Wildflowers

so today was a crazy day and about half way into it I had to go outside.
Feel the sun and get some fresh air.
I live in a suburban area (think stepford wives) but the nice thing about the back yard -
it is a green area with great wild flowers and a running creek.
Happy Friday.

(and other filler words)

um, like, I really hate it when people use filler words. I know that, um, I am probably, like, guilty of it myself, but over the last few weeks I've really, like, actually noticed everyone doing it. and "actually" is the new filler word that everyone is actually using, know what I mean?

Next time you are talking with someone, or just watching tv, or just reading blogs (mmmm hmmm, here too) notice how often the word "actually" is actually used

Um, like, that, just, really, know what I mean, ya know, and actually - we can't help ourselves! and while some are annoying because they are overused , others are just plain not necessary (remove them from your speech and the speech has exactly the same meaning)

Two for Tuesday

Two smart and fun ads

My New Pet

I was going to post the picture below
and ask for help naming my new fish.
Then I took a closer look at the photo and what was behind it and realized my naming quest was over before it had even started.




























Meet Bubba the Beta!

Happy Fall!

Today is the Autumnal Equinox,
the length of day and night are the same.
There is a new moon and it's the first day of fall.

Five Fine Wines for Halloween

Ok, so today I got thinking about Halloween. There are decorations around town, decorations are in all the stores now (as well as Christmas decorations, geesh) and it is just about a month away.

Halloween, to me, involves some kind of party and costume. This year there will be no Halloween party here. Instead, there is going to be a big birthday party for a good friend.
The weekend before Halloween.
But no costumes.
Unless everyone wants to come dressed as Karen!

But that party got me thinking about wine. and it IS Friday, and that sometimes makes me think about wine, and I WAS just talking to Vanessa, who enjoys a glass of wine as I do, and well, you get the picture, I am thinking about wines.
and halloween.
and parties.

SO here is a nice little selection of Halloween wines to serve at your halloween party or bring to a halloween party or just drink, damn it, on Halloween. Cheers!













P.S. I have had the Vampire merlot, it's good! The Red Newt merlot, that's good! The Toad Hollow, I'm not a fan of rose so I wouldn't know. Bull's Blood and Black Cat, I'm looking for this year.

Moths

I don't like moths.
They are creepy to me.
The way they look, feel, fly, smush, etc.

I don't mind spiders or even snakes
but moths creep me out and scare me a little.
And I like butterflys which I know doesn't make much sense but whatever I don't like moths.

I figure the best way to get past this moth loathing is to find out more about them, see if there is any good and beauty in them, and maybe just maybe I will not think they are so bad (shiver).

So I found a photo of this red moth that is really quite pretty and not as skeevy as most.














And I learned something interesting about the Red Moth so here ya go:

The male red moth dines on the fluid from the dog fennel plant and stores some of it in pouches under his abdomen. When the little guy goes a-courtin he discharges the fluid all over the female. The fluid contains a variety of alkaloids from the plant that repels predators. (such as spiders) Indeed, virgin moths coated with the stuff and then placed into spider webs are quickly cut free by the spider! This insures that no one will eat the female moth and Mr. Moth can copulate with her for NINE hours. (it can take that long to impregnate the female) Whew.

Well that was pretty interesting, now back to my studies.

love and patience

Arrr! Today be Talk Like a Pirate Day!

September 19, the world over, is Talk Like A Pirate Day!

In the U.S.

In the U.K.

Here are a few terms to incorporate into your vocabulary today.

Ahoy! - "Hello!"

Avast! - Stop and give attention. It can be used in a sense of surprise, "Whoa! Get a load of that!" which today makes it more of a "Check it out" or "No way!" or "Get off!"

Aye! - "Why yes, I agree most heartily with everything you just said or did."

Aye aye! - "I'll get right on that sir, as soon as my break is over."

Arrr! - This one is often confused with arrrgh, which is of course the sound you make when you sit on a belaying pin. "Arrr!" can mean, variously, "yes," "I agree," "I'm happy," "I'm enjoying this beer," "My team is going to win it all," "I saw that television show, it sucked!" and "That was a clever remark you or I just made." And those are just a few of the myriad possibilities of Arrr!

Have fun ye salty dogs, arrrrrrr!

Trouble in Penguin Paradise

Rumor has it Frederico is cheating on his wife Danta. Just recently he was spotted nuzzling some other chick named Poquita.

Dana and Frederico have been life mates for over a year at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park. Frederico is a lovable, charming playboy. But Danta is what one might call "high maintenance".

Frederico has to fill in for the role of mother when Danta wanders away from the nest or forgets to feed the chicks. And, her constant theft of other penguins' smelt has made her the least popular in the colony. She's kind of an odd penguin and nobody's real crazy about her according to sources at the zoo.

Poquita, meanwhile, is six years younger than Danta and is single. She's known as the cute one, with the pinkest feet in the colony. And she's had a crush on Frederico for months. There's been some flirting going on but if Danta comes out of the nest, it stops.

With new chicks on the way, will Danta and Frederico work out their troubles?

I'm headed to the zoo this month, I'll keep ya posted!

Photo and article in latest issue of CNY Magazine

To market, to market....

So beautiful and plentiful this time of year.

funnies

Laughter IS the best medicine!

Haven't been feeling too cheerful the last few days!
So this week, I am posting things that make me laugh,
giggle or just smile.

Five Fun Facts For Friday

The idea of painting fingernails originated in China, where the color of someone's nails indicated their social rank.

On average, we forget 80% of what we learn on any given day.

Barbie's last name is Roberts.

A standard-size slinky comprises eighty feet of wire.

June Foray, the voice of Rocky, the flying squirrel, was also the voice of the Chatty Cathy doll.

Shadow of Days Past Take II

summer cliff jumping at its finest!

Shadow of Days Past

I am feeling the full effects of the end of summer today.
The first day of school.
Homework.
Cool nights.
A big full harvest moon.

Shadow of Days Past

Two for Tuesday

Two fun comic widgets!










Weekly Dilbert and Garfield

Fun little add ons for your computer.
Get them here.

Two for Tuesday bonus - check out new Lexipuzz and Calcmatic too

Happy Labor Day

and that's what it was, a labor day!

The river was so low this weekend there was a lovely rockbed available for the picking. I had many hands to help pull and transport the rock. Thanks to children, cousins, and cousins' children camp now has many new rock lined flower beds.

A sliver of silver

A sliver of silver sun is about all we saw this weekend.
It rained most of the weekend and the river had the blues.

Blues in the Bay that is.















It was a perfect weekend for a some soulful blues and local artist Roosevelt Dean knew how to belt them.