a cute 2 piece blue bathing suit with little tiny white flowers on it. Over it she was wearing a white lacy cover up that tied at her neck. I hear ( and I still hear it every time Brook wants to help cook) " o my finger". I turn and see her standing in the chair shaking her finger that had touched the burner. Next I see flames racing up her cover up toward the ceiling and her face. I am screaming for help. My sister's boyfriend comes in rolls her up in one of my mother's new rug. I can still smell the burnt hair and skin in my nostrils, I still feel the fear in my stomach. I still see the skin falling off of her and hear her cries of pain. I remember another fire that took the lives of 2 of my friends and almost took the life of me and my family. It was a heater fire in an old trailer that had no smoke detectors. It was summertime and the heater was not on. We were all going fishing in the morning. My then husband and I along with Candy were going to stay the night and take off early. Around 10 that night Candy got sick and we went home. The next morning we got up as Jeff was still going fishing. We arrived to see an ambulance pulling out and the trailor burnt to the ground. Fire destroyed 3 families that night. Both of them were only the only child of their parents, but that was not the only loss. The young woman that died had just found out the day before that she was pregnant. They were so happy, and was planning a trip home to tell their parents the joyful news in person.

How can something so beautiful and warm and uplifting also be so deadly?

Neck, Pat and cleaning

My neck is better today. I can still feel the pain but it has decreased.

Pat calls me every chance he gets. I think he  misses me. He seems to be having a time of it there. Has made him rethink a few things in his life. I hope he is not thinking of getting rid of me. NAH he would not be calling me so much if he was. He is really up about this program he is going thru. Get this. He has said that he is going to start a journal. I don't know if it will be on line or not, private or public. He will be home tomorrow afternoon sometime.

It has been a long miserable day. It has rained all day long. A little late to be giving us all this rain. We needed it back in September.

I got the bathroom done yesterday. Even cleaned the shower door. Hate doing that. Today I worked in the laundry room. I had Candy and her husband go to the dump today. I did several flings and gathered up 5 garbage bags of throwaways. I could not believe the stacks of magazines I had saved! My shredder has been working overtime. I keep finding little bags of mail that I have saved, for what I don't know. I am determined that by Easter( hopefully Valentine's Day) I will have a neat and organized home. That is my goal anyway.

Well I need to get some sleep. I have to be up in 6 hours to get Brook up for school. Good night everyone.

darn it

Darn it. I miss him.

 

Woke up this morning and my neck was killing me. I must have slept weird last night with him not in the bed with me. I have a couple bulging discs in my neck that will not go away so if I do something stupid I hurt for a while. ???? Wonder what I did in my sleep????

Well off to the bathroom to clean it.

grumble

The next couple of days I will be at odds. Pat is out of town (well not really) until Wednesday. He is attending a seminar called Sustaining Excellence. It is some kind of motivational thing I think. What I mean by not really out of town is he is opnly about 30 miles away in a hotel. Not just a rinky dinky room either. He is in a suite. Grumble grumble. I want to be there with him. If Candy did not have to work tomorrow morning I would go there and stay the night!

O well. I am going to go mope and play games and NOT share the computer! LOL

I am a bad girl...... I had a piece of pumpkin pie for breakfast.
My weight is 183 and my sugar was 91.

Birthday

Today was Pat's birthday. He has been in a foul mood lately and I think one of the things is that he is getting older. He feels (and rightfully so) that he has lost too much of his power. He is talking physical power. He has always been a strong person, able to pick up what he wants, when he wants, and how he wants He has worked a hard physical job all his life. Now he is older and not doing as much because there is so much electronics on trucks nowadays. He really does not grasp the concept that he needs to work with weights or something to build the muscles back up again. O well, he will just have to get over it or work on it! So anyway I made him happy today. I remember his birthday and made him laugh!  LOL. It bounces up and down and rocks a bit and sings Born To Be Wild! LOL

Here is another picture, my ring! It finally came in.

Got to get back in bed.

quote

You've failed many times, although you don't remember. You fell down the first time you tried to walk. You almost drowned the first time you tried to swim. . . . Don't worry about failure. . . . Worry about the chances you miss when you don't even try.
-- Sherman Finesilver, US District Court Judge

this morning

I was just sitting here this morning trying to stay warm. It is 52 outside but for some reason it feels so much colder. Maybe because the sun is not shining... All I know is my nose is cold(so I must not be sick) and my feet are cold. Anyway back to what I was doing. LOL I was sitting here at my computer drinking a cup of tea when I saw a large bird of prey swoop down in the field. Beautiful bird. Large golden brown with white on its belly and yellow at the base of his tail. It had a wing span as big as the buzzards. I just sat here in awe of it's grace. Seeing that hawk just reinforces why I live in the country. Freedom to spread my wings any way I want to.

