Here comes the rain again

We didn’t have much of a summer, by my esteem, and now we are suddenly sunk into autumn as if September 23rd was some kind of hidden trip wire the sun triggered crossing over the equinox. Leaves on the way to Eugene began browning and occasionally falling this year in July. What the heck does that mean? It’s the last day of September and my Chain trees and Horse Chestnut still sport green leaves. The Purple Plum next door has been bereft and nude for well over a month.

Where did it go? I’m not ready for the full onslaught of an Oregon autumn. Rain falling with colder bites each day, copious little rain drops that soak you as you dash from door to car. Despite the calendar, I just wasn’t prepared. My wood is not all stacked; heck my wood isn’t even all delivered yet. I never got to fully weed and clear out my back flower beds. My Butterfly bushes need trimmed. And now I need to put winterize my lawn. Where did it go? Shit!

Don’t get me wrong, I love the autumn and rain, I am just not prepared. I'm reminded of the fable of the ant and the grasshopper - apparently I'm not the ant. All those years in Girl Scouts (aka I’m not prepared) and I’ve squandered my summer. I’m not sure how, opting for a meltdown, I didn’t vacation this year, instead I spent my time on chores and work. I got my lumpy path into my side yard, bought my bench, mended my dragon’s arm, and planted thirty plus lilies, a gross of tulips, with narcissus and daffodils thrown in for good measure. But I’m not finished. I had so much more I wanted to do. I never took the time to play. I did spend time with Benjamin and my parents, but not so much that I should be behind.

While I have a goodly size stack of books waiting to be read, my comforter is all clean and ready to keep me warm, I am remorseful that I didn’t take the time to play and suddenly I am sad and longing for what wasn’t this past summer.

It could be worse, it’s snowing in Utah.

Here comes the rain again.
Is it raining with you?

Sith,
Cele

Sowing the Seeds of Love, or at least one excuse for my absence from this space

I have been sadly missing from Blogdom. Oh I’ve been flitting around reading all my favorite blogs. I’ve even added a new blog or three to my reading list, some really good ones. But writing down my thoughts, endeavors, rants, and rages…nada. Passing along some new pics. Nix.Nein.Nuthin’.
Why? I’ve been blessed with several good books to critique, and when I’m critiquing that is where the majority of my free time is spend, devouring good and yummy new words that I am sure you someday will get to read.

But sometimes even the most devoted of critiquers has to play or create. Or better yet both! Remember, that path I showed you back in July?

Don’t laugh, it’s still not done. I’m slow and have been putting in just a few rows of pavers a week. That way the cost doesn’t keep me from buying fresh fruit (I already gave up red meat.) Now I’m a few rows…or so…from the finished product. It was less but Ducky liked it so much he wants to extended it about eight feet or so to the forest.


I’m so excited. What began as an inspiration brought on by projects from Sideon and garden pictures from Sacred has become a vision to me. So I have slowly dug my way through the yard and made a lumpy walk way.

A few Sunday’s ago Ducky helped me peeled out all the dead sod from the south side of the walk. I bought some tumbled blue stone to begin a path to my bird feeder (I hope the bear appreciates it.) Began planting Corsican mint around the stones. Bought my first Rubeckia (I hope this one lives), and a little shrub for some winter colour, called a Mirror plant.

Well you say, that won’t make a garden? Nope it won’t. Because my glorious plans are for a Lily garden. Ducky loves lillies. So I have bought 24 lillies so far. Spring and summer blooming, from white to red, pink to orange with a yellow or two thrown in for good measure. Hollyhock will back them. A few bearded Iris are already planted. Then I will throw in Russell Lupin, Gay Feathers, Snap dragons, Nasturtium, a trellis of Morning Glories, and lavender for color fronted by tulips in the winter/spring, and petunias in the summer and autumn.

I am so excited. I have mixed the summer and spring bulbs together so each clump will bloom in both seasons. There are only a few more feet of tulips to plant. I want some new solar garden lights.


And last weekend I went out and bought a small cement bench for the west side of the garden near the birdfeeder. Okay, I’m a sucker for dragons – cute dragons, and this one had a broken arm, so I had to have him.


