Buckets and Lists

This blog is inspired by fishing4silence who wrote a blog on her bucket list. She remarked on how short her list seemed to be and I had a giggle, thinking surely she just needed another cup of coffee to get her woke up so she could concentrate more to finish out her list of things to do before one literally kicks the bucket.

I thought, hmmmm, since it's a bit slow today on Multiply I should have everyone make a list of 10 things they would have on their own "bucket list". Pretty simple stuff really, and how interesting it would be to see everyone's perspective and what they want to experience or have yet to experience in this life.

So I sat here for a bit and started to think, what would I put on my bucket list? I found though that my list was not quite materializing the way I thought it would. I realized that my thoughts kept wandering in other directions. Ooooh I thought, I want a new and bigger kitchen, no make that a brand new house built the way I want it designed. Ooooh, a new car, a brand spanking new car with 0 miles on it. Just googling for the image above had me ooohing, what a kewl bucket, I would like a neat bucket like that.

It was then that I realized I wasn't really following the bucket list rules. I was listing things, material things that I wanted and I wasn't really thinking or keeping this thing in perspective. The list was or is suppose to include experiences. Things that I haven't yet experienced or want to experience or do before my time is called up.

There were a few obvious things that came to mind such as see the ocean. I have never been to either coast or been out of the US for that matter. Travel was a biggy, but then after that I was starting to draw a blank. My list was starting to look even smaller than Fishing4silence's list and I couldn't claim I just needed another cup of coffee when I don't even drink the stuff.

It made me think that I shouldn't have to think so hard of what should or should not be on this bucket list. Why was it so hard to come up with stuff? Had I really been so content with life that I felt it could not be enriched further? Had I given up dreaming so long ago that I couldn't grasp that concept any more? It has me perplexed and thinking and wondering that perhaps I really should make a real bucket list in order to give me a kick start in that dreaming direction. That I should forget about this wanting stuff and go for that stuff that can't be bought but only felt.

So tell me Multiply people, do you have a list? How long is your list? Is it something you dream about or are you like me and have to really give this some thought, and that those items don't just jump to the fore front of your mind?

Is it as hard for you as it is for me, when thinking about buckets and lists?

 

Merry Christmas Multiply...

Merry Christmas Multiply! I tried visiting all of my friend's guest books or at least the ones who seem to still be here. I always fear that I have unintentionally omitted or over looked someone and don't want anyone to feel left out by any oversight by me.

I do hope the holiday finds all of you warm, happy, surrounded by the people that matter to you the most. My wish for all of you is to have the best in the upcoming new year and that if not all your dreams come true, at least the one that matters most.

I am including a video of my favorite Christmas song.

**(you will note John that this song does not contain a partridge and should therefore be safe from Vero's soup pot,lol)

 

http://youtu.be/zq9c4C2573o

 

Twelve...

 

I can't believe it is already December 19th. Whatever happened to the 12 days of Christmas? If my math serves me correctly, there is only 6 days left til Christmas. I could have swore just a day or so ago I had two weeks til that holiday was upon us. I am blaming it on the government and inflation and the fact that everything is being downsized including the days in the month of December.

I always have good intentions, I always have big plans, and I try to implement those plans but nothing ever really seems to go without a hitch.

I came across the cartoon above and thought it was hysterical. It would be more funny if I actually wrote a holiday newsletter and had all my Christmas cards sent out. As it is I have only a handful that are actually in the mail and a distinct possibility of not getting any more sent out. I should look to see if they sell boxes of just winter holiday cards that wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Valentines day, and St. Patrick's day all rolled into one. I would then have several months in which to send out those cards and still be covered. I, of course, also run the risk of procrastinating with those cards as well and then I would be late for not just one holiday but several consecutive ones.

(sigh) I am so tired.

And I am not even sure why I am so tired, it doesn't seem like I have a lot accomplished when I look around and take stock. I did finally get a bunch of plates of candy delivered to all my neighbors, (well not all of them, just the ones I like,lol). It seemed like it took weeks to just whip up a few batches of candy and even then I didn't get everything made on my list. I have given it all away and yet I can not scratch that chore off my list, as I will once again have to make more goodies for when my family members all get together for the holiday.

