Today's Ponderings

Believe it or not, I can go weeks without chocolate. There are times I NEED it - I'm a woman. But most of the time I can take it or leave it. But my real weakness when it comes to junk food is potato chips. But only plain potato chips. I don't like those 'fancy' flavours like Salt 'n' Vinegar or BBQ. Blech! I tried some one time that was Chicken Wing flavoured. While it was actually not bad, still for me, chips are best plain. But best of all is burnt chips. I LOVE burnt chips. And it it's a folded burnt chip - well it's really worth savouring. I wish they had a Burnt 'n' Folded brand. I figured I was odd, but when just for the heck of it, I googled "burnt potato chips", this site came up. No helpful answers though.

I also like my toast almost burnt too. It seems to have more flavour.

One thing that drives me absolutely bonkers though - and Nath will confirm this, is when I order toast in a restaurant and it comes with butter on the side. The only time toast tastes good is when the butter (or margarine) melts into the toast. I'm normally pretty easy going when it comes to restaurant food booboos. But if they give me unbuttered toast and expect me to butter my own toast - that's cold by the time I get it and the butter just sits there - on top - not melting in, I'm not a happy camper. Ron used to be very leery when we went out for breakfast, never knowing if I'd have a little mini temper tantrum with badly buttered or not buttered at all toast.

Living in a house with 3 males and only one bathroom, I tried to train my 'morning bathroom time' to before the boys got up. Sometimes it was the only time of peace in a house with all that confusing testosterone. But every so often my body rebels and decides 'morning bathroom time' is during work hours. I hate when that happens.

I don't know if anyone remembers or not, but last fall I had the property landscaped. What a difference it made! But I have NEVER been a gardener. I've avoided in the past like the plague. But now I'm going to be forced to learn the basics. Now that the weather is warm and sometimes sunny, the perennials - or is it annual - the plants that come up every year, are starting to come out. I'm also (with the help of the landscaper) planning on planting the ones that only come once a year. But right now the problem is I can't tell what is a plant/flower and what is a weed. I bought gardening gloves the other day, but I need help in telling what needs to be pulled.

And just in case you want to see what they did

The Before

The After

You can't really see it in the before pictures, but I used to have a cement back porch. The ground had sunk over the years so that the first step up was a huge one, especially for those vertically challenged like myself. The took out the cement porch and put up a new, bigger wooden porch with three sets of three steps leading down to the to the back door on either side and then down to the deck. I love it!

They also removed all the half dead shrubs at the front and made it look a lot more open. This year I'd like to have the front porch and sidewalk redone, but I'll have to get an estimate on that first.

And now the mail person has no trouble getting to the mail box - to deliver the mail I still don't really open.

Stuff

I’m at work and I’m dying of boredom. They taken away most of the jobs we used to do and while they have reassured us many times that, not to worry, we will be getting lots more to replace what we’ve lost, as of right now, I’m done my work for the day and it’s not even noon!!
This is when my mind wanders. OK – it wanders all the time, but it’s even worse when I don’t have anything to keep it busy.

Has this happened to anyone often? I was reading a book, Cate Noble’s Dead Right (as opposed to Kate Noble’s Compromised – yes I have them both. I was at the store trying to figure out which one to buy since I was curious to see how different the author would treat these two different genres – one a RS and the other a historical – only to discover while entering them into the spread sheet they were two different authors) – really getting into it when I turned the page and what I was reading made no sense whatsoever. After a long huh? , I realized that 20 pages were missing!
Luckily I still have the receipt so I’m going to take it back and get another copy tonight, but still – I was on a roll! This happened at work and one good reason why I always carry two books with me!

OK – I was at work and then it got busy (thank goodness!). I did indeed stop on the way home and exchanged books and now (hopefully) I have the full book.

I opened a Twitter account tonight. I have no idea what to do with it now though. It will probably sit there doing nothing until I have enough brains back to figure out what to do. I was pretty reluctant to open one, but it seems everyone has one these days so I thought I’d go against the demographics and open one. I don’t think I fit into the demographics of ‘twittering’

I haven’t actually come out and said so on the blog – but I’m making it official – I’m going to DC, I’m going to DC – to the RWA conven - tion. I’m looking forward to reconnecting with old friends and connecting with new ones. Wendy posted a list of the authors who will be at the literacy signing and while there are a few authors I’m sad won’t be there – there are some fab ones who will be!

I’ve hired a lawn service. I’m having my first ‘cut’ tomorrow. My neighbours will be so happy!! And I won’t have to hide my head in shame when I pull out of the driveway and see the long grass. It was kind of cool how I found them. I helped a friend move on Saturday and she found this small company online to move her. When they showed up, I asked them ‘you don’t do lawns by any chance do you?’ And they said Yes! Then – pushing my luck, I asked ‘and what are the odds that you do junk removal?’

‘Good they said – they do that too!!’ Yippee I said – well I didn’t say that out loud. They were all young and attractive and one who is older doesn’t say Yippee out loud.

But I have old, old furniture in the basement and I’ve wanted to get rid of it and replace it with new stuff for a long time now. And my ‘library’ in the one room isn’t large enough anymore so I’m going to have to expand into the next room and with a huge wall unit and 2 beat up and ratty couches and 2 old chairs gone – I’ll have more room! Now I just have to have that done before I have a special guest come and stay with me in a few weeks.