Feng Shui

Before I continue, just in case you noticed, yes indeed I did remove my ranting post about the ridiculous men who roam the on-line dating sites. A friend forwarded a profile to me because she thought it was funny and it kind of was, but then I got caught up surfing this particular site and was so utterly and completely disgusted that I posted a rant. After thinking about it I decided men like this are not worth taking up cyber space and so I removed it. Feel free to contact me if you would like to hear my opinion. I know there's one man who is not like this. Unfortunately he is 7,700 miles away. . . and he is blushing right now.

OK. On to the topic at hand. My latest BNU online class is Feng Shui. I signed up for it because I already had the book (excellent book) and I thought what the hell. It has changed my life, people! The initial thing is de-cluttering. Every "thing," every object, has energy. When your home is full of useless clutter it can create energy chaos. The good energy cannot flow unimpeded. This makes so much sense to me. Before the unfortunate achilles incident I had started gathering a few boxes of potential yardsale items. That was more than 2 years ago! This class has really gotten me off my ass. I have been throwing away old, worn clothing and shoes, boxing up gifts from old boyfriends, posting things on Craigslist, and my home is now so comfortable - so wonderful! And this is only the first stage. I still have to enhance my energy centers. This will come in time. For now I am thrilled with the de-cluttering process.

I will be having a yard sale sometime in the next two weeks (the instructor challenged me to do it before the final day of class on August 14). Anything not sold will be offered on Freecycle. Anything not claimed on Freecycle will be donated. It's ALL going to go!

Again, I urge you to check out Barnes and Noble University for free classes on line. There really is something for everyone. This is a class I will take at least once more, but I also look forward to the next session of offerings!

Funny Photo Alert!

Here in "Hotlanta" we are getting off pretty easy compared to the rest of the country. Our highs are only between 95 and 98 lately.

I got home from work today and put down my purse and looked out the kitchen window to see how much of the backyard was wilting and saw just about the funniest sight I have seen in a long time! I have a resident squirrel who is evidently a big sissy drama queen. Here's a photo - said squirrel is literally spread-eagled on his stomach on a large piece of black granite by the pond. Photo is not great quality because I had to shoot through the window and screen but if you can make it out it's pretty funny . . .

Here's the punch line: the yellow thing about an inch to the left of the squirrel is a cob of dried corn put out as squirrel food. It's just too hot to even eat. We can only stare at our food.

Yeah. Global warming is a myth thought up by the liberals.

I don't tend to dwell too much on the past but today is a big anniversary! Right about now, 2 years ago, I was at the wedding of some friends on the island of St. Martin and at about midnight was dancing when I spontaneously ruptured both Achilles tendons... the rest is history. If this thing bought me the year in Japan it was well worth the disappointment at a vacation cut short and 8 weeks in a wheelchair. I think we must look at the worst of times as a thing that moves us forward.

Lord Have Mercy! Sister Susannah (the new age nun) has this habit of keeping everything she has ever bookmarked which I frankly think is unhealthy but that's only because I tend to not bookmark and also I clean out my favorites regularly. To each her own. Think I will start keeping everything. Luckily she kept this link which she first sent several years ago and re sent today. It is so hilarious, so funny, so totally 1974 that I urge you to get a good box of kleenex out before you click. I have literally been sitting here for 30 minutes in hysterical laughter (the kind that almost worries me) with tears running down my face.

Please enjoy!

http://www.candyboots.com/wwcards.html

I promise I won't. I promise I won't. AARRRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!!! I HAVE TO DO IT!!!!

This is Dylan (on the treadmill) and Phoebe (under the treadmill). They are fast friends, mainly because Dylan is so dear and sweet and, as a purebred, beautiful but kind of half a bubble shy of plumb. Dumb you might say, but so loving. They get in this position all the time and spend hours swatting at each other. Simple things . . . Look at Phoebe's eyes. Everything she sees is the most amazing f*cking thing ever! This is what is so remarkable about a kitten. You bring one in and all of a sudden you see everything for the first time and it's better than living in Japan and better than acid. Not that I've ever lived in acid mind you. The last kitten I had here was dear departed Gracie back in January 1988 (she died a very calm sweet death in my arms on December 17 2004 at age 16). I had forgotten how AWESOME PURPLE FUZZY MICE COULD BE!!!

OK, enough from the cat whisperer.

