cleaning out, new acquisitions,classy slippers

I saw a few comments about the crafts in the last entry. I didn't bother answering any of them via email because I knew I was covering it in this next entry.

So one day about a week ago or so, I got tired of seeing the over filled baskets in the hall closest. They were put in there to make life easier for us instead of having all this little stuff scattered in there. The system seems to work well, except when we get lazy and just toss stuff in...which is most of the time. *laffz* Anyhow, I got it cleaned up and had to re-adjust what got put with what other items. At one point, my items only took up one basket. Thanks to my mom (and a great sale at Bath and Body Works) my stuff now takes 2+ baskets. Oh my! You see, mom used to work for Gottchalk's and was forever getting samples from the girls at the perfume counters to send off to me. If that wasn't enough, she'd send perfume sets for Christmas. Some of you remember that I'd mentioned getting the same set two years in a row. You can see them in the above photo...one's still in its box. Anyhow, she's telling me that she's looking to get into a different industry and not stay in retail so I'm hoping this is the last of the perfume because as it stands, with as often as I wear it, I have YEARS worth of scents in those baskets! If she ends up in retail again, I may send her the picture and just write "Please, for the love of God, NO MORE!" *laffin* I may do it anyhow just to get a laugh out of her.

This little beauty I found in the local Salvation Army store. If the matching piece had been in better condition, I would have bought it too. I figured it was a great deal at $4.99 as something like that runs nearly $10 or more brand new in the department stores. That piece next to it is a dolly my mom had sent me for Christmas. The kitty will look better with some of the other "girls" but I don't have them unpacked yet. I'm hoping to get a nice lighted case one of these days so I can get them displayed properly. As it stands right now, there isn't enough room for them to come out of their boxes yet. Besides, I don't want to unpack them to simply have to pack them back up in a few months. I reminded hubby about our choices again today regarding the living arrangement we're in but I don't think he was overly receptive to that kind of conversation yet. All I got was an "I know" but no details. Men!


A few weeks back, hubby called me from work and let me know that his friend had just come back from vacation and had very generously bought all his friends a bit of beach front property. Wow. Ok, maybe a time share? That would be cool. Get outta the house for a weekend and put the camera through its paces. Then I noticed a couple days later the item below sitting on the DVD case under the thermostat:
Ok, quit ya groaning. Don't you dare tell me you didn't see THAT one coming from a mile off!

The last picture is for punkn Deanna. These are the leopard "they're classy cuz I say they are" slippers I mentioned in an earlier entry. They're my favs to wear around the house. If I could wear them out to every place else, I would. Could ya see me popping into Olive Garden wearing these?
Had a follow-up appt with the allergy dr today to discuss how the treatment is going. She's said that it seems like those that have the roughest time with the build-up shots (like I've been having) tend to have better results in the long run and the serum helps. That's good to hear. We're hoping to get me off the expensive daily pill and have me down to just the OTC meds and possibly just the one spray during peak season. That would be awesome. Good news though...all this hard work for my weight is paying off. No, I didn't get weighed...but I did have my bp checked. I came in with a beautiful 115/60 (normally I'm a 120/80 or 118/78 or so). Yeah, I'm stoked.

After the appt, we went shopping a bit. Stopped in to Burlington Coat Factory because their window advertised a HUGE clearance sale. Gosh that store's gotten rough looking. I don't remember shopping in one of them before with it looking so rough. Ahh well. Found a nice pair of jeans that fit but would feel nicer with a couple more pounds gone. Definitely NOT "that time" jeans. They don't have the stretch that my usual pairs have but I was pleased to see the 22W fit anyhow (especially after the 24W I tried on before it wouldn't even snap!). God bless the Gloria Vanderbilt lines! Best bet? The original tag price was $21.98 (which makes me suspect it was a first mark down price and they'd been much higher at one point) and the mark down price on the tag now? $9.99. Yep. A bit over $10 and I have a nice pair of jeans. Women's sizes NEVER come that cheap. I may have to pop in again another day and give a proper look around.

Went to AC Moore because I needed to replace some of my brushes. I walked out with only 3 new spotters (brushes are expensive...*sigh*) but that's ok. It'll do. I have a few more items I want to pick up but since they didn't have the canvas sizes I wanted, I didn't bother getting the rest of the supplies for the projects in mind. JoAnn's is less than a half mile from the townhouse and in easy walking distance so I'll just wait until a coupon shows up in the paper and get the stuff later. I'm in no hurry to do those projects yet anyhow. I still have plasters to paint. I have about 10 pieces that I just finished the other day. All that they need is the felt glued to the bottom so I think I'll do that tomorrow. Or maybe Monday.... I really need to consider an internet free day during the week so I can concentrate on my crafting. It might be a Sunday or Monday. I haven't decided yet which day. I do know it needs to be a day when the hubby isn't around to pester me.

Afterwards we went to Best Buy and I drooled over the toy I've been wanting. Some of you might remember that I'd mentioned it sometime before this past Christmas but never got it (if I had you KNOW I would have blogged about it). I just didn't see spending nearly $200 on an item I can get via Amazon for $150 (and if I get it during one of those no shipping costs if you spend x amount...that'd be great!). If I get the smaller one, I can get it for around $85 on Amazon. Not a bad deal, but not something I can justify after spending over $30 on Amazon already this last week.

