Wednesday, February 21, 2007

My neighbor's son, the artist

Promised Sherideth, Angel of the Block (grin) that I would post a picture of her son Jaymz. He did these in his morning graphic arts class at the Calhoun Vo-Ed Center (or whatever fancy name they have this year...). Not only is he a hottie (for a kid), he is an excellent artist. Even though he hates to have his photo taken. And to really stun the world, he is a good driver! A teenage male that actually drives well: yet another sign of the Apocalypse... Hopefully will be able to get some non-graphicked (new word;
don't bother looking it up in Webster's, it isn't there yet) photos of him sometime, even if only on the morning bus to school while he is
napping. Catching the bus at 6:30 in the morning should be considered cruel and inhuman punishment... One thing worse than catching the bus that early: trying to get a kid up in time to catch it... oh well, I love ya Ruthi!!! (grin!)

Snocoming—how prophetic




I love my digital camera! Here is a photo of Alanda on Extreme Maroon and Grey Day, wearing a purple sweatshirt from our arch-rival school, Athens. I borrowed it from a friend, because Al is a little rebel…







...and here are Alanda and Savanna getting ready to go to the Snocoming Dance. Beautiful dresses, beautiful girls… And then the prophecy hit.

Why do they have to call it Snocoming? Because that is exactly what happened after the dance! YUCK!!!
Thankfully, by the time I got over the 24-hour bug I had yesterday and was able to get here to the library to post this, it is up to 40 degrees and the river has melted, so Spring might actually be on its way.... please!!!!!






Saturday, February 10, 2007

Quickie


Have about one minute to post, so here is my quickie for the day:

Have added Ross-the-Intern's blogsite to my list of links at the right; also added a link to FrankTalk, so you can pop over and read Ruthi's column every week. New editions are online every Monday.

This is my neighbor's daughter, Belle. Ain't she a cutiepie!!! Alanda took this picture with my beloved cheapie digital camera; we have entirely too much fun with that camera! THANK YOU CAROLE!!! (Sorry if you are tired of being appreciated, Carole!) Later I will post a pic of the blanket I made for Belle when her sister Beth was born (didn't want a jealous big sister!) and the one I made for Beth.
Now it turns out that Alanda's friend's mom is pregnant. Definitely must be something in the water... so one more blankie to start crocheting. Add to the list of BABIES EVERYWHERE. Shaner, if you are reading this, PLEASE tell me that YOU don't have another on the way!
Tonight is Snocoming at the High School. Yippee. Will hopefully have pix to post next week.
Have a great weekend, y'all!

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Groundhog Day and Other I Told You Sos

Well, the famous Puxatawny Phil didn’t see his shadow, so according to folklore we will have an early spring. Guess what folks, it is so early that it was last year! Remember all that fabulous weather last December and this January? That was our early spring!!!


And remember how, while I was reveling in the nice warm weather, I kept saying that real winter would eventually hit and it would hit hard. Look outside your windows; I was right. Boy, when I am right, I am right with a vengeance! Would have been nice to have been wrong just this once. I really am not a fan of the white Goddess Dandruff. Give me sunny beaches any day! (Actually, I prefer the woods to the beach, but you get my drift…) Might not be so bad, if I had been able to get a wood burner for the house, this year. Our furnace is older than I am, and with a messed-up thing that makes it run: it blows hot air for so long, then blows COLD air for even longer. The temperature on the thermostat and on the thermometer are vaguely close to each other… have to set it at 60 to get it to go to 70. Or something like that, either way it is mucked up…

Am giving serious consideration to packing a suitcase (wish that Eddy the Computer was a notebook!) and hitch-hiking to Florida. Hey, Darrell, do you ever head south when you’re driving that pretty purple rig all over the country? If so, you need a co-pilot! You know where I live, haul your *** over here! We even have a real coffeepot now, so you don’t have to settle for instant coffee before we leave. (Ooh, I hear air brakes in the distance!) Be careful out there, the roads are slicker than a New York politician…

I am so proud of my mommy. She actually got to read her own email and send messages this weekend! With just a little help!

Here is my future fur coat.... Just kidding!

