November 30, 2012

  • Between the lines…

    of typed text from the keyboard’s clatter,

    we forge friendships that span spaces

    we may never fill with our physical form.

    But the beautiful bounty brought by these wonderful words

    more than makes up for the lack of tactile touch.

    Bridging the bandwidth with our melding minds,

    we conjure conversations, emit our emotions,

    seek solace, receive responses

    that make our virtual lives no less viable.

    Distance dwindles. The laptop’s link crosses countries,

    condenses continents, conjures new cultures at our calling.

    The meeting place doesn’t matter -

    only that it’s ongoing, rising to receive

    more of the wonderful words

    we find at our fingertips the moment we

    Sign In.

     

    (by me. Nov 30, 2012)

October 30, 2012

  • Well, d’uh! (Nov 5, ’09)

     
    So far today I have…
    *Opened the coffee can to brew a pot, and couldn’t find the plastic spoon I keep in it. I’d just washed dishes and thought “must’ve washed it, too”. Took one out of the rack, and as I shoved it into the coffee I found the original one hiding in the grounds. “Ah! There it is!”. So I shoved the second one in too, put the lid on and put the coffee away. Without brewing any. 
     
    *Totally missed an obvious joke by Bill on my previous blog. It took a comment from Lynn for me to even notice.
     
    *Rolled the sleeves down on my sweater so I could get my jacket on before grabbing my purse and going out to the post office with my neighbour. I was halfway there and freezing my arse off before I realised I forgot to put the jacket on.
     
    *Gone to hang laundry on the line and realised I’d forgotten the pegs. Went back to the washroom to get them and found a sock on the floor. Picked the sock up and walked back to the field with it. Without the pegs.
     
    *Totally got my friends here mixed up ~ my comments on Tallulah’s blog…
     
     
     
    mousepotato66 wrote today at 3:22 PM
    Wow, some truly horrible zombies there! D’you know Tallulah, here at Multiply? I think you do. Isn’t she from Billings? They had snow there recently. I’m glad you got better weather!
     
    mousepotato66 wrote today at 3:24 PM
    OMG. I thought I was on Abby’s blog! (photographicpassions). Hahahaha! I just saw the avatar, a resin doll, and just thought it was Abby. Oh god I’m such a dork today.
     
    mousepotato66 wrote today at 3:25 PM
    Btw… do you know Abby? From Illinois? I did wonder what she was doing in Billing. Hehehehe.
     
     
    Is it time for bed yet?

  • 100 Things… Stolen from Kitty (Nov 18 ’09)

    I saw this over on Kittygory’s page last night, and it was a neat read as we’ve only recently connected here and I learned a bit more about her. Nice one Kitty!
     
    I’ve made a few other friends here too, in the past couple of weeks… KK, Jan in Holland… so I figure stealing it and doing my own could be a good idea. (Or not as the case may be! I don’t think there’s anything too scary coming up. :)
     
    So here we go…. 
     
     
     
    “I found this on a friend’s page, and took her up on the invitation to see if I could make my own list…
     
    1) I have been a Registered Nurse for over 10 years.
     
    2) I have broken my left wrist twice in one year, when I was 10, and spent April to September in plaster.
     
    3) I have four gaps from having teeth pulled due to abcesses.
     
    4) I have read eight books back to back in just over two weeks ~ Orson Scott Card’s “Ender” series of four, and four of the “Bean” spin offs.
     
    5) I just Wiki’d Scott Card ad discovered there have been three more published since, yay!
     
    6) I have cross-stitched several large pieces which I framed and hung up on my walls in England.
     
    7) I have eaten homemade quince pie, made by our hausfrau, Ermi, when I lived in Berlin.
     
    8) I have knitted several monkeys.
     
    9) I have rolled my own cigarettes for over 20 years.
     
    10) I have always been mad at myself for ever starting to smoke.
     
    11) I have interviewed the band Sad Cafe for my school magazine when I was 16.
     
    12) I have Ed “Stewpot” Stewart’s autograph.
     
    13) I entered an Ed Stewart radio competition and won a pair of fluorescent yellow armbands. I still remember my winning poem.
     
    14) I have watched my football team win the F.A. Cup Final at the original Wembley Stadium in London.
     
    15) I have grown a garden full of vegetables.
     