I met a couple neat bloggers the last couple days or so and would like to welcome them to my corner of the web. Feel free to wander around all the blogs that seldom get maintained. There's plenty for everyone here. While I was checking out their sites, I found a couple that I really like and have added them to my blog roll. There's another game I may just end up playing one of these days ...actually 2 new games. With one of them I'm thinking of adding a twist to it. Maybe adding these games will inspire me to at least post a bit more often.

I think I close this for now. I have one more entry that's in draft form right now (read: the pictures are loaded, I just gotta write about 'em) that I expect to drop either tomorrow or the next day. There's yet another sitting in my email inbox and there are a few more pix in the camera to upload...I got some new nail polishes. You should SEE the shade I'm sporting today (and no it's not Adam Lambert blue!).

pictures promised

Here are the pictures I promised awhile back.

A picture of hubby and his sister on her wedding day. Such a skinny young thing. He must have been in his mid 20s here and was rocking a Clark Gable-ish look. Well, at least that's what he looks like to me with that mustache he's sporting.

As you can see, the man rarely smiles unless he's threatened.


These last few are of the swords we picked up at that flea market we visited during our TN trip.

Gonna make this one a short entry as we've been out all day and I still have a ride to do and laundry to fold and dinner to warm up. Tomorrow we're going out to do a bit of shopping. I think I'm gonna go load up on some art supplies. I want to paint a couple more of those butterfly pieces but I'm gonna have to fudge them because you can't get the kits anymore. I also clicked a pic on our trip that's inspired me to try something. It may end up like shit, but then it may end up awesome, who knows.

While we're at the craft shop, I'm going to see if they have any of the little plaster kits that I loaded up on at Michael's a few weeks back. I've got several more entries coming up in short order. One of them will look familiar to Dorkys. I figure it'll be a great way to rehome some of the stuff I have here. Cheating, yeah a bit, but it IS stuff I did myself so it counts, right?

Just for fun, cops, decor and more

Got this one off from Jeannie's blog a few weeks back. I'd really meant to post it within a day or two of doing the quiz....

You Are Soft Serve

You are laid back, peaceful, and accepting. You are easy to please, and you enjoy letting others do things their way. People might be surprised to know that you're experimental and funky - at least in your own mind. You are open to wherever life takes you, even if it's very unconventional.

What Frozen Treat Are You?

I wanna thank those that came in to wish me a Happy Birthday (I see a couple new names..YAY! Feel free to visit again.), but someone announced it a wee bit early. I'm not a July baby. Actually, I should have been... however, even from birth the female gene for "fashionable late" was kicked into high gear. Yeah, that's right...I'm going into this particular birthday kicking and screamin and certainly don't wanna be 40 until I damned well HAVE to be.

I see a few of you picked up on the cops comment. Well a few nights ago, I popped into bed early and did a bit of reading. I went to a lights out about 30 minutes after midnight (1230am) and actually fell right to sleep. Very unusual for me but I've been attempting a decent lights out so I'm not sleeping until 11am-noon daily. Anyhow, I fell right to sleep. I was only asleep an hour when the doorbell rang. Yeah, at what many would deem an UnGodly hour. Certainly one does NOT go ringing people's doorbells at 130am unless there's an emergency. As I roused from sleep, I realized I was seeing lights being flashed into my windows! So I very carefully peeked out my blinds and I saw cops in the neighborhood and one standing at my door, looking up and aiming his flashlight at our bedroom windows. I told hubby that we had a cop at our door, so he went down with his wallet to see what was up. I can see the question marks now....why bring the wallet? Well a month or two ago, we had another cop show up at our door , looking for someone and had wanted proof that hubby was who he said he was. I guess the neighborhood must be filled with liars. So anyway, hubby was prepared this time. When he answered the door, the cop asked if everyone inside was ok. Ummm yeah, why? Well, there'd been a shooting in the area so they were checking on all the residents to make sure everyone was ok. They'd said "in the area" but I don't recall hubby ever saying that the cop specified where. I figure if it wasn't our cul du sac, it might have been the one across the street or the one across that empty lot the kids play in (the one where I get some of the "Old Timer" cone shots). It's also possible that it might have been in the strip mall behind us. All three areas are within seconds of our place if the person(s) in question are at a dead run. I actually suspect they hadn't caught the person and that's why they were REALLY looking. Couldn't have been too major, it never made the news here.

A couple days after that one, we had another cop (?) show up at our door while hubby was at work. I hadn't called them and hadn't been making any noise myself (now why can't they show up when I'm teaching the neighbor a lesson? Did ya know heavy metal music pumping at level25 aimed straight at the adjoining wall works wonders?) so I know he wasn't there for me. I question whether he was a cop or not because he wasn't in any uniform that I could tell, just plain street clothes... a polo shirt and dockers. However, he had his id and badge handy for when I opened the door. He asked me if a certain person was here, to which I told him that no...I didn't even know the person... this was the ____ residence and we'd been here nearly 2 years now. I also told him that we're constantly getting calls from the cops regarding that particular person and 3-4 others and each time we've told them that those people haven't lived here for X amount of time. The dude apologized for the inconvenience and as he walked away, said "I guess he gave me the wrong address".... which tells me that maybe he wasn't a cop, but a parole officer. Great.

