Dirt and me

Seems like forever since I've posted a blog - oh wait - it has been!
Let's make it short and sweet for my return.

Tended to the garden today.  I'll have to post a few pics.  Planted the thing about 6 weeks ago and it's ready to explode with veggies for us.  Amazing.

No, I'm not going to become a farmer or anything - but I strangely enjoy digging in the dirt...which, if you know me, is so not me!

Like a fine wine...age and mellowing

Today's Observation:

• I have several pet peeves but at the top or pretty close to it is the way people have forgotten the contraction of 'have'. Let me state the classic example:  I wish I would of done this or that.  Yikes!  Really?  Would of? It's would've - as in I wish I would have (aka would've) done this or that.  Let's try harder people.  Sometimes it actually matters.

Onto our topic dujour - aging and the act of mellowing out.
I had always thought these things went together.  As we age and apparently get wiser, we tend to mellow and, to paraphrase one of my favorite book titles, not sweat the small stuff.

Years ago the littlest things would set me off like a firecracker.  I attribute this to several factors:  youth, a hot head parent, being Italian, and a youthful superiority complex.  However, being the oldest child I felt like it was always my role to 'make things right'.  So I naturally settled into the peace maker role, and to be a really effective peace maker, well you guessed it - I had to mellow out and stop sweating the small stuff.

Don't get me wrong.  Oh, I can outshout just about anyone.  But why? In the end, does bashing someone over the head help their headache?  Of course not. But sometimes it feels good to yell - am I right?


Anyway I took the long path to get here but my point is this- the book is right.  Don't sweat the small stuff.  And it's all small stuff.

I'm up for discussion on this or share your own pet peeves.  Drop me a comment if you want to chime in.

Playoff season begins!!

Today's observations:
- stress, very draining.
- Tax forms, only the gov't could write these things

Today marks the beginning of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. A truly exciting time in the hockey world. To think that 5 years ago I would have ignored all this action! My my what marriage will do to you.
So our team, the New York Rangers, are the 8th place team going in. You know that means they play the #1 team in the first round. We shall see how long we get to enjoy this post season - at least they made it in this year!
Let's go Rangers! I'll keep the faith!

Marching toward April

Today's observations:

• Where does all this 'stuff' come from?  And where does everyone else put it all?
• Heard my husband utter words I never thought I'd hear today - "I'm just not into the draft this year".  Holy cow....
• dreaming of summer veggies and grilling

Life moves by faster and faster these days.  Why is that?  I think the days are just about the same length today as they were when I was a kid - give or take a few millionths of a nanosecond.  My conclusion - it must be the 'routine' that becomes our lives.
As a kid, I don't remember having much of a day to day routine, other than going to school of course.  But then there was play time and school activities, and friends and the world was the neighborhood.

Then we grow up, and time goes by...

Faster and faster....

Enjoy every minute and think like a kid.

It's Spring - right?

Today's Observations:

• snow in March doesn't last long, Thank God
• what happened to the news from Japan? Oh yea, replaced with news from Libya.
• Can our NY Rangers make the playoffs this year? Please?

Ok it's New England.  But still, it's March 24th, and after the teaser of a 70 degree day just a week or so ago, I awake to SNOW this morning.  Not happy.  However, thankfully, it IS March and so the sun peeked out this afternoon and the snow is already disappearing.  Amen!
Spring also brings water - lots of it sometimes.  Our raised ranch doesn't like it much. Always seem to have water in the boiler room every spring.  This year, after a few all-nighters with my wet vac I talked the husband into calling someone to look at this.  YEAH!  So the men showed up today and dug up the floor.  Messy business.  But now I have a lot of gravel and a sump pump pit and we're ready for the next phase of the job.

Homeownership - ah the joy of it all.

My how quickly things change

Today's observations:

• Nuclear power plants - I'm on the fence, but right now, not looking like a good choice
• Charlie Sheen takes act on the road.  What exactly is the 'act'?
• Spring - where oh where are you?