    16) I have learned how to can and freeze them.
     
    17) I have no children.
     
    18) I was born in Munster, Germany.
     
    19) I have lived in three countries.
     
    20) I have spent periods of time in three other countries with my first husband, who worked abroad in construction.
     
    21) I have paid £25 to have IV valium administered, for a tooth filling costing £6.
     
    22) I have never overcome my fear of dentists.
     
    23) I have had a wild “pet” raccoon for a month.
     
    24) I have won an Easter Bonnet Parade, despite the fact that the tie on my bonnet broke and I cried all through it.
     
    25) I have blamed my brother for something really bad I did as a child, and let him believe it was him, for years.
     
    26) I have been owned by many cats, at one point by five at once.  Dizzy, Tabby, Shreddy, ClingOn and Sweep.
     
    27) I have had a driving licence for over twenty years, but have only been a driver for a little under a year.
     
    28) I have passed the US nursing exam, the N-CLEX, with the minimum of correct answers required and in just over an hour.
     
    29) I studied for it every day, before or after my shifts at work, for eight months.
     
    30) I have grown a pot plant from seed.
     
    31) I have passed the beginners, intermediate and advanced RSA typewriting exams.
     
    32) I have totally forgotten what RSA stands for.
     
    33) I have played Eliza Doolittle in a school production of “My Fair Lady” and hated it.
     
    34) I have started practicing singing “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” for my required “turn” at the family Thanksgiving get-together this year. *Rolls eyes*
     
    35) I have visited Amsterdam three times, with three different men, at three different times ofthe year, and loved it each time.
     
    36) I have visited Stonehenge.
     
    37) I have made my own leather thong knotted bracelet.
     
    38) I have two tattoos.
     
    39) I have several piercings.
     
    40) I have not watched television regularly since I moved here.
     
    41) I have lived with a heroin addict.
     
    42) I have escaped one relationship by packing my belongings and doing a runner while he was at work, after planning it for weeks. It was brilliant!
     
    43) I have not had a bath for over a year.
     
    44) I have dreamed about having a bath for over a year.
     
    45) I have watched the sun set in a desert in Saudi Arabia.
     
    46) I have ridden on the Peak Tram in Hong Kong.
     
    47) I have eaten shark in black bean sauce.
     
    48) I have had a lifelong dislike of raw tomatoes.
     
    49) I have owned a camera for as long as I can remember.
     
    50) I have owned goldfish called Benson and Hedges.
     
    51) I have watched baby pigs being born.
     
    52) I have met several online friends and hope to continue doing so!
     
    53) I met my husband on Yahoo 360 in August 2006. 
     
    54) I have survived the US Immigration process!
     
    55) I have worn glasses since I was about 5 years old.
     
    56) I have a fear of becoming sick or having an accident without medical insurance.
     
    57) I have had three written warnings in ten years.
     
    58) I have not spoken to my father for some 15 years, nor want to.
     
    59) I have one younger brother, no sisters.
     
    60) I have celebrated Chinese New Year, in China.
     
    61) I have been punched in the face by a patient at work.
     
    62) I have held more than one patient’s hand as they died.
     
    63) I have a fear of not being good enough.
     
    64) I have an obsession with my home being tidy.
     
    65) I have a hatred of soot.
     
    66) I have never read the Bible, though I still have the copy my mum was given when she was at school, dated 1953.
     
    67) I have gotten lost in a hedge maze.
     
    68) I have done naughty things on top of Lime Street Railway Station in Liverpool.
     
    69) I have a love of recipe books.
     
    70) I have kept the first album I ever bought, when I was 11. “Parallel Lines” by Blondie.
     
    71) I have strong memories of a bluebell wood, very close to home when I was very small.
     
    72) I have grown up as an Army Brat.
     
    73) I have stopped dyeing my hair after nearly 30 years of not knowing what it’s real colour was.
     
    74) I once lost 1 1/2 stones (approx 9 kilos) by cutting my fat intake to no more than 30g a day and walking everywhere, in four months.
     
    75) I have been a chewing gum chewer since I started my nurse training in 1995.
     
    76) I have worked as a shop assistant, a waitress, a telesales rep, a care assistant and a registered nurse.
     