Hey! Some of you may have noticed that I've taken to answering comments via email. I'm going to try and keep that a habit because I know not everyone has time to come back to previous entries and see if I said anything in response. If I haven't commented back or I've left the response in your blog, it's because I don't have an email addy for you. Please remember I am only leaving the email link up in my profile for another few days. This Sunday it comes right back down. If you're wanting to keep in touch, I'm encouraging you to use that link by Saturday. Oh....and those that HAVE been using the link, you'll notice that I've bounced your answers to my comments on your blogs over to another account before answering. That one's my main addy that I check religiously during the day. The ladystyx1969, well it's checked once a day...if even that.

I'm also on strike with a few of the blogs. If you haven't been visiting and leaving love here, ya aint been a very good bloggy buddy. No one likes one sided bloggy friendships ya know. I know, alot of you follow ALOT of blogs (or work or both) and may not have time, but I don't exactly update this as often as some of those out there. You know the ones I'm talking about, the multiple entries a day posters. I do, however, wanna say thank you to the few of you who do have massive amounts of blogs to follow and STILL manage to leave at least a lol or a one word comment. I won't embarrass anyone by pointing them out, but you know who y'all are. So...if you look around your blog and see I haven't visited in a good long time, yet I seem to be commenting on everyone else's blogs, that could be why. Please remember to leave some comment love where ever you visit. If you got nothing to say, just leave a hug...they're always appreciated! I don't mean on every post, but at least often enough so the author knows you're still there.

Oh! And thanks to those that commented on the new decor around here. I thought that banner in the header was appropriate. My desk, my 2 pennies...but the carpeting is from the dr's office. I thought it'd look cool as a backdrop because of that pattern.... well cooler than the nasty, boring beige we have in the townhouse.

I was reading over at Red Pen's today that the IE error that some of us have been suffering on certain blogs might just have a simple fix. It means dumping the Follower widget off the sidebar. Now all we need to do is decide how important that little bit of code really is. If it's really important for you to have that little widget up so your readers can see who all has been sucked into your blog, then I suggest making friends with FireFox as I haven't had a single problem with that widget it FF. However, if it's really not all that important and you don't like the fact you have to change browsers just to read a few entries... then dump the widget.


I'm going to copy and paste the comments so far from her site here (which amounts to just my comment and hers at this point):



LadyStyx said...
Dang, is that all it takes? Sheesh. You'd think they'd get it fixed.
July 29, 2009 9:52 AM


THE GRAMMARPHILE said...
You'd think that Blogger would have found a workaround for all blogs, but they didn't. Unfortunately, this is the best--and ONLY--workaround I know of. IE8 is really buggy, and I'm actually really curious as to how and why the folks at Microsoft have not yet fixed IE 8, since that seems to be the source of the problem.
July 29, 2009 11:22 AM


Here's to hoping that Windows does a better release the next time around. If not, I may just have to talk to my brother about Linux and Red Hat.

just mish mosh

The next grouping of entries is going to be alotta mish-mosh. There really isn't a great deal of anything going on here that's really worth talking about, well except the cops visiting 2 out of the last 3 days. So I've basically decided to dive into the photo files, grab out a few pix a day and just let my thoughts spill.


This first picture is one of those "Itshouldabeenakodakmoments". The little birdies were doing their typical little birdy thing in the parking lot... and then they started fighting. By the time I aimed, zoomed and pressed the shutter button, the argument was over and the one was on his (her?) way out of the scene. I'm going to have to see what I get when I crop the picture down farther. I don't think it's going to be good enough to post though.


Marmie, dear, this one's for you. This beautiful scar is the reason why I fussed you so much in an email recently. It started out really tiny; a little bitty scratch, no more than a nick really. I got it while walking down a metal, outdoor staircase when I was working at a school in New Orleans. I remember feeling it happen and reminding myself that I needed to have it looked at just as soon as I was done with the task I was working on. I should mention at this point that it was 99F outside with just a 99% humidity on top of it so even just standing in the shade you were dripping in sweat. Even if I had cared for it right then, I still might have had a bit of a problem... just not as much as I ended up having. Anyhow, all the moisture generated from moving couldn't have helped the nick out any.

Standard home care for a small abrasion is either hydrogen peroxide OR a benedyne solution to wash the germs and crapola out. Once it's dried, use an antibacterial cream or gel and bandage it up to protect it. Usually in a few days it gets better. This time it didn't. Every day I used the peroxide it just bubbled more and more, never really seeming to get things cleaned out at all. I even took to cleaning it twice a day because running up and down the stairs and having to fill in for the phys-ed teacher...well it makes you work up a sweat. Day by day that scratch got larger and larger and took to dribbling this clear ooze out of it. I had to redo my bandages 3-4 times a day because it was just soaking through the gauze. Worse yet, it was hot to the touch near the wound and my leg was hot pink in color all the way around from mid-calf to the ankle.