Friday I made a dash to the post office to get some pack and ship boxes, what a madhouse. I wedged my way out of there and realized when packing up the boxes of goodies later that the boxes seemed a bit bare so I wandered back into the kitchen to make another batch of candy to fill out their boxes. One more package to assemble was a gift for a special overseas pooch when I realized I had a small problem with the packaging. The shipping envelope I had bought was smaller than I thought, or the gift was bigger than I had imagined. No matter how hard I looked at that gift in it's pretty gift bag, there was no way it was going to fit in that envelope. Desperate times call for desperate measures though and I took it out of it's gift bag and tried to carefully wrap it in tissue and stuff it in it's envelope. It fit, but the envelope now looked like a balloon about to burst. Hmmm, decisions,decisions, another trip to town for a new envelope or box and wait til Monday to post the package or send the puffy package. I opted to send the puffy package.

(sigh)

 I keep telling myself, next year, next year I will be better prepared. I will be on top of things, I will be in total control. I will not be a frazzled, crazed woman running around in circles. I will be on time, maybe even early. I will hand make all my Christmas presents and cards. I will be one of those people whom everyone envies because of their cool ingenuity and craftiness. I will be perfect.

Yeah, I will keep telling myself year after year. It's like Santa Claus, one has to have something to believe in.

Merry Christmas Multiply!

 

I'll have mine on the side, please...

 

Have you ever noticed how some people can make a whole meal out of condiments? I never really thought much about that til having lunch one day with my mom this week.

We ordered the exact same thing at the eating establishment, and as I sat there at the table, I looked over and realized her lunch was twice the size of my own.

It struck me then... my mom is a condiment abuser. Oh I had secretly somewhat already known this for years. The hoard of little packets of ketchup, mustard, taco sauce, the overflowing frigerator door, not to mention the "extra" bottles in her cabinet left little doubt as to her love of condiments.

It left me wondering what really is the purpose of condiments? Are they to enhance the food already prepared or are they there to cover up a multitude of sins?

Condiments are sneaky. Some condiments are swimming in fat and calories, while some make you feel you can partake wildly because of their fat free status in the condiment world. My mom is guilty of all of them. I don't think I can remember a time that she didn't eat anything without some sort of condiment accompaniment. Chili always needed extra ketchup, mustard, and sometimes honey. Or that holy grail of condiments to her,...honey mustard. Vegetables need a large drizzle of dressing. Meat dishes need a splash of barbeque sauce, or steak sauce, or more ketchup. And don't even get her started on miracle whip and pickles.

It's staggering when you walk down the aisle at the grocery and view all of the condiments available. It can be overwhelming, and some people want to try them all. They want that sense of adventure in the door of their fridge. Which leads me to admitting....I am boring in my condiment collection.

Most times I will order something plain, and will put some ketchup on the side. Oh I like pickles, onions, mustard, etc. But usually just a blob of ketchup will suffice. In fact, ketchup is my go to condiment of choice. Somethings I just don't want to eat if I don't have ketchup for it. It's as if, it no longer is worth the effort if I don't have my ketchup.

Yet I know ketchup is bad for me. It's laden with corn syrup, vinegar, sodium and 57 other ingredients according to Heinz...or maybe they make 57 other condiments, I don't know... I just know I need my ketchup.

I remember as kid going to my grandmother's and just being in awe of her refrigerators (she had 3). Stuffed in the door and on shelves would be almost every condiment imaginable. Ketchup, hot sauce, barbeque, mustard, thousand island dressing, ranch dressing, french dressing, 6 or more kinds of dressing. There would be dill pickle chips, dill pickle spears, sweet pickles, pickle relish, green olives, black olives, pimento cheese, jarred pimentos, jarred peppers. If it was a condiment she most likely had it. A far cry from my ketchup and mustard filled world.

I think a lot of it is what you get use to. I was a picky kid  growing up, and didn't like my food to touch on my plate. Very few foods now  do I use or add more than one condiment too. Sure I have cupboard full of spices and jams and jellies and other things that some consider a condiment. Some of them have been there for ages. I should toss them, but then I worry maybe someone will visit and ask if I have any low sodium soy sauce or hot pepper sauce, stone ground mustard, or bit of mayo instead of miracle whip on their food selections.

It's crazy the love people have for condiments. Most refrigerators will sport at least a couple. In fact most of us have some of the same condiments, even the same brands of those condiments in our kitchens. Some condiments have become so ingrained in our eating habits, we can not enjoy our meal without them.