This bird is not a year round resident. It is only here in the winter time.

if I had my child

I read this little poem today. I don't know who wrote it or I would give credit where credit is due. I know how true it is. It had my head nodding yes to it.

If I had my child

If I had my child
If I had my child to raise again
I'd build self esteem first and the house later
I'd finger paint more and finger point less
I'd do less correcting and more connecting
I'd take my eyes off my watch and watch more with my eyes
I would care to know less and know to care more
I'd take hikes and fly more kites
I'd stop playing seriously and seriously play
I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars
I'd do more hugging and less tugging.

a quiz

Took a quiz today that I found in Kas' journal. It really does discribe me. I think I need to do something here.......

 

Your Social Dysfunction:
Avoidant

You are excessively sensitive to potential rejection, humiliation or shame. You tend to be socially withdrawn, in spite of desire for acceptance from others.

Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

Please note that we aren't, nor do we claim to be, psychologists. This quiz is for fun and entertainment only. Try not to freak out about your results.

Dandy and Bebe

First of all an updated picture of Bebe. He is the singest bied. He will let rip a wolf wistle several times in a row! Chip never sings anymore because Bebe won't shut up!

Next is the newest addition to our family, Dandy, formerly known as Demon. That was not a good name for this sweetie pie. He does not know his name yet, but then again he did not know his last one either.  And no he will not be an inside dog! Yes, he will come in every once in awhile.

Ok I am off of here. Time for my walk.

5'er

Time for the Friday 5er. You can play along too. Copy and paste the questions and leave your link HERE

 

 

 

1.  When was the last time you had mashed potatoes?  Were they regular mashed potatoes or some kind of fancy version?

The last time was sometime before Thanksgiving. They were the regular kind with butter and milk. Of course I had gravy on them!

 

2.  Do you grow your own veggies? Have a garden? If so are potatoes one of the things you grow?

Yes I have a garden. I grew sweet potatoes one year.

 

3. French fried potatoes...do you like natural cut fries, with skin still on or the McDonald's kind? 

Fries are fries.

 

4.  How about potato salad?  Do you like it? Have a family recipe you have used for  years?

I like potato salad. I make the kind with mayonaise but now I use Miracle Whip, less fat and lower calories. I put just about anything in it. LOL one time I put a bit of an orange wine cooler in it because it was so bland and dry ( not enough mayo)

5.  Did you have a Mr. Potato head as a kid?  Ever purchased one for someone else's kid? 

Never had one never bought one.

Bonus question just cause I think potatoes are cool...did you ever put a potato in a glass jar with water and watch the roots grow in school. Like a science experiment?  And does anyone know what the purpose of that experiment is?

Yep, sure did. If I remember correctly it was to teach about things growing.

Something that has been bothering me

Last month I received the diagnosis of type 2 non-insulin dependent diabetes. This did not make me happy. As a matter of fact it down right depressed me. I did not want this. This disease is the reason I lost my Daddy when I was young. Of course there are better tools to keep it under control now then there was for him. I have a meter and I am to stick my finger everyday, twice a day. Not so bad. I know of some that have to do it 5 times a day. I also have a pill I have to take every morning. Actually I have 2 to take. 1 hour before breakfast I take my thyroid pill then I take my diabetic medicine with breakfast. No more skipping breakfast, or eating whole hog. I have 1800 calorie diet that I must follow. It is hard to do. I have to lose 40 pounds. This is even harder to do. I really do not want to lose weight. I am afraid of "dieting". In order to help me, I bought another tool, bathroom scales. I bought them Monday and I dared to step on them Tuesday morning. My weight? 186 pounds. Am I going to weigh myself everyday? Yes. I know that some say don't while others say do. I do know that there will some day's when I will gain( I am female LOL). What I hope for is that actually seeing my weight will help me not snack on the stupid stuff. I have to increase my water intake. I am not a big drinker. Diabetics have a tendency to have kidney trouble and I have a tendency to keep myself a bit dehydrated. That is not good for anybody. I have to stay motivated. I want to be alive to see great grandkids and great great grandkids. It is possible. Control my sugar, lose weight, exercise ( I hate this), lower my stress level, get serious with the whole thing. I have diabetes and can't get rid of it.