    77) I have seen sights to make your hair curl when working with elderly/invalid clients in their own homes.
     
    78) I have never been arrested.
     
    79) I have been pulled over by the police here in Thornville, and totally flustered the officer with all my reams of English paperwork.
     
    80) I have fixed a broken muffler with an empty can of peas, tin snips, and a couple of hose clamps.
     
    81) I have had my photograph taken professionally after winning a “makeover” contest.
     
    82) I have crocheted a blanket big enough for a king-size bed. It cost me twice as much to post it here for Shane as it did to make it.
     
    83) I have been living a totally different life since moving here from England, in every way.
     
    84) I have set myself a target of studying and completing 5 hours of Continuing Education for nursing, each week.
     
    85) I have no desire whatsoever to join Farmville.
     
    86) I have played squash in 140 degree heat in Saudi Arabia.
     
    87) I have walked a mile in that same 140 degree heat, loaded with groceries and finding the taxi office closed, only to be told when I got back to the camp that they would have sent the minibus to collect me if I’d phoned them. I cried.
     
    88) I have become friendly with a giant beetle then trodden on it by accident and killed it.
     
    89) I have signed the paperwork allowing the hospital to turn off my mum’s life-support.
     
    90) I have wanted to be an English teacher, a librarian, and a mounted policewoman.
     
    91) I have served burgers & chips at half-time at a football match.
     
    92) I have attended more funerals than weddings.
     
    93) I have got drunk and climbed onto a restaurant table, singing along to “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen at the top of my lungs.
     
    94) I have tidied my bedroom, then got stoned later and completely forgotten about it until I’ve discovered the lovely surprise of a tidy room when going to bed hours later. 
     
    95) I have collected empty glass bottles for recycling, and then not gotten round to taking them until they’ve become an artistic feature on the floor of my kitchen.
     
    96) I have sliced the side of my tongue open, charging over a broken fence and screaming, hockey stick in hand, and running my mouth into the strand of wire that was still there along the top.
     
    97) I have always loved “scenery” ~ sunsets, crowded cities, empty beaches. Everything.
     
    98) I have never liked flashy sports cars. (Except red Mustangs belonging to Boo, of course. ;)
     
    99) I have started knitting a shrug for Shane’s daughter for Christmas. It’s killing my wrist but it’s looking good.
     
    100) I have managed to think of 100 things. The End.
     
    How about you? :)

     

  • Facebook Faux Pas (Nov 24 ’09)

    Sent via email by my Buddy in OK. Thank you! :D
    Just a few examples of why we need to “Be careful out there”! 
     
     
    ~*~
     
     

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    ~*~~*~
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    ~*~
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    ~*~~*~
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    ~*~
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    ~*~~*~

  • Omigod. This is getting ridiculous. (Feb 12, ’10)

    Last week a Chickadee flew into the camper window, and the cat was on it like lightening. Nothing I could do but clean up a few stray feathers later.

     
    So when I heard a BANG on the window yesterday, I dashed out quick before Junior knew what was happening, and found a female Cardinal on the floor, looking decidedly crooked in the neck. :(
    But I picked her up, walked up to ask Pops for advice, and while we were talking she gave herself a shake and flew off into a nearby tree. Yayyyy!! 
     
     
     
     

     
     
    So about 20 minutes ago, I’m sat here blog-hopping and minding my own business when I hear ANOTHER huge BANG on the window! Same scenario as yesterday, a female Cardinal. Good grief! I’m not even dressed yet!
     
     
     
     
    A second rescue. Look in the top left corner ~ that’s Junior, the bird-eater.
     
     
     
     
    I’ve carried her over to the tree where the feeder is hanging. She’s sat there now, gathering her wits and starting to look a bit perkier. I’ll keep an eye on her and make sure she’s okay.
     
     
     
    I think I need to buy rubber netting for the windows. :)

  • Farmville Shame (March 24, ’10)

     
    I’ve just got up, and as usual gone to check my emails before doing anything else. I had a notification for a message sent to me on Facebook by my long-time friend from 360, Phil, after a comment I left on his page yesterday. What a brilliant way to start the day! ….
     
     
    Subject: Farmville Shame.
     