Well the world has changed dramatically in the last few days (literally and figurtively).
First, an earthquake (9.0) hits just off the coast of Northern Japan.  Horrific enough, but then a tsunami forms and obliterates entire villages there.  And now their nuclear reactors have experienced damage from the quake and the backup cooling system was destroyed in the tsunami.  So now these people have to deal with possible radioactivity.
This whole scenario saddens me to no end.  The sheer destructive power of these forces is incredible.
The earth's rotation sped up some number of microseconds, the axis shifted, and Japan and islands along the coast have shifted 8 feet closer to the U.S.
I'm posting a link here to some astonishing video from this tragic event - Japan Earthquake/Tsunami 3-11-11

Please help if you can. Donate, pray, and think of ways to make your part of the earth a little better for the good of everyone on the planet.

Keep hope alive....

Never gets old...

Today's observations:

• Home all day, no doorbell rings, no knocks on the door, yet in the mailbox the lovely note from the mailman - 'Sorry we missed you' - you can pick up your certified letter at the post office.  Seriously? 
• Parents - 'nuf said?
• Who are these people that can buy NYC apartments at 7.4 million?

Yes, I am a cat lady.  Thankfully I found my husband a few years ago so I didn't become the 'crazy cat lady'!
It never seems to get old just observing their behaviors.  They are fascinating creatures to me.
The sheer entertainment they get from a twist tie, or the conversations with absolutely no one out the window, it just never gets old.
Thought I'd share a glimpse into their world with this video I shot of my little guy keeping himself occupied earlier this evening.  Enjoy!
Leo plays chase

The woman cave - so there!

Today's Observations:

• Hugs or Kisses - I vote Hugs
• If there isn't a 'procedure' defined for it - does it really exist?
• Charlie Sheen the topic du jour. Why does the media run amok with these stories?

We've all heard of the 'man cave' haven't we?  I mean there's even a TV show about it.
But here in our household I have the woman cave, and today it got even shweeter.
Finally got myself an HDTV for the cave and am already having a blast watching all my HD shows at last.
Oh I know, the little things that get me excited right? Even the cats are having a great time watching. 
Note to self: must put on a nature channel for the boys tomorrow.
I fear the woman cave will be invaded by the man whenever a game is on though.  But I can't blame him, this picture is mesmerizing.  The cats and I will save a seat....

It's OSCAR night!

Today's Observations:

• Snow again? OMG - I'm so done with it...
• Sunday breakfast, one of my top 10 things
• Global warming? I say yes - you?

It's OSCAR night!  I have absolutely no idea why I've always loved watching the Oscars, but it seems to draw me each and every year.   Maybe I was an Oscar winner in a previous life? 
Don't really care what designer so and so is wearing, or who's there even.  I just love the atmosphere it creates and listening to the speeches.
So time to pour the bubbly, sit back, and enjoy the show!!!

God Speed Discovery

Daily Observations:

• I still get thrilled watching Shuttle launches
• Spring fever is setting in big time now
• Too much coffee? That's ridiculous

This afternoon the space shuttle Discovery took off for it's last mission into space.  For as long as I can remember I have absolutely been enthralled by the space program.  After all, I grew up in the era where we had all the Apollo missions, the moon landings, the shuttle program and the Mars rover. 
Now the shuttle program is winding down.  The International Space Station is complete. What's next?  Hopefully big things!  I know a lot of people feel the money spent on space is wasted.  But I say, without stretching our knowledge of what's out there and without the awe inspiring accomplishments of this program, where would we be?  To be human is to be curious and never satisfied with the status quo. 
I for one feel more alive and energized every time I see a launch.  So I say, God Speed Discovery.  Have a safe and glorious journey and leave us with great memories and awesome dreams.

She can cook?