The more I fought it, the worse it got and it got to the point where it was quite painful to walk on that leg. It was about this point where my southern-mama stepped in. She is about 3 months younger than my mom and knowing that I was so far away from family, took me under her wing and tried to look out for me as best as she could. In this case, she said I was to call her dr and get an appointment to have the leg looked at...otherwise she was going to throw me down the stairs and send me to the hospital that way. Yes indeed. Considering that she stands a good 4-5 inches taller than me and at the time out weighed me 2 to 1 (and I wasn't a small gal either), I figured it was much safer to go to the dr.

Long story short (I know, too late), the dr said I had a case of cellulitis and put me on bedrest for 2 weeks. I was also assigned a home health nurse to check my vitals and make sure I was doing as I should daily (boy THAT pissed the first husband off when he was told he had to pick up the slack). The home health nurse took one look at it and said that if I had waited another day or two, I would have lost the leg entirely. Yeah. It was THAT bad. So after 2 weeks bedrest, what did I have to show for it all? That scar which is about 1" in diameter on the dark part and 1.5-2" in diameter in the lighter pink area. Yeah.... so please please please....if that knee acts up again? Don't make me toss ya ass down a flight of stairs.





I don't know what it is, call it the mid-life crisis hitting early, or a second (or is it a third) attempt at recapturing my youth, but I've been all about the nail polish lately. Not just any old cotton candy pink shade either. Oh no. Of the 4 shades I have, only one is what I'd deem a "normal" shade. No, Styxie has to go for the purples, browns and blues. Well, more the purple and brown... I'm not so certain I like that blue shade... it needs to be darker. I'm thinking Adam Lambert blue, if I can find it at a reasonable price.

It's that time again

It's that time of week again!
It's time for Shan's Weekend Wordles.
Here's what ya do:

01) Go to Wordle.net to create your Wordle. It's lots of fun. You can tweak the colors, fonts and such. If you really want to customize your Wordle for your site you can use this color code chart .

02) Post it on your blog with a link to Shan's Week~End Wordles or Last Shreds Of Sanity.

03) Once that's done, go back to Last Shreds Of Sanity and sign the Mr Linky that she'll have up (this will help direct those who play along to your blog...we're talking new peeps reading and maybe new followers for everyone....). Don't forget to leave some love on the sites you visit!!

Nothing special this week. I'm creating this on Friday. It looks like the balance of the trip entries comprises this week's cloud.

pt 6: And that's all she wrote

So Sunday was our last full day in TN. We had breakfast in the usual place and had a lovely walk afterward, as seen from the last entry dealing with the the trip.

On our way to gramma's, we'd planned on stopping along the way there so I could get some shots of the wildflowers. We'd nearly gotten to the last corner before gramma's house when it began to rain. It wasn't coming down in buckets, but it was enough to make me decide that it wasn't a good idea to step out with my brand new camera!

By the time we finished our visit with gramma, the rain had cleared up and the sun was beginning to peak out again. YAY! So we took our time going down that road, stopping at every grouping of flowers that looked promising. It's where I grabbed the picture that's presently up in the header. They're Butterfly Weed but a couple of us have nicknamed them Yaya flowers because of that great orange color. Thank goodness for a zoom lens as I don't like flying insects that can hurt me. I was really surprised that I managed to get two different types of bee in that shot. While I was out, I grabbed a nice shot of the Queen Anne's Lace as well.

We took our time getting back home, mostly because I needed me time again... but also so we could talk about gramma. Hubby's really not happy with how we found her this time either. When we pulled in at home we turned to see a beautiful rainbow that just seemed to get brighter by the minute.
Oh and we found Skynyrd waiting on us too. I can't believe how photogenic this dog is. I wish Katy would sit as still so I could get some decent shots of her instead of the blurry ones that I throw away because she'd wiggling so damned much. I had to reiterate to hubby that this dog STAYS when we leave. Having another "child" to deal with when we travel is not a good idea. Especially since we're in a pick-up truck and don't exactly have room for anything larger than Katy on the seat with us.
Well, we all got ready for bed. The Neph went for his bath and then ran out to the livingroom to play with his race cars. I give you one guess who I thought of the minute I saw these jammies. It was easy to get the ham to cheese it up and smile for the camera.

I won't bore you with more scenery shots from the drive home. I did get a better shot of the one water tower on the way back and lots of shots of a lake in the area. If you wanna see them they're over in the Flickr. I will share this one sticker I saw. Some of you will recognize him from a previous entry. Pbbbt!
As soon as we made it back into town, we drove right over to the "spa" to pick up Katy. I kept telling hubby that it would be nice if we left her for one more day. You see who the more important one is, don't ya? She was mighty glad to see him though....
And look what I found guarding our townhouse when we got in for the night. I think the place is bugged!

And a commercial break before the conclusion of our visit to Smalltown USA

Change all the answers so that they apply to you. Have fun and be truthful!

