Random Thoughts From a Cluttered Mind

Lost My Mojo...

I just couldn't think of anything to blog about.  Still having some trouble with it, but if my blogging mojo is hanging out with my knitting mojo, we'll likely never see it again.  So instead, I'll show you some pictures that I took last weekend, of some new friends I made.  Apparently, I have "animal magnetism".

E is For...

ELUSIVE!    We took these pictures last summer at camp...believe me , it wasn't easy to get the        Great Blue Heron to stay still for us.  We managed a few pix, though.  Jared took the one in flight.

Gorgeous, isn't he?

Another Test...

Another test with thanks to Mel from Cabezalana....

What Year Do You Belong In?

You Belong in 1977

Bold and brash, you take life by the horns. Whether you're partying or protesting, you give it your all!

Is anyone surprised?

What Dog Breed Are You?

What Dog Breed Are You?

Wow, You're a Golden Retriever!

Golden Retriever

The Charmer

Laid-back, sociable and well-groomed, you've got your own hip little pack of groupies who just love to be around you. You have a brain inside that adorable little head of yours, though you use it mostly to organize your hectic social calendar. You never poop out at parties, and since you're popular with ladies and men, as well as children and adults, you dish out your wit, charm and luck to whomever is close enough to bask in it. The top dog likes you and wants to be your best friend, despite the fact that he doesn't really know what the heck you do. No one does, in fact, but everyone loves you all the same. A true foodie, you’ve got your keen ears fine-tuned to make sure you don't miss out on the opening of a trendy new place to nosh. But your youthful days of being able to wolf down food 24-7 are wagging behind you, meaning you've got to watch what you eat so you don’t pull a Brando and outgrow your coats. Learn more »

FAMOUS GOLDEN RETRIEVERS: Bono, Robert Redford, Joe Montana, Julia Roberts

LIKELY PROFESSIONS: Journalist, Intelligence Agent, Venture Capitalist

LOL!!!!!

  Doug thought he was helping.....

but he got hungry.....

D is for....

Dachshund!!!! AKA Gilligan, Little Buddy, Camp Mascot, Chipmunk Chaser, Food Whore, PITA.  We love him no matter what we call him!

The Road Less Travelled (SPA 2008)

Debbi and I had talked about going to SPA-SIX this year in Freeport ME, as neither of us had been before, so she somehow managed to talk a couple of friends into going with us.  We decided that we would go up on Saturday really early and spend the day.  Then she twisted some arms and got everyone to agree to stay over til Sunday.  So, we made room arrangements for Saturday night, and agreed to meet early Saturday and drive up in one car. Makes sense, right?

We decided to take Kat's vehicle because it's BIG (yes, I called your car FAT!) and the spinning wheel would fit easily.  All plans are made, no problems, right? Sure.  Until Mother Nature heard about them and threw a storm our way...lots of snow for Saturday.  HAH!  We decided to go up on Friday!  And off we went!

We got there too early to check in, so we thought we would go find the Hilton Garden Inn where the vendors were and do some shopping.  The cool feature in Kat's car is the voice-activated GPS system, which tells you where you are and how to get where you're going if you let it.  We knew the name of the hotel we wanted, but there was no street address listed anywhere in the SPA paperwork, so Sylvia the mapping system was not very helpful there.   We did know that the two hotels were not far apart from each other and we had found the first one, the Harraseeket Inn,  so we set out following the map (in the car) to find the other.  Freeport is not that big. 

The map basically showed that we had to go around the corner and over a set of railroad tracks to get to the Hilton, so we drove up Route 1 and took a right.  Hmmm. No sign of a hotel.  Maybe it's up a little further.  Where were the railroad tracks?  Okay, drive a little more.  There are the tracks!  On the map.  Take another right.  There's nothing here. Trees.  Snow.  Lots of trees and snow.  Are there moose???  Watch for moose!!!  Look, there's a moose!!!!!!  (Have you ever seen a blond moose?  No?  It looks remarkably like a horse!)  Drive some more.  What's behind us???  A giant snowplow!!  Turn here and let him pass.  He's following us!!!!  Yikes!!  We are in Maine in a near-blizzard in the middle of nowhere surrounded by trees and blond moose and snow being chased by a possessed snowplow!!!!  Can you say Stephen King?????

And where are the damn railroad tracks?????  Drive some more.  Look at Sylvia's map.  What the heck is that?  The road on the map stops.  That's right, it just stops. Right there.  In the snow.  And the trees.  And the giant rampaging snowplow right behind us!!!!!  What do we do??????  Lets keep driving!!!!  Through that gate that someone forgot to close!   What's in here???  Let's go see!!!!

More snow!!!!!  And STILL more snow!!!

At that point, I was having visions of having to push the car out of the 10 inches of snow, just to get anywhere near a road!  (We made Kat actually turn around, which we all know is NOT A ROUND TRIP!!!)

Eventually we made it to the Hilton, and commenced shopping, and a fine time was had by all!