Daily Observations:

• Amazingly stupid people back at it again this week
• My work life is a daily DILBERT comic strip
• My home life is kind of part Garfield, part Cathy

Let's step back in time.  Not that long ago, I was single, and never cooked a lick.  By 'cook' I mean make an actual meal from scratch.  Tonight I finally felt like a real cook.  Not sure why tonight it resonated with me, but it did, so I'm going with it.  To top it off, husby actually said 'Yum'.  Carla's chicken asian fusion concoction was delish and improvised with what I had on hand. 
That said, my cooking will probably never compare to my mom's.  She is an extroadinary cook.  But she's also had a lot more practice than me!  On my list of to do's is to pin her down with some of those recipes. 
WAY easier said than done....

A day for 'me'.

Daily Observations:

• Right turn on Red - used to be you had to stop first and be sure no one was coming. What happened to that?
• 70 degrees on one day, bitter cold and windy the next - where am I?
• How did I ever survive my youth? No carseat, always picked last for everything, a crib with bars spaced more than 6 inches apart. 

I took last Friday off to have a 'me' day.  Hopefully, you do this for yourself every now and again.
No one can go 24x7 without any breaks.  Burnout happens too quickly in my profession.
Started my day with a most wonderful massage from Tara at Bethany Chiropractic and Massage.  If I could, I would get a massage every week!
Next up, a manicure and pedicure - at least that was the plan.  But, when I arrived, the salon was closed.  No signs indicating they were no longer in business or were on vacation, who knows - still a mystery.  Oh well - so that didn't work out.  Decided to go get the hair colored at mom's before my afternoon facial.
So the joy of having a mom that's a hairdresser is that I can just decide on a whim to pop in and get my hair done!  The downside?  There's always 'something' strange happening with my parents computer which I need to troubleshoot.  Don't have the heart to tell them it's almost always a 'user' problem.
Ok so, body done, hair done...time to head to Glam Spa for my monthly facial with Dee.  How could this wonderful day get any better?  I mean it was sunny and nearly 70 degrees out Friday!  I arrive at the spa and to my surprise, instead of just water or herbal tea, I am offered champagne.  Apparently a leftover from Valentine's day.  Not only did I say YES but then I sit down to relax with my bubbly and the gals bring out a basket full of dark Dove chocolates.  OMG - I'm in heaven!  The only thing that could pull me away from this bliss was Dee coming in and pulling me in for the facial. 
Oh yes, it was quite the 'me' day.  Definitely going to need to do it again REAL soon....

It's beautiful but dangerous in these parts!

Daily Observations:

• Wildlife is beautiful, until it bites you in the ass
• People ask stupid questions.  And yes, there are stupid questions.
• Time to leave Connecticut? Seems we have a lunatic at the helm.

Let's start talking about the wildlife in my area.  Started off with your more common animals around here when I first moved in.  Things like gray squirrels, rabbits, birds of all kinds, deer, chipmunks, turkeys and your assortment of insects.  But over the last 4 years we've added: red squirrels, groundhogs, moles, field mice, snakes, huge hawks, red foxes, coyotes, and bobcats (yes, I said bobcats).  What's a poor domestic house cat to do around here? I used to let them outside with me, but I'm having to rethink that plan now that winter is in it's final month (it is in it's final month, right?).  Danger Danger Will Robinson.  Don't want my poor little guys to get gobbled up or go head to head with those mean red squirrels.  Don't get me wrong. I am the #1 animal lover on the planet and I absolutely LOVE to watch all this wildlife - though the windows!  But I would also like my 4 legged babies to enjoy the spring sunshine at some point.  Oh what's a mom to do?  I have some time to contemplate.  We'll see in a few weeks how things go.

Onto our next area of extreme danger.  We have a new madman running the ship in the state.  Not only do we pay the highest taxes of any state in the union, but this crazy man wants to raise all the taxes.  OMG - this will most definitely cause a mass exodus of this state.  It seems incredible to me that no politician understands the basic philosophy of, 'If you can't pay for it, don't buy it (or spend the money)'.  Hello?  Why is this so hard?  We have a state the size of a postage stamp in comparison to other states, and yet, we have no money?  Where did/does it go? The time has come to rise up my friends. Let's take a queue from our Egyptian bretheren and say, Enough is Enough.  Who's up for a march on Hartford?  Will this finally push you to speak out?  Talk to me...