Now if it was just spring. Things grow sooooo slow.
Sith,
Cele

The Berries are especially good this year

Wednesday morning as I walked out to my truck I stared up at the blue sky and throught what a glorious September day. It had lightly rained the night before, so I’d not had to water. My fuchsias were happy, petunias perky, and my begonia estatic.

As I pulled out of the parking space in front of my house I noticed a line of purple bird blobp!s across the hood of my truck and up the wind shield. They were really hard to miss. Blackberry or huckleberry? And no time for the car wash.

While backing around the corner and shifting into first I noticed a big purple blobp! in the middle of my lawn. Zuzu moves back into her space, I get out and determine that bears no long shit in the woods….OH NO, THEY GO IN THE MIDDLE OF MY YARD.

Big purple blobp!s

When I came home that night it was to find Ducky and Gambler (our neighbor from across the street) congregated in the middle of the lawn searching for Bear Bells amidst the huge purple blobp! Ya, gotta wonder.

I’d not noticed the two bags of tulips I’d not gotten to plant last weekend had been drug out from behind the hydrangea pot next to the front door and left in the middle of the flagstone. Apparently tulip bulbs were not to his taste (lucky me.) I put them back behind the pot, next to the front door and there they have remained.

Despite rain at night, watering my lawn, and gusty winds the bear blobp! is still in the middle of the lawn, soon to transform itself in to a ring of the greenest grass. Now if I could get it to just poop evenly on the really brown spots.

Sith,
Cele

Bunnicide To Save Our Children from China With Love!

I know I’ve be MIA and with few good excuses. Everyday or so I’ll sit down with the intent of writing a blog and become sidetracked by everything you have written. You guys rock. I’ve even started a few blogs, hmmm, that somehow are saved for later, whenever that might be.

But this morning their was an obscure form of bunnicide in blazing colour at the bottom of the front page of section B in the Eugene Register Guard. The, obvious, hands of a woman firmly wrapped around the head of a fuzzy, stuffed bunny whose sole eye was attached to a chain device of torture. She was pulling on said bunny’s head with firm grasp. Poor bunny. Apparently when a bunny screams on paper it doesn’t make a sound.

I was surprisingly shocked, stupid I know. I just wish more companies paid as extravagant and detailed attention as the bunny tester of Specialized Technology Resources, a company that test children’s toys. Sixteen hundred employs, working forty hours each week to destroy toys with the aim of protecting our children. The latest lead tainted toys made in China for American kids are lunch pales, dispensed by a well intended California organization to promote healthy lunches for school kids. And the basic cost for STR to test a toy line? Just $35.

$35 or better yet, what if we all demanded American made? What a concept. But wait, while America has outlawed lead based paints, there is no law that requires toys to be tested. None, Nada, Nix.

Mattel toys, whom we trust so well, suffered a 1.5 million item recall earlier this year for lead paint on toys. That was only their first recall. This year Mattel has placed recalls for 20 million toys. It boggles the mind – and tells me not enough books and puzzles are sold anymore. The Toy Industry Association is pushing for federally mandated testing. Finally!

And remember that stuffed bunny being sacrificed to make sure babies and toddlers won’t choke on tiny gnawed off parts? STR says a check of stuffing inside those plush toys uncovers filth. Whoa, Nellie! You Betcha! Dead bugs, sawdust, even metal shavings according to the Guard’s report. I was appalled, even at the age of fifty one, I love giving and getting plush toys. And for now on I’m going to be searching for the American Made label – at least they’ll be our bugs.

It gives a whole new meaning to the rabbit died – btw a quick check of five stuffed animals in my collection unveiled that three were from China, two from Vietnam, and one from Korea. I’ve not even checked Ducky’s Duck Collection. Bummer.

Today’s To Stupid To Live! Award shoud go to the MIT student who wore a fake bomb strapped to her person when she went to Logan International Airport to greet her boyfriend this morning. I thought the prerequisites for getting into MIT was brains? And an art project? Get fucking real.

Today in history 1937 - JRR Tolkien’s the Hobbit was first published.

Sith,
Cele

Word Clouds

I'm a sucker for web toys, but I'm never the Jones, I'm just keepin' up with Sid and Daniel the Desert Guy. They had one,


so I had to get me my own word cloud. Because well, it's kewl. You can have one too... Word Clouds.