    Apologies Ma’am for any farmville related nonsense on my page. Please don’t think of me differently for having played it. I can honestly say that it was not my idea to join this pointless farming community, and the blame lands firmly on my partner for this debasement of all I stand for. Unwittingly, in her hunger for more xp and ‘farm bucks’ the request to add me as a neighbour was not one of which I had any opportunity to refuse. Said refusal would have cost me dear, and as such, the request was honoured.
    It is with deep regret that you have found out this way, and I am currently doing my utmost to seek appropriate counselling for this problem, and will in future, endevour to ignore any further personality disordered games that rely on being ‘popular’ to gain success.
    Until then, remember me how I use to be, not what I have become. I still dream of the day that the internet will return to the use intended; porn and lol cats.

    Think of me during this period of struggle, and maybe a prayer or mantra to help purify my distorted soul.

    Your ever willing gimp,

    Phil x

  • “You might have seen me very busy at the weekend, uh-oh…” (May 17, ’10)

    … lick lick and polishing my beep beep 
    into sha-a- ape…” :D
     

     
     
    ~*~*~*~*~
     
    A few little rusty spots, a full beam light out, and a broken rear suspension to be worked on…
     
     
     
    ~*~*~*~*~

     
    …but nothing we’re too concerned about. :)
    I’m getting used to the gears, and only stalled it once so far today.
    I’m a happy mouse! :D
     
     
     
    And remember this! 

    You don’t need anythi-i-i-i-ing after an icecream!!
     

  • Ten Thought Tuesday – the “Then & Now” Edition (May 18, ’10)

     
     
    A few friends have mentioned over the last couple of years how “difficult” or “harsh” my living conditions out here at the tree farm seem, and I can see their point! No bathroom or running water in the camper van, a cobbled-together heating system in the winter (though it DOES work really well, it just needs a lot of babying), etc etc. I even got told “jesus, you are a cavewoman”, lmao!! :D
     
    It’s had me reflecting a lot over the last couple of weeks about the differences between my life Then, back in Liverpool UK, and my life Now, here at the tree farm in Thornville Ohio.
     
    1) Then: Being woken by the sounds of my neighbour in the apartment below me retching and groaning and turkeying because he hadn’t been out shoplifting yet for cash for his breakfast heroin fix. That, or the sound of him beating up his girlfriend because she’d woken before him, found the little stash he’d hidden away for his breakfast fix, and taken it herself.
     
    Now: Waking up to birds singing, and occasionally Junior meowing on the doorstep outside because he thinks I’ve had a long enough lie-in now, if I don’t mind, and he’s hungry. Thank you very much. :)
     
    2) Then: Walking around the local streets and having to tiptoe around all the dog crap everywhere.
     
    Now: I think I’ve forgotten what dog crap even looks like! I just have to watch for unwary toads after it’s rained.
     
    3) Then: Night skies made a blur by the thousands of city lights.
     
    Now: Night skies so crystal clear and full of stars that sometimes it’s like daylight at 3o’clock in the morning.
     
    4) Then: Thinking “Moonshadow” was just a song by Cat Stevens.
     
    Now: Discovering that they exist! And I actually have one of my own sometimes. :)
     
    5) Then: Being constantly hemmed in by rows of brick and concrete houses, so close across the narrow road I couldn’t see sky out of my window.
     
    Now: Being surrounded by 70 acres of woodland – as much space as I’ll ever need.
     
    6) Then: Falling asleep to the sounds of cars racing by, fights in the street (or in the apartment below me), and windows being bricked on a regular basis – occasionally mine if the thrower was too wasted to remember which window belonged to my downstairs neighbour.
     
    Now: I fall asleep to the gentle hum of the fan, or crickets chirruping away outside in the undergrowth.
     
    7) Then: The constant fear of having my apartment broken into and burgled every week I worked night shifts, which was often.
     
    Now: The safety of living in the middle of nowhere and going out for as long as I like and only shutting the door to keep Junior from sneaking in and raiding the fridge. :)
     
    8) Then: Having a 20-year-long phobia of driving, and only using my licence for ID if I had a parcel to collect at the Post Office.
     
    Now: The pure JOY of driving on the right (as in right hand side, and CORRECT!) side of the road and LOVING it!
     
    9) Then: The total “blah”ness of English weather, with a couple of weeks of sunbathing around August if I was lucky.
     