Last week I watched my mom pour a reddish looking liquid into a large quart jar that she had been cooking. She smiled brightly and told me it had to cool down and then she could put it in her fridge. It was a homemade version of Dorothy Lynch salad dressing she had come across in a cook book. Where she is going to find room in her frigerator door to put it I don't know.

For some people, condiments are a sickness. They just can't do without them. Maybe those people  should be considered as more adventurous eaters. Just ketchup won't do it for them, they need more. Maybe I need to rethink my condiment choices. It's hard to break some habits, I do love my ketchup.

Fess up,...come clean and tell me your condiment cover ups...

Fire In The Sky....

It's hot...really, really, really hot. So hot it makes one think there really could be a fire in the sky.

There doesn't seem to be an end to it either. The forecast continues to look bleak with the heat and humidity. It does make one think a lot of global warming and the causes for the extreme weather the world seems to be having lately.

It was just the other day that a neighbor was over helping to fix an old door when our conversation turned to movies. I casually mentioned that with this kind of weather, it was good for curling up with a book or a good movie to escape the heat. My neighbor mentioned he wished he could find an old movie called, "Fire in the Sky". I hadn't heard of it before and he went on to tell me how it was a true account of a man named Travis Walton who had been abducted by aliens. As he went on describing more of the story, I could only mumble," wow, really, I hadn't read the book or seen the movie". It was a true story, the guy didn't lie, his friends backed him up, took lie detector tests, etc. etc.

I tried to look politely engrossed with what my neighbor was saying. Aliens...he believes in them. He also believes in ghosts, spirits, and all of those supernatural things that can't be explained. I have to admit the alien angle threw me a bit. Spirits and ghosts and the supernatural were one thing, but aliens?

Today I googled on-line for the movie and found it and ordered it as a gift for my neighbor. I know he will be tickled to have it to add to his movie collection. It had me wondering though if I was being hasty in my dismissal of all things extraterrestrial. Maybe I was not in the majority as I thought, but a minority in my personal beliefs of the spacial creatures.

I have to admit, as much as I like my neighbor I couldn't help but think he was a little nuts in his beliefs. I am pessimistic, I am a skeptic, I have yet to see any glowing discs in the sky that resemble a hovering aircraft. I haven't been beamed aboard anything or probed. Or at least I don't think I have been. Maybe I have been, and my mind was erased by the aliens of the encounter?

I am full of questions. Questions of what those aliens intentions are. Questions of why are those people abducted are allowed to come back to earth? Questions of why are they always probed, but never autopsied?  Wouldn't that give the aliens better answers? Are all aliens so courteous as to only give a minor once over and then back home you go?

Though I scoff and joke on all things alien, I wonder how many people out there really do believe and yet are afraid to voice their views on them. Does the fear of ridicule keep them quiet? There might be a whole lot of believers out there, people I know who sorta believe that it's possible, that there really could be something out there, but won't mention those opinions out loud for all to hear.

I remember back to some of those sci-fi movies on aliens and wonder if maybe the whole world is full of aliens and I just don't know it. It would explain an awful lot about most of California and Washington D.C.

 I sorta feel like I could be like that lady in the end of the movie, "Invasion of the Body Snatchers". I would finally find my Donald Sutherland only to have him point me out as being human while he makes that alien-like squeal of his. I feel like I am the only sane one in a crazy world that makes no sense other than they all seem to be from a different planet.

One person's craziness is another person's sanity. One person's beliefs are another person's joke. One person's fear, is another person's indifference. Just like one person's fire in the sky is more than just the blazing hot sun.

Who knows, maybe it's not really the effects of the blazing hot sun we are feeling but the gama rays or lazer beams of another world and life form. We, at this very moment, are being tested and scored or monitored by other unknown beings. It has me worried, thinking all of this time I could be wrong in my thoughts. I start to wonder if I should stock up on Reese's pieces, Skittles, or whatever kind of candy it is that extraterrestrials consume. I should be more prepared for any possible abductions. I want to remain on the good side of all of those aliens.

I won't be wearing any tinfoil on my head, despite my wandering thoughts of aliens. I won't be searching the skies for floating discs or orbs of possible spaceships. I won't be worried about any fires in the sky, except for the sun and it's warming rays. I will, however, refrain from looking directly at the sun though,....and candy, I'll need to buy candy... just to be safe.