I Forgot!

As usual!!  On Sunday we went knitting at our favorite Sunday morning hangout, Kimball Farm, and we got to see this..... and this....       and this......            

These goats live at the farm and like to say hi when people stop by to visit.  And they're NOT pregnant.  They're FAT!

Time to Catch Up

For those of us who are chronically behind in everything, this is one of those rambling posts that tries to cover everything, and undoubtedly fails miserably (I'll forget something!).So last month, I had both a job and a bacteria named Buddy.  I've lost both, one perhaps due to the other(stupid job gave me a bacteria?) And so the search goes on for gainful employment lalala.  The bacteria finally succumbed to some heavy-duty antibiotics, and my Dear Wife (who had a birthday yesterday and I remembered!) decided, in an attempt at complete and utter control over me a show of concern for my physical well-being, to make an appointment for me to have a COMPLETE physical (gaack!).  The BIG day arrived and off we went to the doctor's office to have blood drawn and instruments of torture inserted into random orifices and an exam.  OF THE MOST COMPLETE KIND.  Have I mentioned how much I dislike getting a physical?  As in a dislike so intense and pure that I haven't had one in 10 years?????? No? Well, I just did.  Anyway.  I should mention that before Buddy the Bacteria there was Cranky Billy the Chronic Bronchitis, and while was I having a chest xray, she made appointments for MAMMOGRAMS!!!!! (SHE IS SOOO MEAN TO ME!)  My dislike of mammies is only slightly less than my hatred of physicals, so you can get an idea of how my winter has been going.  So, the mammy comes back fine, no problems for either of us, and we are just waiting for the doctor to call and say everything else is good.  Well, the doctor called and said "we have your blood test results, and you need to come in to see me".  WHAT?????  I immediately have a panic attack (and try to hide it) because I must be dying or something (Have you met me?  I'm Piglet. Worry, worry, worry.) Debbi's results are good, some even better than expected. Me?  I have a THYROID!  And he is apparently on strike (who knew there was a union?)  So I have to take this medication to get my thyroid, whom I have named Tim, by the way, in honor of the bridge keeper in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

On a somewhat brighter note, LA!, I got a JOB.  Full time.  Monday through Friday.  With the IRS!  Yup, you heard me, the IRS.  Hey!  Someone has to move those heavy bags of tax returns!  I start on March 3, so I'll let you know how that's going.  In the meantime, my really nasty doctor (mentioned above) decided that Debbi should not be allowed to have all the fun being SO MEAN TO ME, so SHE made me go to the eye doctor. So, of course, something else had to be wrong with me. Gawd!!!  I have an ASTIGMATISM!! I don't even know what that is!!!!  Where did it come from?  Can I send it back??  I don't want it!!! Then the nice (!!!!) eye doctor tells me I have to see a RETINA SPECIALIST.  WTF?  Because there is a history of MACULAR DEGENERATION in my family (thanks, Mom!).  Am I done yet?  (I haven't mentioned the dentist yet, have I?  Then, NO, I'm not done.)  The upshot of this is, thankfully, there is no sign of macular degeneration and I don't have to go back to the retina specialist for 40 years, according to him.  I DO, however need to wear BIFOCALS, DAMMIT!  Mostly because if I knit, I can't see the TV, and if I watch TV, I can't see the knitting!!  Meanwhile in the midst of all this drama, I've been to the dentist 4 times to have my upper teeth fixed.  2 more visits and I should be done.  By the way, I'd rather have a Pap smear and a mammogram at the same time  on the same day than go to the dentist.  Just sayin'.  I think I'm done.  And just in time for SPA!!!!

As I S-s-s-suspected...

Thanks to Madame Purl, I took this silly Test (I'll get even!).  The results are not surprising.

Piglet You scored 12 Ego, 19 Anxiety, and 13 Agency!

"It's a little Anxious," he said to himself, "to be a Very Small Animal Entirely Surrounded by Water. Christopher Robin and Pooh could escape by Climbing Trees, and Kanga could escape by Jumping, and Rabbit could escape by Burrowing, and Owl could escape by Flying, and Eeyore could escape by -- by Making a Loud Noise Until Rescued, and here am I, surrounded by water and I can't do anything." You scored as Piglet! ABOUT PIGLET: Piglet is a Very Small Animal, who used to live in his own house, a nice big tree. However, after Owl's house was blown over by a storm, he "found" Piglet's house, and Piglet didn't want to tell him that the home was already lived in. So he went to live with Pooh. WHAT THIS SAYS ABOUT YOU: You are a rather nervous person, and you tend to worry about The Worst happening. You don't really feel capable of dealing with the things that life could throw at you, and so you tend to fret about it. You are one of those people who seems to think that worrying actually accomplishes something... and your friends can't help but love you for it. Your humble manner and self-deprecating ways make your friends feel good about themselves. They want to help and protect you. Your loving friends are always trying to encourage you to be more independent, and they are right. You need to develop a bit of self confidence and stand on your own two feet.