Sister Susannah (the new age nun) sent me a link back in April or so to Barnes and Noble University http://university.barnesandnoble.com/. These are free classes and book study groups where you go at your own pace and the sessions are 4 or 6 weeks. In June I took Money Management for Women which was an excellent course - it confirmed much of what I knew, reinforced some of what I suspected, and taught me so much by prompting me to go through my own finances and re-evaluate. I evaluated all of my insurance coverage and re-distributed my 401(k) and have developed a plan that will allow me to retire by the age of 79 (93 if I want to avoid a trailer)!!! The new session started today and I have signed up for Feng Shui your Life (because I already had the book) and Basic Web Page Design (HTML book on the way). Looks so good and I cannot recommend BNU enough if you have some curiousity about things. I am curious by nature and read a lot anyway but so often I read and don't put the practices to work. With self-paced "assignments" I am far more prompted to pursue what I learn in the books. I would encourage you to check it out. There is pretty much something for everyone.

OK. That's all for now.

XOXOXOgaga

POTATO HARVEST #1 AND OTHER NONSENSE

Today I "harvested" the first of my potato containers. Yikes! I have a lot to learn!

These are the Purple Majesty and were in the smallest containers. These are the total of the harvest after I dug through and left behind the additional 10 or so that had rotted underground. I have the feeling I might have watered them too much. Good lesson learned. Still I feel a weird sense of accomplishment. There are 3 varieties in 2 containers still to harvest and I think I'm going to lay off the water for a week or so and see what they do.

Japanese cucumbers?

I got these very fine "tomato" cages just before I left for WV and the cukes are already climbing them. I hope I didn't plant them too late. I hope they have room in the pot. I LOVE Japanese cukes - so good sliced lengthwise and used to dip a bit of miso paste!

Tomatoes? I think everything at this point looks quite positive. There are probably 30 tomatoes in various stages of green size at this poitn and I can't wait for the first to turn red and ripe and juicy. You can only see a few from this angle but there are so many!

We have finally had some rain here and the temps have cooled to the point where I have even turned off the AC and opened the windows for fresh air. I don't know why - maybe because the AC unit is down in the musty crawl space - but the house just smells so much better with windows open instead of AC. I only run it when I can't possibly tolerate it without. I use my boobs as the judge. Ladies you know what I'm talking about.

Here in GA we have the primaries on July 18 and all I see on the TV is negative ads. I am so sick of them. Democrat, Republican - they all do it now. More interested in pointing out the other guy's bad things than in promoting what they will do to make things better. Every day I go through a "I'm not voting for anyone" stage but I know better. Still I hate these ads - it does nothing for the betterment of any political view and only adds to the further divisiveness of this country. Is there no way to convince these politicians to stop this crap? I would so much rather see a counterpoint on an issue followed by a good plan than a personal attack using mis-quoted and mis-represented "facts." I might just vote green party this year. Here in GA our 2 democrat primary choices are "the big guy who looks out for the little guy" and the woman who denigrates the "big guys" as holding GA back. I would dearly love to put a woman in place a governor but have yet to see one specific thing this woman will do for our state. She won't win. As a liberal woman who votes she will not get mine until she stops slinging shit and starts telling me specifically what she plans to do.

Oh shit. Another 2 years of this? Someone send me back to Japan NOW!

XOXOgaga

Long time no post! Guess I have a bit of catching up to do here.

First news is that I have a new kitten. I took Dylan to the vet back in mid June for a re-check. He's doing very well. While I was there the vet mentioned that 3 female kittens had been abandoned on their doorstep and needed a home. My big mistake was in asking to see them. Of course I went home with one. She is now 10 weeks old and adorable as only a kitten can be. Her name is Phoebe Buffay after the character on Friends because the name suits her.

I returned home yesterday afternoon after spending the week in northern West Virginia helping my parents prepare for their move. They are leaving the house we more or less grew up in after 31 years and are moving to a more manageable one story house across town. Dad and I did a lot of painting in the new place and took several loads of miscellaneous things over. The movers will do the official move this Wednesday and then Mom and Dad have until July 31 to clear out anything left. It's an emotional time and it was strange to drive away Saturday morning knowing I would never again return "home."

Since there is NO WAY the furniture in a 3 story house could possibly ever fit into a one story house my sisters and I have all taken a few things. I drove back with a U-Haul trailer attached to the truck and now have to find a place for the "new" furniture! In the meantime the cats are making themselves at home . . .

I had an opportunity to drive to Cleveland for the day on Thursday and was able to see my youngest sister for the first time in 2 1/2 years and also meet the nephew who was born just a few weeks before I left for Japan. Jacob is 18 months old now and he and his brother John are delightful. I got to also tour the vet clinic my sister and brother-in-law Paul own and I only wish I lived close enough that they could be my vets!