Forecast...

 

    ...................................................................(whimper).......................................................................

 

 

 

A Blog About Everything and Nothing...

I should write something...

I should write a blog on anything, just anything to get the others motivated, is what I thought today.

I should write that blog I promised Mr. Oz on whining. He wanted a blog on whining or some sort of dilemma, controversy, just something he could read and comment on that didn't involve little fluffy kittens and smiley faces... Well, I just added that last part, he might very well like the fluffy kittens and smiley faces angle..

I started that blog for you a couple of times Mr. Oz. I kept backspacing though, crossing out sentences, looking over my shoulder at times. I was going on, and on, on my whining and frustrations on the world, the US, on the media, on the weather, on relatives and everything that annoyed me that day.

I found out that a lot of things annoy me and that perhaps voicing those annoyances would just add fuel to the fire or cause someone's nose to get bent out of joint. And if I am completely truthful, that those in my "real" world might stumble across those rants and be annoyed with me over my annoyance of them.

So I deleted those blogs before publishing. I had a lot to say that I am not sure anyone really wanted to listen to/read. Some people don't like controversy or any rocking of the boat. Me, I can't swim, and I don't have a life preserver so I have to be extra cautious when it comes to that rocking the boat stuff.

I thought alot about people who view the world thinking they are owed something. I thought about people who expect things when they already have more than the giver. I thought about people who constantly take and never give. When they actually do give, the gift is reminded of subtly and not so subtly all the time, which never really makes it a gift after all but an obligation in disguise.

So I gave up all of those thoughts for more happy thoughts. I realized I didn't have as many happy thoughts as the whiny and ranting thoughts. Which has me worried that I really am becoming a cantankerous person.

I thought about a blog on stuff that should make me happy. Blogs on our gardens, our flowers, our veggies, but it only reminded me of all the weeds I have out there, the humidity that is flirting with the same percentage as those high temps, and the mosquitoes and gnats that are in record numbers this year.

My happy blog was veering back to that whiny ranting blog again.

Maybe Mr. Oz knew something I didn't know. Maybe he could sense somehow thru my inane comments my dissatisfied restlessness. Maybe Mr. Oz is psychic.

(I am thinking of something now Mr. Oz, can you guess what it is? I better go ahead and tell you because you will never guess, I am thinking of whether a lemon bar constitutes lunch and if I have another can I count it as dessert. One shouldn't really blog at lunch time, if only for the sandwich crumbs in the keyboard...)

I should blog about something though, whether whiny or happy or silly or just off the wall stuff. It helps me I think. It helps to get all those jumbled up thoughts out of my mind and make way for new ones. It helps me to let go of those frustrations, real or imagined, (but I really think they are all real..)

Blogging is good even when it's bad. So blog on fellow bloggers and whine and complain or post whatever makes you happy or unhappy. Some of us enjoy knowing when we aren't the only ones being bad. It makes us feel we are in good company.

 

Happy Sunday Multiply!

Quiet Rumors...

 

It has been quiet on Multiply lately. Some people especially have been particularly quiet or just been missing altogether. Life gets busy for all of us and sometimes there is just not enough hours in the day to do everything, including blogging.

There have been some rumors floating around lately and more than one of them may have a grain of truth to them. Not that I like to gossip, but have you heard the latest?

Vero fell into her pond while trying to kiss one too many frogs and toads. The doctors think that in time those warts will disappear from her lips.

MkChippy and Des were detained 9 days while on their 12 day trip. They were allowed to finally board the plane when blood tests, body scans, and birth certificates were found to prove they were in fact originally from Hawaii and related to that guy who sings "Tiny Bubbles".

ZZee really did melt after all those warnings about how hot it was over in India. She is currently on ice in the freezer and comes out only for parties and frozen daiquiris.

Mac has never left the side of his tomato plants since he put in his garden. He has been seen feverishly mumbling to his plants, "must beat Vero, must have first tomatoes".

Trudi has been busy building an ark. So far she has two dogs, two birds and 31 cats on board.

John has become a certified organic dairy farmer. He has two cows, and so far only one of them has been doing all the work,... that is no bull.

Gloggy and Wukky have literally become joined at the hip. They work small carnivals and fairs on week-ends and hope to tour in the near future.