Common Sense and driving

Daily Observations (today I'll be ranting):

• Is everyone on the road these days brain dead? 
• If there are two lanes marked as turning right then the leftmost lane turns into the leftmost lane and the rightmost lane turns into the rightmost lane.  This is not rocket science people!
• In a parking lot of 50 spaces, why for the love of God, would you park next to the one car parked in the lot?

There are people out there driving along that show no signs of common sense.  Oh sure, there are those that know all the essentials, you know, how to turn a car on and turn it off - but everything in between - well, that's where things start to go horribly wrong.
Face it, it takes at least a little common sense to drive.  Warning - if you don't have any of this, then please, don't drive! 
Let's lay out one example (by all means, use this to gauge your level of common sense):
You're out driving on a two lane road.
You see a car up ahead in the other lane and a woman walking in the road in your lane.
What do you do?  Now let me set the stage a little more - it's been snowing - a lot - the roads are narrower because the plows don't exactly clear curb to curb.
Ok - now - what do you do? 
If you have common sense: you gauge your timing so that the oncoming car and you and the walker don't all hit the same spot at the same time.  Clearly the timing thing is on you because the walker is in your lane, not the oncoming cars lane.  So to give the woman a chance to live you need to use more than your narrow strip of road and probably cross over those pesky yellow lines for a bit.
If you are common sense impaired: you mosey along ignoring the other car, the woman walker and basically all other things (except perhaps your cell phone).  If you're lucky you just graze the woman or splash her with that puddle that's in the road.  OMG.

There you have it.  If you find yourself falling into the common sense impaired bucket, well, let us all know ahead of time where you're heading, ok?

Lazy Saturdays

Daily Observations:

• Seriously love sleeping under the covers with the window open
• Seriously love my cats alternating hugging mom under the covers with the window open
• Seriously love ....

Is there anything like a Saturday?  Sometimes I just like having one of those lazy days that involves, sleeping in, playing games, reading, and general nothingness for a whole day.  Ah...that was my day today.
My mother would be the first to give me a long lecture about all the things that need to be done, blah blah blah.
Well, that's the difference between me and mom I suppose.  I don't mind living with the dirty dishes, undone laundry, and dust - it will get done - but it doesn't need to get done on lazy Saturday.
Hope you have your own lazy Saturday too!

Signs you're not 25 anymore

Daily observations:

• A week is a week right? Why do some feel longer than others?
• Who exactly are they referring to when proclaiming 'Leadership has decided...'?
• Rose colored glasses or cataracts?  Either way, it's a distorted view - maybe that explains the Leadership thing.

Well my husband took me out for our Valentine's dinner tonight.  Yes, I know, that's a full 3 days early - but that's one of the signs you're not 25 anymore!  The second sign?  Oh yes, having reservations for dinner at 5pm and being the very first customers in the restaurant.
Let's put all that aside though. Dinner was simply fabulous, the company was the best as always and we had great service.  What more could I wish for you say?  Ah, the topper to the romance of the night - the trip to Home Depot for the sump pumps we'll be needing when the great white thaw begins.

Ready, set, go.

Daily observations:

• Working at home leads to a need for a lot more pajamas
• iPhone - how did I live without it?
• I'm really tired of snow

Let's start with a discussion on Valentine's Day shall we?
I actually got engaged to my wonderful husband on Valentine's Day 2007.
Certainly a top 10 moment.  But really, this 'holiday' is so commercialized.  So my suggestion today is why not take the commercial out of Valentine's Day this year.  Use the day to appreciate someone or something in your life, just remember, be it man or woman, child or pet, we all have our flaws, appreciate them despite those.  You know, at least for the day!