01 What is your occupation right now? For the last few years I have been a domestic goddess (ok ok so maybe I am in my mind but it sure sounds better than housewife)

02. What color are your socks right now? Socks? What are socks? Only thing on my feet right now are my awesome, very classy, leopard print slippers. (Hey, I spent more than a couple bucks on them, so they're classy if I SAY they are!)

03. What are you listening to right now? The Classic Rock Station on Comcast. Awesome tunes playing and is sounds like they're doing a two-fer day. Yay! Double shots of my favorite tunes!!!

04. What was the last thing that you ate? A Special K breakfast bar and an apple. Those bars aint just for breakfast ya know!


05. Can you drive a stick shift? *cringez* drive?

06. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My mommy! (yeah, so I'm pushing 40 and still call her my mommy, bite me!)

07. Do you like the person who sent this to you? I unabashedly swiped it from Deanna's site.
I've known her for several years and she STILL tolerates me so hell yeah!

08. How old are you today? Older than yesterday and younger than tomorrow. Still looking young enough to be carded occasionally and old enough for it not to be necessary.

09. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? The one where the dudes wear tight pants...

10. What is your favorite drink? Tea. Hot or cold, luke warm...it don't matter.

11. NUMBER 11, CALLING NUMBER 11, HAS ANYONE SEEN NUMBER 11? Did ANYONE notice it was missing from this game? I've checked Deanna AND Lainie's pages and neither one had a number 11 on it. Yeah, I know, leave it to Styxie to notice this. Personally, I think the OCHAs number-napped it.

12. Favorite food? A plate of fettucini with grilled chicken strips over the top and a slice of raspberry cheesecake for a chaser.

13. What is the last movie you watched? HP Goblet of Fire. Ok ok...so HP is one of those multi-movie series I can watch over and over again and not get bored...bite me!

14. Favorite day of the year? Every day I wake up and my baby is beside me. (yeah, I so went the soppy route there...)

15. How do you vent anger? I scream, I hollar, I swear enough to make a trucker blush, I rip new assholes, make the target feel as big as a gnat and throw things. Yeah, most peeps don't wanna see that either... I try very hard not to do any of that anymore and resort to crying when I'm frustrated.

16. What was your favorite toy as a child? I had 2 favs. Both were stuffed animals. One was Foofie. He was a mangled stuffed dog that had belonged to my daddy when he was a child. Damned thing was older than me. *sigh* Don't have him anymore... The other was Ralphie. Ralphie is a stuffed bear my mom made. She made one for me and one for a neighbor girl more than 30 years ago. I still have him. He sits on my dresser and is in GREAT shape for a 30+ yr old toy.

17. What is your favorite season? Winter. The joints may not be font of the cold but the sinuses sure do appreciate it.

18. Cherries or Blueberries? Depends on if they are being used as a topping or ingredient or eaten by themselves.

19. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back? Of course. Doesn't everyone? I mean if I take the time to email them, they sure as shit better email me back. It's only courteous ya know. It's kinda like visitors to your blog. If they take the time to visit you, you damned well better visit them to at least say thanks! However, since we're not emailling this...it don't matter.

20. Who is the most likely to respond? The person that sees this and thinks it's fun enough to do.

21. Who is least likely to respond? The same stick in the mud that didn't play along last time. :P~

22. Living arrangements? A spouse, a feline, a canine, countless dustbunnies and the voices in my head.

23. When was the last time you cried? Depends. If you mean out and out bawling, it's been a couple years I guess. If you just mean tears (of any sort) then it was a couple days ago when a friend left a wonderful comment on my page. Thank you. Those words meant alot to me.

24. What is on the floor of your closet? I'm afraid to look to be honest. Which closet does this refer to? I've got about 6 in this place...

25. Who is the friend you have had the longest? My GaSis. It's been about 30 years. Alotta history there.

26. What did you do last night? Wrote in my blog. Dropped 2 entries here in the main and one in the Padded Room. Been a long time since I wrote there. Really gotta get that bugger finished. Still a long way to go.

27. What are you most afraid of? Being left utterly alone due to circumstances beyond my control.

28. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? neither... a nice thick burger with swiss and LOADED with mushrooms!

29. Favorite dog breed? puh-leeeeeeeeeez, I'm a catperson! Next question!

30. Favorite day of the week? see #14

31. How many states have you lived in? 5...if you count that I actually "lived" in my family's houses for part of 2003 (2 weeks each at parents, brother's, and "Sis's" and one week at gramma's) then it's 9. I've actually had state ids in 6 states.

32. Diamonds or pearls? neither. Sapphires although rubies are a great substitute.

33. What are your favorite flowers? I love roses (red, white, peach or multi-colored) and lilies. But if they are gonna grace my house, carnations...simply because they don't die off as fast. Yeah, I know, the strong scented ones like to irritate the allergies...but they're still pretty to look at.

WW: And THAT'S the way it is.....

It's that time of week again!
It's time for Shan's Weekend Wordles.
Here's what ya do:

01) Go to Wordle.net to create your Wordle. It's lots of fun. You can tweak the colors, fonts and such. If you really want to customize your Wordle for your site you can use this color code chart .

02) Post it on your blog with a link to Shan's Week~End Wordles or Last Shreds Of Sanity.