Greg's old one horse town has expanded to two horses and a mule. Expect to see a Wal-mart pop up any day now.

Sharon's days are filled with the continual demands of her wildlife critters. Leroy is currently building small condos and they are looking to expand soon.

Glenda has been mowing her yard for 269 days straight...on the same tank of gas.

Tania has gone missing. Fliers have been posted and several received an e-mail that she would only show up once a reward was offered. Please contribute to the find Tania cause.

Geoff was last seen chasing two young nurses down the hall. It wasn't even five minutes later he was reported to have been running back in the other direction when a large nurse with 2 moles and multiple chin hairs was after him with a big needle.

Robert and Sally met up with, and joined a rogue band of gypsies on their last caravan trip. Sally now sells beaded necklaces while Robert tells fortunes.

Ghiana came across Robert and Sally while on her last trip. She wasn't thrilled with Robert's prediction and wants a refund.

Acme was last seen trimming his yard with a pair of grass shears, carefully measuring each blade of grass with a ruler. He denies being obsessive compulsive.

Roo has yet to have a day off from being a secretary for her Umbearable boss.

Sno really has gone mad and is in some obscure mental institute.... I can type stuff like that cause she has been missing for so long.

George has found a new passion... Shoes. He spends all of his spare time at the mall strutting his stuff while undecided on the open toed pumps or the espadrilles.

Ian has become a famous author and in his rise from obscurity, now hides in seclusion while working on his fourth new novel.

Misty has been laying low after her trip to the US. It was only after a large cash payoff that the border guards allowed her to cross back over to Canada. She has risen on the US's FBI list to number 13.

The Great and powerful Mr. Oz is busy trying to reunite the band Toto. They are hoping to tour with a number of 80's big hair rock bands. Yes, I am proud to say I am one of their groupies.

Oletimes' laptop short circuited when she fell asleep on it while waiting for a new post to pop up. She hopes to get a new computer soon and to overcome her drooling while she sleeps.

Terrence is on a bike across Canada trip. He has logged 2,458 miles so far and hasn't even left the city limits. Piper refuses to go any further until he gets a new GPS.

Shane has developed a solar powered robot that heats, cools and gives foot massages all at the same time.... It was his wife's idea about the foot massages.

Guy has gone fishing and was seen napping while under a large shade tree with a line tied to his big toe. He now really has a big fish story to tell when he whips off his shoe and tells them the story of how the big one got away...with his toe.

Yar was last seen at the police station reporting theft of his new garden lights. He vows to catch the perpetrator if it's the last thing he does.... Misty sent me a new set of garden lights for my birthday which is months away... I think I may have been set up...

It's all true, all of the above... I got it from a reliable source.

I read it all in an e-mail from Settie.

 

 

 

 

Weathering the Weather

 

It's been a crazy year for the weather. The Missouri river which borders the east side of Nebraska has been flooding for weeks. Despite all of that water, none of it seemed to be falling from the sky in my neck of the woods. The last three attempts of moisture in the form of rain, resulted in less than a tenth of an inch each time.

So when Monday came with threats of more rain, I was one of those people who actually rejoiced that finally there was a decent chance of rain.

The weatherman continued to warn of severe weather, terrible weather, tornado weather, but all I thought about was rain. I had spent hours that day out in the garden watering and trying to keep the plants from becoming dry tumbleweeds.

In the evening it came, the darkness. Not from night falling but the huge squall line that stretched across the horizon. The unbearable mugginess was feeling cooler and the winds gusted high in the tree tops. It got darker, the wind got stronger, and I could tell it was going to be a big storm.

As a kid I use to love to watch a storm. The excitement of seeing mother nature unleash her fury can be both scary and awesome at the same time. I remember watching thru the window pane and seeing trees bending over, their tops nearly touching the ground. I have watched trees be split in two and come crashing to the ground. It was scary but there is something about watching it all unfold that keeps one rooted to their spot, and just think.....wow. 

I heard the back door blow open and went to close it and stood there watching til it was so dark looking out towards the west that I came in to look out the front door heading east. A few years ago, a storm came thru and I did the same thing. I watched the storm come from the west and marveled at how the wind blew, little knowing that if I had brains enough, I should have also been checking the skies to the east where a tornado was less than a half mile from me further up the hill.