And see, I really *DO* wash my dishes!!!

Friday, February 02, 2007

Happy Imbolc! And Other Fun Stuff...

To all my pagan pals, Happy Imbolc! Officially the last day to have Yule decorations up; since I never actually put mine on display this (past) year, I guess I was safe, but finally got them all back into the basement until December today. Soon I will be able to sit in my chair again in the living room! (More likely, soon it will be moved onto the porch...) The ancient belief, according to my book Seasons of the Witch, (thanks again, Dusty!) is that any decorations left up after today become a hiding place for goblins. I have enough problems already, goblins I DON'T need!


Got the rest of the pix uploaded from my previous post, except the one of Sarah the Llama. Maybe I will get that one up tomorrow. OK, realistically it will be next week; tomorrow is Saturday and the library is only open from 9 AM to noon, and everyone knows that I am *NOT* a morning person! So, here are the pix of Alanda and her shirt (it is so shiney!!!) and of Nakeyta, that Ruthi thinks I spell wrong. Hey, it's the Irish spelling.... OK, I'll tell the truth: every time I see "Nakita" (the way Ruthi thinks it should be spelled), I think of "Akita", which is a breed of dog. This would be like naming the neighbor's chihuahua "Malamute." Just doesn't work for me!

I am so happy, Ruthi's column this week in FrankTalk is about stupid people, and she never mentioned my name once! This column is a showcase of her acerbic wit; I just wish she had asked me for some examples, I have some real goodies. Like the girl at the cash register at the grocery store, that gave me Canadian coins in my change. She started to take them back, and give me "real" money (first "duh" award). Then, I told her that it was okay, that I was saving all my Canadian change in case I ever went back to visit Canada. Her answer? I swear to God and Goddess, she honestly said, "Oh! You can use it there?" in total surprise. At least she had counted the change right....

Which brings me to the next Duh Recipient: another cash register story. At a certain fast-food take-out drive-through (rhymes with Locko Hell), when the girl gave me my change for a twenty, I told her, "But I gave you a thirty." This poor kid actually looked through the cash drawer to find the thirty dollar bill I said I had given her. I let her look for a minute, then pointed out to her that there is no such thing as a thirty dollar bill. Thankfully, she had a sense of humor! She even went up front and told her co-worker what I had done to her, and they both laughed.

Sadly, in a later incident I was relating the story to my friend's fifteen-year-old daughter, and had to EXPLAIN to her why this was funny.
As in, "Kara, there is no such thing as a thirty dollar bill."
"Yes, really; I was just joking with the cashier."
"Seriously, NO there are NO thirty dollar bills, and if someone gives you one it is FAKE."
"NO! THERE IS NO THIRTY DOLLAR BILL!!! YES, I AM SURE!!! "
Some teenagers are just so stubborn.

But, bless their little hearts! They are so much fun to pick on! (I won't even go into poor Darcy at Jack's Grocery, who turns twelve shades of red when I ask her which aisle the Twinkies are in.)

And to prove that I am an equal-opportunity smart-aleck, I also pranked people when *I* was a cashier. Working third shift, it's pretty easy. Once, I told a group of men (at three in the morning) that I couldn't sell them cigarettes because the city council had recently passed a bill banning tobacco sales after 2 AM. After they bitched and moaned for a few minutes about politicians and government, I asked them if they believe everything they hear. And sold them the cigarettes, while we all laughed at their gullibility.

Then there was the teenager who came in to buy a bottle of Mountain Dew, and I told him he had to prove that he was over eighteen. He was quite distraught to learn that a new state law banned the sale of caffeine to minors, because it is an addictive substance. I let him pout for a minute, then sold him the pop under the condition that he not tell anyone that I did because I didn't want to lose my job for selling it to him. Bet that kid carries his ID all the time, now... (Hey, caffeine is an addictive substance, and I am honestly surprised that its sale hasn't been banned for minors! Give California a month or two after this is posted, someone will send this to the Terminator and then all California teens will be burning me in effigy!)

So, everybody watch your change, and get your holiday decorations put away so the goblins don't get you (and give you Twinkies, Darcy...)!