03) Once that's done, go back to Last Shreds Of Sanity and sign the Mr Linky that she'll have up (this will help direct those who play along to your blog...we're talking new peeps reading and maybe new followers for everyone....). Don't forget to leave some love on the sites you visit!!

As you can see, this week's Wordle is a tad bit of a mess. Then again, that's how my mind looks most days anyhow. Sadly, it looks like I need to start picking up some new words because I'm seeing some of the same ol same ol in there.

There's a second Wordle this week. All was well with the world before I got on my bike. When I got off and signed into MSN to check my messages before coming upstairs for the night, I found out we lost another....

RIP Mr Cronkite. It might be the way it is, but we don't have to like it any.

pt5: Acknowledging the town in general

The Sunday we were in hub's hometown was a special day. It was gramma's birthday so there was going to be another visit to her place later. The day started like every other day there....another breakfast at Hardee's. Is it any wonder I refuse to eat at that restaurant at any other time? I'd mentioned to hubby a couple times on the trip up that I'd like to take a walk through the town and grab some shots. There were a couple really beautiful stone houses in town that I wanted a better look at and we simply could NOT do that from a vehicle. Top things all off I wanted a shot of the one particular church (it has BEAUTIFUL stonework). So when he and I were done eating, we didn't wait on the parents to finish up. He stood up and announced that he and I were going for a walk (I needed the alone time at this point) and we'd meet them back at the house. It was only a half mile walk and since it wasn't overly hot yet, it seemed like a great idea. The only problem with the walk is that it has 2 rather steep inclines. Ah well. At this point, I'd been off my bike for 3 days and really needed to stretch the legs out some. The first incline was about 10 yards or so. Not bad, but considering that I'm about 100 pounds too heavy still...well I was puffin a bit getting to the top. At the top is the main corner in town. In this first picture on the left, we're looking down Old Knoxville Rd. The stone building on the right is the church and the brown 3 story building to the back and left is the Claiborne County Medical Center. No, this isn't the same building that is shown in some of the other pictures I've taken. We visit this particular building every other trip or so because a couple of the relatives of neighbors he grew up with are living there now. This last trip we didn't visit so I can be sure he'll be making time to stop over the next time. The last time he visited, he went with his dad instead of taking me. I was fine with that because if I say that visits to gramma's are rough...these are much worse.
This picture to the right is looking down Main Street. The Post Office is the brick building on the left and the one on the right just past the speed limit sign is the Claiborne Progress, the local newspaper. The church mentioned in the former paragraph is across the street from the newspaper office and off frame in this shot. Across the street from the P.O. and next to the newspaper office is a memorial area. I'll be talking about it a bit later in the entry. Congratulations, with the last two pictures you've pretty much seen Hubby's Hometown USA. You think I'm kidding? This is a blink and miss it town. There are only few more blocks in either direction that count as the town proper.
Here's a shot of the church that I was talking about. It's located on the corner of Old Knoxville Rd and Main. I love the stone work, it's so beautiful. There are 2 other houses that are made in the same type of stonework, as is the rectory next door to the church. I think the next trip in, I'll see about getting a few more of the exterior shots. I'd really like to see if I can get a few without all the ummm technological advances around it. Pulling up the full sized shot I can see there's some stained glass windows so you know for sure we'll be seeing some shots of that as well as maybe the doorway. I've told hubby that's the goal and with any luck he'll remember. He should, he usually remembers stuff that I don't (like how I really adored this set of porcelain dollies on a swing when we were in a certain shop in Texas and what would come home to me for my birthday but that very set).
This next shot was taken a bit farther in the walk, however since I made two stops at the memorial I'm just going to pair the shots taken there together. This shot is of the marker stone for the James Weir House. A shame that the lot is nothing but weeds at this point. I gather that since it's a location of historical interest, they can't do anything with the plot at this point? It still would be nice if some up keep was done (mowing) at least. Supposedly the house has been restored to its former glory. I'll have to see about making sure it's on the itinerary the next time around. Or at least a drive-by for some exterior shots.

This next set of pictures were taken at the Claiborne County Roll Call of Honor area. There is the requisite listing of military residents that were lost and which war they were lost in. The base of the monument says "May the haunting sound of the bugler's taps echo forever in honor of these. Our heroic dead." Looking at the bigger shots in the Flickr account, I see a name that more than likely is family. I'll have to try and remember to ask about it.

Off to the right side of the memorial area is an armored personnel carrier with a plaque bolted to it that gives the stats of the vehicle. In front of the monument there are 4 cement benches (2 on either side of the walkway leading up to it) that were donated by the local banks. The brick walkway leading to the monument has 3 stone markers that were donated by the various veteran groups in Claiborne County (one being the American Legion). To the left of the monument, in its own little space, is a smaller monument commemorating the residents that were lost in the line of duty on the home-front. Right now the only names on the marble monument are ones from the department of safety (sheriffs, a state trooper and a police lieutenant). Facing the smaller memorial is a matching marble bench. For the life of me, I couldn't get a decent shot of it (aka...a shot without me reflected in it and I tried at TWO different times of the day hoping the difference in lighting would help!). Engraved upon this bench is "To all those who serve and protect us each and every day". I've got a closer shot of the soldier boot, helmet and gun over in the photostream.
The last real stop in our walk was at the marker for the Tazewell Presbyterian Church. Other than the information on the marker, I can't seem to find more than someone else's blog entry about some dealings they had with this location. Anyhow, in the picture you see a strange cement post to the right of the marker. That is all that remains of the church.... an old hitching post. You can see that unlike the plot over near the James Wier House location, this one has been well cared for. Why, you may ask? Well because in the distance there, just before you get to the trees is a landing pad for the Lifestar helicoptor which is used to airlift victims from accidents to the nearby hospitals.