So this time I went to the front door to look towards the east. The tree tops were like giant egg beaters as the winds from the south blew while the cooler winds of the north tried to push them back. The clouds were low and the skies so dark, except for the thinnest of ribbon of light on the horizon.

Hmmm, I thought, should I be taking cover? I ran to put on my grass stained gardening shoes. I wanted to be wearing my most comfortable pair of shoes in case I had to run anywhere. Silly now when I think back on it. Just where was I going to run to? I don't have a basement or root cellar. I know they constantly tell you to seek shelter in a low area or a small contained area like a closet.  Seriously, have they seen my closets? I can't even find a pair of shoes in there, let alone actually step into one. I have a feeling though I could have cleaned one out in 2.3 seconds if I felt the roof coming off the house or the four walls moving.

Hmmmm, should I be opening one window on the southeast and closing all the others? I forget which window it is they use to tell you to open to relieve pressure inside the house. I had several open. Should I be away from any windows? Not from them breaking so much as from being struck by lightening. I heard that once, that lightening can come thru windows.  Should I be taking cover in the bathtub? I have to tell you I have an unnatural fear of being caught in the bathroom when a tornado strikes while I am doing my personal business. Fears of being caught in the shower with nothing but a shower curtain wrapped around me while the house lies in rubble is another fear. Which  reminds me, I need to get a different shower curtain, that clear textured one that I have now is not going to hide anything.

It's amazing the stupid stuff we think of when we think danger is near. As a kid I marveled, still afraid but also thinking how cool it was. As an adult, all I could think of was, limbs down, blown off shingles, lots of work and expense from just a brief few minutes of mother nature's wrath.

I continued watching out the front door, the trees still whipping about, north and south in giant circles when the rain finally started to fall. It blew in sheets from the west as the tiny ribbon of light in the east disappeared into the darkness of night.

Rain, finally. I somehow felt better then. That the worst was past and I could just stand there at the glass and look out and think...wow.

Pepper Shortage

 

Peter Piper picked more than a peck of pickled peppers... I think he stole them all.

I never dreamed that it would be so hard to find a pack of green bell peppers. But this year there evidently seems to be a major shortage of the blocky fruit. I searched high and low at several places before finally finding one small four pack of spindly Big Bertha bell peppers.

I came across chili peppers, jalapeno peppers, and ornamental peppers, but it seems that the regular bell peppers are becoming harder and harder to find. Or it could be that others have noticed the trend in trendier  peppers and snatched up all of the bell peppers in their glee for the familiar.

I have grown other peppers before. In fact I even had better yields with some other varieties. Hungarian wax peppers left the other peppers in the dust with their proliferation. But when it comes to fond remembrances, it's just hard to stuff any other pepper but the lowly bell pepper. I wasn't picky about my peppers either, I was more than willing to take them in any other color than green. In fact, I would have preferred an assortment of red and yellow with the traditional green peppers, but there were none to be found.

Has the bell pepper gone by the wayside? Do growers and suppliers go for what is fashionable and neglect the older tried and trued varieties? For some plants I think they do, and yet for other plants I think they are woefully behind.

Shopping at my local businesses, it is nearly impossible to find a lot of the more newer varieties of annuals and perennials. The trusty petunias and impatients line the shelves and a smattering of stella de oro daylilies are inter mixed with blue rug junipers and halcyon hostas. Living in this small rural area, I know that in order to get anything half way new in the perennial world I have to order my plants. With the demise of the local garden nursery, garden seed is either by order as well or subject to the small selection at Wally world.

I am a hard to please gardener...I want everything.

I want the best of both worlds. I want the newest of new varieties and yet the comfort and dependability of old favorites.

I want my California Wonder Bell Peppers....

 

 

Chainsaw Massacre...

 

It had been sitting out in the garage for several weeks before I finally got the nerve up to even take it out of it's box. It wasn't a big one, not even one of the traditional ones. It was a baby. A 14 incher. An easy plug and go type, and yet it still was a bit intimidating.

I blame it on my mother. I blame it on my brothers. I blame it on every 911 emergency episode I have watched on tv. But I finally got brave enough to take it out of the box.

I had a new electric chain saw. The box it's self, didn't look all that big. The power tool didn't seem all that heavy either. Just perfect I thought for my first foray into chainsaw adventures.