    Now: Experiencing full and proper seasons, from ice storms to heatwaves.
     
    10) Getting together with the love of my life every six months or so, for not much more than 2 weeks at a time. For two years.
     
    Now: Having him home every weekend (bar hiccups, lol!), and usually at least once overnight during the week.
     
    I don’t think there’s much comparison really, eh? :)
     
     
    Tune in My Head
     

  • “If I Were” – Stolen From Cassie (And a Mousie Photo for Boo. :) (May 24, ’10)

     
     

    If I were a month…

    I would be April, the month of my birth. I can be very “taxing” at times, and stubborn like a ram. A bit rough around the edges, but when treated right I am sparkling and clear… pure diamond, like my gemstone.
     
    If I were a day… 
    I would NOT be Wednesday, the day of my birth. “Full of woe” is an alien concept to me, no matter what life may throw at me. Make me Friday… full of anticipation for what’s soon to come.
     
    If I were a time of day…
    I would be dusk – quiet and still and serene but bubbling with life underneath.
     
    If I were a season…
    I would be Autumn, crisp and clear, yet mellow and reflective.
     
    If I were a direction…
    Forward, always forward. 
     
    If I were a drink…
    I would be a good Merlot – rich and smooth and heavy with flavour. It goes well with cheese. ;)  (Plus I’m full of it right now and it feels rather GOOD. Hehehe.)
     
    If I were a musical instrument…
    I would be a harp – gentle and melodic. It’s a rarely heard instrument, and I always get a kick out of it on those rare occasions I hear one played. It’s magical and fairy-like, and sings to me of Mother Earth.
     
    If I were a fruit...
    I’d be a peach. Soft and fuzzy if taken at the right time. And juicy.  :)
     
    If I were a food…
    I would be a potato. They may seem boring when you first hold one and turn it over in your hand, but they hold so much promise and adaptability. I’m not very starchy though.
     
    If I were a celebrity…
    That’s never going to happen, lmao! Nor would I want it too… I’m not one for being in the spotlight. I like to blend into the background and watch what’s going on around me, un-noticed.
     
    If I were a color …
    Red and yellow and pink and green, orange and purple and blue… 
     
    If I were a book…
    I would be a book of photography… wonderful images of flora and fauna, all taken by yours truly. One can dream, eh? :)
     
    If I were a song…
    I would be ‘Perfect Place” by Voice of the Beehive… because it’s what I strive for every day of my life.
     
     
    “I will walk alongside the old man, who feels so alone as everyone rushes by him…”
     
    If I were a movie…
    I would be something inspirational, which is a bit weird as all my favourite movies tend to be things like “True Romance”, “Casino” etc… mobster-type movies. Go figure!
     
    If I were a flower…
    A sunflower, without question. Wide open and blooming with pure sunshine and warmth. I’ve got over two dozen “Teddy Bear” sunflowers popping up in flats in the greenhouse… midget sized (not quite like me, lol!), happy and fun and fuzzy round the edges. (Even when I’m not full of Merlot!)
     
    If I were a facial expression…
    I would be a smile. “Smile and the world smiles with you, frown and you frown alone”. And even if the saying that it only takes 17 muscles to smile but 43 to frown is wrong… it doesn’t hurt to be optimistic, and yes, smiling is contagious. It can make a stranger’s day and that’s always worthwhile. :)
     
    P.s… “Mousie”, “Mouse”, “Rodent Tater”, “Spudrat”, even Sue! They’re all good with me Cassie. :)
     
    And p.p.s… I’m going to break the rules and steal this for my blog too. I have a special “I steal things” tag that is feeling somewhat lonely. Hehehe. 
     