Wrapping up this entry is a view of the house we normally don't see when on foot. A view looking up the hill at the house, from the other side of The Tree. I have a note on the picture in the link to show you were we were approximately. It's a beautiful location, but to be honest...I really miss the internet while I'm there. *winkz*

pt4

I know it feels like I'm going on forever about this trip, but there were lots and lots of little things noticed. Even with the ones upload for this entry, there are still 140 on the flash-drive to be adjust, uploaded and shared! Top things all off, I clicked about 100 more since then that I still need to deal with it. I'm going to be going through the pictures on my computer and as I get them uploaded to my Flickr, I just may do a quick post and share a couple here and there.

I just love looking at the layers in the stone on the mountains. Every time through there is a change in certain sections closer to his hometown because they're working at widening the road up due to an increase of traffic in the area. It's good that more people are travelin through, but I am really hoping not too much is done to change the quaintness of the area.


When we go to visit, we always try to make sure to stay through the weekend. Why? Because Saturday and Sundays the Flea Market is open. You never know what you're going to find there. This time around I bought 2 pairs of new sunglasses. I had to replace my white ones because of a scratch in one of the lenses and since I could get another pair for just a few bucks more, I bought these great black ones with rhinestones on the temples. I had to promise to weed the ones I have so now I'm down to 5 pairs at home (but no two look alike). Hubby ended up buying a new full sized katana and a 3 set of smaller ones (iggy? a reminder in my email to post a picture of these sometime next week please? and a reminder on any other pix I've promised and not posted yet...thanks!).Before any smartass here asks if I bought any fleas... no, I did not. Although I think I certainly could have if I wanted to with all the animal cages we saw the day we went. Only a couple actually contained any animals though. This guy was selling the cutest little puppies. No, we did not buy a new fur-kid. I would never buy a fur baby that way because you never know what you're going to get that way. I'm a firm believer in getting the new fur-kids from the animal shelters. Save a life and all that jazz ya know?

I used to see pretty little buttercups like this everywhere in Texas, however I don't really recall seeing them here in our neighborhood. Then again, I haven't been out much since we got back thanks to this friggin arm that likes to flare up when I go out in the sun. I got talking to mom last night and through her, daddy sent a website to check out. The clothing is very expensive, but from what I hear it's worth it because the fabric is specially made to block out the UV rays. Ok, if you say so, I'd think anything long-sleeved would pretty much do that....? Not that I really want to resort to long sleeves in the summertime just so I can go outside and enjoy the sun.
Well, anyhow.... I did some wandering on the home property in a couple of areas that I normally don't go because I just don't have any real purpose to be there. However, since I was learning the "Pay attention to the small stuff" lesson, I decided to take a walk behind their shed to see if there were other flowers worth snapping. When that was a relatively fruitless trip (there was only one back there that I hadn't already clicked from elsewhere in the yard), I decided to take a walk along the back fenceline. You see, there's a barbed wire fence between the back end of the family property and the pasture of a farmer the next lot over. I found lots and lots of daisies growing there so I just HAD to grab a few shots. That one that is presently in the banner (at the time of this posting it's a daisy with a bug on it...just in case it gets changed *again* before you read this), was shot with this grouping. There was just something about the sunny little daisies contrasting with the harshness of the rusty barbed wire that I found so appealing.

A bit later that afternoon, The Neph came running into the house where I was seated, doing some needlework, and said that I had to come outside. His uncle (hubby) sent him to get me because I "had to see this". Well knowing the Neph, it was hubby's idea to get me but there may not really be anything to see. I grabbed my camera anyhow. By the time I got to the back porch, the Neph was already down the stairs and across the yard (the kid's fast). I watched for several minutes....ok maybe it was a half hour or so....as they played. Actually, the Neph played while grampa (dad) and uncle (hubby) looked on. Hubby made several trips up and down the little hill back there helping The Neph get his ride-on toys up where he needed them to be. It must have been nice for him because grampa (dad) just can't seem to keep up as well as he used to anymore.

As you can see, hubby was thoroughly enjoying himself. Yeah, that's a ciggie in his hand, I wish he'd quit. He's at least thoughtful about it and tries really hard to make sure he's the one downwind so the smoke doesn't bother anyone else. Anyway, this has got to be one of my favorite pictures this trip (with the exception of that damned cig). Why? Well, you'd need to know that getting a picture with him smiling is like pulling teeth. I have to threaten to tickle him (and sometimes actually do it) in order to get a smile on his face. With this one, I didn't have to do a blessed thing. Not that threatening him would have done any good with me all the way up on the back porch and him a good 30-40 meters away. He was just so relaxed and having so much fun with the Neph, that the smile came rather naturally. He's gonna make a great daddy someday.....