Snack time, I eat 5 times a day now in order to keep my levels even. Today it is a grapefruit half and a piece of toast. So if some days all you see is an entry that has food or numbers listed it may just be me recording my blood sugar levels, food intake and weight, exercise times, stuff like that. You can ignore it or not up to you.

Comman Sense

The Sad Passing of Common Sense.



Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend,
Common Sense, who has been with us for many years.
No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth
records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.



He will be remembered as having cultivated such
valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of
the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life
isn't always fair, and maybe it was my fault.



Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial
policies (don't spend more than you earn) and
reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children,
are in charge).



His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well
intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in
place.



Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual
harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended
from school for using mouth wash after lunch; and a
teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student,
only worsened his condition.



Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked
teachers for doing the job they themselves failed to
do in disciplining their unruly children



It declined even further when schools were required
to get parental consent to administer Panadol, sun
lotion or a sticky plaster to a student; but, could
not inform the parents when a student became
pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.



Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten
Commandments became contraband; churches became
businesses; and criminals received better treatment
than their victims



Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend
yourself from a burglar in your own home and the
burglar can sue you for assault.



Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after
a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of
coffee was hot.  She spilled a little in her lap,
and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.



Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents,
Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter,
Responsibility; and his son, Reason.  He is survived
by three stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, Someone
Else is to Blame, and I'm A Victim.



Not many attended his funeral because so few
realized he was gone.



If you still remember him pass this on.  If not join
the majority and do nothing.

just a few things here and there.

It is the new year, 2006. I think I am ready for it. I better be since it is here.

Pat and I went out to eat New Year's Eve and then came home. No way were we going to be away from home when midnight rolled around. The ball dropped and we kissed. After that we were both ready to fall asleep!. I opened the door to put the cat out and guess what I saw? A possum! A huge grandfather size possum! It was bigger that 2 of my biggest cats put together. Just walking along like he belonged ON MY PORCH! I called Pat and told him and that big ole possum skittered away! 

Next day dawned bright. a new day, a new month, a new year, 2006. Woke up with a sore throat and decided not to go to church and expose anybody. We have 3 ladies in my class that are undergoing chemo and/or radiation so they do not need the germs.

Stuck my finger ( much fun) and then took my meds and fixed breakfast for Pat and me. Got my blackeyed peas started and then just played a few games with Pat on the computer. After a bit when it warmed up some we got the horses out and rode. What fun that was! Precious has finally lost weight and I had to shortened her cinch. I still have a problem with her. She is round! The saddle slips on her no matter how tight I make it! She gave me a dream ride. Got right up into a rack and man it was smooth! Crystal gave Pat a bit of trouble. She was spooking at everything!

After that, we put the horses up and I went back inside while Pat did a few things outside( like put some hay in the tack room for me). I finished our lunch of hoppin john and cornbread. Ever had any Hoppin John? It is Blackeyed peas cooked with rice, diced tomatoes and chili peppers. It was so good! Ate lunch, then hopped on the motorcycle for a ride. If you have a bike you have to ride it on New Years Day. Just took a short ride but we had to take one!

Afterwards we went to the store and I got some great buys. I bought chicken and beef broth for 20 cents a can, cranberry sauce 50 cents, white chocolate chips 75 cents, but no pumpkin! Last year I got pumpkin. O well.

Pat and I went yesterday and picked up a new dog. It was going to be put in the pound so we decided to adopt it. It is a collie mix. He is a small dog. His head comes to my knees when he is sitting. He is very hyper right now. Around a year old and has never been off of a chain since he was 3 months old. We have a dog pen that we are keeping him in. i turned him loose this morning and he ran around in circles, barking at everything that moved. The cats are in hiding so he has yet to meet one of them face to face. I am hoping that they get along. Over time I will be able to let him run loose and just put him up at night.

Pat is off to work and now I must get cleaning and cooking. Kids are hungry and I am too.

tagged

I have been tagged! Not once, not twice, but three times by some good people with good journals, Welcome to My Life, Dusty Pages, and Aging Gracefully. If anyone else has tagged I am sorry I missed it. Still catching up on my reading.

So I have to name 5 weird or quirky things about myself. This should not be hard.       Now let me think, 5 things, only 5? Yea only 5 things.  By George I think I have them!  

Here is my list

1. I hitchhiked across the country twice.

2. My towels must be folded twice in half then a trifold.

3. I like hotdogs as long as there is NOT a hotdog on the bun!

4. I do not like chocolate ice cream unless itis vanilla ice cream that has POWDERED Quik mixed in it.

5. I hate sleeping in a made up bed.

There you go 5 things about me.

I am not tagging as just about everybody has already been tagged.