    Oh! And p.p.p.s… Does this really look like an exploded alien holding its guts in?? That’s what Shane AND his dad AND his nephew tell me. I’ve got it stuck on the hood of my car. It’s my “Universal Child”. *Sigh…* :P

  • Ten Thought Tuesday (June 15, ’10)

    ~*~

     
     

    1) This is a very LATE Ten Thought Tuesday,  but we had a power outage for a couple of hours this morning, plus work in the garden kept me busy as usual so I only popped onto Multiply here and there. Better late than never eh? :)  

     
    2) The photo above is of our gorgeous elderberry bush… there are a couple of them nearby and they’re just glorious right now! Millions of flowers all over the place. I’m thinking of having a go at making elderflower cordial with them. I used to buy it back in England and make up huge jugs of it at work, full of ice, when the weather was hot. Kept us going really well on the ward. :)
     
    3) Talking of gardening, it’s been a bloody nightmare! The wet weather has suited the grass and weeds perfectly, and to be honest I was totally losing heart with it. I’d walk up there to do some work… and feel defeated before I even started. Ugh. This was my mess, before the weekend…
     
     

    ~*~

     
    But my lovely hubby came to the rescue on Sunday! Weed-eated all the pathways between the plots, and totally roto-tilled the area where sweetcorn was supposed to be growing but was coming along crap. It looks so much better!! I can see where I am now, lmao! I’ve re-marked and re-planted the corn area with new seed, and the weeding of the plots is going great. :)
     
    ~*~
     
    Right down at the bottom end is a row of potatoes… we’ve got really high hopes for them! Shane says he’s never seen spud plants grow so tall… I had to stake them, they were shading out the sweet potatoes altogether, hehehe. I cannot WAIT for my first proper chip butty, once they’re ready for harvesting! *Drools a bit at the thought*. :)
     
    4) I’m growing gourds too. I like the idea of making them into birdhouses to send back to the UK for presents for friends. :)
     
    ~*~
     
     
    Or even funky lamps!!
     
    ~*~
     
    Omigod, I’d LOVE something like that! Shane tells me I have too much time on my hands. I stick my tongue out at him. :)
     
     
    5) I’m hoping all this green stuff will help to offset my carbon footprint. The Nature Conservancy has produced a carbon footprint calculator, which Bill highlighted a few days ago. Mine was 21, much lower than I’d expected ~ but also a “could do better”.  (Apparently it doesn’t work in the UK… see Paul, I notice what’s being said! ). So here’s a UK version. :)
     
    6) It’s been another good week for watching old movies! My favourite was “You Don’t Mess With The Zohan”, starring Adam Sandler as a Mossad agent who fakes his own death so he can move to America and fulfill his dream of being a hairdresser. FUNNY FUNNY movie!! I thought he was brilliant in it! Here’s a little taster…
     
     

     
    I really enjoyed it. How he managed to keep a straight face with some of the antics in the salon going on, I don’t know! (I wish I’d watched the extra DVD with all the out-takes and stuff now, I bet it was hilarious!)
     
    7) And that was a nice little segue to this… after the hatchet job Shane’s daughter gave my hair a few weeks back (months?? even??), it’s grown back to a length where I can braid it again. WOOT. :)
     
    ~*~
     
    (Have you ever tried to take a photo of the back of your head? It’s fraught with logistical nightmares. Was for me anyway. But that might have been the half bottle of wine, I guess… hehehe.)
     
    8) Progress is slowly being made on my car. Well, working out what’s wrong with it, anyway! Shane got down and dirty with it last Sunday, and decided it was the solenoid. (sp??). Pops has managed to get the starter out of it completely today, and after testing it, thinks the entire thing may be knackered. *Sigh….*  But apparently a brand new one is only around $150, so we’ll probably go and get one tomorrow after Shane gets home at lunchtime. I am SO ready for that car to be ON THE ROAD! I love this tree farm… but man, I feel like a prisoner in paradise sometimes. 
     
    9) My camera is pissing me off. It’s been temperamental for ages now, and I’ve not been able to get it to even turn on at all today. :(   I really miss it. I’ve often said that I feel like I walk around with a lens strapped to my eyeball… and today I could have done with it. Momma cat’s five kittens are all in the greenhouse for some strange reason, and I would have captured a wonderful shot when I walked in there this afternoon to see them all huddled together looking at me, eyes wide as saucers! Maybe tomorrow, eh? :)
     
    10) Yesterday was better though. Hehehe. Our hummingbirds have a very discerning taste… they like my maple syrup! I had an inch left in the jar which had crystalised, so I added water, heated it to dissolve, and put it in the feeder to see what happened. THIS is happening, about every 20 minutes or so… :)
     
     
     

     
     
    Aren’t they just the most gorgeous little creatures?  Things like that make my prisoner status easier to bear. :)
     
     
    Tune In My Head