On this trip, not only was Hardees the bane of my existance (every.damned.morning.), but McDonald's got to be that way with supper. Why? Because that's where the Neph wanted to go and since he was staying at gramma and grampa's with us because we don't get to see him that often *sigh*. Thank goodness for salads. Since we're not in often, the Neph likes to "act out" or show off while we're there....just to see what he can get away with doing because we're guests. As you can see, he was really full of it this evening. I'm not sure who was having the better time; him, hubby or the older gentleman in the background.....the look on HIS face was priceless.


We got about another couple entries coming on this. I have pictures of the walk through town that hubby and I made and a few wrap up photos. I've got other pix to share that I clicked after we got back...just little odds and ends. If you simply cannot wait to see the rest of the trip pix...they're in the Flickr account. The link is to the right.

I also wanna apologize for not getting around to all of the blogs yesterday. There were over 100 pictures left from the trip and I got sidetracked getting them loaded, labeled and sorted. Today I gotta get the time codes adjusted on them. It's a rather big job so I may not make it in today either, I'm not sure. It all depends on how fast we get the errands and stuff done today. The blogs I did manage to peek in on made me very happy though. I seemed to have hit the trifecta yesterday...as I was mentioned in at least 3 blogs because of submissions I'd made. Thank you iggy, RedPen and MsHLP for making my day!

an award

On June 20th, Queenie Jeanie gave out a new award. I'd kept the entry clicked as unread because I wanted to make sure I didn't forget to thank her for this pretty bit of bling. Unfortunately, time got away from me as we had that trip and I've been trying to get the pictures all taken care of AND I've been trying to get some posts up. ... instead of going on the perpetual dandelion break, like I'm prone to do.

Anyhow, I wanted to be sure to pass it along to those that are following me. There's 23 of you listed in my followers and it'd be awfully swell if you'd go ahead and help yourself to this pretty award.

trip pt 3

This was a rather odd road sign. I'm not certain why it wasn't changed over to the regular signing that every other street corner has. My only thought is that perhaps it has some historical significance, which is highly possible considering the area. In our walk, and during the drives through the very small town, I've never seen another quite like it.


There is such alot of farmland in the area. In the distance of this particular shot to the right you can see the medical center (?) and the mountains behind it.

Every trip in, we nearly always pay a visit to at least one of the cemeteries his kin are buried in. The close-up to the left is a picture of his paternal grandparents. This is the gramma we visit every time we're in (she's in her 90's). The grandpa passed on many many years ago. A bit of trivia: hubby was named after both his grandfathers. His first name was his maternal grandpa's name, his middle from the paternal grandpa.

We took a few pictures while paying our respects to grandpa's grave. I was briefly struck by the shot that was afforded by this view. You probably can't really see it in the smaller version to the right and may have to click it to see what I did. Just beyond those tombstones is a fence and beyond that you can see the change in the length of grass. That spot in the middle between the trees and the tombstones? A cow. There was actually a whole herd underneath the trees there. A juxtaposition of life and death...was interesting to say the absolute least.

The next couple shots a few of you may have seen before. I didn't go any farther up the property for these shots, but you can see what a great zoom will do. No, I don't really expect I'll go farther up on the property for a better look. There's just something about the thought of doing so that makes me uneasy. I have yet to figure out why I feel that way.
I do know that every other time I got that feeling, there was a ...well...unusual explanation as to why. I just didn't know it at the time when I got the willies. For example, the basement in one house I lived in, I refused to go in for some reason. Not for any reason in the world would I go down the stairs. I found out years later someone had died down there.... I do know that hubby's grandpa died somewhere on the property. Not sure if it was on the immediate property they still own or if it was across the road on property that used to be theirs. I do know it was a really horrible death though. I might be able to convince hubby to go up farther on the property on a later trip for some even closer shots.
The pooch in the picture is Blackie. I reckon he's about about 8 or 9 years old. Either they *finally* trained him (not bloody likely as it's just gramma and the one uncle living there now and well...lets just say my ex had more drive than this man does...yeah, I so went there), OR (the more probable answer) the dog's just getting old and can't jump up like he used to. Either way, I was grateful to not be greeted as per his usual. Not to say that he's enthusiastic, but I've taken to calling him "The Beast".


The last picture for today is of the two trees in gramma's yard. Some of you may remember these from the December pix. They look quite different all dressed up in their summer clothes. I really need to see about a peak-time visit because I'm betting they are simply beautiful when the autumnal colors grace their boughs.

I won't be posting any more pictures from gramma's house this trip. Sadly, everytime we visit she seems to get worse and worse from previous trips. I won't go into any more detail about it as it is rather ...well let's just say I shouldn't discuss it in an open forum. I have my opinion about the whole thing and my husband agrees with what I have to say about it. However, it's not my say in this matter...it's between gramma, the uncle and my FIL.