I read part of the instruction manual. Two thirds of it was in Spanish and French. Of the few pages I read, most were warnings of using the equipment. It gave me some more second thoughts. Stuff tends to do that when every paragraph sentence ended with "possible injury or death"...

I took a deep breath and took the bull by the horns, or in this case, the chainsaw by the handle. (Bytheway there are two handles and you are suppose to have both hands on the chainsaw handles at all times.) I filled the oil reserve, read about adjusting the blade, looked at the diagram for instructions of adjusting the blade chain, read it a third time, looked at my saw and sighed. Evidently the model must have changed and the instruction booklet hadn't. The pictures didn't match my saw. So I pulled on the chain a little, thought to myself, looks good enough and strung out my extension cord.

I braced myself for what I thought would be a rush of power and noise and pushed the lock release and the power button. Buzzzz... I had power, and it quickly cut thru the tiny test branch. I pushed the button again and sawed another little branch, and I cut a third branch before mentally kicking myself. You are suppose to push the oil button thingy between each cut. Doh! I pushed it three times for good measure. Mentally chanting my mantra of push the oil button as I sawed and sawed thru more branches.

I moved on to bigger branches. They took more effort. But they succumbed to my trusty little electric powered saw. I got bold, cutting willynilly thru the thicket. Yes, I wasn't really cutting a tree yet, but a thicket of overgrown bittersweet vines. I am not sure what possessed that crazy gardener to plant them in the first place but they had gone wild. They overtook the fence, clung to bushes, ran up a couple trees til the green branches swayed in the top of the tree canopy.

I buzzed my way thru the jungle. Stopping only when the cord came unplugged or a bit of leaves and branches got sucked in and clogged the chainsaw chamber. I felt empowered. It was a rhythmic ballet of sashaying chainsaw madness. I started sawing with one hand. (no I hadn't chopped off the other). I felt giddy with my quick success. I started cutting bigger branches, the saw balked at the prospects but eventually cut thru the thicker diameter. I cut a larger branch and heard the cracking and watched in slow motion as it almost beaned me in the head.

I was getting careless in my euphoria, and yet all that I could think of was that I needed more power. (just for you Mac, inserting the Tim the Toolman Taylor Arrrrrr...arrrrrr yell). I looked at my saw, and looked at the pine trees I needed to cut as well and sighed. It wasn't going to happen today. It wasn't going to happen with my little saw. I needed something bigger, I needed more power. I needed to call it quits for the day because it started to rain and I was going to electrocute myself with my electric chainsaw.

I sat in the garage for a bit while the rain fell and just looked at all my carnage. I fell empowered. I felt somehow justified that I hadn't hacked off any major bodily limbs or suffered any loss of life, and I went ahead and tried it despite all the naysayers and warnings and confusing directions.

Today I am debating on whether to make another trip to the hardware store to look at getting a bigger gas driven chainsaw. Should I attemp the tree removal on my own? Should I have someone else do it? Should I even be allowed near anything with more power with more instructions and warnings? I don't know....

I may be crazy, but I am not stupid... well, maybe just a little. I really did like having the power...

arrrrr.....arrrrr.....

Cause Vero Said So....

 

I have been guilty of not blogging lately, and with Vero's gentle nudging I hope to get back into the swing of things.

I keep thinking something exciting will come along that I can write about, that will keep you all enthralled and on the edge of your seats....so far that hasn't happened. Like so many of you, I have been busy trying to get some work done outside and it seems to be a never ending job.

This past week-end was Arbor day and there is always a huge celebration in Nebraska as it is the home for Arbor day.  I didn't plant any new trees this week-end but two new trees were planted earlier this spring. Like everything else, it's one step forward and two steps back as I also have a few pine trees to remove that have succumbed to disease. That should make for an interesting blog in it's self as I am thinking I can surely take them out myself. At least that is what I keep telling myself, and they aren't really all that big, a little bit taller than the garage, and not that big around. But you know how things look from a distance. Once I have chainsaw - gas or electric- in hand I may be rethinking my capabilities. It doesn't help that everytime I even mention the word chainsaw, certain relatives of mine start to hyperventilate. I swear I am not that dangerous to be around but they evidently think otherwise.