An Open Tag MeMe

This is from an open MeMe tag by Sister Mary Lisa

1. What time did you get up this morning?
4:30 in the frelling morning, two frelling days in a row. Tomorrow I sleep in!

2. How do you like your steak?
Medium rare to rare.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
I think it was Second Hand Lions. If not it was a hideous film we stupidly picked just because it had Sean Connery in it, I mean who would think that would be bad?

4. What is your favorite TV show?
Ice Truckers I over for the season… so I’m waiting for Ghost Whisper to come back on.

5. What did you have for breakfast?
Instant Cinnamon Oatmeal with blueberries

6. What is your middle name?
Calista

7. What is your favorite cuisine?
hmmm, it depends. Ball park hot dog, but it has to be at the ball park. You did know that cheddarwurst is the new pizza right? Chinese the rest of the time.

8. What are your favorite chips?
Salt and Vinegar

9. What is your favorite CD at the moment?
Ooh, I listen to music all day at work, so that is hard. Jazon Mraz Waiting for my Rocket to Come. Or the new best of matchbox twenty (but that’s not fair, it’s not out yet.

10. What kind of car do you drive?
Stepside Ford Ranger, extended cab in Azure Blue…named ZuZu

11. What is your favorite sandwich?’
Avocado bacon or French Dip

12. What characteristics do you despise?
Arrogance and ignorance

13. What are your favorite clothes?
Comfortable ones. My Jammies

14. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation where would you go? Tour of Major League Baseball parks in North America beginning with Yankee Stadium

15. Favorite brand of clothing?
I don’t have one

16. Where would you want to retire?
Right where I am, in Oregon

17. Favorite time of day?
Which ever one is the most quiet

18. Where were you born?
California

19. What is your favorite sport to watch?
MLB or College Football – Go Ducks!

20. Who do you think will not do this meme?
Most people

21. Who do you expect to do this first?
Jazzy

22. Pepsi or Coke?
Water or Tea

23. Beavers or Ducks?
Yeah, Duh! Go Ducks!

24. Morning or Nite Owl?
Night Owl

25. Pedicure or Manicure?
Pedicure, I even love giving a pedicure

26. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share?
Me, naw! I am the most boring person.

27. What did you want to be when you were little?
A Playboy Bunny (okay it was a pipe dream just like wanting to be a dancer and a Marine Biologist.)

28. What is your best childhood memory?
Saturday mornings walking with my Grandfather through Balboa, to the donut shop for a bag of donut holes and walking out the pier to eat them together.

29. Ever been to Africa ?
Nope

30. Been in a car accident?
itty bitty one

31. Favorite day of the week?
Not Fridays

32. Favorite restaurant?
hmmm, I don’t have one.

33. Favorite flower?
I love most flowers, but I have to say Nasturtiums – especially cinnamon ones

34. Favorite ice cream?
BJ’s rocky road (but this changes often)

35. Favorite fast food restaurant?
Dairy Queen

36. How many times did you fail your driver's test?
Six. God for once I’m not telling you more.

37. From whom did you get your last email?
Newport News Clearance Sale

38. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?
The Hot tub store?

39. Bedtime?
My airshift just changed so usually it will have to be around 10:30 if I want to be there on time and still get the lawn watered, and the morning blogs read.

40. Who are you most curious about their responses to this?
everyone

41. Last person you went out to dinner with
Ducky, we had chinese last Saturday night.

42. What are you listening to right now?
Oklahoma wooping ass on North Texas on ESPN

43. What is your favorite color?
Green first, cinnamon second (have you seen Vesuivus? It rocks.)

44. How many tattoos do you have?
One, I’ve been talking myself out of a second one for 15 years. Because I really want one but I keep thinking what will the aides at the nursing home think when I show up with my tats, pierced ears, and thong at 95?

45. How many are you sending this meme to?
None, shit I’m still waiting for my first post card to arrive at Tewkes?

46. Favorite magazine(s)?
Billboard

47. What time did you finish this meme?
5:46pm Pacific

48. How old were you when you got married?
which time? 20, 24, 36

49. How old do you want your kids to be when they get married?
I don’t think you can pick an age to be ready, it take mature adults to make a successful relationship, not reaching a magical age.

If you choose to MeMe along with this, leave me your url so I can read along.
Sith
Cele