The garden is alive with blooms and the lilacs, redbuds, crabapples, fruit trees are a sight to see. My head though seems to be unaware as most of my time lately seems to be down and staring at weeds and the dirt below them. Posted above is a pic of an iris called pugzilla that I have blooming now. The pic is not mine but from the website where I ordered from two years ago, and this happened to be one of the "freebies" they included. It's a tiny iris, a SDB that is about a foot tall. The regular tall bearded iris will be starting to send up bloom stalks soon, but I am not going to allow that yet as I am not finished weeding them... I doubt they will listen to me though. Nature has a mind of it's own.

I have found that to be so true a lot of the time when gardening. I plant stuff that die and try to kill stuff that keeps on living. I sow grass seed, to only mow it down and curse it on hot humid days when trimming. I make borders that only cause plants to self sow outside of them. I dig up more dirt, to plant more flowers, to have more weeding to do.

Gardeners are just a bit sick and masochistic that way.

I hope that my blog will do for Vero now, I will try and do better...both here and with gardening.

Name That Tune!... (updated with answers)

I thought I would post a little musical quiz for all of you. I have taken a couple lines from well known songs that I thought most of you would know or have heard of. Name the title of the song and if you can, the artist who sings the song or made it famous. Good luck and play fair, NO googling!

 

1. Now I've heard  there was a secret chord, That David played, and it pleased the Lord...

ANSWER: Correct George, it is "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen. It has been sung by numerous artists, and at the 2007 winter Olympics in Calgary, and is also a song in the movie "Shrek".

 

2. Well, I dreamed I saw the silver spaceships flying, In the yellow haze of the sun...

ANSWER: Half a point to you John, it is a Neil Young Song, the title being "After the Goldrush". Another tune sung by many artists, including the trio of Dolly Parton, Linda Rondstadt, and Emmylou Harris.

 

3. Well they said she died easy of a broken heart disease. As I listened through the cemetary trees...

ANSWER: Correct, it is "One HeadLight" by the Wallflowers

 

4. I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck, With a pink carnation and a pick up truck...

ANSWER: "American Pie" by Don Mclean - good job on getting this one!

 

5. And I am laying out my winter clothes and wishing I was gone, going home...

ANSWER: Correct again John, it is "The Boxer" by Simon and Garfunkel.

 

6. Every one of us has all we need, Sky of blue and sea of green...

ANSWER: "Yellow Submarine" by the Beatles

 

7. I never made promises lightly and there have been some that I've broken...

ANSWER: "Fields of Gold" by Sting

 

8. And I'm not ashamed to say, the roar of guns and cannons almost made me cry.

ANSWER: I knew you would get this one George! The song is "Fernando" by ABBA

 

9. I, love the colorful clothes she wears, And the way the sunlight plays upon her hair...

ANSWER: Good Job Um! The song is "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys

 

10. I'm standing here outside your door. I hate to wake you up to say good bye...

ANSWER: "Leaving on a Jet Plane" by Peter, Paul, and Mary

 

11. Oh, father and mother, sister and brother. If it feels nice, don't think twice...

ANSWER: "Shower the People" By James Taylor

 

12. Til now I always got by on my own, I never really cared until I met you...

ANSWER: Think 80's rock and big hair (I can't believe you guys didn't get this one) The song is "Alone" by Heart.

 

13. Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song, And I'll try not to sing out of key...

ANSWER:"With a Little Help From My Friends" By Joe Cocker

 

14. Oh, mirror in the sky, What is love?...

ANSWER: "Landslide" by Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac

 

15. I bet there's rich folks eating', In a fancy dining car...

ANSWER: Good Job Misty! It is "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash

 

16. I hear the dreams echoing tonight. But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation...

ANSWER: (I knew this one would be hard) The song is "Africa" by Toto

 

17. Are you ready, Are you ready for this, Are you hanging on the edge of your seat....

ANSWER: "Another Bites the Dust" by Queen

 

18. Spider Murphy played the tenor saxophone, Little Joe was blowin' on the slide trombone...

ANSWER: "Jailhouse Rock" by Elvis Presley

 

19. Leather and Jeans, We're rock glamorous...

ANSWER: "Paparazzi" by Lady Gaga

 

20. I got flowers in the spring, I got you to wear my ring...

ANSWER: Correct MkChippy it is "I Got You Babe" by Sonny and Cher

 

 

My apologies if the lyrics I copied from the web are inaccurate or if you have heard a different version of the song. Some songs are older, some newer. Good Luck!